Iowa Old Press


Paullina Times
Paullina, O'Brien co. Iowa
April 12, 1900

The confirmation of fifteen young christians took place last Sunday at the Lutheran church. After having visited the parochial school at Germantown they received special religious instructions from Rev. Horn during the winter. The members of this class were Alwin Puhrmann, Walter Horn, Theo. Giertz, Fred Elberts, Ernest Riedemann, August Lemke, Meta Warnke, Hulda Kuester, Lena Beermann, Emma Tesch, Anna Hattermann, Martha Puhrmann, Emma Bobzin, Marie Brinkmann, Sophie Ebert.

Father Hoppe who died at the home of his Charles at Paullina last Friday was buried at Germantown last Saturday. Mr. Hoppe formerly resided 2-1/2 miles west of Germantown and was a member of the German Lutheran congregation.

Henry August Hoppe was born May 14, 1826, at Regensborn, Hanover, Germany. Came to America in 1850 and first lived at Chicago. Was married in 1855 to Dorothea Bartley. A few years after he and his wife moved to Cook county and after that to Will county, Illinois. In 1882 they came to Caledonia township, O'Brien county, Iowa, and last fall he moved with his son Charley to Paullina where he resided until the time of his death. Of the six children four are living. His wife died in 1897. He has been sickly for seven years with dropsy, which sickness was the cause of his death which occurred last Friday at 2 a.m. Father Hoppe reached an age of 73 years, 10 months and 22 days and leaves 3 sons and 1 daughter and 18 grandchildren to mourn his death. Rev. Horn conducted the funeral services.

Sheriff Coleman took Elizabeth Dundon who lives near Sheldon to the insane asylum at Independence last Thursday night. She has been unwell for some time and recently returned from an asylum at Dubuque.

Born - To Mr. and Mrs. F. K. Sprague, April 8, 1900, a son.

Ernest Pape, formerly of this vicinity, has been appointed postmaster at Calumet in place of Mr. McComber. Mr. McComber, the outgoing postmaster, is the official who became so solicitous for the welfare of the Primghar papers that he lost his official head.

The death of Father Hoppe occurred at the home of his son, Charles Hoppe, in Paullina, last Friday, and the funeral was held on Saturday at the German church in Germantown. Our reporter has given a brief history of Father Hoppe's life in the items this week.

The funeral of Mrs. Andrew Mehling was held Saturday. She passed away at her home between this place and Primghar on the 3d of this month, aged 43 years. The lady had been sick for several years. A husband and five children mourn the loss. Rev. Helmers, the Scandinavian minister of Sioux Rapids, conducted the funeral, and a large number of the neighbors and friends were at the funeral which was held at the Norwegian-Danish church. The interment took place in Prairie View cemetery.

News of the sad death of the child of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Boysen, now living at Freeman, S. D., just reached The Times, and we reproduce a brief account of the matter with some appropriate lines taken from a paper near the home. Paullina friends of Mr. and Mrs. B. extend their sympathy.

"Died at Freeman, South Dakota, Lily Henrietta Boysen, little daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B. Boysen, departed this life March 22, 1900, aged 1 year, 4 months and 17 days. Her short sweet life had been burdened with much suffering. But after the constant care of the most loving parents she had for three weeks been perfectly well when she with almost her first steps walked out and fell into a vessel of water where she was found a few minutes later lifeless.

So young, so pure, so beautiful to life in death;
What will she be in Heaven?
Darling Lily thee has left us,
Left us for thy house above.
But we bow in meek submission
To His will - The God of love.
But we'll never forget our darling
How in snowy grace she lay
Wreathed in garlands pure and lovely,
Nor must we forget to pray.
Heavenly Father give us courage,
Strength and wisdom, faith and love,
Till once more we meet our darling,
in our home in Heaven above."

Mrs. Velma E. (Bethel) Knowlton
The sad intelligence was flashed over the wire this morning announcing the sudden death of Mrs. Velma E. (Bethel) Knowlton, which took place at her home in Adrian, Minn., at an early hour this morning. To say that it was a very sad surprise but feebly expresses the pang of regret and sorrow which it brought to each one of her many friends in Paullina. Velma, as she was familiarly known, ahs bade Paullina her home for a number of years, having grown to woman's estate in our midst, and the number of her friends was limited only by the circle of her acquaintances. She was possessed of those goodly qualities of mind and heart which attract rather than repel our associates. These together with her earnest Christian character won for her a lofty place in the esteem of her friends. It will be remembered that she was a faithful employee of The Times office for nearly six years. She is also remembered here as an earnest worker in the various young people's societies of the Methodist church of which she was a loyal member. We can but feel that what has been our loss has been of infinitely more gain to her. Last fall she was married to Mr. Albert Knowlton, who with her father, Mr. Bethel, and brother, Frank M. Bethel together with a host of friends are left to mourn her untimely death. It is expected that the funeral will be held at Adrian tomorrow (Friday) afternoon and her relatives left today for that place.

Mr. and Mrs. Bert Hammond of Eagle Grove have been here this week on a visit to Mrs. Hammond's mother, Mrs. Howard. Bert has disposed of his barber shop at Eagle Grove and will engage in other business as soon as he can do so. He expects to go west soon to purchase some western horses for eastern market.

[transcribed by A.N., August 2015]

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