Joseph Wiewel, 1900 Obituary

WIEWEL, SCHAPPAMNN

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 12/10/2005 at 17:10:54

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, 19 January 1900. Any information in brackets or notes at the end are my own explanations. It reads as follows:

Sent from Mt. Carmel:

Joseph Wiewel died on Tuesday morning the 16th of January at five minutes past midnight after having received the Last Rights of our Holy Religion. He was 63 years, 5 months, and 5 days old.

The funeral took place at nine o’clock Thursday morning the 18th of January, proceeding from the home of the deceased. At the local St. Mary’s Church, a solemn funeral service for the repose of the deceased’s soul was conducted by Rev. Father Lührsmann, after which the dearly departed was very solemnly interred in the local cemetery.

He is no longer, and the long, wearisome journey of his life is ended. He takes a rest from the great chaos of this world, and has gone into the kingdom of God, to the source of all goodness, to be rewarded in eternity for his true heart and for all the love and good deeds which he rendered to his family and to everyone. After a 63-year life of godliness, of hard work, of toil and sorrow, the Father of Mankind has called him home to continue his prayers at God’s throne until he sees us all again in happy reunion.

He was born in Bobenheim, Kingdom of Bavaria, on the 11th of September [1837] and was raised there. After his school days, he learned the trade of shoemaker from his father. In 1860, he was conscripted as a soldier and served 6 years’ active duty with the 13th Infantry Regiment. In 1866, when the “Brother War” [Austro-Prussian War] broke out between Prussia and Austria, he participated as a reservist and when it was over, he was fully discharged. He again worked with his parents. On the 19th of November 1867, he married Miss Elisabeth Gräf. On the 1st of May 1868, the young couple emigrated to North America and settled in Grant County, Wisconsin, where Mr. Wiewel again carried on the shoemaker business for a time. On the 19th of March 1875, he moved from his home and settled in Mt. Carmel, and again took up the trade of shoemaker and opened a business which he conducted until his death. The marriage was blessed with seven children, of which the following are still living: Joseph, August, Mary (Mrs. John Schappmann, living near Petersburg, Nebraska), and Johann, who still lives at home with his mother. In 1889, they adopted Minna, an orphan child who received a good upbringing from Mr. and Mrs. Wiewel and who now remains loyally at her mother’s side.

Uncle Joe, by which name he was known by all due to his good nature, was known and loved far and wide, and one could also see this from the large crowd of mourners present at his funeral. Peace to his ashes.

NOTES: The obituary ends with a poem of 12 lines.