Sunday's Obituary - Mary Hermans nee Laurent

The Luxemburg News, 12DEC1924, pg1

Well there were two ways for me to show this obituary. Too small to read and OH MY GOSH huge. I went with huge because at least others will be able to read it in case I made any transcription errors.

As I was working on my Hermans line I came across the marriage certificate for Mary Laurent and Desire Hermans and noticed that I already had both in my tree. Different branches of my husband's family but they merged in some places. They weren't necessarily related to each other. They were from lateral lines. Still I've been noticing that with a number of the marriages in his Belgian line. If you think about it you'll realize that it makes sense. Traveling great distances wasn't common. You knew your neighbors and your neighbors were also generally the same ethnicities. People came over to America and settled within micro ethnic communities. So if you were going to get married to someone it was going to be someone that lived nearby. A neighbor.

Perhaps a brother was courting the girl down the street and she had a sister. Maybe his other brother started courting her and then they both end up getting married. It happened quite often. That's why it can be important to check out the other people on a census page because you may find that they are also in your family tree.

It's quite sad to see a parent die at the age of 47. It was quite a long obituary. They really wanted to memorialize her. It's got some great information too. Her kids' names and who the daughters married. Even the children who predeceased her are in there. The brothers and sisters in the second to last paragraph could be cleaned up a bit more and it would have been nice to mention her parents' names (Philippe and Theresa Laurent nee Francart), but it's a really great obituary for 1924 and it made the front page.

Now this article was published on Friday, December 12th and it said that she died "last Monday" so I'm assuming that was the 1st not the 8th because I figured that they'd just say "Monday" if it was the 8th. Well, in the body of the obituary it does say on Monday so which is it? The 1st or the 8th? I'm going to put the 8th in my tree with a note about the confusion next to it. Since her obituary was the day before the article was published it's likely that the Monday they were referring to was the one closest to it too. Sometimes not, but perhaps something else will turn up in the future to firm this up for me. With death certificates getting more and more expensive I won't be requesting that unless I need it for other research.

Mary is buried in St. Martin's Cemetery in Tonet, Wisconsin. You can check out her FindAGrave memorial here.

"Tonet Resident Passed Away Last Monday

Mrs. Desire Hermans Dies Following Lingering Illness

(unk) Forty Seven Years of Age

Funeral Services Were Held Thursday Morning.

TONET - Mrs. Desire Hermans, nee Mary Laurent, answered the final call of death Monday morning at the hour of 11:00 o'clock following an illness of nine weeks. Deceased suffered with a goitre (sic) and had been confined to the St. Mary's hospital at Green Bay for a period of seven weeks, returning to her home about two weeks previous to her untimely death. Her death is attributed to Heart Failure.

Mrs. Hermans was born in the town of Luxemburg on April 26, 1877, having reached the age of forty-seven years, seven months and twelve days up to the time of her death. She had been a resident of the town of Luxemburg until her marriage to Desire Hermans in September 1897, which was solemnized in the St. Joseph's Catholic church at Champion. To this happy union nine children were born, two who preceded their mother to death, namely, Mrs. Louis Dubois and Fred Hermans.

Mrs. Hermans as a resident on a farm at Tonet was well known throughout the vicinity. She was known to be a hard worker in the interest of the family, a kind mother, a good christian, and a woman who loved to do kind and helpful works for others. Her death takes away one of the kind citizens and will be missed throughout the community.

Beside her husband the deceased is survived by the following children: Frank, Henry, Joseph, William, Mrs. William Vanderveet, Agnes and Josephine of Tonet, and the following sisters and brothers, Mrs. Nestor Debeck, Anton and Victor Laurent of Luxemburg; Mrs. Norbert Delcore of the town of Green Bay; Desire Laurent of Bay Settlement; John Laurent of Green Bay; Joe Laurent of Niagara, Wisconsin.

Funeral services were held Thursday morning at ten o'clock from the St. Martin's Catholic church at Tonet. Revered L. A. Dobbelsteen officiated at the last sad rites. Interment took place in the parish cemetery."

Wednesday's Child - Goldrine DeGrave

It's always sad when a young person dies.  I don't know the relationship between Goldrine and the driver of the car, Orville Hermans, but I suspect that it was a close one.  He spent Christmas at her house and they were on the way to his house to spend the day after Christmas when the accident happened.  To lose a loved one and during the holidays.

I don't believe there are any DeGraves in my family tree's direct line, but we've got plenty of Hermans to go around.  Perhaps the article was clipped because it had to do with Orville and a dear friend (or girlfriend).

There was no date on the article apart from a handwritten "1949" at the bottom. Christmas in 1949 was on Sunday and the accident occurred on a Sunday.  Perhaps "Christmas night" actually meant Christmas Eve.

Either way, today we remember Goldrine DeGrave.  A beautiful young woman that was taken away from her loved ones at far too young and age.

"Goldrine DeGrave, above, 16-year-old Fairland girl, was killed in an automobile accident near Luxemburg Sunday morning.  She was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William DeGrave.

Tire Blowout Fatal

A tire blowout at 6 o'clock Sunday morning apparently caused the death of Goldrine DeGrave, 16-year-old Fairland girl.  The driver of the car, Orville Hermans, 17, of Tonet, is in a serious condition in St. Vincent hospital in Green Bay.

Skid marks showed how the car left the road and crashed into a machine shed on County Trunk A about 2 1/2 miles north of Luxemburg in Kewaunee county.  Fred Cravillion is owner of the shed.

There were no witnesses to the accident.  The Cravillions were just getting out of bed and heard the crash, as did Mr. and Mrs. Henry Frisque across the road.  Mrs. Cravillion said that the girl was still conscious when she got there a few minutes later, but died by the time a doctor arrived.

The Hermans youth had spent Christmas night at the DeGrave home.  He and the girl left early so that he could take the girl to his own home in Tonet, where she planned to spend Sunday, before reporting for work at the Badger creamery in Luxemburg.

The body was taken to the McMahon Funeral home in Luxemburg, and was removed to the DeGrave residence today.  The rosary will be recited at 8 o'clock tonight and Tuesday night.  Funeral services will be held at 10 o'clock Wednesday morning in St. Louis Catholic church, Dyckesville, with the Rev. Ludolph Jacobs officiating.  Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Goldrine DeGrave was born in the town of Red River, Kewaunee county, June 13, 1932.  Besides her parents, Mr. and Mrs. William DeGrave, she is survived by four brothers, Myron, Marvin, Melvin, and Milton, all at home; her paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank DeGrave, town of Red River, and maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Eli DuBoise, Fairland."

Wednesday's Child - Raymond Dart

Clippings like this always make me sad.  No parent should lose a child.  Raymond is my husband's 2nd cousin once removed.

"Infant Son of Darts Buried The Morning

Special to Press-Gazette

LUXEMBURG, Wis. - Funeral services for Raymond Dart, six-months-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Dart, Luxemburg, route 4, who died Saturday afternoon in a Green Bay hospital after an illness of one week, were held at 9 o'clock this morning in St. Martin church at Tonet.  Burial was in the church cemetery.  The McMahon Funeral home was in charge of the arrangements.

The infant, who was born Nov. 1, 1949, is survived by his parents; a sister, Darlene, age 2; his maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Matheys, of Sugar Bush; and his paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. August Dart of Luxemburg."

[Hand-written "died Apr 8 1950"]

Wedding Wednesday - Did You Ever Get the Feeling You're Related...

Green Bay Press-Gazette

This is one of those obituaries that I have in my collection where I have no doubt the bride is related to my husband, but I have no idea what the relation is...yet!

I often refer back to the scrapbooks that my husband's paternal grandmother put together and that were passed on to me by his mother.  They are a treasure trove indeed (although rarely cited).  I see names that are in my husband's direct line, and I see other names in indirect lines.  So who's related?  Well, my husband's 3rd great grandparents were Charles and Josephe Hermans nee Landeck.

Now that's going pretty far back, but Charles is the last male Hermans I have...and I don't have any brothers or sisters for him, and I know of no children that he and his wife had apart from their daughter, Josephine.  There was obviously another Hermans there somewhere.  At least obvious to me.  Yeah, yeah, I know.  Just because someone shares a last name in my tree doesn't make them related and it's sloppy research to try to find records to fit someone in my husband's tree.  I'm not trying to do that though.  This clipping was cut and pasted into this scrapbook for a reason.  I just need to find out what that reason is.  In this case, with a surname in his line, I'm venturing that it's a distant cousin.  After all, I've been told all the Belgians in that part of Wisconsin were related!  An amusing generalization, but you get my point...

Lucille Hermans and Edward Rueckl were married on October 12, 1943 (as best as I can tell from my not-so-exhaustive-research).  Since there's no date on this clipping, I'm going to ensure I have the right date, by verifying it with the local microfilmed newspapers when I get back to Green Bay for the holidays.  We'll go on from there.  I can, of course, hope that someone will come across this post and be able to help me fill in some of the genealogical blanks and speed me on my way.  Isn't that one of the reasons for me, and many of you, to blog?  We want to find those connections.

On to the wedding announcement of this beautiful bride!

"Lucille Hermans Bride at Tonet

Special to Press-Gazette

LUXEMBURG, Wis. - In a ceremony performed by the Rev. L.A. Dobblesteen at Tonet last Tuesday morning, Miss Lucille Hermans, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hermans of Luxemburg, became the bride of Norbert Rueckl, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Rueckl, also of Luxemburg.

The bride wore a gown of ivory satin with a long train, a V neckline with lace yolk, and long sleeves with V-points over the wrists.  Her fingertip veil was caught in a lace headpiece, and she carried a bouquet of Johanna Hill roses and white pompons.

Miss Hyacinth Rueckl was maid of honor, in blue brocaded satin, and Miss Marie Hermans and Iris Luedtke were bridesmaids.  Veronica Hermans was flower girl.  The best man was Linus Hermans, and the bridegroom's other attendants, Robert Colle and Orville Hermans.

Wedding dinner was served for 175 guests at the bridegroom's home.  He is a farmer, and they will live near Luxemburg."

Wedding Wednesday - Villers Laurent

Add caption

"Villers-Laurent

 (hand-dated Aug 31, 1963)

A wedding trip to Mackinac Island is the honeymoon planned by Mr. and Mrs. Larry Cletus Laurent, who were married at 10 o'clock Saturday morning, Aug. 31, in St. Martin Catholic Church, Tonet.  The bride is the former Miss Ruthann Irene Villers, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Villers, Algmoa, R. 2.  Mr. and Mrs. Norman Laurent, Luxemburg, Rt. 3, are parents of the bride-groom.

Maid of honor was Mrs. Wayne Cayemberg, with Miss Shirley Degrave and Miss Mary Ann Malcore as bridesmaids.  Wayne Cayemberg was best man, with Dale Romvald and James Romvald as attendants.  Ushers were Harvey Villers and Francis Queoff.

The newlyweds will return to Luxemburg, Rt. 2, after their honeymoon."

NOTE: This clipping was passed on to me by family in Green Bay, Wisconsin and was in a scrapbook full of old newspaper clippings.  It does not contain any publication information.  It most likely was published in the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Wednesday's Child - Tamara "Tammy" Laurent

This article was difficult to transcribe.  It's a parent's worst nightmare.  The newspaper clipping was in a scrapbook that was passed on to me by my mother-in-law and had been passed on to her by her mother-in-law.  There is not indication of the newspaper it was published in although it would have most likely been the Green Bay Press-Gazette or nearby newspaper.  The date hand-written in is most likely the date of death rather than the publication date.

Rest in peace little Tammy.

"Struck by Car in Driveway, Child Dies

LUXEMBURG - A 22-month old child, Tamara Laurent, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Laurent, Town of Luxemburg, died about 4:30 a.m. Sunday of injuries suffered about noon Friday when she was accidentally struck by a car being backed out of the family garage by the mother.  The mishap occurred in the Laurent driveway.

The child - Tammy to her family - died at St. Vincent's hospital, Green Bay.

Funeral services were conducted at 2 p.m. Monday at the McMahon funeral home, Luxemburg, and burial was in the Evergreens at Algoma.

The Laurents live on a town road which forms the Brown-Kewaunee county line.  Their home is in the Tonet area.

Mrs. Laurent told Kewaunee county authorities that she had instructed Tammy and another daughter, Sandy, 3, to stay on the porch while she backed the car out of the garage.  She said she started out and felt a bump and then heard sandy call out Tammy's name.  She looked out the car door and found Tammy under the vehicle.

The mother is the former Ruth Ann Villers.

Tammy was born at Algoma Memorial hospital Aug. 9, 1968.

Survivors are her parents; two sisters, Carol Jean, 6, and Sandra, 3; two brothers, Paul, 4, and Daniel, four months; the maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Villers, R2, Algoma; the paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Norman Laurent, R3, Luxemburg, and great-grandfather, Fred Villers, R1, Algoma."

[Date hand-written, June 28, 1970]