Frank Venteicher, 1882

VENTEICHER

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 7/21/2004 at 01:22:13

I translated the following obituary and short article from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. The obituary was published on Friday, 10 February 1882, and the short article was published the following on 17 February 1882. I have kept the name and place spellings as they were in the article. It reads as follows:

Unexpected Death!
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Fall from Wagon is the Cause
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Yesterday evening, Frank Venteicher of Pleasant Valley Township was found lying dead in the road near the Catholic cemetery a mile south of town. It was about seven o’clock. The unexpected death of the young man, just 25 years old, was due to a fall from a wagon caused by runaway horses which raced off at great speed. The injuries that he suffered must have caused death instantly. The deceased was brought to town where he was laid out in the courthouse until the coroner, who was called by telegraph from nearby Arcadia, had conducted the inquest. The verdict reached by the jury was in agreement with the circumstances. The deceased is survived by a grieving widow and one child. May he rest in peace.

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[17 February 1882]

The funeral of Frank Venteicher produced a large crowd of people, and it is said that 72 wagons accompanied him to pay their last respects.

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NOTES: Cemetery records show his name as Franz Venteicher, and list his date of birth as 22 September 1851, and his death as 9 February 1882, which would make the obituary incorrect as to his age. There is a Frank “Fenteicher” in the 1880 census, married to wife Anna. He is listed there as 27 and born in Prussia. She is listed as 23 and born in Prussia.