Ignatius Wiedemeier, 1895 Obituary

WIEDEMEIER

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 9/13/2004 at 00:48:21

I translated the following obituary from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. The obituary was originally published on Friday, 17 January 1895. I have not changed the name or place spellings. Any information in brackets or notes at the end is my own explanation. It reads as follows:

Ignatius Wiedemeier

Saturday afternoon at two o’clock, after receiving the Last Rights of the Catholic Church, Ignatius Wiedemeier died at the age of 91 years at the home of his son Anton in Grant Township. He was surrounded by his sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The deceased was born on 5 May 1805 in Steinheim, Westphalia, Germany. He learned about death early on, and that nothing in the world is perfect, because after unrelenting Death tore four children from him, his dear wife was also called from his side in 1868. When his son Anton decided to come to America, following his brother Joseph who had immigrated in 1870, the father also decided to move where his sons were. Therefore, he came to Carroll with his son Anton in 1884. If only his daughter Eleonore, who still lives in Nieheim, Westphalia, had also lived close to him, his happiness would have been complete. Indeed, the knowledge that his children were well warmed and comforted him like a ray of sunshine in his old age. He alternately visited his son Joseph in Carroll and his oldest son Anton on the farm, and the kindly old man took cheer in the sincere affection of his sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren and great grandchildren. So flowed the course of the old man’s life until his strength left him several weeks ago, and the increasing weakness indicated a worsening deterioration. The Rev. Father Nacke prepared the old gentleman spiritually for death, and so he slept softly and submitted to God with his mental faculties intact.

The funeral took place at 10:00 Monday morning at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church. The funeral procession formed at about 9:30 at the home of the deceased in Grant Township. It reached Saints Peter and Paul Church with the deceased at about 10:00, where the funeral mass was celebrated.

After the religious ceremony was over and the Rev. Father Nacke had read a moving sermon, the endless entourage of the funeral procession formed again and brought the dearly departed to his final resting place. There the good “Vater Wiedemeier” now rests, and a mound of earth covers the weary wanderer.

The painful loss is mourned by three children, two daughters-in-law, twenty-nine grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.

Our deepest sympathies to the survivors.

NOTES: Steinheim is a town in the county of Hoexter, in Westphalia. Nieheim is a small village a few miles southeast of Steinheim. The Reineke family also came from Steinheim, and several families also came to Carroll County from the nearby village of Rolfzen, including Pietig, Spieker, Klocke, Poeppe and perhaps others. According to an article published in Steinheim, Ignatz Wiedemeier, born 5-5-1805 in Steinheim, a shepherd, with his son Anton Wiedemeier, born 2-27-1842 and his son’s wife Wilhelmine Josefine Wiegers and seven children, immigrated from Entrup to North America in 1884. It is listed as a legal immigration, meaning that they applied and were granted permission to leave. Many people also immigrated without permission in these years.