Baumann, Mary 1829 - 1915

BAUMANN, OSBORNE, BUSHENFELDT, THOMPSON, KAUS, MYER, MAIER

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 7/29/2022 at 14:14:18

Register and Argus, 17 June 1915.

Mrs. Mary Baumann or Grandma Baumann, as she was familiarly known, was born in Germany Feb. 3, 1829, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Baumann.

At the age of fourteen years she took the vows of the Lutheran church through confirmation. Two years later she, with her parents and three brothers, migrated to the new world, landing in New York City. From there they moved to Trenton, N.J. It was at this time that the deceased met with her future husband, George Baumann, and they were married in Philadelphia in 1850. From there they went to Illinois and it was during this trip that one of her brothers, Thomas, was drown in the Ohio River. Hearing of a German settlement in Clayton County, Iowa, they decided to come here by means of prairie schooners, landing at Communia in 1854.

The following year they bought the farm where for sixty years she lived and until her death, which took place on Monday, May 31st, 1915, at 4:00 a.m.

In May, 1889, the husband and father was killed instantly by a falling tree. Then Grandma made her home with Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Meyer on the old homestead until a little over three months ago, when the old home was sold and she was taken to the home of her other daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Osborne. For months she lay, not always suffering but yet slowly, one by one, the sands of the hour glass of her life dropped away.

She was the mother of seven children: Mrs. Anna Bushenfeldt, of Osborne, Iowa; Mrs. Mary Osborne, living near Littleport; Ed J. Baumann, of St. Paul, Minn.; Mrs. Louisa Thompson, who preceded her mother in death about sixteen years ago; Mrs. Carrie Kaus, of Hampton, Iowa; Mrs. Julia Myer, of Littleport, Iowa and Robert Baumann, of Portland, Oregon. There also remains two brothers, Jacob Maier, near Littleport, and John Maier, of Morris, Iowa, besides sixteen grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren to mourn the loss of the dear departed one.

Her neighbors and numerous friends, in addition to the relatives, will miss Grandma Baumann. Medical skill was called upon and everything that dutiful and grateful children could do was done to make her life as comfortable and happy as it could possibly be.

Her age, at the time of her death, was 86 years, 3 months and 28 days. Burial took place from the home of John Osborne, where a large concourse of people gathered to pay their respects to one they all loved. Rev. Paulsen, of Elkport, conducted the services, taking for his text Psalms 91, verse 16. Then the crowd wended its way to the Communia cemetery, where the ladies of that association had planted flowers everywhere, so amid them and beneath the beautiful floral offerings were the mortal remains lowered slowly into the long and narrow bed to remain until the Judgement day.

The songs were sung by Rev. and Mrs. Paulsen, Misses Anna Bals and Eleonore Beck and Mrs. Wm. Steen.

Those who attended the funeral from distant towns were Ed J. Baumann, of St. Paul, Minn.; Mr. and Mrs. John Kaus, of Hampton, Iowa; Miss Lucy Maier, of Rockford, Iowa; Miss Florence Thompson, of Waterloo, Iowa; and many from Elkader, Littleport, Elkport and vicinity.

May she rest in peace!