Referring to
a picture, in a recent issue of the SUN, of the monument on the St. Augustine Cemetery
at Minster, erected in memory of the victims of this Section who died during
the cholera epidemic, over three-quarters of a century ago, Mrs. Charles
Garmhausen of Warren, Ohio, writes the SUN to call attention to the fact that
her mother, Mrs. Louise Finke, who several weeks ago celebrated her 90th
birthday, is perhaps the only resident of New Bremen today who has recollection
of incidents harking back to the dreadful times following the ravages of the
much feared malady of those early pioneer days.Of the actual suffering and sorrow Mrs. Finke cannot remember
anything because she was a mere babe when both her parents, Frederick and Marie
Schoenfeld Wehrman,were taken in rapid
succession as victims of the cholera, back in 1849.
The way Mrs. Finke
remembers the story as told her by her foster parents, and the way she has
frequently rehearsed it to her children, she was about five months of age when
the epidemic broke out and her father was one of the victims.Burial had to be made without delay as the
citizens were dying one after the other and the supply of caskets had run out
so that the lifeless forms were laid in rudely constructed boxes and buried as
hastily as possible. The men returning from the burial of her father and coming
to the house to look after the ailing mother found her cold in death with the
child still resting in her arms snuggled to the lifeless breast of the mother
who had loved her.Before making
disposition of the mortal remains of the mother, diligent search was made for a
place to leave the child.
As a last resort, her uncle
finally appealed to a Mrs. Wilhelmi, then residing at Lock Two, where Mr. and
Mrs. Cornelius Heinfeld now reside, and though she had already taken in four
orphans up till then, her faith and inbred mother-love opened her heart and
home for just one more tiny baby which was cared for with as much affection and
concern as if it had been her very own child.Soon the child was known as Louise Wilhelmi, and retained that name
until it came time for her confirmation, to be received into membership of the
St. Paul Church.The pastor, Rev. Carl
Heise, felt conscience-bound to inform the child of her real name, and after
consulting with the foster parents, it was agreed that he impart the
information. Mrs. Finke to this day
remembers how shocked she was and what days of anguish she went through when
she found that she was an orphan and had grown up under an assumed name.
However, the kindness and
love showered on her by Mr. and Mrs. Wilhelmi during her childhood days are
always a source of fond remembrance for Mrs. Finke, and to this day she honors
the remembrance of them who took the place of her real parents, and enjoys to
tell the story of how affectionate they were, and always showed deep concern in
her welfare.By this time, however, the
community had recovered from the ill effects of the cholera epidemic and things
in general were moving in the even tenor of their way.Louise Wehrman, as she was then known, was
now obliged to shift for herself, and she earned her own living until she
entered into wedlock with the late Captain Henry Finke, and reared a family of
seven children without a single death in the family outside of her husband who
passed away 28 years ago.
Mrs. Finke's is but one of the sad stories which had their
origin in the year when cholera raged in this part of Ohio and almost wiped out
the young settlement in the primeval forest where it had been founded 15 years
prior to the epidemic.Most of the
tales known now are such as have come through tradition from parents and
grandparents.
The cholera epidemic of 1849 resulted in a high
number of deaths.In an account by
Charles Boesel, he stated that from a population of about 700 people, there
were 150 who died of the disease.Church records of St. Paul's and St. Peter's Churches indicate that 122
people died from St. Paul's Church and, between July 27th and August 18th, 50
from St. Peter's. These were the only two churches in town at that time.A few of these deaths were attributed to
scarlet fever, typhoid, or malaria, however the majority of the deaths were
caused by cholera.These victims were
buried in a mass grave in the church cemetery on Herman Street.Besides Louise Wehrman's parents, there were
3 more Wehrmans who died within this 2-week period.Two of them were the parents of August Wehrman, who was Clarence
("Molly") Wehrman's father.(Many of you will remember "Molly" as New Bremen's former
Village Marshal.)[LMF]