Heinrich Friedrich Spoering - The Oldest Brother

Grandmother Ida Spoering Elling's oldest brother, Henry -

On November 10, 1883, Heinrich Friedrich was born to Hermann Heinrich and Katharina (Floke) Spoering.  Called Henry, this was the first son in the family.  In 1900, he was 16 and at home with his parents, helping his father farm.

He married Marie/ Mary Bischoff on December 27, 1908.  He was 25 and she was just 17, requiring her father's consent for the marriage.  Her father, William Bischoff, did so consent, as seen below.

 Henry rented a farm in Richfield Township, and that's where the census enumerator found the little family in 1910.  Mary, 19, had one child, Augusta, born March 19, 1910.

By 1920, the family had grown to four children.  Henry, a carpenter, was still renting a farm and Mary, 28, was doing laundry for wages.  Augusta was 10; Martin 8; Esther, 6; and little Gertrude was 2 years and four months.  One could only imagine that times were lean.  

In the 1930 census, Henry's wife, Mary Bischoff Spoering disappeared.  No death record could be found for her, and Henry had a new wife listed on the census. After much research, a marriage record was found for Mary Spoering, daughter of William and Christina (Spangler)Bischoff. On December 6, 1926, she remarried to Minor Oscar Thomas, also a resident of Richfield Township.  Minor was 40 and Mary, 35, at the time and both had previously been wed.  So, the conclusion must be that Henry and Mary were divorced between 1920 and 1926, and the children were left with their father, a rare occurrence in those days.

 Henry was in Washington Township, Lucas County, for the 1930 census.  At 46, he rented a house and worked as a carpenter with a construction company. His rent was $40 a month.  Nettie, 51, his second wife, who was born in Kentucky, was there along with three of the children - Esther, 17; Martin, 18, who worked at a paint manufacturing plant; and Gertrude, 12. Augusta had married in 1928.
 Henry married Nettie (nee Caldwell, Ester) on June 11, 1928, in Monroe, Michigan.

 On August 9, 1932, Henry lost his only son, Martin Friedrich Ernest Spoering.  Martin, born on March 13, 1912, died in Toledo of internal injuries caused by an auto accident at Sylvania Alexis and Whiteford Roads.  He died the same day and was buried there in Woodlawn Cemetery.

Henry had to register for the draft for both WW I and WW II.  On September 12, 1918, he registered himself as a carpenter, tall and slender with blue eyes and brown hair.  He was not called to serve.  He made the "Old Man's Draft" on April 25, 1942, at the age of 58.  At that time, he gave his daughter, Esther Baer, Lynn Street, Deshler as his contact person.  He was still working as a self-employed carpenter, describing himself as 5'10", 150 pounds, with black/grey hair, a light complexion and blue eyes, with some teeth missing.

By the 1940 census, Nettie was not with Henry.  Henry lived at 403 South Pine Street in Deshler with his youngest daughter, Esther, and her husband, Roy Baer.  The enumerator labeled him as divorced.  Yes, he and Nettie were also divorced.

By now, his children had married and moved on.  The oldest, Augusta Maria Freda, born March 19, 1910, married Emil F. Hahn on September 14, 1928, in Hamler, Ohio. 
Esther Sophia Caroline Dorothea Spoering, born November 27, 1914, married Roy Baer, and the youngest, Gertrude Anna Alma, born October 9, 1917, married Paul Sandman.

On February 8, 1952, Henry Spoering passed away at the age of 68.  His obituary:

"HENRY SPOERING
Holgate, Feb. 9 - Henry Spoering, 68, Holgate cabinet maker, was found dead in his shop by Albert Reibesehl, who discovered the body, said he had died of a heart attack two hours earlier.

Mr. Spoering lived in Holgate many years.  He is survived by three daughters, Mrs. Emil Hahn, Hamler; Mrs. Paul Sandman, Bowling Green; and Mrs. Roy Baer Deshler; and three grandchildren.

In addition, seven sisters and two brothers survive: Mrs. Mary Baden, Malinta; Mrs. Sophia Marks, Deshler; Mrs. Anna Helmke, Mrs. Frieda Lange and Mrs. Lydia Loudon, all of Napoleon; Mrs. Katie Tietje, Hamler; and Mrs. Amelia Slagle, Traverse City, Mich.; and Fred Spoering, Deshler; and George Spoering, Erie, Mich.

The body was taken to the Wesche funeral home in Napoleon.  Service arrangements are pending." 

Forest Hill Cemetery, Napoleon, Ohio

Anna Spoering - The Third Daughter

Anna Spoering Helmke

Another of Grandmother Ida Spoering Elling's older sisters -

The full baptized name is not yet known for Anna Spoering, but Anna was the third of the children to immigrate to the United States with her parents, Henry and Katherine Spoering.  Born on January 3, 1881, in Lehdren, she was just over a year old when she boarded the ship in March, 1882.

In the 1900 census, she lived with her parents, Henry, 55, and Katherine, 44, her two older sisters, and eight younger siblings in Monroe Township, Henry County, Ohio.  The children's ages ranged from 24 to 10 months. Anna was the first child in the family who was listed as speaking English, as her older two sisters could not at this time.



The future groom for Anna was George Jacob Helmke - the son of Henry D. and Anna Luderman Helmke.  Anna and George married on November 1, 1903.
Born in Okolona, George J. was a lifelong self-employed carpenter.

The couple settled into a house on Elm Street in Deshler, Henry County, and began a family there.  In the 1910 census, Anna reported that she had given birth to three children, but only one was living. Arnold Wilhelm Heinrich Helmke was born on November 7, 1905, and was 4 at the time of the census.  An unnamed son was born on March 3, 1904, and died the next day, and Paul Ernest Ludwig Friedrich Helmke was born on September 9, 1907, and died October 13, 1907.

St. John Lutheran Cemetery, Deshler

The family continued to reside in the Elm Street residence in Deshler Village into 1910.  More children were added to the family: Emil Adolph, Pauline Maria Wilhelmina, Harold Harmon, and Edmund Heinrich.  

By the 1930 enumeration, Anna and George had moved to 403 East Washington Street in Napoleon, where their home was valued at $3000.  He was a carpenter "by the day."  Only three children remained at home - Emil, 19, a laborer; Harold, 13, and Edmund, 10.

By the 1940 census, Emil had moved out and roomed at the Hummer's Hotel, run by Bertha Hummer, on Perry Street in Defiance.  He was a machinist working at the Machine Works in the city.  In the week of the census, he had worked 55 hours, and he was still a single man at that time.

That census also revealed that George and Anna both had a sixth grade education.  Two young sons remained at home with them  - Harold, 22, a fireman at the dog food company, and Edmund, 20, a machine operator at the same place.

 Anna Spoering Helmke died on November 2, 1956, and George J. followed on March 19, 1960.

Some Obituaries of the Children of Sophia Spoering Marksch

Sophia Spoering and Carl Marksch had seven children, one of whom died in childhood - Friedrich Wilhelm.  Sophia raised these children alone after Carl died in 1920.

The first son was Ernest David Heinrich Marksch, a WW II veteran.

From the Defiance Crescent-News, January 24, 1970:

"ERNEST MARKSCH.  Deshler.
Services are slated for 2 p.m. Monday for Ernest D. Marksch, 64, Deshler, who died Thursday following a brief illness in Blanchard Valley Hospital, Findlay.

A lifelong resident of Deshler, he was a member of the American Legion, St. John's Lutheran Church and was employed at the Imco Poultry Co.

Survivors include his wife, Gayetta; four sisters, Mrs. Arthur Ohlrich, Deshler; Mrs. Glenn May, Wauseon; Mrs. Ernest Plassman, Napoleon, and Mrs. Herman Miller, Delta.
Burial will be in St. John's Lutheran Church Cemetery following services at the church.  Friends may call at the Dubbs-Rodenberger Funeral Home, Deshler."
 

"ADELIA PANNING.  DESHLER.
Mrs. Adelia Panning, 58, of Deshler, died at 8:30 p.m. Sunday en route to Blanchard Valley Hospital, Findlay.
A daughter of Karl and Sophia (Soporing) Marksch, she was born Feb. 20, 1907, in Bartlow Township, Henry County, and was a lifetime resident of that county.

She was married to Otto Panning Feb. 27, 1927 and he died April 25, 1964.  Surviving are three children, Walter Panning, Napoleon; Henry Panning, Deshler; and Mrs. Albert (Marie) Junge of Route 2, Deshler.

Also surviving are seven grandchildren; a brother, Ernest Marksch of Deshler; and sisters, Mrs. Clara Plassman, Napoleon; Mrs. Helen Miller, Delta; Mrs. Martha Ohlrick, Deshler; and Mrs. Ester May,Wauseon.
Mrs. Panning was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church and its Ladies Aid Society.  Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in St. John's church, the Rev. Andrew Ballas officiating.  Burial will be in the church cemetery."

 

 Thanks to Linda Richard for sending me the obituary of her grandmother, Clara Anna Bertha Marksch Plassman.

"CLARA A. PLASSMAN

Mrs. Clara A. Plassman, age 84, of Napoleon, died at 7:55 a.m. on Friday in Northcrest Nursing Home in Napoleon.
Born in Bartlow Township, Henry County, on March 19, 1909, Clara was the daughter of Karl and Sophia (Spoering) Marksch.  She was baptized April 12, 1909 and confirmed in the faith on March 25, 1923.  She was married to Ernest Plassman on February 15, 1927, and he preceded her in death on November 23, 1951.
Mrs. Plassman was a clerk for the Charles Company in Napoleon for 32 years.  She was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Napoleon Township and was a member of its Women of the Church group.

Surviving are three sons, Harold of Archbold; Raymond and Ronald, both of Ft. Wayne, Indiana; four daughters, Mrs. Florence (Norm) Fitzenreiter of Napoleon, Mrs. Mildred (John) Mitchell of Columbus Grove, Mrs. Margaret Meyer and Mrs. Clarabell (Elden) Badenhop both of Archbold, 24 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren and one sister, Esther May of Wauseon.
Also preceding her in death were two brothers, Fred and Ernest Marksch; three sisters, Adelia Panning, Martha Ohlrich and Helen Miller; a son, Richard, great grandchild, Ryan Fitzenreiter and son-in-law, Vernon Meyer.

Pall Bearers: Jim Fitzenreiter, Steve Meyer, Brent Gerken, Phil Badenhop, Mark Plassman, Dave Fitzenreiter. 

(From the Funeral Service program, February 21, 1994.  Interment in her church cemetery) 

 Her husband's obituary was found in the Defiance Crescent-News of November 24, 1981.

"ERNEST PLASSMAN.  NAPOLEON - Ernest Plassman, 80, 858 Hobson Street, died in his home Monday morning after suffering an apparent heart attack.

Born in Napoleon Township Jan. 20, 1901, he was the son of William and Wilhellmina (Meyer) Plassman.  He married Clara Marksch on Feb. 15, 1927, and they farmed in Napoleon Township until 1942 when they moved to Napoleon.
He worked as a janitor at NAPCO Truck Stop in Napoleon for four years, retiring in 1979.  Prior to this,he had worked at various jobs in Napoleon.  From 1942 until 1952, he worked for Toledo Tank Depot and Autolite Co.
A member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Napoleon Township, he was a former deacon and member of its choir.

Surviving besides his wife are three sons, Harold, Archbold, and Raymond and Ronald, both of Ft. Wayne, Ind; four daughters, Mrs. Norman (Florence) Fitzenrider, Napoleon; Mrs. John (Mildred) Mitchell, Columbus Grove; Mrs. Vernon (Margaret) Meyer, Napoleon; and Mrs. Elden (Clarabell) Badenhop, Archbold; 24 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; two brothers, George, Wauseon, and William, Jewell; and two sisters, Mrs. Edward (Minnie) Brandt, Defiance, and Mrs. Emelia Gerken, Wauseon.
He was preceded in death by an infant son Richard, in 1939.

Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in St. Paul Lutheran Church, Napoleon Township, with the Rev. David Gensch officiating.  Burial will be in the church cemetery.  Friends may call at the Wesche Funeral Home in Napoleon from 2-4 and 7-9 today.  
Preferred memorials are to St. Paul's Lutheran Church Building Fund, Filling Memorial Home of Mercy or a charity of the donor's choice." 

 

 

The fourth child was Helene Anna Katharina Lena Marksch, called Helen, who married Herman Christ Miller in 1930 in Henry County.  Much information is missing here, including a death date for Herman.  Helen died on March 23, 1977, but no record has been found yet on death and burial or children. A work in progress.  If you can help, please comment!

Martha Marksch, Martha Dora Ida Maria, child number five, became the wife of Arthur Ohlrich and they, too, lived in Deshler.  Her obituary was found in the Defiance Crescent-News, June 27, 1973.

"MARTHA D. OHLRICH.  DESHLER -
Mrs. Martha D. Ohlrich, 59, died Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. in her residence after an illness of 15 years.  She had been seriously ill the past three years.

Born Dec. 30, 1915 in Richfield Twp., Henry County, she was a daughter of Carl and Sophia (Stoering) Marksch. She married Arthur Ohlrich on May 1 1932 and he survives.  Mrs. Ohlrich was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church.

Also surviving are two sons, Raymond, Hamler, and James, Deshler; a daughter, Mrs. Orville (Wilma) Buenger, Hamler; three sisters, Mrs. Helen Miller, Delta; Mrs. Clara Plassman, Napoleon; and Mrs. Esther May, Wauseon; eight grandchilden.
Services will be Friday at 2 p.m. in St. John's Church with Rev. S. James Petteys officiating.  Burial will be in the church cemetery.  Friends may call after 7 p.m. today in the Dubbs- Rodenberger Funeral Home." 



  
The last daughter was Esther Maria Frieda Marksch, called Esther.  Born in 1916, she lived in Fulton County, Ohio after marriage.  She married Frederick Ervin Barnes first in 1938, and he passed away in 1951.  She married Glen May in 1955.  Her obituary appeared in the Sandusky Register on April 22, 2004.

"ESTHER M. BARNES - MAY
Jan. 11, 1916 - April 21, 2004
Wauseon, Ohio

Esther M. Barnes-May, 88, of Wauseon, Ohio, died Wednesday, April 21, 2004, in Fulton Manor in Wauseon.

She was born Jan. 11, 1916, in Deshler, Ohio, the daughter of Carl and Sophia (Sporing) Marksch.  On Feb. 5, 1938, she married Frederick Barnes and he preceded her in death in 1951.  On Aug. 16, 1955, she married Glen May, andhe preceded her in death in 1990.  She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church and also was a member of the Wauseon American Legion Auxillary and Wauseon VFW Auxilary.

She is survived by two daughters, Betty (James) Powers of Huron and Joyce (Dennis) Summers of Wauseon; two sons, Ronald (Holly) May  of Fremont, Ind., and Carl (Ila) Barnes of Orange Park, Fla.; 11 grandchilden; and 19 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by one daughter, Marian Skinner; one son, Roger Barnes; her parents; two brothers, Ernest and Frederick Marksch; and four sisters, Clara Plassman, Adelia Panning, Martha Ohlrich and Helen Miller.

Friends may call 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Friday in Edgar-Grisier Funeral Home in Wauseon.  Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Wauseon, with the Rev. Scott Silcox officiating.  The family requests memorial contributions be made to Trinity Lutheran Church."

Wauseon Union Cemetery, Wauseon, OH

The seventh child was Friederich Wilhelm Marksch who died when he was 8 years old of complications of diabetes.

 

Anna Maria Sophia Spoering Marksch - The Second Daughter

Another of Grandmother Ida Spoering Elling's older sisters--

 Called Sophia, Anna Maria Sophia Spoering was about 5 when she accompanied her parents to America in 1882.  Born on December 10, 1877, in Lehrden, Germany, she was the second child of Hermann Heinrich and Katherine (Floke) Spoering.

The family settled in Monroe Township and was enumerated there in the 1900 Federal Census.  Sophia lived with her parents at the age of 22, amid ten other siblings.  It was noted that she could not speak English.

In the meantime, another family had immigrated from Bremen, Germany, to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1883.  Gottlieb and Elisabeth Marksch brought their three single sons: Wilhelm, 16; Gottlieb, 14, and Ernest, 6, with them, along with married son, Wilhelm and wife, Minna Marksch, and their children, Carl and Pauline, both 6.   Three generations of the Marksch family traveled in steerage on the S.S. Strassburg to create a new life in the United States.

Carl Marksch and Sophia Spoering married on July 14, 1904. They lived in Richfield Township where Carl farmed and Sophia kept house.  In the 1910 census, Carl, 30, and Sophie, 32, had three children: Ernest, 5; Adelia, 3; and Clara, 1.  The enumerator noted that Carl could speak English, but Sophia spoke only German.  In 1916, the Farmers' Directory explained that Carl had 80 acres with 3 horses and 4 cows.

The 1920 Federal Census was taken in January and the Marksch family was enumerated on their farm in Richfield Township.  Carl's birthplace in Germany was written as Pollger, but no village has been found with that name. ( Perhaps it could be Behlingen?  Still to be determined.)  Sophia now could speak English and her birthplace was reported as Jeddingen, unlike Lehrden as on a previous source.  Their children were Ernest, 14; Adelia, 12; Clara, 10; Helen, 8; Martha, 6, Esther, 4 and Fred, 9 months.

Tragedy struck the family later that year when Carl became ill and passed away just before Christmas on December 11, 1920.  Death records noted typhoid fever as cause for his demise at age 41. Now Sophia was left with seven children to raise and support, the youngest just a year old and the oldest 14.

Carl's obituary appeared in the Deshler Flag on December 16, 1920.

"PROMINENT FARMER PASSES AWAY
Carl Marksch, a well known and prosperous farmer, residing six miles northwest of Deshler, died at his home Saturday morning, after an illness of two weeks with typhoid fever.
Mr. Marksch, at the time of his death had reached his fortieth year and leaves a wife and seven children.
A son of fourteen years and a daughter of twelve have contracted the disease and are seriously ill at their home.
Funeral services were held Tuesday morning from the Marksch home, Rev. Peters officiating.
Interment was made in the church's cemetery."

On June 2, 1927, Sophia and children suffered another loss - the death of the youngest son, Frederick Wilhelm.  Just shy of a year old when his father died, young Fred was only 8 when he died of diabetes. (Insulin was discovered to help diabetes in 1922, and it was still being tested in the 1940s.  Before that, only diet was used to control diabetes and it was often a fatal disease.) Little Frederick was buried, as was his father, in the St. John Lutheran church cemetery near Deshler, Ohio.

By April 11, 1930, when the enumerator for the census came around, he or she found Sophia and her children in Bartlow Township, Henry County.  They rented a house there.  The young widow was 52 with no occupation, but her oldest son living there, Ernest, 24, had a job road building.  Also in the home was Esther, 14.

In 1940, Sophia was back in Richfield Township on the South Township Line.  This census, taken on April 29th, revealed that Sophia had attended school only to 3rd grade.  Now she owned her own home and lived alone. 

Sophia died of apoplexy (a stroke) on May 10, 1955, at the age of 77.  Her obituary appeared in the Deshler Flag on June 16.

"LAST RITES MONDAY FOR MRS. MARKSCH

Mrs. Sophia Marksch, 77, a resident of Deshler, passed away at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Ernest Plassman, 858 Hobson street, Napoleon, with whom she had been making her home the past two years.

Funeral services, conducted by the Rev. Otto Ehlen, were held on Monday at 1:30 at the Wesche Funeral Home, and 2:30 at St. John's Lutheran church in Bartlow Township.  Interment was made in the church cemetery. 

She leaves one son, Ernest D., of Deshler; five daughters, Mrs. Otto Panning, of Bartlow Township; Mrs. Ernest Plassman of Napoleon; Mrs. Herman Miller of Flatrock Township; Mrs. Arthur Ohlrich of Richfield Township, and Mrs. Esther Barnes of Wauseon; 23 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; one brother, George Spoering;and five sisters, Mrs Anna Helmke, Mrs Frieda Lange, and Mrs. Lydia Loudon, all of Napoleon; Mrs. Kate Tietje, Hamler, and Mrs. Emilie Schlagel of Traverse City, Michigan."










The children of Sophia and Carl were:
Ernest David Heinrich Marksch (1905-1970)
Adelia Maria Wilhelmine Marksch Panning (1907-1965)
Clara Anna Bertha Marksch Plassman (1909-1994)
Helene Anna Katharina Lena Marksch Miller (1912-1977)
Martha Dora Ida Maria Marksch Ohlrich (1913-1973)
Esther Maria Frieda Marksch Barnes May (1916-2004)
Friedrich Wilhelm Marksch (1919-1927)


 

St. John Lutheran Cemetery near Deshler, Ohio

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.

 

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.

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.)