George W. "Denver George" Benkelman

1862 - 1925  (63 years)

• Name	George W. "Denver George" Benkelman  [1, 2, 3]
  Nickname	Denver George
  Birth	23 Sep 1862	Blackhawk, Colorado Territory   [1, 4, 5]
  Gender	Male
  Death	28 Dec 1925	Denver, Denver County, Colorado   [1, 5, 6]
  Burial	Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Denver County, Colorado   [5]
  Notes	Known as "Denver George." He founded the Finance Service Corporation and the Merchants Biscuit Company. He served as secretary to the Colorado Packing and Provision Company. His father had founded the company, but the younger George managed it until its merger in 1913 with the National Packing Company. He tore down the Benkelman residence and built the Benkelman Block at 18th and California. There was housed the Finance Service Corporation. BonnieMargaret transcribed his obituary from the Rocky Mountain News as follows: "George W. Benkelman, founder and vice president of the Merchants' Biscuit company and the last of a long line of pioneer settlers in the West, fell dead early last evening at the Denver Athletic Club following an acute heart attack. Mr. Benkelman at the time was chatting with friends at the club and until he suddenly dropped forward in his chair, he gave no indication of the sudden seizure of heart disease which caused his almost instant death. Having for many years been closely identified with mining, manufacturing and cattle interests, Mr. Benkelman occupied a prominent position in the financial and industrial life of the city and state." (Jacobs, p. 122 and 123). BonnieMargaret also wrote, in a separate paper about the Kansas Benkelmans, that one of his honorary pallbearers was William Buck, a Cheyenne County Rancher, who was located 4 miles north of St. Francis. George was unmarried and had no heirs. An item in his will left property in Trust with The Denver National Bank. The will provided that at the end of five years, the bank, as trustee, would convey title to the property to a corporation and one-tenth of the capital stock should be given to Mrs. Mary M. (Lena Benkelman) Schwegler or her heirs. Lena died childless, and before the expiration of the trust. Her heirs were the descendants of her brothers and sisters, as they also had predeceased her. This Decree, dated September 2, 1931 by the District Court of Denver, Colorado, is an important genealogical document. The Bank had to locate and identify 60 widely scattered Benkelman heirs to share in this inheritance. BonnieMargaret references this as Court docket No. 111060, filed on June 12, 1931 in the District Couty, State of Colorado, City and County of Denver. Bonnie notes that the Denver branch of the Benkelman family were all originally buried at the Riverside Cemetery in Denver, but reinterred to the Fairmount Cemetery on October 14, 1920 by George W. (Research): Census Listings: 1910 Census Colorado, Denver County, Denver Ward 9 Enumerated 21 Apr 1910 Twenty First Street 523-91-146 Benkelman, George W Head M W 47 S Co Germany/German Germany/German Office Beef and Pork Packer Benkelman, Charlie A Brother M W 44 m1 1 Colorado Germany/German Germany/German President Oil and Gas co Benkelman, Florence E Sister in Law F W 35 m1 1 England/English England/English England/English 1891 None Benkelman, Harry J Brother M W 42 S Colorado Germany/German Germany/German Own Income 1920 Census Colorado, Denver County, Denver City Enumerated 3 Jan 1920 SD 1 ED 262 Sheet 2B 1080-40-41 Dronn (or Drown), Linnaeus Head M W 46 m Oh Pa Oh Surgeon General Practice Dronn(or Drown), Cora M Wf F W 45 m Oh Pa Oh Benkelman, George W Lodger M W 57 S Co Germany/English Germany/English Mining Mine
  Person ID	I1966	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	17 Aug 2014

  
  

  Father	Johann Georg "George" Benkelman,   b. 25 Jun 1830, Schneiderhof, Waldhausen Parish, Welzheim, Jagstkreis, W?rttemberg, Germany d. 16 Jan 1908, Denver, Denver County, Colorado (Age 77 years)
  Mother	Christina "Christine" Rommel,   b. 3 Mar 1831, B?nzwangen, Donaukreis, W?rttemberg, Germany d. 10 Jan 1903, Denver, Denver County, Colorado (Age 71 years)
  Marriage	Abt 1861	Lancaster, Erie County, New York   [7, 8]
  	In the 1981 unpublished manuscript, BonnieMargaret Jacobs stated that George Benkelman and Christina Rommel were married in Lancaster, New Yorkafter George had returned their from California for a short visit. The families had lived in close proximity in Germany, and BonnieMargaret theorized that "George's plan (to marry her) was well formulated" prior to his trip back to New York. "When she arrived in America, we don't yet know, but she was there and waiting and willing when George returned." Art Peck instead lists the location of their marriage as in Sturgis, Michigan. Christina's father, Michael Rommel, was assesed taxes in Michigan in 1863 and 1864, and younger sister Mary Rommel was married to Christian Striffler in St. Joseph County, MI "prior to returning to Lancaster"...so it appears possible that George and Christina could have been married in either location. In the footnotes to her chapter on Johann Georg Benkelmann, BonnieMargaret also notes that newspaper biographies of George varied in the account of the location of his marriage, one stating he married Christine on his return to New York, another saying he went to Lancaster and then on to Michigan to marry Christine before heading back west.
  Family ID	F1283	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 23 Sep 1862 - Blackhawk, Colorado Territory Death - 28 Dec 1925 - Denver, Denver County, Colorado Burial - - Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Denver County, Colorado  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos

  Benkelman, George W. This photo was identified as "son of Big George (of Denver)." It is most likely their eldest son, George W. Benkelman, and this was confirmed by Marjory Schwegler Battel.

  
  

  Documents » Slide Show		Benkelman and Neighboring Ranches, Republican River Valley, at the borders of Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado From the book, "Sutton's Southwest Nebraska," E.S. Sutton, Published by the Author, Benkelman, Nebraska, 1983
  		Sutton, E.S. "Sutton's Southwest Nebraska" (Published by the Author, Benkelman, Nebraska, 1983); page 166-167 Benkelman Ranch History
  		Sutton, E.S. "Sutton's Southwest Nebraska" (Published by the Author, Benkelman, Nebraska, 1983); page 168-169 Benkelman Ranch History
  		Sutton, E.S. "Sutton's Southwest Nebraska" (Published by the Author, Benkelman, Nebraska, 1983); page 170-171 Benkelman Ranch History
  		Benkelman, Nebraska Train Depot A train passing through the Benkelman Nebraska Train Depot, northeast of the Benkelman Ranch Holdings in Cheyenne County, Kansas

  
  

• Sources

  [S492] Peck, Edward Arthur THE TEN BENKELMANS WHO EMIGRATED TO AMERICA Ca. 1850s AND CERTAIN OF THEIR DESCENDANTS, 1982. [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. 119, 124 (Reliability: 3). [S873] Find A Grave [database online]; http://www.findagrave.com/, (Thousands of contributors submit new listings, updates, corrections, photographs and virtual flowers every hour to the FIND A GRAVE website. When it comes to administrating, building and maintaining the site, Find A Grave is largely operated by its founder, Jim Tipton.), # 54921675, transcribed, in error as 25 Sep 1862, but the photo shows 23 Sept 1862 (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. 119, 124 (Family Bible said Cripple Creek, Colorado, but BonnieMargaret states he was actually born in the Mountain Village of Blackhawk) (Reliability: 3). [S873] Find A Grave [database online]; http://www.findagrave.com/, (Thousands of contributors submit new listings, updates, corrections, photographs and virtual flowers every hour to the FIND A GRAVE website. When it comes to administrating, building and maintaining the site, Find A Grave is largely operated by its founder, Jim Tipton.), # 54921675 (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. 124 (Reliability: 3). [S492] Peck, Edward Arthur THE TEN BENKELMANS WHO EMIGRATED TO AMERICA Ca. 1850s AND CERTAIN OF THEIR DESCENDANTS, 1982, He shows that they were married in Sturgis, Michigan. (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. 117 (Reliability: 3).