Beumer, Bernard “Ben,” 1854-1926

BEUMER, ESCHER, SPELLMEIER

Posted By: Lydia Lucas - Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 20:33:37

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, 1954 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.