Beumer, Benjamin 1854-1926 and Theresa Escher Family

BEUMER, ESCHER

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 2/12/2022 at 06:36:35

Beumer, Benjamin (1854-1926) and Theresa Escher (1858-1935)

This story was taken from pages 48-52 of the Rock Valley St. Mary’s Catholic Church Book written for the centennial of the church about 1982. The Centennial Book was compiled by Elaine Beumer. The Beumer story was transcribed for this BIOS by Beth De Leeuw of the Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society and some research notes were added as well as some minor changes in the outline of the story to make the family description flow better for the purpose of this Biography.

BENJAMIN (also known as Bernard) was born in Jasper, Indiana, in 1854. At nineteen he moved to St. Joseph, Tenn. With his parents where he married Theresa Escher in 1883. After moving to Rock Valley in 1889, he worked in the Schemmer Hardware Store and also in the lumber yard until his retirement. Ben passed away in 1926 and Theresa died in 1935, both are buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery. They were the parents of ten children, Anna, Julia, Edward, Mary Agnes (died at one year), Sebastian, Rosa, William, Lawrence, Joseph and Corrine (lived only 10 days). Their surviving children are as follows:

1.ANNA was born in 1884 in Tennessee and moved to Rock Valley with her parents. Upon graduation from high school she taught in the Rock Valley area and later in the Jesup area until her marriage to Joe Duwa, a widower with three children in St. Mary’s. They farmed near Jesup, until their retirement in Independence. Anna passed away in 1954; her husband had preceded her in death, and both are buried in St. John’s Cemetery in Independence.

2.JULIA was born in 1887 in Tennessee. After graduating from high school she taught in the area rural schools for several years. Julia was married to John O’Brien in 1913 at St. Mary’s. They farmed in South Dakota, North Dakota and later near Independence, Iowa, where they spent the rest of their lives. John passed away in 1937 and Julia in 1980 at the age of 93; both are buried in St. John’s Cemetery. They were the parents of six children, Elizabeth, Rosa, Margaret, Angela, Alberta, Agnes and Francis.

3.EDWARD BEUMER was born in 1886 in Tennessee and came to Rock Valley with his parents. He was married to Beatrice Prunty in 1918 and farmed near Andover, South Dakota. (They had one daughter, Frances, who married William Beasley and resides in Long Beach, California.) Edward passed away in 1920 from an appendicitis attack.

4.SEBASTIAN BEUMER and Margaret Ellen Casey were married in St. Michael’s Church in Kennebec, South Dakota in the year 1916. Sebastian was born in Rock Valley in the year 1890 and as a young man worked in the bakery making pastries, and thus he gained the nickname “Paste” which stayed with him for the rest of his life. Margaret was born on a farm near Earling, Iowa, on June 6, 1895. She moved with her parents to Newcastle, Nebraska and later to a ranch near Kennebec, South Dakota. Paste purchased the Handy Café, renamed it Beumer’s Café, and operated it until his death. He passed away in January, 1936. Margaret has resided in the same home for 63 years. They had seven children, Bernard, Mary who died in infancy, Francis, Margaret Rose, Viva Jane, Paul and James.

5.ROSA ELIZABETH BEUMER was born March 28, 1892, to Bernard and Theresa Beumer. She attended St. Mary’s parochial grade school until it closed and then attended the public school where she graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1911. She taught rural school in the area for six years. She married Victor Prunty on November 20, 1917, and moved to Andover, South Dakota where Victor farmed. Already in the Andover area were her sister Julia and her husband. Rosa became the mother of seven children: John, Bernard, James, Raymond, Lawrence, Reginald and Mary. They are all deceased except for Lawrence of Rockford, Illinois and Mary of Manning, Iowa. Rosa is now a resident of Mother Joseph Manor of Aberdeen, South Dakota where she just celebrated her 90th birthday. She enjoys daily Mass and communion, and often attends afternoon rosary. She is alert, hears well, sees well, and still enjoys company.

6.WILLIAM BEUMER was born in 1893 in Rock Valley, remained single and worked for his brother Paste in the restaurant and lived with his parents. He served in the 168th Infantry of the Rainbow Division during WWI. He died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack in 1930 and is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

7.LAWRENCE BEUMER was born in 1895, graduated from Rock Valley High School and attended Iowa State University. He served in the Army during WWI and upon his return worked for his brother Paste. After the death of his sister’s husband in 1937, he moved to Independence and lived with Julia until his death in 1946. He is buried in St. John’s Cemetery there.

8.JOSEPH BEUMER was born in 1898 in Rock Valley, graduated from high school, attended Iowa State University and later graduated from the University of Chicago with a law degree. He married Margaret Cooney from near Iowa City. Joe worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation as an attorney for many years and later for the Internal Revenue Service. He passed away in the 1940’s and is buried in Iowa City where his widow resided until her death.

RESEARCH NOTES: Includes the obituaries of Benjamin and Theresa Beumer.

OBITUARY OF BENJAMIN (BERNARD) BEUMER

From the Alton Democrat, August 13, 1926, Rock Valley news:
BEN. BEUMER WELL KNOWN CITIZEN; DEAD
Benjamin Beumer passed away Sunday morning at his home in Rock Valley. The sketch of his life is as follows: Benjamin Beumer was born in Jasper, Indiana, December 13, 1854 and at the age of 10 years moved to St. Joseph, Tennessee with his parents.
At the age of 19 years he was married to Miss Theresa Escher on April 10, 1873 at St. Joseph, where they made their home until they moved to Rock Valley in March 1889 where he has since resided. He has clerked in the Foppe Pioneer store and the Schemmer Hardware store. He leaves to mourn his passing his wife and children, Mrs. Anna Douma of Independence, Mrs. Julia O’Brien and Mrs. Rose Prunty, Andover, S.D., S. J., Lawrence, Joe and W. B. of Rock Valley. He also leaves four brothers and three sisters. Funeral services were held at the St. Mary’s Catholic church and interment made in St. Mary’s cemetery Wednesday morning.
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From the Rock Valley Bee, August 13, 1926:
PIONEER RESIDENT CALLED
Benjamin Beumer passed away at his home in Rock Valley at 3:00 o’clock Sunday morning. Mr. Beumer had not been in good health for a number of years, but was up and around until a few weeks ago, when he began to fail so fast that it was evident that the end was near.
Mr. Beumer was one of the early residents of Rock Valley, having lived here over thirty-seven years. He was a man of kind, genial disposition and was a friend of all who knew him.
The subject of this sketch was born at Jasper, Indiana, December 13, 1854. He lived there with his parents until he was nineteen years old of age and then with them went to St. Joseph, Tenn., where he spent several years of his life. He was united in marriage with Theresa Escher, April 10, 1883. They lived there six years and then moved to Rock Valley, where Mr. Beumer continued to reside until death claimed him.
Mr. Beumer is survived by his wife and four sons and three daughters as follows: S. J. Beumer and Laurence Beumer, of Rock Valley, Will Beumer, of Independence, Iowa, and Joe Beumer, Chicago, and Mrs. Anna Duwa and Mrs. Julia O’Brien, of Independence, Ia., and Mrs. Rose Prunty, of Andover, S.D. All of whom were present at the funeral of their father, as well as his daughters’ husbands, and his brother, Frank Beumer.
He also leaves four brothers, John Beumer and Gerrit Beumer, of St. Joseph, Tenn., and Frank Beumer and Anthony Beumer, of Ft. Recovery, Ohio, and three sisters, Mrs. Catherine Beyke, Dayton, Ohio, Mrs. Clara Klessner and Mrs. Josephine Beckman of St. Joseph, Tenn., besides sixteen grandchildren. Other relatives who were here for the funeral were Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Zettler, of Sioux Falls, Chas. Escher, of Montrose, Iowa, and Miss Julia Escher, of Washington, D.C.
Funeral services were held at St. Mary’s Church in Rock Valley at 9:00 Wednesday morning. High Requiem Mass was sung, Rev. Father O’Rielly officiating.
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RESEARCH NOTES
His death certificate has Bernard Beumer, born Dec. 13, 1854 in Indiana; father Garret Beumer, born in Germany, mother’s name unknown, born in Germany; wife Theresa Beumer; occupation, retired hardware clerk; resident of Rock Valley 38 years; died August 8, 1926 at 3 a.m., of carcinoma of the stomach, duration 1 year, contributory cause gastric ulcers, duration 3 years; buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Rock Valley.
His name in the 1910 and 1920 U.S. censuses is Ben Beumer.
He does not appear in the Sioux County Cemetery Index, but there is a FindaGrave.com entry for him, giving his name as Bernard Joseph (Ben “Benjamin”) Beumer and his birth date as 14 Dec 1854 in Dubois, Jasper County, Indiana; parents Gerhard Joseph Beumer (1832-1897) and Mary Anna (Spellmeier) Beumer (1832-1918); one of 15 children; married Theresa Magdalena Escher (1858-1935) on April 17, 1883 in Loretto, Tenn.; moved to Rock Valley in 1889, where he worked at Schemmer Hardware Store and also in the lumber yard until his retirement. They had 10 children: Anna Maria Duwa (1884-1954), Edward Henry Beumer (1885-1920), Julia O’Brien (1887-1980), Mary Agnes Beumer (1889-1890), Sebastian Joseph Beumer (1890-1936), Rosa Elizabeth Prunty (1892-1989), William B. Beumer (1893-1930), Lawrence Joseph Beumer (1895-1946), Joseph Gerhard Beumer (1898-1945), and Mary Corrine Beumer (1900-1900). The entry also notes that there is a generic grey colored Beumer headstone for Ben, Theresa, Agnes and Corrine, no individual markers for them; and that in Rock Valley he was known as Benjamin or Ben.

OBITUARY OF THERESA ESCHER BEUMER
Beumer, Theresa Mrs. Bernard 1858 died 20 Sep 1935.
The Rock Valley issue of the week of Sep 27th is missing.
In Dutch and translated:
The De Volksvriend paper of Orange City of Oct 3rd 1935 reported in the Rock Valley News that Mrs. Theresa Beumer (Escher) died last week at 77 years and her children Mrs. Joe Duwa and Mrs. John O’Brien of Independence IA, Mrs. Rose Prunty, of Andover SD, Sebastian and Lawrence of Rock Valley and Joseph of Denver CO, 20 grandchildren and 4 sister and 4 brothers mourn her death.
See the obit of her husband Bernard Beumer 1854-1926 for more family details.

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