Anna M. Petersmeier, 1893 Obituary

PETERSMEIER, PETERSMAYER, KLOCKE, TIGGES, DREWES

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 10/11/2004 at 00:50:34

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, 6 January 1893. I have not changed the name or place spellings, and have added some information in brackets and notes at the end. It reads as follows:

Death Notice

Mrs. Petersmayer [should probably be Petersmeier] died of old age on Friday last week in the house of her daughter, Mrs. John Tigges, in Pleasant Valley Township. She was buried Monday morning at 10 o’clock at the Catholic Church in Pleasant Valley [Willey]. Her funeral was extremely large, and indeed mourners had come from far away in order to pay their last respects to the deceased.

She was likely the oldest woman in the county, since she was born in 1800, and therefore was 93 years old. In 1868, she came to America with her husband, who predeceased her 10 years ago, and one child, and they settled in Freeport, Illinois. From there, the family moved to Jasper County, Iowa, and in 1879 they moved to Pleasant Valley [Township], Carroll County, Iowa. The deceased was the mother of Mr. Jos. Klocke in Eden Township, Mr. John Klocke in Carroll [now Maple River] Township, Henry Klocke in Pleasant Valley [Township], and Mrs. John Tigges likewise in Pleasant Valley Township. She was born in Rolfzen near Steinheim, Westphalia, Germany. May she rest in peace.

NOTES: I believe this woman was born Anna Maria Drewes. She married Anton Klocke in Rolfzen in on 22 July 1825. He is listed as 26 and she is listed as 23 years old. His father is not named but is listed as a farmer in Rolfzen, and her father is listed as Anton Drewes, a farmer from Schönneborg. It appears that Anton Klocke died, possibly in 1844, and that she then remarried Joseph Petersmeier. Several families came from Rolfzen and Steinhein to Carroll County, including Reineke, Wiedemeyer, Poeppe, Klocke, Tigges, Spieker, Pietig, and possibly others.