This post was contributed to the Crawford County Chapter of OGS by Kristina Stearley as part of the Florence Siefert Scrapbook in 2010.
The scrapbook is compiled from undated, unidentified newspaper clippings involving events in the lives of Crawford County citizens living in or having connections to New Washington, Tiro, Shelby, Sulphur Springs, Chatfield, Bucyrus, Ashland, Mansfield, and other areas. Only minimal spelling or punctuation corrections were made. Unreadable areas are shown by underlines, dots &/or question marks. This collection has been scanned, “optical character recognized” (OCR’d), proofed, then coded for HTML by volunteers of the Crawford County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. Since the copies are not of the best quality errors may have been made. Please contact us if you find corrections needing to be made or can verify any missing dates which could be added.
Death has been reaping a rich harvest in our midst during these holidays. This time he has laid his cold hand on one of the flowers of womanhood, Mary Louise Schwemle departed this life on Monday December 26, 1887, at 4 p.m. She was the daughter of J. G. Schwemle and wife, nee Hesse, being born in Chatfield township, Crawford county, Ohio, December 5, 1866. She was baptized on the 14th of January, 1867, by Rev. H. F. Belser.
After the death of her mother. which occurred on the 14th of July, 1870, Mary with her brother, Albert, went to live with their grandparents, John A. and Margareth Sheetz where she received loving parental care. On the 10th of April, 1881, after being duly instructed in the Word of God and the Lutheran catechism, she was confirmed a member of the St. John’s Ev. Lutheran church of this place by Rev. E. A. Boehme.
Gifted with an earnest, pious disposition, she fled the temptations of youth gave evidence of her love for those at home by uncommon fidelity practiced her faith, in christian works and prayer and was a faithful member of her church. For many years she has taught a class in the St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Sunday School and was an active member of the choir.
On Wednesday December 2l 1887, returning home from the rehearsal of the song in which she was to take part on Christmas evening she began to complain of a pain in her stomach. Having always been in good health, no serious apprehensions were entertained of her condition, although the proper remedies were immediately applied then, the following Sunday morning, however, it became manifest that she was suffering from peritonitis, and notwithstanding the skill and attention of three competent physicians, she continued to fail until the Lord released her from her great suffering. That she died a Christian was evident from the fact that, immediately before her death, she folded her hands and said “In Jesus name.”
Besides her parents, six brothers and sisters, and the grief stricken grandparents, many relatives and a host of friends mourn her early departure. The funeral took place from the Ev Luth. St. Johns church, a large concourse of people viewing the remains at the church and fol1owing them to the cemetery. The bereaved family has the entire sympathy of the community in their great loss. The following resolutions of condolence were adopted by the Sunday School teacher’s and the Choir of which she was a member:
RESOLUTIONS 0F CONDOLENCE
Inasmuch as it has pleased Almighty God in his infinite wisdom to remove from our midst a loving and beloved sister in Christ Jesus Mary Lousie Schwemley to the home above not made with hands, be it
Resolved while we humbly submit to the divine will, we nevertheless feel the great loss of a true sister, a faithful colaborer, beloved associate and a Christian friend in her early departure, and while we rejoice in the spirit that she has received the reward of a believer in Jesus above, we nevertheless mourn in the flesh that she is no longer with us.
Resolved That, we assure the bereaved family of our heartfelt sympathy, that they be furnished with a copy of these resolutions and that these resolutions be published in the Lutheran Standard and New Washington HERALD.JACOB UTZ, Leader of Choir.
GEO. SIEFERT, S. S. SUPT.
Sermons were preached by the undersigned in the German and English languages based respectively on 2 Tim. 4, 7-8 and Job 19, 25.
“Asleep In Jesus! blessed sleep!
From which none ever wakes to weep;
A calm and undisturbed repose,
Unbroken by the last of foes.Asleep in Jesus! O for me
May such a blissful refuge be
Securely shall my ashes lie.
The summons waiting from on high.”
Rev. H. P. DANNECKER
