George Harvey Crocker

Notes:

The Striffler-Benkelman Broadcast, Vol. 7, September 4, 1944, noted that Second Lt. Geo. Crocker, Jr. is in the Pharmacy and supervised food purchases for the Field Hospital and Convalescent Home at Randolph Field. As of the September 3, 1945 issue (Vol. 8), it was reported that he was a First Lt. in the X-ray Department at Randolph Field. In September, 1947 (Vol. 10), it was written that he had moved to Memphis, Tenn. where he was employed as a chemist in the Firestone Laboratory. Volume 11 of the same periodical reported that he had been called back to the army and was stationed in Iceland.

George married Ruth Joan Blancett on 5 Apr 1946 in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee. Ruth was born on 6 Dec 1920 in Mounds, Pulaski County, Illinois; died on 13 Feb 2007 in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee; was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
Art Peck writes that they had one daughter, Gwyn Marie.

1. Living

Notes:

The Michigan Birth Index instead shows his date of birth as 20 October 1893.

Cass City Chronicle
February 3, 1988
Page 2
Cass City Social and Personal

George CROCKER, 94, of Saginaw succumbed January 17 in St. Luke's Hospital as the result of being hit by a car when he was crossing Gratior Avenue in Saginaw before Christmas. He is an uncle of Mrs. Laura BALL.

(Research):

Census Listings:

1920 Census
Michigan, Saginaw County, Saginaw Ward 1
Enumerated 26 Jan 1920
SD 8 ED 172 Sheet 17B
N. Fifth Street
963-349-377
Newman, Josephine E. Head F W 65 Wd Mic NY NY
Crocker, Gertrude Dtr F W 25 M Mich Mich Mich
Corcker, George Son-in-law M W 26 M Mich Mich Germany/German Machnist Railroad

1930 Census
Michigan, Saginaw County, Saginaw City, Ward 9
Enumerated April 12, 1030
ED 73-38 SD 9 Sheet 11A Stamped 156
Sheridan
1120-264-282
Crocker, George Head M W 35 m 23 Mich Oh Germany Millwright Foundry
Crocker, Ruth E Wf F W 28 M 24 Mich Canada/English Mich
Crocker, George H Son M W 9 S Mich Mich Mich

George married Gertrude Newman on 3 Oct 1917. Gertrude was born about 1895 in Michigan; died in Nov 1922. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Could she be related to Florence Newman, born ca 1894, who married Henry Crocker.

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.