Follow Up-Mary Robin Bentz

In several previous posts (starting with Who Was Mary (Margaret) Robin Bentz?) I have attempted to tell the story of the life of my maternal 2x great-grandmother Mary Robin Bentz.  I have found pieces of information from a variety of sources and by putting those pieces together I was able to learn more about Mary and her life.  Recently, I was able to obtain a copy of her death certificate and find yet additional valuable pieces of information.



From the death certificate I now know that;

• Mary’s cause of death was listed as “Old Age”.  At 79 years old in today’s terms I certainly wouldn’t look at that as being “Old” but in 1911 I guess it was.  According to Mary’s obituary (see post An Unusual Find for Sunday Obituary-Mary Robin Bentz) she had suffered a stroke about 5 years earlier
• Mary’s father, Martin Robin, which had been previously unknown is now known.  This is a major find!  I thought it was interesting that Clara (born in Luxembourg and about 4 years old when they immigrated to America) did not know her Grandmother’s maiden name but knew her Grandfather’s name.  Her grandmother’s first name is believed to be Anna Maria.  They were reportedly both born in Prussia.
• the informant for the information was Mrs. H. Riechling, Mary’s daughter Clara, who according to her obituary she was living with at the time of her death

Now, I guess I have some good information to start searching in Luxembourg and Germany for information on her parents and her marriage to John Bentz.  Maybe I can even connect with some of Mary’s children’s families also.

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

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

Who Was Mary (Margaret) Robin Bentz?

One of my maternal 2nd great grandmothers was Mary Robin Bentz.  There are definitely some missing pieces in my information about Mary.  One of the first questions is her first name.  I have seen her listed as Mary or Margaret or Marie. 

1862 Mary (28 years old) Immigrated to America from Luxembourg with her husband John (42 years old) and children John (6 years old), Clara (4 years old), and Catherine (infant).

I first find Mary Robin Bentz in the United States in:

1870 US Federal Census for Cascade Township, Dubuque County, Iowa 22 June 1870.  Mary (36 years old), born Luxembourg as well as her parents, is listed as the wife of John Bentz, (42 years old) living with children John (14 years old-born Luxembourg), Clara (10 years old-born Luxembourg), Catherine (8 years old-born Luxembourg), Nicholas (7 years old-born Iowa), Nicholas (5 years old-born Iowa), Jacob (11 months old-born Iowa).  Mary is listed as not being able to read or write.  The children, with the exception of Jacob, are all listed as being in school.  There is also a 60 year old laborer from Luxembourg living with them-John Deutcher.  Yes, there were 2 listings for Nicholas on the census.  My guess is the younger Nicholas was really Jacob. 

There would be 2 more children, Mary and Francis born in the mid 1870s who would die shortly after their births.


1880 US Federal Census for Worthington/Dubuque, Dodge County, Iowa 14 June 1880.  Mary (46 years old), born Luxembourg and husband John Bentz (59 years old) are living with son Jacob (10 years old) and daughter Suza (age 3).

For a period of time they lived in Remsen, Iowa.  Not sure of the dates.

1900 US Federal Census for Emery Village, Hanson, South Dakota 27 June 1900.  Mary, now a widow, 64 years old, birth Luxembourg, living with her unmarried son Jacob J. Bentz who was a Mason.  Mary is able to read and write but unable to Speak English.

1910 US Federal Census for Emery Village, Hanson, South Dakota 17 May 1910.  Mary, age 75, birth year 1835 born Germany, Can read & write, Native tongue-German, is living with her son Jacob (40 years old) and his wife of 9 years Julia (age 33) and their children Clara (7 years old), Joseph (5 years old) and Vircine (4 years old) and a boarder Julious Bruecker (27 years old).  The children are all listed as being born in Iowa.  Mary’s Immigration year is listed as 1862.  Did Jacob and Julia marry and live in Iowa for a few years before returning to South Dakota?

22 October 1911 Mary passed away at the age of 79 in Hanson County, South Dakota. 

Oh, how I wish I could find a photo out there somewhere of Mary.

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