Hamann, John Frederick 1837 - 1905
HAMANN, BUSSACHER, MARTING, BAXTER
Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 6/18/2021 at 17:45:15
Elkader Register, Thur., 12 Oct. 1905.
Our Gaarnavillo correspondent gives the following particulars of the death by suicide of John Hamann, Sr.
John Hamann, Sr., living about two miles south of town, committed suicide Tuesday morning by shooting himself in the right temple with a revolver. No one outside of his family had noticed that Mr. Hamann was not his usual self. His family had noticed the past few weeks that he had fits of melancholia at times. On Tuesday morning he had loaded several bushels of apples and some garden truck on the wagon which he intended taking to Guttenberg that day. He and the hired man, Wm. Benjegerdes, had eaten breakfast and the hired man had gone out to milk and it was supposed Mr. Hamann had gone to the barn. Benjegerdes heard the report of a pistol while milking but the family did not hear it, all of them being in the house at the time. They did not know of Mr. Hamann's death until the hired man started to the field when he found him lying on the south side of the orchard face downward with a bullet hole in his right temple. Coroner Beerman, of Guttenberg, was called and a jury consisting of Wm. Schumacher, of Garnavillo, and Mike Needham and Mr. Jacobs, of Guttenberg, was empaneled. The jury brought in a verdict of suicide.
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Elkader Register, Thur., 19 Oct. 1905. Garnavillo column.
John Frederick Hamann was born April 22, 1837. He came with his parents and brothers and sisters to this country in 1853. Soon after landing in New York his mother died of cholera. The remainder of the family then moved to Guttenberg where deceased sought employment as laborer. In 1862 he was united in marriage to Maria Bussacher. Thirteen years later they took up their abode on a farm in Garnavillo twp., on which deceased toiled incessantly. Even the morning of his death he was busy as usual, loading his wagon with apples and vegetables for market. Through his honest and untiring efforts he succeeded, not only in gaining the esteem and admiration of friends, but also in placing his family in good financial circumstances. He had rather a strong physical constitution, but was inclined to brood even over trivial matters, so that ofttimes he was melancholy. The death of his daughter, Amanda Marting, was a severe blow to him, and about two years ago he became afflicted with stomach trouble. The dread of a painful lingering illness bore on him heavily and consequently weakened him mentally to such an extent that finally on Tuesday morning, October 10th, while the rest of the family were busy with the chores and preparing breakfast, he hastened to the orchard and committed the awful act of shooting himself through the temple.
Funeral services took place Thursday afternoon and were conducted by Rev. Braun, Interment in the new cemetery. Several years ago deceased was a member of the board of trustees of St. Paul's Lutheran church and was very faithful in attending to his Christian duties at that time. The congregation and his many other friends were sorely grieved over his sad demise and tender sympathy to his surviving, sorrow-stricken wife and three children, viz, Henry, residing in Chicago, employed as express officer; John at home on his father's farm; and Bertha, married to Mr. Baxter, living in Chicago.
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