Mrs. Matthias Hoffmann (Hoffman), 1896 Obituary

HOFFMANN, HOFFMAN, WINGERT

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 11/6/2005 at 13:08:07

I translated the following obituary from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. It was originally published on Friday, 10 April 1896. Any information in brackets or notes at the end are my own explanations. It reads as follows:

[Mrs. Matt. Hoffmann (Hoffman)]

The funeral of Mrs. Matt. Hoffmann, who died last week as a consequence of an operation she underwent in Chicago, took place Saturday afternoon at two o’clock. The deceased had suffered for several years from headaches, which occasionally were so strong that she had to lie in bed. Last winter she visited her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Wingert, in Wayne, Nebraska, and according to the elderly gentleman, the old illness had improved significantly. In any case, she wanted to be completely free of the illness, and so she went to Chicago and consulted with a well-known surgeon who later gave her the assurance that an operation was the only hope of curing her suffering. Mrs. Hoffmann finally decided to undergo the operation because she hoped finally to be freed from the illness. And the doctor was correct, for a short time after the operation she was freed from suffering for eternity, and she now sleeps in the Catholic Cemetery in Carroll, at the side of her husband who predeceased her a few years ago, mourned by all her relatives, friends and acquaintances.

NOTES: The last name may be spelled “Hoffman.” Carroll Cemetery records list Matthias Hoffman, 14 June 1853 to 27 November 1892, and Marla A. Hoffman, 22 October 1857 to 2 April 1896.