Tombstone Tuesday - Margaret Robin Bentz

My maternal 2x great-grandmother

Margaret Robin Bentz 

is buried in

St. Marten’s Catholic Cemetery

in

Emery, Hanson County, South Dakota.

photo used with permission from Find-A-Grave

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.
Enjoy the journey,
Debby

An Unusual Find for Sunday Obituary–Mary Robin Bentz

Since writing my Blog post entitled Who was Mary (Margaret) Robin Bentz I discovered a great new website with the help of my genealogy friend Sue.  

The website Luxembourger-American Families Genealogy Pages (by Bob Arens) is where I found a lot of great information about my maternal 2x great-grandmother Mary Robin Bentz and her family.  Bob’s website provides a location for information about many Luxembourger families who immigrated to America. 

• Apparently in America in English her name was Margaret Rovin Bentz.  In Luxembourg she was known as Mary Robin.  That might explain the confusion of a variety of spellings and first names. 
• Her father’s name is unknown but born about 1805 and her mother’s name was Anna Maria Robin born in 1807.
• Margaret married John Bentz on 20 Nov 1855 in Weiler-la-Tour, Luxembourg, Luxembourg before coming to America.
• I was also able to find Margaret’s obituary as it was listed in the Luxemburger Gazette newspaper.  This now led me to find out about the Luxembourger Gazette.  The Luxembourger Gazette was published in Dubuque, Iowa from 1871-1918.  The newpaper’s articles were mainly in German with some in English.  From what I was able to find I believe the actual newspapers can be found on microfilm at a few libraries but I am not seeing anything available digitally on-line.

This is the first time I have found an obituary originally in German and luckily with the English translation.

German from the November 7, 1911 Luxembourger Gazette:
herr Nicholas Bentz wurde letzten Sonntag per telegraph nach Emery, Sud=Dakota, an das Sterbe bell seiner Mutter, welche fort bei ihrer Tochter Frau B. Reichling, wohnt, gerusen. herr Bentz kehrte um Dienstag zuruck. Am solgenden Morgen erhielt er jedoch eine andere Depesche, dass die Kranke in ihrem 80. Lebensjahre gestorben sei. Frau N. Bentz und John Bentz reisten    dann sofort nach Emery, um an dem Begraben theil zunehmen. Die Verstorbene war eine geb. Robin, 79 Jahre alt und zu Weiler-zum-Thurm [Weiler-la-Tour], Luxemburg, geboren. Sie kam mit ihrem Gatten, welcher ihr im Jahre 1862 im Tode vorausging, nach Bellevue, Jackson County, Ia., blieben einige Jahre in Cascade und Worthington und zogen dann in 1858 [1878] nach Remsen. Vor drei Jahren zog die Verstorbene nach Emery, S.D., wo sie ihr heim mit ihrer Tochter, Frau Clara Reichling machte. Sie war wohlauf bis funf tage vor ihrem Tode, als sie einen Schlaganfall erlitt. Es uberleben sie funf Kinder, John zu Remsen, Clara zu Emery, Nicholas zu Remsen, Henry zu Granville und Jakob zu Emery, S. D., wo ebenfalls am 28 Oktober das seierliche Begraben stattsand. Der trauernden Familie unser Beileid!

Translated to English:
Last Sunday [October 22, 1911] Mr. Nicholas Bentz received a telegraph from Emery, South Dakota telling the death-bell of his mother, who continued living with her daughter, Mrs. B. Reichling. Summoned to come on Tuesday, on Monday morning, however, he received another telegram that the patient in her 80th Years of life had died [on Sunday October 22, 1911]. Mrs. N. Bentz and John Bentz then traveled immediately to Emery to take in part of the burial. The 79 years old deceased was born Robin, [Margaret Robin] in hamlet-to-tower [Weiler-la-Tour], Luxembourg. She came to America in 1862 with her husband, who preceded her in death, in Bellevue, Jackson County, Ia. They remained some years in Cascade and Worthington, and then moved in 1858 [1888] to Remsen. Three years ago the deceased moved to Emery, SD, where she made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Clara Reichling. She was doing well until five days before her death, when she suffered a stroke. There survive five children: John of Remsen, Clara of Emery, Nicholas of Remsen, Henry of Granville and Jacob of Emery, SD, where likewise on October 28, will be the solemn burial. To the bereaved family, our condolences!

I am very grateful to Sue, who is related to my family through her husband.  She has been and continues to be a very good research friend.  I still wonder if there is a photo out there somewhere of Margaret Rovin Bentz??

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.
Enjoy the journey,
Debby