Anna Maria "Mary" Benkelman b. 22 May 1839 Schneiderhof, Waldhausen Parish, Welzheim, Jagstkreis, W?rttemberg, Germany d. 4 May 1913 Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan: Strong McLemore Ancestry

1839 - 1913 (73 years)

Name	Anna Maria "Mary" Benkelman [1, 2, 3, 4]
Nickname	Mary
Birth	22 May 1839	Schneiderhof, Waldhausen Parish, Welzheim, Jagstkreis, W?rttemberg, Germany [1, 2, 4, 5, 6]
Gender	Female
Death	4 May 1913	Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan [2, 7, 8, 9]
Burial	Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan
Notes	German Parish records show "ist 1853 ausgewandert" (left for America) in 1853. On the Oberant Welzheim Emmigrants list, 1818-1891, She is listed as Anna Maria, g. d. 22t. Mai 1839 ledig, and travelling in a party headed by her mother, Maria Dorothea, the widow of Johann Leonhard Benkelmann, a farmer of Schneiderhof. Three of her sisters were on this list as well. BonnieMargaret's full source citation was: Staatsarchiv Ludwigsburg, "Verzeichnis der Auswanderung aus dem Oberamt Welzheim 1818-1891" F 214 B?schel 91 Fortlaufende Number 42 [or possibly 47] ). Cass City Chronicle Cass City, Mich., Friday, May 9, 1913 Vol. 8, No. 3 Elkland Twp. Loses Pioneer Settler Mrs. John Striffler passed away Sunday Evening Has Been a Resident of This Township for 54 years; was 73 Years of Age Following an illness of several months duration, Mrs. John Striffler, one of the pioneer settlers of Elkland Township, died at her home on Pine Street Sunday evening at the age of 73 years. Mary Benkelman was born in Brech, Wuertemberg, Germany*, on May 22, 1839, and came to this country in 1852, landing at Baltimore. She with some of her brothers and sisters settled in Lancaster, N.Y., and here on Nov. 14, 1858, she was united in marriage with John Striffler. This union was blessed with seven children, six of whom survive. [BonnieMargaret Jacob's writes that Breech was just down and across the road from the Schneiderhof, both near B?rtlingen] It was 54 years ago this month, when they, in the prime of life, came to Michigan, locating on the land now known as Striffler homestead, two miles east and north of Cass City. They belonged to that distinguished number of early settlers who opened up this section of Tuscola county and laid the foundation for future prosperity for those who came into these parts later on and here was established a home where the generous impluses and the hospitable ways of the pioneer held sway. When the life on the farm grew to sternouse (sic) for their advanced years, Mr. and Mrs. Striffler moved to Cass City to spend their remaining years. Mrs. Striffler became a Christian in early life and ever since the establishment of the Evangelical society in this section, has been a regular attendant of that church. Her life was of such a self-sacrificing nature that she became a blessing to all who came to know her and in return God gave her a peaceful life full of hope and joy. Her last sickness was born with patience. She will be missed by the many friends and especially in the home by the husband and daughter. The funeral services were held at the Evangelical church on Thursday morning. Rev. D.J. Feather, the pastor, officiated, assisted by Revs. J.M. Bittner and J. Schmaus, and the remains were carried to their last resting place in Elkland cemetery by the following nephews of the deceased, who served as pall bearers: B.F. and J.A. BENKELMAN, G. E. and John KRAPF, Solomon and Samuel STRIFFLER. Besides the husband, six children, Mrs. Archie MARKS, G. A. STRIFFLER, Mrs. Salome BIEN, Miss Martha STRIFFLER, Mrs. W.R. KAISER and David STRIFFLER, one sister, Mrs. M.M. SCHWEGLER of this city, two brothers, Leonard BENKELMAN of Manitowoc, Wis. and John BENKELMAN of Portage, Wis., 11 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren survive. Cass City Chronicle Friday, May 16, 1913 Local Items, Page 4 Mrs. Mary BURK, Mrs. Sarah HOYT and daughter, Miss Iva, of Caro attended the funeral of Mrs. John STRIFFLER Thursday (Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Summer 2007) A copy of her actual Michigan Death certificate can be viewed online: http://seekingmichigan.org/ Indexed as Marry Striffler Her date of birth on this certificate was instead shown as 22 May 1839, and her parents were listed as Lenard Benkelman and Dora Slatey[St?hle]. The informant was W?/D? A Striffler of Cass City. (Medical):See attached sources. [8]
Person ID	I11983	Strong Family Tree
Last Modified	17 Aug 2014

Father	Johann Leonhard Benkelmann, b. 6 Feb 1796, Schneiderhof, Waldhausen Parish, Welzheim, Jagstkreis, W?rttemberg, Germany d. 24 Feb 1848, Schneiderhof, Waldhausen Parish, Welzheim, Jagstkreis, W?rttemberg, Germany (Age 52 years)
Mother	Maria Dorothea St?hle, b. 5 Jan 1800, B?rtlingen, G?ppingen, Donaukreis, W?rttemberg, Germany d. 22 Oct 1853, Transit to America, Lost At Sea (Age 53 years)
Marriage	20 Nov 1822	Schneiderhof, Waldhausen Parish, Welzheim, Jagstkreis, W?rttemberg, Germany [1, 10]
Marriage	BonnieMargaret and her husband Bruce visited Germany in September, 1980. In a letter to Ben and Avis dated October 13, 1980, she shared the following information "Then we were on to B?rtlingen, where Adam and Catherine were married. The church there was built in 1484 and is one of the most beautiful we saw anywhere. I decided to see the village of Breech--for no particular reason except I that I'd heard Elsie Anthes speak of it and it had turned up in various records. WE had no real family association there--but it was nearby. What a stroke of dumb luck! Without that decision we might never have found the Schneiderhof, where Adam and his siblings were born and lived until they emigrated. The Schneiderhof is not a town and is not on any map. It's just a cluster of about 4 houses and supporting buildings, just down and across the road from Breech, and if you were looking away for just a second, you'd miss the sign to it. I cannot tell you my excitement! ...There is nothing new there. Adam would recognize it as if he had never left. The tools and equipment are there as they have been for who knows how long. It is surrounded by orchards (apples) and small plots of vegetables. B?rtlingen is on a hill and is lovely with good views. The Schneiderhof is on top of the world, looking out on miles of hills and valleys and villages. It is incrediably beautiful. Again I found myself out in some cabbage patch, trying to explain to some farmer that this was my family heimat (home)...Clearly Americans are accepted as eccentric and harmless!...Vocabulary doesn't reach the beauty of that hilltop and its vistas out over hazy valleys, looking at other hills where red tiled houses form little villages. I can just imagine it at night--looking out over perhaps two dozen sparkling little villages on other hills around. One climbs from B?rtlingen to the Schneiderhof. But going down the back side of the mountain, through dense forest, the trail winds back and forth across the mountain into Waldhausen--which the Schneiderhof also looks down upon. This is the trip the family took to get to church, and probably to work." In her 1981 unpublished manuscript, BonnieMargaret noted that only the top floor of the Benkelmann home shows from the road leading in. The house is three stories high on the back side, two stories high in the front. It was built in 1733, by the state, to provide housing for state licensed artisans who were not allowed in the town as guild craftsmen. Apparently it gained its name from its first inhabitants, since the name literally means "the place of tailors." The official state description of the Schneiderhof in 1845 states that it was a place with 22 Evangelical residents, lying on the mountain top about one-half an hours walk from Waldhausen. The rents were paid to the city of G?ppingen, in 1845 twelve of those residents would have been Leonhard and Dorothea and their 10 living children, others would have included Leonhard's widowed mother and some of her children by Herr Heller, and likely their families. The land was described as rocky and and lying on a mountainside, "even today it is impossible to use machinery to work the land" and that the "people who lived there would have to have outside work." The house itself lies on the very crest of the mountain, with the house built on the downside of the mountain, overlooking Waldhausen. A very small patch of is on the level crest at the top of the mountain. When BonnieMargaret visited the home in 1981, she said it had four or five dwellings in all, and barns and sheds nearby the house and in the orchards. Just west of the house stands the old Bauernhaus, perhaps the homestead of Leonhard's maternal grandparents. The fields to the south were planted in potatoes and turnips, the high production crops that all of southern Germany turned to in the early 1800's. Beyond the westernmost buildings were apple orchards, beautiful and well tended. (pp. 68, 69 and accompanying photos). BonnieMargaret also noted that German life centered in the family. Even today we're told that day to day life included few close relationships with people outside the family. Certainly they were cordial and friendly with neighbors and cooperating artisans, but the joy of living was carefully protected within the walls of the home. Country people had no protection but each other, and the trusted "other" were kinsmen. Unlike the towns that were structured to protect the citizens from difficult times, the country folk were on their own, in good and bad times. Parents carefully nutured the bonds of affection and caring, and though they may have experienced the sibling rivalry that modern children do, it was not expressed in the German home, where only mutual caring and consideration were approved and encouraged. Names and birthdates for this family were from the Waldhausen Parish Kirchlichen Familienregister Band I, Blatt 244, Dekanat Welzheim, Schw?bisch Gm?nd. BonnieMargaret noted that all the family information shown on pages 95 and 96 of her book were certified by Pastor Rau of the Ev. Pfarramt Waldhausen to be the complete record of the family of Johann Leonhard Benkelmann, with the exceptions of the dates of death, which were included by BonnieMargaret from other sources. They had one stillborn child, neither name or sex listed, on 4 July 1838. She also noted that they were married on November 20, but the year was illegible. The family register for the family of Georg Friedrich St?hle and wife, Anna Maria Leins shows that Maria Dorothea was the fifth of their 15 children. She was married at the Schneiderhof on 20 Nov 1822, approximately 10 months after the birth of eldest son Friedrich.
Documents » Slide Show		Benkelmann, Johann Leonhard and Dorothea (St?hle), Church Family Registry (German), page two German Church Family registry, second page, which lists the fifteen children born to Leonhard and Dorothea. Four of these children died young, the twelfth child was stillborn ("todgeborenes"), and the remaining 10 children all emigrated to the United States between 1849 and 1873.
		Striffler-Benkelman Annual Labor Day Family Reunion, 1936 Newspaper article In the mid 1850's, in Erie County, New York, two sons of Jacob & Otilla Striffler married two Benkelman sisters. Shortly after their marriages, the couples moved to the Michigan frontier, many of their brothers and sisters following them. The two families remained intertwined for subsequent generations. At a reunion of the Henry Striffler family in 1930 it was decided to enlarge the scope of the reunion to include descendants of Henry, Jacob, Joseph, Christian, John and Susan Striffler. Members and "in laws" of these families first gathered at the Assembly grounds in Sebewaing for a reunion in 1932. As the Benkelman-Striffler family had remained very close over the years, all branches of the Benkelman family were invited to their Sixth Reunion, and since that time it remained a joint event. This articles from the 1936 "Cass City Chronicle" details one of the earliest joint reunions. Attended by over 170 family members, the reunion was held on the John Striffler homestead northeast of Cass City, with attendees travelling from Ontario, Ohio and many places in Michigan. President W.D. STRIFFLER presided at a business meeting in 1936, and Harry HUNT, Mrs. S.G BENKELMAN (the former Mary Striffler), and Mrs. Ben SCHWEGLER (the former Joanna Mark) were elected officers for the ensuing year. The first volume of the STRIFFLER-BENKELMAN BROADCAST was published for the September 1936 reunion.
		Striffler-Benkelman Reunion 1954 Handbill Handbill advertising the annual Striffler-Benkelman Reunion, 1954, featuring Cass City's Main Street. At the fiftieth Striffler-Benkelman Reunion in 1981, Ruth Schenck Esau recalled a time when on Main Street, the owners of the newspaper, a farm implement store, both meat markets, the grocery store, paint store, insurance agency, funeral home, and photography studio were all members of the Striffler-Benkelman clan; not to mention a bank teller, many clerks, the music teacher, and many of the town's farmers.
		Striffler-Benkelman Reunion Photo, 1961 Group Photo fromthe 30th Striffler-Benkelman Reunion, held September 4, 1961 at the Cass City Evangelical Church, founded by members of the Striffler and Benkelman families
		B?rtlingen, Germany B?rtlingen 1683/1685 im Kieserschen Forstlagerbuch
Family ID	F35	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family John "Uncle John" Striffler, b. 15 Mar 1833, Lancaster, Erie County, New York d. 12 Jul 1922, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan (Age 89 years)

Marriage 14 Nov 1858 Lancaster, Erie County, New York [7, 11, 12]

BonnieMargaret Jacobs also shows a daughter, Martha, born Nov. 1873???

Children

	1. Emeline Striffler, b. 5 Sep 1860, Elkland Township, Tuscola County, Michigan d. 21 Oct 1939, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan (Age 79 years)
	2. George Albert Striffler, b. 16 Mar 1864, Elkland Township, Tuscola County, Michigan d. 6 Jul 1945, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan (Age 81 years)
	3. Salome Striffler, b. 19 Sep 1866, Elkland Township, Tuscola County, Michigan d. 26 Jan 1922, Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan (Age 55 years)
	4. Edward Striffler, b. 19 Jun 1870, Elkland Township, Tuscola County, Michigan d. 24 Aug 1874, Elkland Township, Tuscola County, Michigan (Age 4 years)
	5. Martha "Mattie" Striffler, b. 10 Nov 1871, Elkland Township, Tuscola County, Michigan d. 25 Oct 1943, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan (Age 71 years)
	6. Infant Daughter Striffler, b. 10 Nov 1872, Elkland Township, Tuscola County, Michigan d. 10 Nov 1872, Elkland Township, Tuscola County, Michigan (Age 0 years)
	7. Esther A. Striffler, b. 4 May 1878, Elkland Township, Tuscola County, Michigan d. 2 Feb 1965, Mount Clemens, Macomb County, Michigan (Age 86 years)
	8. David A. Striffler, b. 3 Aug 1883, Elkland Township, Tuscola County, Michigan d. Sep 1964, Columbus, Muscogee County, Georgia (Age 81 years)

Photos

» Slide Show

Striffler, John and Mary (Benkelman) Family
A family photo of John and Mary Striffler with their children. Their eldest child, Emeline stands behind her parents, and son George Albert is to their right. Daughter Salome sits on her father's lap and based on the birth order of their remaining children, it is assumed that Mary is holding son Edward on her lap. Edward was born a year before daughter Mattie, and died at the age of four.

Striffler, John and Mary (Benkelman) Family, ca 1890
This photo, taken around or before 1890, is of John and Mary (Benkelman) Striffler and their six surviving children: Emeline (b. 1860), George Albert (b. 1864), Salome (b. 1867), Martha (b. 1871), Esther (b. 1878), and David (b. 1883). Based on their ages, and comparision to numerous other photos, Maggie Battel Bethel (a descendant) has identified each person as follows:
Seated in the front, John Striffler and wife Mary Benkelman, with son youngest son David in front and youngest daughter Esther slightly behind them. Standing in the back, l to r, Emeline, George Albert, Mattie and Salome.

Striffler, Uncle John Home
The original John and Mary Striffler farm home on Schwegler road, nearby the home of his brother-in-law Adam Benkelman

Striffler, Uncle John Descendant's ca 1920's
A gathering of relatives in front of John Striffler's home

Maggie Bethel thinks the following individuals are pictured:

Front: (children) Marjory Schwegler, Alice Buehrly, Keith Buehrly, UNKNOWN, Ruth Schenck Esau, Fern Schwegler, UNKNOWN little blond girl

Middle: David Striffler, Mattie Striffler, Martha Mark Darling, Mary Ida Thompson Striffler, Esther Striffler Kolb, UNKNOWN, Emeline Striffler Mark, UNKNOWN, Lena Mark Schwegler, UNKNOWN women holding baby, Ben Schwegler, Louis Krahling (to the right of the tree)

The Man barely visible in the very back row is UNKNOWN

PLEASE EMAIL IF YOU CAN HELP US CONFIRM THIS

At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.

Striffler, Uncle John Descendants
A snapshot identified by Lena Mark Schwegler as "Some of John Striffler's descendants" Her granddaughter, Maggie Battel Bethel, has identified most everyone after comparision to other family photos labeled by her mother and grandmother.

Back row, l to r, Mattie Striffler, Emeline Striffler Mark, Mary Ida Thompson Striffler, UNKNOWN, Aunt Lena Benkelman Schwegler, Archie Mark, Esther Striffler Kaiser, David Striffler, UNKNOWN, George Albert Striffler, UNKNOWN, Stanley Bien

Front: Paul Bien, Salome Bien, William Bien

PLEASE EMAIL IF YOU HAVE CORRECTIONS OR CAN IDENTIFY ANY OF THE UNKNOWN INDIVIDUALS.

Family ID F5023 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 12 Jul 2013

Event Map

	Birth - 22 May 1839 - Schneiderhof, Waldhausen Parish, Welzheim, Jagstkreis, W?rttemberg, Germany
	Marriage - 14 Nov 1858 - Lancaster, Erie County, New York
	Death - 4 May 1913 - Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan
	Burial - - Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan

= Link to Google Earth

Pin Legend : Address : Location : City/Town : County/Shire : State/Province : Country : Not Set

Photos » Slide Show		Benkelman Immigrants, ca 1890's: Six of the Ten Benkelmann Children who emigrated from W?rttemberg, Germany to the United States Top Row, l to r, Lena Benkelman Schwegler, Maria Benkelman Striffler , Georg Benkelman, Louisa Benkelman Striffler Bottom Row, l to r, Frederick Benkelman, Adam Benkelman Children of Johann Leonhard Benkelmann and Maria Dorothea St?hle Must have been taken while George was visiting Cass City from Denver, and sometime prior to 1897, when Frederick died
		_Benkelman, Mary Wife of John Striffler B. 1839 W?rttemberg D. 1930 Michigan
		Striffler Reunion Photo, bet. 1908-1910 Members of the John Striffler and Mary Benkelman family, around 1908-1910 Standing in the Back row, l to r, UNKNOWN woman in black, Esther Striffler Kaiser, Rudolph Kaiser, Cora Horn Striffler, George Albert Striffler holding his son Irvine, Pastor Schweitzer, Mattie Striffler, Archie Mark, Billy Bien Seated in the Middle row, l to r, Salome Striffler Bien, Paul Bien, the wife of Pastor Schweitzer, Mary Mark Buehrly, Aunt Lena Benkelman Schwegler (sister of Mary), Martha Mark Darling, Emeline Striffler Mark Front row, l to r, Mary Rommel Striffler (sister-in-law of John), Christian Striffler (brother of John), John Striffler, Mary Benkelman Striffler, Leonhard Benkelman (brother of Mary), Louisa Benkelman Stiffler (sister of Mary and widow of Jacob) Seated on ground, l to r, Alma Mark Krahling Seegar, Stanley Bien, Lena Mark Schwegler PLEASE HELP US IDENTIFY THE UNKNOWN WOMAN IN THIS PHOTO
		Striffler/Mark Four Generation Photo Collage, ca 1911, Cass City, Michigan Left Side, seated, John and Mary (Benkelman) Striffler, standing, and Emeline (Striffler) and Archie Mark. Emeline is a daughter of John and Mary. Right side, Standing, Mary Jane (Leitch) and Edward Mark, daughters Stella and Ruth. Edward is a son of Archie and Emeline Mark, and grandson of John and Mary Striffler. Stella and Ruth are the two eldest of 11 children born it Edward and Mary Mark.
		Benkelman, Mary and Lena, ca 1910 Sisters Mary (Mrs. John Striffler) and Lena (Mrs. Maria Magdalena Schwegler)

Headstones

Striffler, Anna Maria "Mary" (Benkelman)

Sources

[S469] Williams, Dorothy Ball--Family Researcher (dotwfl@comcast.net) 3331 Southwest Villa Place, Palm City, FL 34990 ; based in part on BonnieMargaret Benkelman Jacob's unpublished typescript, THE FAMILY BENKELMAN.
[S653] Cass City Chronicle, P.O. Box 115, Cass City, Michigan 48726, Published continously since 1899, archived from 1899 through 2005 at http://newspapers.rawson.lib.mi.us/chronicle/, Cass City, Mich., Friday, May 9, 1913 (Reliability: 3).
[S1610] Jacobs, BonnieMargaret McDonald "The Family Benkelman" Unpublished Manuscript, 276 pages, October 1981 Version, (Copy owned by Barney Benkelman, Helena, Montana; which he xeroxed and sent to Melinda McLemore Strong in San Antonio, Texas), p. 96, 151, 157 (Reliability: 3).
[S311] Bonnell, Kathy Brandt (kbonnell@byu.edu) "G?ppingen, W?rttemberg, Germany and surrounding villages" http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=kbonnell, (RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: G?ppingen, W?rttemberg, Germany and surrounding villages. This database is one large family tree; everyone is connected by birth or marriage. Many of the families were inputted from the family books which were compiled by the pastors of each village beginning in 1808. Villages include Heiningen, Bartenbach, Gruibingen, Faurdau, Schlat, Hattenhofen, Eislingen, Holzheim, Auendorf , D?rnau, Bezgenriet, Ebersbach , Maitis, Gammelshausen, B?rtlingen, Boll, and others. Kathy Brandt Bonnell work directly from German records to the computer.).
[S1610] Jacobs, BonnieMargaret McDonald "The Family Benkelman" Unpublished Manuscript, 276 pages, October 1981 Version, (Copy owned by Barney Benkelman, Helena, Montana; which he xeroxed and sent to Melinda McLemore Strong in San Antonio, Texas), p. 96, 151 shows 28 March [sic] 1839, and p. 157 shows 23 May 1839 (Reliability: 3).
[S653] Cass City Chronicle, P.O. Box 115, Cass City, Michigan 48726, Published continously since 1899, archived from 1899 through 2005 at http://newspapers.rawson.lib.mi.us/chronicle/, Friday, July 14, 1922 Vol. 18, No. 9 Obituary of John Striffler (Reliability: 3).
[S492] Peck, Edward Arthur THE TEN BENKELMANS WHO EMIGRATED TO AMERICA Ca. 1850s AND CERTAIN OF THEIR DESCENDANTS, 1982.
[S29] State of Michigan, Department of State, Division of Vital Records, Death Certificate, Tuscola County, June 5, 1913 (Reliability: 3).
[S1610] Jacobs, BonnieMargaret McDonald "The Family Benkelman" Unpublished Manuscript, 276 pages, October 1981 Version, (Copy owned by Barney Benkelman, Helena, Montana; which he xeroxed and sent to Melinda McLemore Strong in San Antonio, Texas), p. 151, 153, 157 (Reliability: 3).
[S1610] Jacobs, BonnieMargaret McDonald "The Family Benkelman" Unpublished Manuscript, 276 pages, October 1981 Version, (Copy owned by Barney Benkelman, Helena, Montana; which he xeroxed and sent to Melinda McLemore Strong in San Antonio, Texas), p. 95 (Reliability: 3).
[S1610] Jacobs, BonnieMargaret McDonald "The Family Benkelman" Unpublished Manuscript, 276 pages, October 1981 Version, (Copy owned by Barney Benkelman, Helena, Montana; which he xeroxed and sent to Melinda McLemore Strong in San Antonio, Texas), p. 151, 157 (Reliability: 3).
[S653] Cass City Chronicle, P.O. Box 115, Cass City, Michigan 48726, Published continously since 1899, archived from 1899 through 2005 at http://newspapers.rawson.lib.mi.us/chronicle/, Friday, July 14, 1922 Vol. 18, No. 9 (Reliability: 3).