Alvin Carlton Benkelman, Jr.

Notes:

The Striffler-Benkelman Broadcast, Volume 10, September 1, 1947, noted that Alvin C. Benkelman, Jr graduated from Alexandria High School and joined the U.S. Army, serving with the Medical Corp in Korea. As of Volume 11, it was noted that he was discharged from the Army of Occupation, Korea, and was to enter the University of Virginia in the fall.

The following was written by Al in August 2000, a self titled memoir of his misspent youth

FRANK AND BENK

A hundred years ago when we were both young and full of it, we were double dating with a neighbor's two girls ( for the first time). We wanted to impress them so we took them to a Hungarian restaurant/night club in Washington, D.C., and did it up right - steaks, sparkling burgandy - the whole nine yards. Due to a slight misunderstanding, Frank thought I had money, and I thought he had it. We had to borrow money from our dates to pay the bill. And you know those ungrateful girls would not go out with us again. They didn't know the chance they missed.

Now for the raccoon story. We were camping in the Adirondacks with Frank and our children and dog several years ago. Our camp site was in a rocky hill area that was over run with raccoons. In those days, we knew how to camp - two tents and a screen enclosure/mess tent and dining area. The site was a little cramped for all these tents so Frank elected to sleep in the mess tent. Oh, yes, we had had champagne with our evening meal. We sat around the campfire after the children were down for the night, with Frank smoking and us reminiscing, ringed by eyes of 'coons glowing in the dark. Occasionally a brave one would come close to beg for food. At about l0:00 p.m. we secured the food in cars or tied them up high bedded down for the night. I awoke about l:00 a.m. to a great clatter of pans. From the position of our tent, I could shine a light down in the mess tent and was treated to the sight of Frank in his shorts with the champagne bottle raised on high chasing a very large 'coon around the picnic table. After I stopped laughing, I went down and unzipped the door of the mess tent, and the 'coon ran out. Frank has never seen the humor in this incident. His comment you never looked up at a large raccoon looking down at you.

Of all the rivers Frank and I have canoed, I think Frank will agree that the Cacapon in West Virginia was our favorite. We went down it several times with a dozen stories for each trip; those were the days. There was the time we came up to the community of Capon Bridge and learned that the little stream behind the store had just been stocked with trout. I was fishing with great success (Frank's not a fisherman). I would catch them, take them to Frank who was cleaning them, and putting them in the cooler. I had lost track of the number I had caught, and asked Frank how many there were, and was told nine. The limit was six. We packed up and shoved off! We grilled them for supper, eating eight between us. I think Frank will agree that was the best trout we ever ate.

There is a waterfalls on the bank of the Cacapon feeding into the main stream about l0 feet across called the Bridal Veil Falls, a large rock covered with moss, and the water streaming off of it in a hundred little rivulets - a magnificent sight in its own right. We landed and climbed a porous limestone bank rising 50 feet up from the river to fill our canteens in one of the many springs that fed the falls. In one of these pools surrounded by bright green moss a Scarlet Tanager was taking a bath. This was one of the most brilliant sights either of us had ever seen in nature. We filled our canteens with cold clear water [not the bird bath] and returned, inspired, to the canoe and continued our trip.

One more and I will quit. Then there was the time we ran out of beer. A common occurrence on a 3 or 4 -day trip because of weight constraints. At evening camp Frank was building a fire place and I was fishing from the bank. Now we were miles from anywhere. I snagged my favorite lure out in the river and waded out to retrieve it. you guessed it, it was snagged on a unopened 6-pack of beer. It may have been a little flat but we thanked our good fortune and drank with gusto.

Frank and I have put a lot of water under our keel in more ways than one. We have argued, rejoiced and enjoyed one another's company. In short, best friends. BENK

Alvin married Carol Macomber on 3 Mar 1951 in Alexandria, Fairfax County, Virginia. Carol was born on 31 Mar 1930 in Evanston, Cook County, Illinois; died on 29 Oct 2011 in Warrenton, Fauquier County, Virginia; was buried on 5 Nov 2011 in St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Catlett, Faquier County, Virginia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Living
2. Living
3. Living

Notes:

Cass City Chronicle
Cass City, Mich., April 11, 1919
Page Four
Around Our Town
Alvin Benkelman, son of Mr. and Mrs. John A. Benkelman and a U. of M. student, is enjoying his vacation here at the home of his parents.

His daughter, Anne Scott Benkelman Pritchard wrote, on Veteran's Day 2011, "My dad, Alvin Carlton Benkelman, was born in 1895 and served in WWI; he liked to say "where the bullets were the thickest" - loading munitions on ships in New Jersey.

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, August 27, 1954
Vol 49, Number 18
Page 1

Invention Lauded by Experts
New Benkelman Beam Measures Deflection

Alvin C. Benkelman, brother of Dorus Benkelman of Cass City, has been lauded by road engineers in the United States for developing an instrument called the "Benkelman Beam" for the measuring of elastic pavement deflections. Deflection of a pavement is the amount the pavement gives under road pressure. Although many devices have been invented to measure deflection, the "Benkelman Beam" is the first really simple device for the highway work, according to engineer Benkelman.

In the past, the best method was an electronic method which required a great deal of expensive equipment and a considerable amount of time and effort for each installation. Only a limited number of installations were possible in any one area. Another disadvantage of this method was that the road surface had to be disturbed to install the equipment. While on duty as a consultant engineer with the Bureau of Public Roads on the WASHO test road in Idaho in 1953, Mr. Benkelman developed the deflection measuring device which bears his name. Because of the speed with which Mr. Benkelman's device is operated, the WASHO test personnel was able to make approximately 40,00ft individual deflection readings. An example of the increased speed of the "Benkelman Beam" is reported by the California Highway Department. They used the beam to study pavement which had received severe "longitudinal and transverse" cracking. The beam was used to determine its operational characteristics and to supply experience on the best methods of using it. The results were outstanding. A complete survey of the road was completed in one day, excluding traveling time. Over 40 different sections were tested along the road. The California road commission estimates that the same work done by the electronic method would have taken 10 days. Mr. Benkelman and his wife and daughter, Ann Scott, are visiting Mr. and Mrs. Dorus Benkelman. They stopped in Cass City on their way home to Alexandria, Val, from Idaho.

The STRIFFLER-BENKELMAN BROADCAST, Vol 22 dated September 7, 1959, reported that Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Benkelman of Ottowa, Illinois and daughter Ann Scott attended the Blaufuss family reunion in Davenport, Iowa.

Volume 27 of the STRIFFLER-BENKELMAN BROADCAST, published September 4, 1967 reported that Alvin, a 1917 engineering graduate of the University of Michigan, was honored with the University's Sesquicentennial Award at the annual Asphalt Institute meeting at the University on August 9, 1967.

Memorial Service for A. C. Benkelman Sep. 13, 1987

There was a man, born in 1774, who journeyed westward planting or selling seedlings from Pennsylvania to Ohio and beyond. He was a natural man, cheerful, generous in nature, and had an affinity for the wilderness. He supplied frontiersman with apple orchard stock throughout the Midwest. His name, John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. There was another man who retired in the Elk Creek community in 1967 with a strange sounding name. He was born in Michigan in 1895, and was a graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in Chemical Engineering. From 1919 to 1928 he worked for the Illinois Highway Department where he was soil engineer on the Bates Road Test. From 1928 to 1934 he worked for the Michigan Highway Department as research engineer on soils, fast actions, and pavement. From 1934 to 1954 he worked for the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads in charge of structural design of flexible pavement. In 1956 he was on the staff of Highway Research Board. He is well known throughout the highway construction trade for his invention of a economical portable device to measure deflections of pavement under heavy loads which to this day carries his name. His name, Alvin C. Benkelman, better known as "Benk". The device that he invented is called the Benkelman Beam. I compare Benk with Johnny Appleseed because they both left their mark. Benk, too, was outgoing, was young at heart, loved people and the out-of-doors. He established a flourishing pine tree farm, and was a member of the American Tree Farmers Association. He couldn't do enough for others. Most think that Benk was lured to the area by his wife, Olive, a native of Elk Creek, but there must have been a yearning or spark that had been smoldering since the days of his youth when, as a young man in a glee club, he learned "In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia", which became one of his favorite pieces. His first trip to this area was at the time of the First World War when he accompanied the body of a dead soldier to Galax, Virginia. He liked it then and vowed to return. Benk had two children, a son and daughter. It is rare when a son gets to choose his step-mother, but Alvin Jr., whose mother had died, introduced his vivacious teacher, Miss Scott, to his widowed father. Matrimony ensued and it was a joyous occasion when "Scotty" was born. Benk and Olive had been making plans for their retirement for many years. They had already negotiated the purchase of the property that is referred to as "The Falls" which at the time was a dump. Where others may have seen trash, Benk saw jewels. One of his first projects was to clean up that unsightly piece of property, build a cabin, and landscape the grounds to show off the falls. It was since become a show place and a haven for many a guest. He attacked the homeplace, "Flag Pond" with the same vigor and vitality, restoring an already existing house and out buildings, into their permanent dwelling. I remember my first visit to their home and how cordial they were and willing to show off their home. Benk was especially proud of the spring that had been walled up and flowed through the end of their entrance way. I was impressed by how low the ceilings seemed, but for someone five feet two, they were high enough. Because I was taller was my fault, not his. The lawns were always neatly mowed and trimmed, Benk doing the work or supervising. One of the log houses in the rear was converted into a wood working showroom which became his hobby. It was not unusual to find him working in his shop in the dead of winter by the warmth of a wood stove. Because of his love of trees, it was only natural that he developed his hobby for working with wood. Every kind of wood was a new challenge. Some he liked better than others, but I've never seen anyone able to make a piece of wood shine without any finish as Benk could. There is hardly a kitchen in the community that doesn't have the little recipe holder that he fashioned with a clothes pin. He made letter holders, lamps, music boxes, jewelry boxes, key boards, cribbage boards cut out in the shape of a state, boot jacks, and even a grandfather clock, to list but a few, and do you know, he gave these away freely to his friends, often accompanied by an original verse by his wife. You could never come away from his house empty handed. If it wasn't something that he had made, it was something that he had grown out of his bountiful garden. He flourished on generosity.

( The above are excerpts from Dr. Palmer Fant's memorial address, courtesy of Alvin C. Benkelman, Jr.)

His obituary was published in the October 7, 1987 Cass City Chronicle.

Alvin Benkelman

Funeral services were held last month for former Cass City resident, Alvin C. Benkelman, who died Sept. 9 in Elk Creek, VA. Born May 8, 1895 in Cass City, Benkelman was a well known civil engineer in the design of flexible pavement. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1919 with a B.S. Degree in Chemical Engineering and began his professional careert as a pavement and soils engineer with the Illinois Division of Highways, serving on the Bates Road Test. He then became associated with the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads and did research at Purdue University and on the Virginia Demonstration Road in 1926-28. Benkelman continued to work in research and design of flexible pavement with the Michigan State Highway Department in 1928. Returning to the bureau in 1934, Benkelman was in charge of research for the Hybla Valley Test Track and on the WASHO Road Test in Idaho. His work as Research Engineer on the AASHO Road Test in Illinois brought him in contact with engineers from all over the world who gathered to learn of road construction and durability. Benkelman is well known for his invention of the "Benkelman Beam: which is widely used in highway construction to measure pavement deflections. After retirement from the Bureau of Public Roads, he traveled extensively as a consultant for the Asphalt Institute. Benkelman was awarded the Highway Research Board's Roy W. Crum Distinguished Service award in recognition of his work in the field of highway research. In 1967 he retired to the Elk Creek Valley where he became a member of the American Tree Farmer's Association. For the past 20 years, he has enjoyed living in the Blue Ridge Mountains with his wife, Olive S. BENKELMAN; one son, A.C. Benkelman, Jr. of Warrenton, VA; one daughter, Mrs. Ann Scott (Benkelman) PRICHARD Jr. of Sacramento, Ca.; one sister, Marie BROWN of Saginaw; 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong)



(Research):He was one the family members BonnieMargaret Jacobs personally interviewed when preparing her history of the Benkelman family.

Alvin married Katherine Lynn Ayres on 5 Nov 1927 in Sudley, Prince William County, Virginia. Katherine was born on 14 Jan 1901 in Sudley, Prince William County, Virginia; died on 27 Oct 1940 in Alexandria, Fairfax County, Virginia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, November 1, 1940
Page Six
Local Happenings

Mrs. Alvin Benkelman, who has been in poor health for several months, passed away at Arlington, Virginia, Sunday night. She leaves her husband, a son, Alvin, Jr., her parents, two sisters and two brothers. Mr. Benkelman is the son of John A. Benkelman of Cass City and is well known here.

Notes:

Married:
Cass City Chronicle
Cass City, Michigan, October 28, 1927
Page Four
Local News

Invitations have been received to the wedding of Miss Katherine Lynn, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Hawks Ayres, of Manasses, Virginia, and Alvin Carlton Benkelman, son of Mr. and Mrs. John A. Benkelman of Cass City. The ceremony will take place in the Sudley M.E. Church, South, at Manasses on Saturday, Nov. 5. The newleyweds will be at home to their friends after Nov. 20 at the Strathmore, 2501 18th St., N.W., Washington, D.C.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Spring 2007)

Notes:

The following biographical information about John was excerpted from the MEMOIRS OF JOHN A. BENKELMAN (By Hilda Jane Stickley, 1966)

John said "I went to school in New York State and learned my A B C 's. When we moved to Michigan I was nine years old, the nearest school was too far to walk back and forth each day. I went to the Bird school when I was 12 years old and stayed with a Mrs. Myers who lived near the school and whose husband worked in the lumber woods. Mr Myers did not want his wife (they had no children) to stay alone and so Father said that I could go and stay with her while going to school. I did the chores--brought in the water, cut the wood for cooking and heating. I attended school along with a few other children. During the winter the teacher planned a spelldown with another school near Gagetown. I remember that I was a good speller and got ready for the spelldown by learning to spell all the words in the two books that the teacher let me take home to study after my chores were done." He was spelled down with the name Zachariah, however, taken from a book he had not studied.

Wild game was abundant near John's home. John remembered one time when a swarm of wild passenger pigeons nesting in trees all through the nearby swamps. Nor was it unusual for bears to prowl around their log home at night. John related that his father "had bought an old Civil War army musket from a returned soldier and had loaded it ready for use if a bear appeared. He had warned us boys that the gun was loaded and for us not to dare to touch it. One day soon afterwards, I looked across a small field of wheat on John Striffler's farm and saw two deer grazing in the wheat. Mother and Father were away, so I though 'This is my chance!' I sneaked the musket out and went back through the woods on the windward side. When I was in sight of the deer still feeding, I laid down behind a big log and took good aim, pulled down on the trigger. The gun went off with a loud bang, knocking me backwards behind the log, knocking the wind out of me and giving me a few bruises. When I got up I looked over where the deer had been. There was a big buck kicking his last. His horns were so big I was afraid to go near him, so turned and ran for home fast as I could. Mother had just returned, and I told her what I had done. She said 'Your Father will give you punishment for this!' When Father came home we had our supper, but I did not eat much as I was afraid of what he would say or do to me. After a while, Mother said 'John, you tell your Father what you did.' He looked mighty cross after I told him, but did not say a word, but went and got a latern, lighted it and said, 'Come on John, show me where the deer is.' We dragged it home, dressed it out and cut it up. Father made me carry a quarter to Jake Striffler and one to John Striffler the next day. The other half, father cut up in pieces and mother preserved some in a salt brine and the rest was hung in the cold shed to keep for later use. Father never scolded me, but he never loaded the gun again, unless he was taking it to the woods to hunt himself. And I did not have a desire to shoot that old kicking musket off again."

John helped his father on the farm, and at the age of 15 he was "a chore boy in a typical Michigan lumber camp of those early days. The camp was about 15 miles North and East of Cass City. The forest extended for miles around us containing all sorts of trees, but the lumbermen were just interested in the pines...I took care of the horses, kept the woodboxes full and helped Kitty Kelley, the cook." The work of the lumbermen apparently impressed John greatly. He related that often he would "steal away from my chores, walk along the pine-fragrant trail and join the men and the excitement of cutting down the big pines. By the time spring came and the ice had thawed in the river, the logs were piled sky high along the bank to be floated down with the swift current to the saw mills in Saginaw. The job of floating the logs down the river was a dangerous one and called for experience and team work. A special crew of men handled this job. They had a river raft which floated along behind the workmen and could be tied to trees along the bank at any time they wanted to stop for the night...(it) was about 100 feet long. Several men followed along the river bank on each side and dislodged the logs that got stuck along the bank and jammed up the current. Then the men walked out on the logs with long poles and pryed them loose. This was dangerous work and some men lost their lives. One day I was supposed to help the men and was trying to loosen some logs with a pole. I lost my footing and fell in the river. The men helped me out. While waiting for my clothes to dry, I decided that was too big a job for a 15 year old boy to do. By this time I had enough of that winter work and told the cook that I was going home. The crew was very sorry to see me leave and I walked back to the farm. Father and Mother were glad to have me home again as well as I was to be there."

John met his first wife, Rosina, while on a visit to New York. They were married in 1879. They can be found in the 1880 census. Living with them is 18 year old Christoph Seeger.

After the death of Rosina, John moved from Cass City to Kansas, and worked on the ranch of his Uncle George, alongside his brothers George and Ben. He lived there almost 4 years, working for $30 a month. He also was homesteading 200 acres of land adjoining his uncles. He returned to Cass City in 1889. He married for a second time to Augusta Krehl in the spring of 1890. They went on honeymoon to Traverse City, and by boat to Milwakee to see Augusta's father (Frederick Krehl), who was in the Old Soldier's home there. Mr. Krehl gave John power of attorney so he could sell some property he owned in Davenport, Iowa. John took Augusta back home, and later traveled to Iowa to sell the property. He gave her the $1200 proceeds.

Bonnie Petee abstracted the following regarding the Evangelical Association from "The History of Tuscola County, Biographical Sketches and Illustrations," H. R. Page Co., Chicago, 1883. "A class of this church which is commonly known as the German Methodist, was organized in the town of Elkland about the year 1866, by the Rev. Stephen Henne in connection with the Sebewaing mission. The class numbered about fifteen members. It has had regular services from that time to the present, and a regular succession of pastors. Services being held in the school-house, one mile north and one-half mile east of Cass City. In the latter part of 1882, a formal organization was effected at Cass City, and steps taken for the construction of a house of worship, which is now in course of construction. The earnest zeal of the members and their individual labors and contributions of material have reduced the estimated cost of the building to about $1,500. The pastor of the church at the present time is the Rev. B. F. Wade, who resides on his farm in the town of Elkland. The membership is about fifty. There is a preaching every second Sunday; prayer-meeting and Sunday-school every Sabbath. The trustees of the church are, John Benkelman, Fred Krapf, Oscar Sencner, Levi Muntz and Adam Benkelman."

Cass City Chronicle
December 4, 1908

Notice to Taxpayers

I will be at B. F. Benkelman's store Cass City, to collect the taxes of Elkland township on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

J. A. BENKELMAN, Treas.

Cass City Chronicle
November 20, 1908

Local Items

The quartet of hunters returned from Hubbard Lake Wednesday evening. They report plenty of game and a good time. Wm. Ball brought home two deer and John Ball one, while they and the other two hunters, J. A. Benkelman and J. C. Lauderbach, exhibited a nice bunch of whiskers which greatly improved (?) their appearance. All of them had great luck in shooting birds-the men, not the whiskers.

Cass City Chronicle
February 20, 1931
John A. Benkelman published a notice on the first page of the paper to the Elkland Township voters, seeking their support in his candidacy for supervisor of the Republican caucus.


His obituary follows:

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, August 15, 1952
Vol 47, No 16

John Benkelman, 96, Dies in Hospital Friday Afternoon

John Adam Benkelman, 96, well-known Cass City businessman and civic leader, died late Friday afternoon, August 8, after spending six days in the Cass City Hospital.

The pioneer resident of Cass City had been in failing health for nearly a year.

Mr. Benkelman spent eight years as a partner in the Young and Benkelman meat market in Cass City and served over 10 years as a supervisor for Elkland Township. His varied business career also included farming an work in the implement business.

He was regarded as an authority on early Cass City area history and was noted for his memory of incidents that occurred during pioneer days in this community.

Mr. Benkelman was one of the few men in the entire nation who could remember the hour of Abraham Lincoln's death and the funeral that followed.

He was born in Bowmansville, New York, April 26, 1856, the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Adam Benkelman. Together with his parents, he moved to a farm in this community when nine years old.

Mr. Benkelman married Miss Augusta Krehl in Cass City in the fall of 1890. The couple made their home int he area until Mrs. Benkelman died in 1935.

Survivors are: one daughter, Mrs. Marie BROWN of Pigeon; four sons, Glenn of Lakewood, Ohio, Dorus of Cass City, Alvin of Alexandria, Virginia, and John of Detroit; six granchildren; one great-granchild; and one brother, Ben Benkelman of Cass City. One daughter, three brothers, and one sister died before him.

Burial was in the family lot in Elkland cemetery.

(Research):Census Information:

1880 Census
Census Place:Elkland, Tuscola, Michigan Source:FHL Film 125
4607
National Archives Film T9-0607 Page 95B RelationSexMarrRaceAgeBirthplace
John BENKELMAN Self M M W 24 NY Occ: Farmer Fa: WERTENBURG Mo: WERTENBURG
Rosa BENKELMAN Wife F M W 22 WERTENBURG Occ:Keeping House Fa: WERTENBURG Mo: WERTENBURG
Christoph SEEGER Other M S W 18 NY Occ: Farmer Fa: WERTENBURG Mo: WERTENBURG

1920 Census
Michigan, Tuscola County, Elkland
Enumerated 21 January 1920
SD 7 ED 178 Sheet 6A
FM 123-126
Striffler, William D
Fm 124-127
Jaus, John and Maud
Fm 125-128
John A. Benkelman Hd M W 63 New York Wurtemberg Germany Wurtemberg Germany Farmer
Benkelman, Augusta Wf F W 49 M Iowa Wurtemberg Germany/German Germany/German
Benkelman, Dorus Son M W 27 S Mich New York Iowa Clerk in Bank
Benkelman, John Son M W 12 S Mich New York Iowa

John married Augusta Catherine Freidrika Krehl on 19 Jun 1890 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. Augusta (daughter of Friedrich Krehl and Philippine Blaufuss) was born on 6 Mar 1870 in Franklin Center, Lee County, Iowa; died on 8 Feb 1934 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

The only child of Friederick KREHL and Philippine BLAUFUSS, who were married in Franklin Center, Iowa,on 6 June 1869. The family was in Lee County at the time of the 1870 census, and she was listed as "Kate."

Alvin Benkelman, a descendant, writes that Fred. KREHL of Wuerttemberg was listed in GERMANS TO AMERICA as arriving on the CONFEDERATION from Havre on 7 June 1856. Some five years after his arrival in this county, he enlisted in Company B, 2nd PA. heavy artillery of the Union Army, and served from 22 Dec 1861 to 21 Dec 1864.

His wife, Philippine was the daughter of Johannes George BLAUFUSS and Wilhelmina BECKER of Rhein Pfalz, Germany.

Obituaries

SUDDEN DEATH OF MRS. JNO BENKELMAN

Mrs. John A. Benkelman, 63, died suddenly at her home on West Main street on Thursday morning. Mr. Benkelman had left the home to go to the office of The Farm Produce Co., and when he returned about an hour later, he found his wife dead in the dining room. A heart attack is said to have been the cause of her sudden decease. News of her passing came as a great shock to her relatives and friends as her death was most unexpected. Funeral arrangements had not been completed when the Chronicle went to press Thursday afternoon.

Mrs. John Benkelman

Funeral services for Mrs. John A. Benkelman, 64, who died suddenly Thursday morning, Feb. 8, were held Sunday, from the home on West Main street, at 2:00 p.m. Rev. P.J. Allured officiated and interment was in Elkland cemetery.

Augusta Catherine Krehl was born March 6, 1870, at Franklin Center, Iowa. Her mother died when she was two years old and she made her home with Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Striffler, neighbors of the Krehls. Within a short time, Mrs. Rosina Striffler also answered the final call and soon after Mr. Striffler and family came to live in Cass City, bringing Augusta Catherine with them and she has lived in and near Cass City since. About forty-five years ago, she was united in marriage with John A. Benkelman.

She is survived by her husband, four sons and one daughter, Glen of Cleveland, Ohio; Dorus, at home; Alvin of Manassas, Va.; John of Detroit; Mrs. James Brown (Marie) of Pigeon; and five grandchildren. One daughter, Ida, preceded her in death.

(Above courtesy of Alvin Benkelman).

Notes:

BonnieMargaret, in the process of writing her manuscript, also read about Schw?bisch folkways. She reported that when each of Leonhard's sons were born, they would have been wrapped by his mother and the midwives in attendance in a shirt belonging to their father and placed on the floor, where the father would then pick him up as an act of recognition and claiming. The infant would be christened as soon as possible before any witch could place a spell on him or her. The godparents would be summoned and the christening would take place, and only at that time would the child's name be revealed. They kept the area the baby slept in lit, so no changeling could be put in his or her place. The baby was not taken from his home for six weeks, after which time the family would begin to visit friends and neighbors. The child was then presented a "schwatzei" or chatter egg, from each of the neighbors, who would lightly tap the child on the mouth with the egg, to pass along the gift of speech. (pp. 70, 71) She also wrote that "according to parish record, he was actually born on the Schmitthof, nearby the Schneiderhof. Probably sometimes it was necessary to go to the midwife....The jurisdiction at the time was the Oberamt Welzheim, and that appears on the death certificate of both Adam and [sister] Louisa Benkelman...Waldhausen Parish is now in the jurisdication of Waldhausen-Lorch and that is where the records are to be found [post 1938]." (p. 127)

On the German church registry, he is shown as a citizen of Waldhausen, a master barrel maker, and belonging to the Schneiderhof near Lorch, renting in B?rtlingen. They also show he emigrated to America in June 1851. None of his children were listed because they are all born in the United States. Waldhausen Parish was nearby Lorch, within the Oberamt Welzheim. BonnieMargaret writes (p. 73) that Adam was accepted to a trades training program in Waldhausen, despite his father not being citizen of that parish or a member of that guild. He completed his training and was considered a master cooper.

BonnieMargaret later noted that Adam would have been about 14 when he began is training as a cooper. "..he would have gone into one of the training houses where the young apprentices lived together while they learned the rudiments of their craft. After several years of apprenticeship, Adam would have begin the 'wandering' that was a traditional part of the training of the journeymen artisans. During those years he woudl travel from village to village, living in the guild housing and working with other journeymen who were proving their skills and providing evidence of their reliability and good character. Adam's admittance into the trades is an example of the flexibility of the W?rttemberg laws governing these things. Strict compliance with the law would have meant that Adam could not have entered this training, since one of the requirements was legitimate ancestry. His father had proved himself a responsible person [however] ...and there is some evidence that Adam's mother came from a substantial and respected family, which would have helped." (p. 127).

Johann Adam Benkelmann and Catherine Benkelmann were referenced as applying to emigrate to North America in 1851 by Schenk, Trudy and Froelke, Ruth THE W?rttemberg EMIGRATION INDEX Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Vol. 5. 1988. 240 p. Source Code 8057.8, p 14. Also listed with them were Johann Georg Benkelmann (1850) and Johannes Benkelman (1851).

The following was excerpted from the "Memoirs of John A. Benkelman" (published posthumously) by Hilda Jane Stickley Benkelman in 1966. John A. Benkelman was the third child of Johann Adam and Catherine (Schiefle) Benkelman. Hilda Stickley Benkelman was John Benkelman's daughter in law, and compiled the book based on the stories he told over and over again to his children.

Adam Benkelman and his wife, Catherine Scheifle Benkelman left Hamburg, Germany, shortly after their marriage in 1850 (sic). Upon arrival in America, they traveled by train to Lancaster, Erie County, New York, to the home of John Scheifle, brother of Catherine. They spent one year with the Scheifles, and it was there that their first son, George, was born.

Their next move was to Bowmansville, Erie County, New York, where the remaining children were born.

Adam Benkelman was a cooper and learned his trade in Germany, where he was kept busy every winter making sap buckets, barrels, kegs and churns which were bought and used by many of his neighbors.

Adam's sisters, Mary and Louise were married to John and Jacob Striffler. They lived in New York State, near Adam and his family. The Striffler brothers bought land in Tuscola County, Michigan, without seeing it first, for $2.00 an acre. In 1860, they moved their families to Watrousville. From there, they walked back and forth to their land and build two log homes. Adam came to visit in 1864, and bought himself 80 acres of land. It was $3.00 an acre, and covered with virgin pine. The land was one mile east and one mile north of the town of Cass City, Michigan. In 1964, a centennial marker was placed at the farm, since it had been owned by the same family for 100 years.

Adam and his family stayed in New York State through the end of the Civil War. Adam worked at a barrel factory as a cooper for Mr. Looney, for whom the town was named. It was a thriving town, near the New York Central railroad, and a passenger and freight depot was not far from the Benkelman home.

When Lincoln was assasinated on April 14, 1865, there was a great deal of argument over his death among the townspeople. Some thought that he should not have been at the theatre, others worried about the future of the country. The train carrying his body to Springfield, Ilinois went through the town. The train and engine were clothed in black. It stopped in Looneville to take on water and supplies at the depot. In a short time, a large crowd gathered to pay respects to this great man. They stood silently, with hats in hand. They stood spellbound until the train was well out of sight, taking President Lincoln to his last resting place.

Adam moved his family to Michigan shortly thereafter, sometime in May or June of 1865. They sent the furniture ahead by freight. When the family reached Pine Run (Vassar), Michigan, they hired a driver to take them the rest of the way. At Centerville (Caro), they were all tired and hungry, so the driver stopped at an old inn run by the a Mr. Velmer, who came to help them off the wagon. George, the oldest child, jumped off, then Louisa, John, Sam, Will, Mary and finally the baby, Ben. The innkeeper laughed and said "For God's sake, how many more are up there?"

By the time the Civil War was over, most of the aggressive, war-like Indians that had resided in around Tuscola County had migrated westward beyond the Mississippi River. There were however scattered camps of peaceful Indians still living in Tuscola County. The early settlers had no reason to fear these Indians. The Indian children often came out to the road to play with the white children, especially those of the Seeger family whose Father had been mistakenly shot for a bear at Elk Lake. An old Indian called Riley often stopped at the Benkelman house at noon time, sometimes eating, and sometimes stretching out on the bare floor for the night. In the morning, he would be gone and often did not return for many months.

Adam and his family lived in an old building on the land of Louisa and Jacob Striffler until Adam was able to build a log home on his land, which he completed around 1871. Sam and John later built the house that is still standing on the farm today. Adam used oxen both to haul the lumber and to help him with farming. He bought his first team of horses in 1873.

The first garden that the family had was grown around the stumps and logs, but they did have a lot of vegetables that fall. The first fruit trees were planted from seeds of apples bought from a man who peddled the apples in the fall with a horse and wagon. The first wheat was planted in a small patch of ground, cradled by hand the next year and threshed on the floor by hand. Later, Adam had six acres of wheat to cut and he hired a good cradler to cut it. The other members of the family followed with twine and tied the wheat in bundles. This wheat was threshed by a machine that was operated with horses. The twine had to be cut and handled seperately by men at the side of the machine. The grain was winnowed and ground to flour by hand. Eventually, they could take the wheat to a water-powered mill at Wahjamega on the Cass River. This took two days to accomplish.

The first spring after they moved to Michigan, George, the eldest son, brought home an orphaned fawn. His mother was not pleased about having a a wild deer in the house, which he was as the weather was still quite chilly, however she consented after much teasing on the part of her children. They named the fawn Dickie, and he stayed in the yard all that next summer, making no attempt to leave. When winter came, Adam made his children a sled and harness. They taught Dickie to take directions like a trained reindeer, and neighborhood children gathered for miles around to have a sled ride.

The fawn was a wild animal however. Once it crashed through a window of their home, when startled by Catherine. Dickies fate was sealed after Adam had bought a bushel of apples from a man in Watrousville, and then saved the seeds for an orchard. (He planted them and they had grown to) nice little seedling trees which he kept close track of, his heart set on an apple orchard.... but in the fall, Dickie ate all the seedlings down to the roots. Adam was so provoked by the deer that he shot him, and used him for meat as it was hunting time. All the children cried bitterly and refused to eat. John related that "then poor Father was sorry that he had destroyed our pet deer."

The first Evangelical Church meeting held in Cass City was in Adam's log house, where the Benkelman farm is now located. A few of the early families of German descent wanted a Church to worship in, similar to their accustomed form. Rev. Henny, the Evangelical minister in Sebewaing at the time was invited to meet with the group to preach and help organize a Church in Cass City. He rode from Sebewaing on horseback.

Bonnie Petee abstracted the following regarding the Evangelical Association from "The History of Tuscola County, Biographical Sketches and Illustrations," H. R. Page Co., Chicago, 1883. "A class of this church which is commonly known as the German Methodist, was organized in the town of Elkland about the year 1866, by the Rev. Stephen Henne in connection with the Sebewaing mission. The class numbered about fifteen members. It has had regular services from that time to the present, and a regular succession of pastors. Services being held in the school-house, one mile north and one-half mile east of Cass City. In the latter part of 1882, a formal organization was effected at Cass City, and steps taken for the construction of a house of worship, which is now in course of construction. The earnest zeal of the members and their individual labors and contributions of material have reduced the estimated cost of the building to about $1,500. The pastor of the church at the present time is the Rev. B. F. Wade, who resides on his farm in the town of Elkland. The membership is about fifty. There is a preaching every second Sunday; prayer-meeting and Sunday-school every Sabbath. The trustees of the church are, John Benkelman, Fred Krapf, Oscar Sencner (Lenzner?), Levi Muntz and Adam Benkelman."

The Benkelman family continued to stay heavily involved in the affairs of the church, as this January 24, 1896 news article notes:

At the Evangelical church, the following Sunday School officers have been elected for the ensuing year: Supt., Mrs. Lena SCHWEGLER; ass't supt., Mrs. Mary BENKELMAN; sec., J. MAIER; treas., Adam BENKELMAN; librarian, Miss Lillie Striffler; ass't librarian, Miss Maud MAIER; organist, Miss Martha STRIFFLER; ass't organist, Oscar LENZNER.

The following death notices appeared in the local Cass City Paper after Adam's death:

From the Cass City Enterprise
Published in Cass City, Mich., Dec. 30, 1897

Adam Benkelman, one of our oldest residents and most highly respected, passed away this morning (Thursday), at the age of seventy-two years. The immediate cause of his decease is said to have been diabetes. The funeral services will be held Sunday, at his late residence on Houghton Street at ten o'clock and at the Evangelical Church at 10:30. Obituary next week.

From the Cass City Enterprise
Published in Cass City, Mich., Jan. 6, 1898

Another Pioneer Gone

Adam Benkelman was born in Oberamt Welzheim, Wurtemberg, Germany on the thirteenth of February 1825. In the year 1851 he was married to Catherine Scheufele, who accompanied him to America shortly after. His first home in America was in the State of New York, where he resided fourteen years. In 1865 he came to this place where he lived on the farm one mile east and three-quarters of a mile north of Cass City until 1881, then moved to the village where he has since lived.

As a citizen, Mr. Benkelman was respected by all. His pioneer days here were filled with the hardships of pioneer life, but not disheartened by his surroundings, he toiled on until his timbered land was cleared. All his dealing and business transactions were strictly honest. He practiced honesty and inculcated the same principle in the minds of his children.

Mr. Benkelman was a member of the Lutheran Church until 1867, when he was converted and joined the Evangelical Association, under the pastorate of Rev. S. Heune, the first Evangelical minister that preached in this neighborhood. There being no church or school house in which to hold meetings Mr. Benkelman opened his house as a place of public worship. After his conversion he lived a devoted christian life. He was a regular attendant at all meetings of the church, his seat never being vacant unless sickness would not allow him to be present. Not only could he be found at the meeting, but his children were early taught to go to church and would accompany him to the place of worship. His love for the Lord's house was great. He supported the church not only by his prayers, but he also gave very liberally. He was a pillar in the church and remained a true and faithful member to the end. For thirty-one years he had been a subscriber to the "Christliche Botschafter.**"

His health has been poorly for several months, but not until recently was he confined to his bed. The last few weeks was a time of great suffering, but he endured it all with a childlike spirit. All that human skill and wisdom could do was done, but of no avail. He patiently resigned to the will of God and did not murmur at his lot until it pleased Him who is all wise and the great Author of Life and Death to put an end to his pain by removing his spirit to realms above where suffering cannot come.

His deeply sorrowing widow, one daughter, five sons and twenty grandchildren, besides three brothers and three sisters and a large circle of relatives and friends are left to mourn his departure. On the 29?sup?th?/sup? of Dec., 1897, he fell asleep in the arms of Jesus at the ripe age of 72 years, 10 months and sixteen days.

The funeral occurred on Sunday, Jan. 2?sup?nd?/sup?, from the Evangelical Church. Rev. W Bergey, of Elkton, preached in the German language from Phil. 1. 21, and the writer made a few remarks in the English based on 1 Sam. Xx. 18. His remains were laid in their last resting place there to await the resurrection morn.

In the same paper, the following notice was also published:

Leonard Benkelman, from Wisconsin, brother of the late Adam Benkelman, is in town and will remain for some time.

Detail of Death Certificate: County Tuscola, Township Elkland, Village Cass City ADAM BENKELMAN DOD 30 Dec 1897 Place of Death Cass City, Male, White, Married 26 years, Age 72 yrs, 10 mos, 17 days, Parent of 7 children, 6 living, Born Germany, Occupation Farmer, Father Leonard Benkelman, Mother Dora Stahley, (Both born in Germany), proposed date of burial Jan 2, 1897 (sic), Elkland cemetery, Undertaker A.A. McKenzie, Cass City MI Attending Physician H.P. Edwards, Attended the deceased from June 10, 1895 to Dec 30, 1897, last seen alive on Dec 30, 1897

**Der Christliche Botschafter was the first religious paper in the German language in America. Founded in 1836 it became a stimulus to the rapid growth of the Evangelical Association and a valuable means of recording the progressive movements of the denomination. It was a significant agency in building Christian and denominational bonds.

(Research):Census Information:

The family was listed as follows on the 1860 Federal Censu
s for Erie County, New York:
Bowmansville Post Office Town of Lancaster Enumeration date 13 June 1860
#36-36 Adam Benkerman 35 Cooper $500/$150 Germany
Catherine 37 Germany
George 9 New York
Louisa 7 New York
John 4 New York
Samuel 3 New York
Mary 2 New York

The family was listed as follows on the 1870 Federal Census for Michigan, Tuscola County, Elkland Township,
#54-54 Benkelmann, Adam 45 Farmer 2010 360 Ger/Wirtenberg
", Catherine 47 Keeping House Ger/Wirtenberg
", George 19 At home NY
", Louisa 17 At home NY
", John 14 At school NY
", Samuel 13 At school NY
", Mary 11 At school NY
", William 9 NY
", Benjamin 7 NY

1880 Federal Census
Census Place:Elkland, Tuscola, Michigan Source:FHL Film 1254607
National Archives Film T9-0607 Page 95B
RelationSexMarrRaceAgeBirthplace
Adam BENKELMANSelfMMW55WERTENBURG Occ:CooperFa: WERTENBURGMo: WERTENBURG
Cathrine BENKELMANWifeFMW59WERTENBURG Occ:Keeping HouseFa: WERTENBURGMo: WERTENBURG

Johann married Anna Catharina Schaufele on 24 Feb 1851 in B?rtlingen, G?ppingen, Donaukreis, W?rttemberg, Germany. Anna (daughter of Johannes Schaufele and Anna Maria Reick) was born on 23 Aug 1823 in B?rtlingen, G?ppingen, Donaukreis, W?rttemberg, Germany; died on 23 Dec 1906 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

As noted in the "Memoirs of John A. Benkelman" by Hilda Jane Stickley Benkelman, when Catherine and Adam first immigrated to the United States, they lived with her brother Johann Scheifle in Erie County New York. I was, however, unable to locate a Johann/John Scheifle on either the 1850 or 1860 census. I did find a Gottlieb Scheifly on both however.

Hilda Jane further wrote that "Catherine was a favorite in the community. She was jolly and fat, a very good cook of German style dishes, and a mother to everyone in the neighborhood. A good midwife, she was called in by the neighbors in case of sickness or for confinements as there were few doctors around at that time. She helped bring more than 100 babies into the world. "

Catherine made a home for her nephew, Leonard Buerhly, when he first came to Cass City. Leonard was the son of her sister Marie.

Cass City Chronicle
November 1, 1901
Local Mention, Page Eight

Grandma Benkelman has rented her property on East Houghton Street and has disposed of all her household goods and will henceforth make her home with Mrs. Lena Schwegler.

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, December 28, 1906

Died Suddenly

Mrs. Catherine Benkelman, aged eighty-three years, died suddenly at her home on East Main street Sunday evening, December 23. While eating with Mrs. M. M. Schwegler she suddenly became unconscious from which condition she did not recover. She has been troubled with heart disease for many years.

Catherine Scheifele was born August 23, 1823 in Boertlingen, Germany. In the year 1837 she was confirmed. She was united in marriage to Adam Benkelman in Germany in 1851 and they came to America the same year, living in Bowmansville, N.Y., until 1865. That year they came to Cass City, residing on a farm northeast of town. By hard work and frugal living Mr. and Mrs. Benkelman acquired a goodly portion of property and in 1884 they retired from active life and move to town to spend their remaining days. Mr. Benkelman died nine year ago on the 27?sup?th?/sup? of December and nearly ever since that time Mrs. Benkelman had resided with Mrs. M.M. Schwegler on east Main street, the ladies enjoying each other's companionship to the fullest extent. Mr. and Mrs. Benkelman were the parents of seven children, one daughter dying at the age of fifteen. The remaining children, five sons and one daughter, are: George A. of St. Francis, Kansas, William F. of Owosso, Benjamin F., Samuel G. and John A. Benkelman and Mrs. Louisa Schwegler of this place. She also leaves twenty-five grandchildren and one great grandchild.

All her children were present at the funeral services which took place Thursday forenoon at the Evangelical church of which the deceased was an honored and beloved member, and the burial was made in Elkland cemetery. The pallbearers were five sons and a grandson, W.J. Schwegler. The funeral service was largely attended.

Mrs. Benkelman was a lady of beautiful character, loving and kind in disposition and will be missed by many who found in her a good neighbor and friend.

Detail of Death Certificate: Tuscola County, Village of Cass City, CATHERINE BENKELMAN, Female, White, DOB 23 Aug 1823, 83 yrs, 4 mos, 0 days, Married at age 28 years, parent of 7 children, 6 living, Born Germany, Father Schifley, Germany, Mother Not Known, Occupation Housewife, Informant J.A. Benkelman, DOD 23 Dec 1906, Attending Physician W.W. Wickwars, Cass City, Dates December 1904 to Dec 23, 1906 last seen alive on Dec 23 at 6 pm, Burial Elkland Dec 27, 1906, Undertaker H Polk Cass City

A copy can be seen here:

http://seekingmichigan.org/

Indexed as Catheren Benkelman

(Research):

Census Records, her brother??

1850 US Census
New York Erie County Buffalo Ward 4 23 Aug 1850 ---
1808 Gottlieb Scheifly 25 M Shoemaker Germany
Maria Scheifly 24 F Germany
Georg Scheifly 2 M New York

1860 US Census
New York Erie County Bowmansville
725-725 Godlip Sheifley 35 M Shoemaker $500 Germany
Mary Sheifley 34 F Baden
George Shufley 12 M NY
John " 10 M NY
Godlip " 7 M NY
William " 5 M NY
Frederick " 2 M NY
Charles Fink 19 M Shoemaker Germany
Christina Shufly 17 F NY


Gottlieb would have been born ca. 1825. Kathy Bonnell's transcription of Baptismal records do not show a son named Gottlieb born at that time. Catherine did have a brother Johannes born ca. 1828. Could his middle name be Gottlieb? Could he be the child named Gottlob born ca 1830? The baptismal records, however, show that son died ca. 1843.

Notes:

Married:
Catharina and Adam were married in B?rtlingen.

On May 16, 2002, Ingolf Vogel noted that "The Kingdom of W?rttemberg was made up of four Kreises - the Neckarkreis, the Schwarzwaldkreis, the Jagstkreis and the Donaukreis. These Kreises were much larger than today's Kreises. Each of them was divided into so-called Ober?mter which are more similar in size to today's Kreises. The Oberamt for B?rtlingen was Kirchheim.. Incidently the Oberamt Kirchheim was the only Oberamt of the Donaukreis west of the Schw?bische Alb (a mountain range). B?rtlingen (today Kreis G?ppingen) has only 745 people listed in it's telephone directory, so it probably doesn't have more than 2000-3000 inhabitants.

Adam and Catharina were married in February, 1851, and in June, 1851 they were formally released from the Kingdom of W?rttemberg and would be free to emigrate.

Friedrich married Philippine Blaufuss on 6 Jun 1869 in Franklin Center, Lee County, Iowa. Philippine was born about 1835 in Bayern, Germany; died about 1872 in Iowa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]