February 24, 2020

Some Obituaries of the Children of Mary Spoering Koppenhofer Baden




Emil Koppenhofer, David and Mary's son, died on October 9, 1974, at the Heller Memorial Hospital in Napoleon.  His obituary appeared in the Defiance Crescent-News on October 10, 1974:

"EMIL KOPPENHOFER

Emil Koppenhofer, 71, 521 Hobson St., died at 6:50 p.m. Wednesday in Heller Memorial Hospital, where he had been a patient three weeks.
He was born in Monroe Twp., Henry Co. on May 26, 1903to David and Mary (Spoering) Koppenhofer and married Alvina Cohrs on Sept. 6, 1925.  They lived in the Napoleon area all their married lives.  He was employed 18 years as an attendant at the Home Oil Plaza Service Station, retiring seven years ago.
Surviving are the widow, Alvina;  three sons, Lewis, Toledo; Wayne, Woodhaven, Mich.; and Franklin, Defiance; two daughters, Mrs. Alvada Hazelswart, Antwerp, and Mrs. Dorothy Spencer, Toledo; a half sister, Mrs. Martha Smith, Malinta; a half brother, Ernest Baden, Malinta and 11 grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by a son, Ervin, in 1972, and a daughter, Joyce Ann, in infancy.
Friends may call in the Wesche Funeral Home.  Services will be conducted by Rev. E.A. Laabs and Rev. Paul A. Weber at 2 p.m. Saturday in St. Paul Lutheran Church, Napoleon, and burial will follow in Forest Hill Cemetery." 





Adolph and Mary's son, Otto Henry Baden, died in a Memorial Day weekend crash in 1957.  The Defiance Crescent-News reported it on June 1, 1957, front page.

"Otto H. Baden, Rt. 2, Holgate, Killed in Crash.
  Car Snaps Telephone Pole, Then Hits Tree on Standley Highway

Otto H. Baden, 49, Rt. 2, Holgate, died Friday at 10:30 p.m. in Defiance City Hospital of chest injuries received three hours earlier when his car went off a curve, snapped  an Ayersville Telephone Co. pole and then rammed a large tree.
The accident happened at 7:30 p.m., two tenths of a mile west of the Defiance-Henry County Line, according to the State Highway Patrol.

Mr. Baden was driving west in a 1955 Chevrolet coach and failed to negotiate a left curve in the Standley road (old state route 18), patrolmen said.  The front of the car was demolished. Mr. Baden, who at first did not think himself hurt, was brought to the hospital by ambulance.
His body was removed to the Mansfield and Mast funeral home.

Mr Baden was born in Elery, Henry County, on Feb.21, 1908.  His parents were Adolph and Mary (Sporcey) Baden.  He was married to Lesta Wilson on Dec. 3, 1928 and they had lived in the Standley area since then.


Mr. Baden is survived by his wife two daughters, Mrs. Kenneth (Elvera) Speiser,
rt. 2 Defiance, and Mrs. Gerald (Evelyn) Boff, Holgate; one son, Royce Baden, at home; three grandchildren; one brother, Ernest Baden, Elery;one sister, Mrs Alvin (Martha) Smith, Malinta; two half-brothers, Carl Baden, Malinta, and Emel Koppenhofer, Napoleon; and two half-sisters, Mrs. Albert (Emma) Gerken, Hamler and Mrs. Arthur (Erna) Brammer, Napoleon.  An infant son and a brother preceded him in death.

The funeral will be at Mansfield and Mast funeral home Monday at 2 p.m..  The Rev. Harold C Meister, pastor of St. Stephen's Lutheran Church of which Mr. Baden was a member, will officiate. Burial will be in Meyer's cemetery, Highland Tp.

Mr. Baden worked at the Standley Elevator until a year ago when he took a position with the 7-up Bottling Company."  


 

 Ernest G. Baden, son of Adolph and Mary, died on January 10, 1977, his obituary appearing in the Defiance Crescent-News on January 11. 

"ERNEST G. BADEN

Ernest G. Baden, 65, Elery, died at 1:15 p.m. Monday in his residence following an apparent heart attack
He was born March 2, 1911 in Monroe Twp., Henry County to Adolph and Mary (Spoering) Baden and married Mary Groll on May 7, 1938.  He was employed as a mill operator 15 years at Farmer's Friend Mineral Company, Napoleon, retiring in 1972, and had previously been employed 20 years at the Elery Elevator.

Surviving are his wife, Mary; four sons, Richard, Wooster; William, Hamler; Frederick, London, Ohio, and Keith, Elery; a daughter, Mrs. Robert (Eileen) Cross, Durham, N.C.; a sister, Mrs. Alvin (Martha) Smith, Malinta, and 10 grandchildren.

Calling hours are ... in the Wesche Funeral Home, Napoleon.  Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Friday in Immanuel Lutheran Church near Hamler.  Rev. Patrick W. Boots officiating and burial will be in the church cemetery."

  

August H. Baden died before his mother, Mary, on March 29, 1950, when he was 36.  It was her third child to pass away before her, (Regina, 1; Alvina, 15; and August, 36) and this one was totally unexpected.

"August H. Baden, of Monroe Township, passed away on Wednesday morning at Heller Memorial Hospital as the result of injuries sustained in an auto accident last Sunday near Florida. (Ohio)

He is survived by wife, Lorena; two children, Ronald, 9, and Mary Ann, 6; his mother, Mrs. Mary Spoering, Monroe Twp; two brothers, Otto of Stanley and Ernest of Elery; two half -brothers, Carl B. of Elery and Emil Koppenhofer of Napoleon; one sister, Mrs. Alvin Smith of Monroe Twp; and two half-sisters, Mrs. Arthur Bremer and Mrs Albert Gerken, both of Monroe Twp.

Friends may call at Wesche Funeral Home until 10 a.m. on Saturday, at which time removal will be made to Emmanuel Lutheran Church near Hamler for services at 2 p.m.  Rev. Walter Fehner will officiate  Burial will be in church cemetery."



An obituary has not yet been found for Martha A. Baden Smith, wife of Alvin Smith, daughter of Adolph and Mary Baden.  Martha died on September 24, 2002 in Napoleon.  She and her husband, Alvin, were buried in the Immanuel Lutheran Church, Monroe Township, Henry County.


 

February 13, 2020

Anna Catherina Maria Spoering Koppenhofer Baden, First Born


--Grandmother Ida Spoering Elling's Oldest Sister--

Known as Mary, she was the first born of Hermann Heinrich and Katherina Floke Spoering.  Born in Lehrden, Germany, on August 26, 1876, she was about six years old when she boarded the ship to travel to America with her parents.

When Mary was 23, she married David Koppenhofer, who was about ten years older than Mary.  They wed in Henry County on March 8, 1900, and their first child, Alvina (Elvina) was born on June 13, 1901.  Emil was the only son, born May 26, 1903, followed by Regina Marie on July 25, 1904.
Regina died on her birthday exactly one year later on 25 July 1905. 


Just after his daughter's death, on July 31, 1905, David wrote his will, with John and George Baden as witnesses.  Perhaps David was ill and knew he was dying.  Just a few days later, on August 3, 1905, he passed away.  Now, Mary, 29, was a widow and a grieving mother with two young children, 4 and 2 to raise.  David  left all of his estate to "his beloved wife, Maria."

Nearby, the young widower, Joseph Adolph Baden lived.  He had lost his wife, Sophia Miller (Muller) in 1902, and they had four children that he raised with only the help of a 14 year old servant girl named Mary Bostleman. Erna, born in 1893; Emma, born in April 1891; Carl, born in 1897 and Albert, born in March 1900, kept him busy.  He also lived in Monroe Township, but nearer Malinta.

About a year and a half after losing her first husband, Mary married Adolph Baden on November 1, 1906, in Henry County, and the families were blended.  They would go on to have four more children together:
Otto Henry, born Feb 25, 1908; Ernest, born March 2, 1911; August H., born  April 9, 1913 and Anna Martha, born July 30, 1917.  When Mary was in her early pregnancy with Anna Martha, her oldest daughter, Alvine Koppenhofer, died on  Feb 4, 1917 of pulmonary tuberculosis at age 15.

By 1920, some of the older children had left home and Adolph, 56, and Mary 43, had her son, Emil, 16, at home along with Adolph's sons, Carl, 22, and Albert, 19, and their younger children, Otto, 12; Ernest, 8; August, 6 and Martha, 2.  The family lived on a farm in Monroe Township. 




Adolph became ill in 1945 and was admitted to Heller Memorial Hospital where he died on 10 February.  Mary lived on until Jan 22, 1955. Both are buried together in Immanuel Lutheran Church cemetery in Henry County.







February 12, 2020

The Children of Herman Heinrich Spoering and Katherina Floke

The Children of Henry and Katherina
1 Anna Catherina Maria (Mary)
2 Anna Maria Sophia (Sophia)
3 Anna (Anna)

4 Heinrich Friedrich (Henry)
5 Katharina Anna (Kate)
6 Friedrick (Fred) 
7 Ida Anna Katharine (Ida)
8 Frieda Marie Dorothea (Frieda)
9 Lydia Mina (Lydia)
10 Ida Anna Emilia (Amelia)
11 George Friedrich (George)


The first three children of Henry and Catherine were born in Germany after their parents' marriage in 1875.  Mary, Sophia and Anna were all born in Hollehrden (now Lehrden), Rotenberg (Wumme), Lower Saxony.  The remaining eight children were born in Henry County, Ohio.  Since the middle names of the children were traditionally the names of godparents/ sponsors, some knowledge of these was missing.  Their called names were probably decided by parents.

MY GREAT-GRANDPARENTS

Herman Hinrich/Heinrich Spoering
Called Henry

Born 16 Jan 1845 Stedebergen, Verden, Germany

Married 1875 in Germany
Emigrated to America 6 March 1882

Died 27 March 1917 Bartlow Township, Henry County, Ohio, age 72

Buried St. Paul Lutheran Church cemetery, Napoleon Township, Henry County, Ohio

Katherina/Catherine Maria Floke
Born 26 October 1855 in Nindorf, Prussia, Germany

Death 3 April 1925 at her home in Bartlow Township, Henry County, Ohio, age 69 of a stroke at her home.

Buried St. Paul Lutheran Church cemetery, Napoleon Township, Henry County, Ohio

Her youngest child was born when she
was about 21 and her last at 44.












Here rests Hermann Heinrich, born 16 Jan. 1845, died 27 March 1917.
Hebrews 13:14 - "For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come."
On the back of the stone - I am but a guest on this earth; my goal is that I reach my homeland.  There God is good.  I will receive God's grace and all will be well."


Here rests Katharina Maria, born 28 Oct. 1855 and died 3 April 1925.
Psalm 90:12 - "Teach us to number our days aright, so that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
On back of stone - "Consider your death and what will happen when you died.  You may be happy today, but often death comes as if it were your last day on Earth."  (No Biblical reference given for certainty of translation.)