Obituaries provide great information for genealogy. I’ve read hundreds of obituaries over the years while researching my family history. Recently, an obituary appeared in the Raleigh News & Observer and it went viral for its content. While it’s no longer accessible on the paper’s website, it’s been tweeted. What makes this obituary unique is that it’s primary purpose isn’t to…
Category: obituary
Obituary: Lee Lincoln Bausman
Here is the obituary of Lee Lincoln Bausman, killed in a car/train accident on 20 November 1919 in Austin, Mower County, Minnesota. He was the son of Lawrence and Minnie (Benz) Bausman. Transcription of Obituary: Lee Lincoln Bausman was born August 27th, 1890, in Pleasant Valley township, Grundy County, Iowa, and passed to the Great…
Obituary: Lawrence Lincoln Bausman
This past summer, I traveled to Steamboat Rock, Iowa, to meet Janice, the granddaughter of Lawrence Lincoln Bausman. Lawrence was born 31 January 1862 in Guilford Township, Jo Daviess county, Illinois, to Nicholas Sr and Mary (Casper) Bausman. He died 26 October 1937 in Pleasant Valley, Grundy county, Iowa. I had a lot of fun…
Obituary: Carl Bausman
When I was going through newspaper clippings that once belonged to Gertrude (Bausman) Schoenhard (sister of my maternal grandfather’s mother Viola), I found an obituary for Carl Bausman. Intriguing since this was not a relative I was familiar with. I knew he must be related since his obituary was with other notable events in the…
Obituary: Nicholas Bausman Sr
Nicholas Bausman Sr. is my ggg-grandfather. This past summer I had the opportunity to meet his great-granddaughter Janice who lives in Iowa. She’s a genealogy enthusiast and had a typed transcription of Nicholas Bausman Sr’s obituary, originally published in the Galena Gazette. The obituary lists his marriage to Mary Casper as occurring in 1849 in…
Obituary for Gladys (Ray) Davis
Gladys Cecilia (Ray) Davis was the wife of Laban Davis, brother of my great-grandfather Percy. Gladys was 21 years old when she died in childbirth at Mercy Hospital in Dubuque, Dubuque Co, Iowa. Her baby girl died a few days later. The baby was not named. Mother and baby are buried together at Scales Mound…
Obituary: Celestine (Uhlrich) Hatzenbuhler
Celestine (Uhlrich) Hatzenbuhler was the daughter of Francis J. Uhlrich and Teresa Heid and sister of my gg-grandmother Mary Francis Josephine (Uhlrich) Sanders. She was born August 12, 1868, in Galena, Jo Daviess Co, Illinois. She was one of eight children. She married Joseph George Hatzenbuhler October 29, 1894. They had six children. She is…
Obituary: Marjorie Strelesky
Marjorie Strelesky was the daughter of John Strelesky and Ernestine Sanders. She was a sister of my grandmother, Eunice (Strelesky) Lightcap. Marjorie was born in Sheridan, Sheridan Co, Wyoming, February 26, 1919. She died January 15, 2001, in Cedar Rapids, Linn Co, Iowa. Interment made at Cedar Memorial Mausoleum. Her obituary published in The Gazette…
Death Notice: Elizabeth (Davis) Wear
Elizabeth Davis was the daughter of John Davies II and Jennifer “Jane” Blewett. She was born in Cornwall, England on December 6, 1834, the fourth of five children. Her siblings were Jacob Davis III, William Davis, Mary Davies, and John B. Davis (my gg-grandfather). Elizabeth’s father died about 1840 in Cornwall. Jane immigrated with her…
Obituary: Caroline (Hebenstreit) Stephan
When I was back in Scales Mound in October, I discovered several obituaries in my Grandma Davis‘ genealogy files. I assume she “inherited” them from Viola (Bausman) Davis Hickman after she passed in 1974. Anyway, I’m glad Grandma kept them and didn’t toss’em since Caroline Hebenstreit’s is almost 100 years old. Anna Caroline Hebenstreit was…
Obituary: Martha (Karberg) Schmidt
Obituary for Martha (Karberg) Schmidt, daughter of John and Wilhelmine “Minnie” (Bohnsack) Karberg. Martha was born on October 8, 1889, in Thompson Twp, Jo Daviess Co, Illinois. She died May 30, 1970, in Elizabeth, Jo Daviess, Illinois. Interment made at Elizabeth Cemetery in Elizabeth. Obituary published in Freeport Journal-Standard, Monday June 1, 1970. Transcription of…
Obituary: Alvin E. Sanders
Alvin Sanders, brother of my great-grandmother Ernestine (Sanders) Strelesky, was born on March 12, 1896, in Dubuque, Dubuque Co, Iowa. His parents were Ernest Vincent Sanders and Mary Francis Josephine Uhlrich. Alvin married Genevieve M Duccini about 1928. They had six children: Alvin, Richard, Thomas, Mary Margaret, Alice, and John. Alvin died August 25, 1956,…
Obituary: Mary (Davies) Jeffery
Mary (Davis/Davies) Jeffery was a daughter of my ggg-grandparents, Jacob Davies II and Jennifer “Jane” Blewett. She was a sister to my gg-grandfather, John B. Davis. Mary was born on July 27, 1832, in Cornwall, England. A few years after her father died, Mary immigrated to the United States with her mother and siblings, first…
Death: Anna Marie Wulff
Anna Marie Wulff was the sister of my great-great grandmother Carolina “Lena” Sophia (Wulff) Bohnsack. She was born on June 20, 1875, in Mecklenburg, Germany, to Henry John Wulff Sr and Maria Sophia Schumacher. The family immigrated to the United states about 1883. Besides Lena, Anna’s other sibling was Henry Jr. Anna was the youngest…
Death: Bertha Mae (Sales) Lightcap
Bertha Mae Sales was the wife of James Bailey Lightcap, son of Walter and Eliza Jane (Stewart) Lightcap. She was born Jul 1878 in Montery, Pulaski County, Indiana to Newton and Caroline (Brugh) Sales. At 18, she married James Bailey in Chicago, Illinois. Bertha and James had three children, including Marvin and Myra. I believe…
Death Notice: Margaret Jane (Hicks) Davis
Margaret Jane (Hicks) Davis was my great-great grandmother, and the wife of John B. Davis. Her parents were Henry Hicks and Hester Ingram. Margaret was born on June 17, 1843 in Guilford Twp, Jo Daviess Co, Illinois. She died June 14, 1915 in Council Hill, Jo Daviess Co, Illinois. Margaret and John had six children:…
Obituary: Marie (Strelesky) Smith
Marie (Strelesky) Smith was the daughter of Frank Strelesky and Fannie Hainey, and an older sister of my great-grandfather John Joseph Strelesky. She was born March 27, 1877, in Mineral Point, Iowa county, Wisconsin. She died August 21, 1942, in Dubuque, Dubuque county, Iowa. She married Theodore M. Smith in Sioux City, Iowa, on November…
Obituary: Henry Hicks
Henry Hicks was the son of Henry Hicks and Hester Jane Ingram, my ggg-grandparents. He was the brother of my gg-grandmother, Margaret Jane (Hicks) Davis. He was born in Guilford Township, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, on March 25, 1845. He died February 3, 1930, in Warren, Jo Daviess, Illinois. Henry is buried at Scales Mound…
Obituary: Rose (Strelesky) Weber
Rose (Strelesky) Weber was born on December 20, 1873, in Mineral Point, Iowa County, Wisconsin. She was the second of nine children born to Frank and Fannie (Hainey) Strelesky. (Other spellings: Streletzky and Streletsky) She was the sister of my great-grandfather, John Joseph Strelesky. Her other siblings: Agnes, Marie, Amelia, Lavina, Albert, and Alexander. One…
Obituary: Gary George Lightcap
Gary George Lightcap was the infant son of my grandparents, Wally and Eunice (Strelesky) Lightcap, and older brother of my dad. Gary was born on April 7, 1946, in Dubuque, Iowa, and died on April 23, 1946. He passed at Finley Hospital in Dubuque, one of several babies who died due to an illness that…
Forgotten History 