Georgia Pauline Crocker

Notes:

From FindAGrave

Georgia, 97, 2901 Fair Rd., died at 10:30 a.m., at the Fair Haven Shelby County Home.

She was a daughter to Henry and Bessie (Shroyer) Crocker. On Nov 9, 1938, she married Harold G. Covault, who preceded her in death.

Surviving are three sons, Robert (Marilyn), Summerford, Ernest (Elaine), New Port Richey, FL, and Joseph (Martha), Sidney; two daughters, Shirley (Carl) Umstead, Anna, and Carol May Covault, Sidney; twelve grandchildren, twenty four great grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren; three half - brothers, John (Bee) Crocker, Saginaw, MI and Ken Crocker, Spring Hill, FL.

Deceased are a son, Ronald L.; a grandson, LaMar Covault; a half-brother, Duane Brown; two half-sisters, Dorothy Crocker and Opal Icenogle; and step father, Hershel Brown.

She was a homemaker and a member of the Maplewood United Methodist Church for the past 50 years.

Funeral Services are at the Maplewood United Methodist Church, with Rev. Chad Wilson, officiating.

Georgia married Harold G. Covault on 9 Nov 1938. Harold was born on 6 May 1916 in Ohio; died on 22 Apr 1973; was buried in Glen Cemetery, Port Jefferson, Shelby County, Ohio. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
They had six children: Shirley, Robert, Joe, Ernest, Ronald and Carol. At the time of the publication of Art Peck's book, Georgie lived in Maplewood, Ohio.

1. Living

Notes:

Cass City Chronicle
June 12, 1958
Page 11

Final Rites June 2 for Former Resident

Funeral services were held Monday, June 2, at the Cederberg Funeral Home, Saginaw, for Henry Crocker, a former Cass City resident, who died May 30. Survivors include his wife: three sons, John of Lansing and Bennett and Kenneth, both of Saginaw; a daughter, Dorothy WILDER of Goshen, Ind.; three brothers, George and Ben of Saginaw and Louis of Cass City, and a sister, Julia GIBBS of Saginaw.

Those attending the funeral from Cass City were: Mr. and Mrs. Louis CROCKER, Mrs. Grant BALL, Miss Minnie JAUS and Mr. Will JOOS.

(Research):
Census Information:

1910 Census
Michigan, Tuscola County, Elkland Twp
Enumerated 19 and 20 April 1910 by John A. Benkelman
SD 8 ED 112 Sheet 2A
28-29
Schwegler, William J Hd M W 30 M1 Mich Germany NY
Schwegler, Alice Wf F W 26 M1 1/1 Canada/Gaelic Canada/Gaelic Canada/Gaelic
Schwegler, Andrew Son M W 2/12 S Mich Mich Canada/Gaelic
Crocker, Henry Hired Man M W 26 S Mich Ohio Germany Laborer Farm

1920 Census
Michigan, Saginaw County, Albee Twp
Enumerated 24 Feb 1920
SD 8 ED 43 Sheet 5B
107
Newman, John Head M W 65 M Mich NY NY Farmer
Newman, Catherine Wf F W 53 M Mich Maryland Mich
Crocker, Henry Head M W 36 M Mich US US Laborer Farm
Crocker, Florence W F W 26 M Mich Mich Mich
Crosby, Emily --- F W 80 Wd Mich NY NY

1930 Census
Michigan, Saginaw County, Saginaw City, Ward 12
Enumerated 12 April 1930
ED 73-44 SD 9 Sheet 12A Stamped 283
223-281-303
Crocker, Henry K Home M W 46 M Mich Oh Germany Foreman Iron Foundry
Crocker, Florence R Wf F W 36 M 27 Mich Mich Mich
Crocker, John H Son M W 9 S Mich Mich Mich
Crocker, G. Bennette Son M W 7 S Mich Mich Mich
Crocker, Dorothy M Dtr F W 6/12 S Mich Mich Mich
Newman, Catherine M Mother-in-law F W 65 Wd Mich Mich Mich

1940 Census
Michigan, Saginaw County, Saginaw City, Ward 11
Enumerated 16 April 1940
SD 8 ED 73-46 SD 9 Sheet 16B
1716-312 O 1400
Crocker, Henry K Home M W 56 M No 8 Mich Same House Rough Binder Foundry Automobile
Crocker, Florence R Wf F W 45 M No 8 Mich Same House
Crocker, John H Son M W 19 S Yes H-4 Mich Same House Library Assistant NYA Library
Crocker, Bennette Son M W 17 S Yes H-2 Mich Same House
Crocker, Dorothy M Dtr F W 10 S Yes 4 Mich Same House
Crocker, Kenneth Son M W 3 S Mich

Henry married Bessie N. Shroyer before 1919. Bessie was born before 1901. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Of Shelby County, Ohio.

Notes:

Drove a carriage for lumberman W.R. Burt of Saginaw, Michigan.

Cass City Chronicle
February 14, 1936
Page 1

Former Cass City Resident Dead

John Crocker, who had been a resident in the vicinity of Cass City for 37 years, died at his home in Saginaw on Tuesday, February 11, at the age of 87 years. Funeral services were conducted in the Cass City Evangelical church by Rev. G.A. Spitler Thursday afternoon and burial was made in Elkland cemetery. Mr. Crocker was born in the state of Ohio. He made his home in Saginaw before coming to Cass City and ten years ago returned to Saginaw where her has since resided. Fifty seven years ago he was united in marriage with Miss Mary BENKELMAN who survives him. Mr. Crocker had been in good health up to the time of his 87th birthday on January 20. Besides the widow, one daugther and five sons are left to mourn his departure. They are Mrs. Julia GIBBS, Fred, Henry and George, all of Saginaw, and Louis and Ben of Cass City. He also leaves fourteen grandchildren. Mr. Crocker was a member of the Cass City Evangelical church during his residence here while in Saginaw he was an attendant of a Methodist church as long as his health and age permitted.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong)

John married Maria "Mary" Dorothea Benkelman on 10 Mar 1879 in Saginaw County, Michigan. Maria (daughter of Johann Friedrich "Fredrick" Benkelman and Rosine M?ller) was born on 23 Feb 1857 in Schneiderhof, Waldhausen Parish, Welzheim, Jagstkreis, W?rttemberg, Germany; died on 23 Mar 1952 in Saginaw County, Michigan; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

BonnieMargaret Jacobs writes that Mary Dorothea met and married John Webster Crocker in Saginaw, Michigan, where she had moved to work as a Mother's helper.

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, March 28, 1952
Page 6

Mrs. Mary Crocker Dies in Saginaw

Burial services were held Tuesday afternoon at the Salem United Brethren Church for Mrs. Mary D. Crocker, 95, who died at the home of her daughter in Saginaw Sunday afternoon. Mrs. Crocker, the former Mary Dorothy BENKELMAN, was born in Germany February 23, 1857, and moved to Cass City 75 years ago. She married John Crocker in 1877 in Saginaw. Mr. Crocker died in 1936. Mrs. Crocker was spry and active until death came suddenly. She was a resident of Cass City for many years. Mrs. Crocker was a member of the Evangelical Church in Cass City. Funeral services were held Tuesday morning at the Reitz Funeral Home, the Rev. Carol Lundbom officiationg. Mrs. Crocker leaves a daughter, Mrs. John P. GIBBS of Saginaw; four sons, Louis CROCKER of Cass City; Henry, George and Ben of Saginaw; a sister, Mrs. Rose JOOS of Cass City; 16 grandchildren and 15 great great grandchildren. The Rev. S.R. Wurtz officiated at the services in Cass City and burial was in Elkland cemetery.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong)

Notes:

The family register for the family of Friedrich's maternal grandparents, Georg Friedrich St?hle and wife, Anna Maria Leins, shows that Maria Dorothea St?hle was the fifth of their 15 children. She was married at the Schneiderhof on 20 Nov 1822 to Leonhard Benkelmann. Dot Williams, a Benkelman descendant, visited with a specialist in the old German script at the LDS library at Salt Lake City, where they helped her translate the information on the scans of the actual St?hle family register. They indicated that the writing to the right of Maria Dorothea's name, as well as two of her sisters, said they each had an illegitimate child. Maria Dorothea's child was Johann Friedrich, "who was raised as the eldest of the Leonhard Benkelmann family." It was not indicated one way or the other if he was also Leonhard's biological son. Johann Friedrich was born on 6 Feb 1822, approximately 10 months prior to the marriage of Leonard Benkelmann and Dorothea St?hle.

Freidrich apprenticed with Leonhard as a bricklayer and stonemason. (Jacobs, p. 73)

The oldest of the Benkelman children, he was the last to emigrate to America. He was already established as a stone mason in W?rttemberg when his younger siblings began to emigrate. Over the years, he received many letters from members of the family in America, telling him of the opportunities in the new land. Thus he eventually decided to join them. When he left Germany early in 1873, he was travelling with his wife Christine Stadelmaier, daughter Catherine and son-in-law Friedrich Buerk, granddaughter Catherine Buerk, daughter Christine and her husband George Jaus, and daughters Rosine and Mary, along with Fred's mother, Christina Buerk. German Parish records show "Marz 1873 mit Familie nach Nordamerika."

They sailed from Bremen, Germany on the steam ship "Ohio," and arrived in Baltimore on 5 April 1873, as the vessel was powered by steam, their entire journey took only 15 days. The earlier emigrants had traveled in sailing ships, and thus their journeys had been much longer. Friedrich and his family then traveled by train to Saginaw, Michigan where they were met by Adam, who took them by horse and wagon to Cass City. Adam, helped by his brothers, had constructed a building for them on his land where they stayed. Through hard work and frugal living, Friedrich was later able to purchase land a few miles northeast of Cass City, upon which he built his own home and farm.

At a Benkelman/Striffler reunion, Mary Striffler Benkelman recalled that "Uncle Fred was the oldest and Jolliest of the bunch, I can see him yet a large man of straight build, starting to town a distance of three and a half miles, with a basket of eggs perched on his head and a pail in one arm, marching straight as when he served in the German army but in after years when he became old and feeble he would say "When I think I am going to fall I am already lying on the ground." Later in life, Frederick became lame from rheumatism and used crutches to get about.

(Jacobs, pp. 82, 83, 161, as well various correspondence from BonnieMargaretJacobs, and issues of the Striffler-Benkelman Broadcasts)

These are the tombstone inscriptions of he and his wife:

Benkelman, Christina,d. 18 Aug 1897, 74y 3m 25d
Benkelman, Frederick,d. 28 Aug 1897, 75y 7m 22d

http://www.interment.net/data/us/mi/tuscola/casscity/index.htm

A brief mention of his funeral was on the front page of the September 2, 1897 Cass City Enterprise, in the "Home Happenings" column:

"The funeral services of Frederick Benkelman were held at the Evangelical Church on Sunday afternoon, Rev. C.Y. Schneider officiating. As previously mentioned, Mr. Benkelman has been in poor health for some time. He was nearly seventy six years old and has resided in this vicinity for many years."

A copy of his actual Michigan Death Certificate can be viewed here:

http://seekingmichigan.org/

Indexed as Fredrick Benkelman

It was noted under this cause of death that a contributory factor was the death of his wife one week previously. He was shown as 75 years, 7 months, and 22 days of age at the time of his death.

(Research):Census Place:Elkland, Tuscola, Michigan
Source:FHL Film 1254607 National Archives Film T9-0607
Page 96C
RelationSexMarrRaceAgeBirthplace
Fredrick BENKELMAN Self M M W 58 WERTENBERG Occ: Stone Mason Fa: WERTENBURG Mo: WERTENBURG
Christina BENKELMAN Wife F M W 57 WERTENBERG Occ:Keeping House Fa: WERTENBURG Mo: WERTENBURG

Johann married Rosine M?ller on 26 Nov 1850 in Bartenbach, Donaukreis, W?rttemberg, Germany. Rosine was born on 18 Aug 1821 in Bartenbach, Donaukreis, W?rttemberg, Germany; died on 16 Oct 1858 in Schneiderhof, Waldhausen Parish, Welzheim, Jagstkreis, W?rttemberg, Germany. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Parish records copied by BonnieMargaret Jacobs show her as a daughter of Joh. Georg M?ller, a tailor from Bartenbach and his wife, Christein Esenwein. Rosine died in childbirth after delivering her seventh child and only son, who died about two weeks after his mother.