Hannah Lieske/Death
From CowTales
Hannah Lieske Jaus became ill with Chronic Leukemia in 1931. She died in 1935 and is buried in St. Peter's Ev. Lutheran Cemetery in Moltke Township, MN.
Memories
*James Baur
Mom recalls that daughters Marvel and Myrtle sang at the funeral. Mom, who was four at the time, has often told the story of how the funeral director lifted her up so she could see her mother in the casket. Mom appreciates that small act of kindness and the memory has stuck with her all these years. She even remembers his name, Gedsted, and has a picture of him she is sending me.
The practice of the day back then was to have the viewing in the deceased's house. The farm house dining room had a large bay window for that specific purpose. Some farm houses had an ornate stained glass window, even in the small farm houses. A general practise was to enter one door, view the body, and then return to the kitchen via another door for food. Death was a part of life and the houses were designed for it. Mom doesn't recall how long her mom lay in state, but does remember a hearse was used to transport the body from the farmhouse to the church.
Mom say's Hannah's body was embalmed. It was a normal practise of the day. However, people who died of contagious diseases were not embalmed. One of Lydia Jaus Scheele's sons, Urban Scheele died of a contagious disease and his viewing/funeral was held outdoors.
Grave Site
The tomestone was purchased on May 3rd, 1935 by Martin Jaus for his wife Hannah. She had died 23 days earlier from Chronic Leukemia on April 10th, 1935.
The headstone was purchased from Delano Granite Works, then located at North River Street, Duluth, MN. The company was sold in the late 1900s, but was owned by the same Gilmer family we see on this order form.
The headstone was likely purchased from the Duluth firm because of the abundance of granite in the area. Prior to the railroad, the use of granite was prohibitive because it was extremely difficult to transport. The Northern Pink Granite Grandpa ordered was both beautiful and the most durable of all headstone material. This remains true to this day.
Styles of the time are evident when studying grave markers. In the case of Hannah's marker we see it is decorated with two urns. They were a popular decoration of the day. The whole study of grave markers is interesting.
Grandpa paid $550 for the headstone and marker. This is the equivalent of about $10,000 in 2017 dollars. He received a $50 discount because he paid the bill before its installation was complete. This was a savings of 8%. On a side note, 8% interest is what would have been charged had he not paid in full. Compare that to the interest rates of today! The order form indicates he was responsible for the foundation on which the tombstone rests.
The style of letters is carborundum. This actually refers to how the letters are on the stone. Some headstones used raised letters. Carborundum refers to the method used to engrave the letters. Carborundum is a very hard stone used for sharpening steel tools and for engraving stone. This is not to be confused with simple etching or chisel engraving.
Labor difficulties and strikes are listed as possible reasons for a delay in delivery and the company may use this as a reason for late delivery of the stone. This is such a short line, yet it highlights the time in American history this happened. America was in the middle of The Great Depression. In 1933 President Franklin Roosevelt proposed The New Deal to Congress. There was an upsurge in strikes, which often failed. In 1935 the National Labor Relations Act and Social Security Act passed and the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) formed within the AFL. This was indeed a time of labor unrest.
It wasn't until 1937 that the Auto Workers won a sit-down strike against General Motors in Flint, Mich and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters won a contract with Pullman Co. Finally, in 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act established the first minimum wage and 40-hour week.<ref>See more labor history here,</ref> Terri's Dad, Duane Amos, worked for General Motors in Flint for many years. The whole Amos family benefitted from the efforts of these men. I could go so far as to say they were beneficiaries of the Great Depression.
The order form does not indicate what inscription to use on either the headstone or the marker. A reference is made to Design Schmitt 8317. Many stone cutters had a limited number of styles they carved. It is possible the artist's name is somewhere on the headstone, probably below the grass line.
Other Reading
source:Order form from Myrtle Jaus Meyer collection.
<references/>Delano Granite Works
Jaus is the only name on the headstone. Grandpa Jaus had intended to be buried next to Hannah. He was living in New Ulm, MN when he died and is buried next to his second wife Olivia Schilling in St. Paul's cemetery.
The German inscription on the headstone is from Job 19:25: "I know that my redeemer lives and at the end he will stand upon the earth, he will wake me up from the earth." <ref>Rosemarie Hinderer</ref>
source:www.findagrave.com
<references/>
This is the marker, sometimes called a footer stone. In the past, graves were laid out West to East. The headstone inscription faced West so visitors could read the inscription without stepping on the grave. The marker was on the East side of the grave with the inscription facing East. The body was buried between the two stones with the deceased's head by the headstone. The reason for this arrangement was so the person would be facing East towards the rising sun and the coming of the Lord on the last day.
The first line of the marker reads "Gattin", which is German for "Wife". Hannah's name is written in cursive. Mom believes this is Hannah's actual signature. It wasn't a real common practise, but can be seen on other grave markers.
The year of birth, (1895) and the year of death, (1935) are the only dates on the stone. The actual dates are not engraved.
source:www.findagrave.com
<references/>