Norbert Scheele/Death

The Edward Scheele Family Background

Edward married Lydia Jaus in 1908. They eventually ended up in Hutchinson, MN where Edward owned the local pharmacy. They had four children: Concordia, Roland, Stillborn Son 1913, Urban and Norbert.

Edward died in Hutchinson in 1919 and is buried at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Moltke Township, MN. Lydia, Roland, and Norbert moved to the Jaus Farm after his death and lived with her parents, Martin Jaus Sr. and Louise Harms.

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Events Leading up to Norbert's Death

How can God be so cruel?

1908 Wedding of Edward and Lydia Jaus Scheele

We are taught God loves us and takes care of us. We are taught that God is in control and everything is for our good. I wonder what was going through the head of Lydia Jaus on a cool, overcast day in July of 1925. She had just buried her youngest son, Norbert.

This wasn't the first time Lydia had dealt with death. Six years earlier she had buried her husband. Even that wasn't her first "real" contact with death.

Lydia and her husband had only been married a year and suffered the loss of their first child in 1909. <ref>The cause of Concordia's death is not known. We only know that a lot of infants died back then</ref>. She was buried at Saint John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery. Wood Lake, MN is where the young couple had made their home. Edward had purchased a drugstore and would remain there until 1914. <ref>1905 found Edward attending school in Minneapolis, MN. Census record: 1905 Minnesota State Census of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, at 111 9th Street South, enumerated 1 June 1905.11 Occupation* He was a student on 1 June 1905</ref> <ref>I don’t know which school he attended, but assume it was to learn the pharmacy trade. 3 years later Edward married Lydia Jaus in 1908.</ref> <ref>Lest we forget, there were other deaths happening too. Martha worked as a maid for the “rich” in St. Paul. As a young girl she married John Weller who came from Delhi, Ontario, Canada. As newlyweds they decided to came to a farm in Sibley County, where two brothers and a sister now lived. Apparently Grandpa Weller lived with them. Their marriage was tragic and of short duration. Diphtheria, caused the death of 8 year old Reinhold, October 17, 1902. Nine days later 6 year old Emma died. John died in 1903 leaving her with four very young children. Her brother Martin and brother-in-law John Bentz helped her so she was able to keep the farm and carry on. Her daughter Anna and her husband, Herman Luehring, lived with her after their marriage.</ref>

I believe it is safe to say Edward met his future bride to be in his home congregation. It likely that she came to Hamburg to visit her Grandparents. Emmanuel was the home congregation of both the Jaus and Scheele families.

Edward and Lydia's first Christmas in 1909 wasn't filled with the joy they had anticipated. Their daughter was dead. Yet, Concordia's grave marker reflects the confidence Edward and Lydia had in their God. In only 9 days they had accomplished a parent's goal of getting their child to heaven. There baby was safe with Jesus after only 9 days of life. The English verse reads " Beautiful, Lovely, She Was But Given. A Fair Bud To Earth To Blossom In Heaven."

I can only imagine the grief the mother and father felt. I have to believe Lydia's parents also hurt. They probably never anticipated this kind of grief when moving to the farm twenty-seven years ago. They grieved the loss of their first grandchild and they hurt because their daughter was hurting. I have to believe they also rejoiced that their daughter married a God fearing man who could comfort their daughter in her time of sorrow. I wonder if they were able to dig her grave in the frozen November ground.

I also wonder if this cast a shadow on other family events. None of Lydia's siblings were married yet. They were all new aunts and uncles! It must have been exciting for them to witness the birth of their sister's child... and then mourn with her. When I think back to my Grandpa Jaus I never knew of, nor would I have appreciate how the 17 year old's life was influenced. I'm sure his twenty year old sister Anna felt her sister's grief.

The rest of the families were busy with their own affairs in 1909. There hadn't been any contact between them of which I am aware. Clara and Lydia were not yet friends at this time. The twenty-one year old Clara was living in SD unaware of her future friends grief.

I'm sure her future friend would have mourned with her, but they didn't know each other yet. Clara was living in SD. Little Ralpie wasn't even a glimmer in her eye yet. Jacob Baur and Paul Hinderer were involved with their ministries and raising children. It would be another 8 years before their paths crossed.

The summer of 1911<ref>1911 is also the year Hannah Lieske graduated from highschool</ref> brought new hope to Edward and Lydia. She was pregnant! Alfred Baur was happy too. He had graduated from DMLC and would soon meet his future bride in SD while visiting his Uncle William Sauer. Their son Roland Scheele was born the following summer. Not only that. Lydia soon became pregnant again!

Their joy was short lived. 1913 was another year of sorrow. Their new son was stillborn.

1914 brought another pregnancy, and another infant death. Urban Scheele lived only thirteen days. They must have felt they were on a rollercoaster. Roland and Lydia buried their son at St. John's Lutheran Church, Wood Lake, MN<ref>St. John's Lutheran Church</ref>. Urban's grave marker reflects his parents' faith. They knew a child is a gift. Urban's marker, written in English reads "The Lord gave and the Lord Hath Taken away. Blessed be the Name Of the Lord."

Roland sold his pharmacy in 1914 and moved his family sixty miles to Hutchinson, MN. They joined Peace Lutheran Church, Hutchinson, MN<ref>Peace Lutheran Church, Hutchinson, MN</ref>. In Hutchinson he purchased another pharmacy from Ernest Harms, the brother-in-law of Martin Jaus Sr. Things seemed good, but their lives were about to take another turn. <ref>Mr. Scheele bought the drugstore in Hutchinson from E. P. J. Harms in 1914 and operated it until 1919 when he died during the influenza epidemic. Mrs. Scheele continued the business for one year.</ref>

<ref>

1917 was a big year in the history of family, Synod, and the US. Lydia's younger sister Anna got married in 1917. Can you imagine the excitement these two sister felt? Anna would be spared the grief of losing a child, but neither would she ever experience the joy of having a child. The MN Synod merged with the WELS. This means DMLC was now officially WELS. Alfred Baur and Clara Hinderer got married in 1917. Alfred Baur receives draft notice Claims clergy exemption. Olivia Schilling was teaching piano lessons, but discovered there was not much demand for her work when the United Stated was in the midst of an flu epidemic and the repercussions of World War I. “I, with my music, wasn’t needed,” she said.</ref>

1918 - Norbert, Lydia, Roland Scheele

Christmas of 1918 brought with it the joys of a healthy 3 month old baby. Roland was 5 when his brother Norbert was born. Roland was 7 when his dad died at the early age of thirty-seven in 1919. <ref>Flu Pandemic of 1918-1919: more than 675,000 Americans died.30 million worldwide</ref>. Nobody had any reason to think Norbert would be dead seven years later. Norbert would be buried in the cemetery of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Moltke Township, MN. The same cemetery as his Dad.

<ref>Alfred first almost died from the 1918 flu epidemic and was later diagnosed with cancer. This is the same Flu Epidemic which killed Elsa Hinderer's husband after only three weeks of marriage. Three other Prange boys died in quick succession. It should also be noted that Emmanuel, Paul, Ted, Fred and Marie Hinderer also became very sick with the flue. Clara Hinderer writes in her memore “It is only by the Grace of God they survived the terrible flue.”</ref> <ref>During the dreaded flu epidemic of 1918, 20 members of Emanuel Lutheran Church, Hamburg, MN died of the Grippe. There are 64 grave sites of children that don't have markers and 90 grave sites for children with markers for a total of 154 children's' graves. I discovered a spreadsheet for their cemetery. It indicates Johann Jaus is buried there.</ref> <ref>I can't help but wonder if Lydia's loss affected the festive mood of the marriage of Martin A. Jaus and Hannah Lieske exactly 10 months later. Twenty-seven year old Martin and twenty-six year old Hannah settled into the main farm house. Lydia and family moved with her parents into the retirement home they built on the Jaus Farm. Ironically, Lydia is buried in New Ulm, MN.</ref> <ref>Just a thought: I wonder why they didn't move into the large farm house with Martin? His siblings were still living there as well as hired hands....</ref> <ref>We see how our ancestors shared the faith when we compare the grave epitaphs. Otto’s reads “Jesus, He, my Redeemer lives, I shall also see the life, shall be where my Saviour is. Why should I then be terrified? Does a head leave its limb, which doesn't follow after it?” German:"Jesus, er, mein heiland debt, Ich werd auch das leben schauen, sein, wo mein erlöser schwebt, warum sollte mir denn grauen? Laesset auch ein haupt sein glied, welches es night nach sich zieh."</ref>

The Connection

It is of interest to note that Jacob Baur served Zion Lutheran Church, Hutchinson, MN from 1914 to 1919. On July 30th, 1916 his son, Alfred Baur, was ordained & installed into his ministry at St. John's Lutheran Church, Cedar Mills, MN by his father. Clara moved into the parsonage in 1917.

Lydia and Clara became friends. It isn't know for sure how this friendship developed. There weren't any family ties at the time. Mom feels it is because of Clara's frequent trips to the drugstore that the two ladies formed a bond of friendship. Both of their husbands were suffering from the dreaded flu. The connection might also be through Peace Lutheran Church, Hutchinson, MN.

Peace was known at the time as Friedens Lutheran Church. The congregation had Called Alfred to serve as their vacancy pastor in 1920. It is likely he had been around to comfort Lydia in her sorrow. She continued to run the drug store for a year after Roland died. Clara is often described by her siblings as caring and compassionate. It seems reasonable she would have also been involved. I also imagine pulpits had been shared between Peace Lutheran, Jacob, and Alfred so there was already some familiarity.

We know Clara taught one year at St. John's Lutheran School, Cedar Mills, MN. We don't know the specific year. Is isn't likely she was Roland's teacher because Peace Lutheran started their school in 1899. This might be a connection, though.

I always think of the friendship connection being through Clara and Lydia meeting. It might be through Alfred's Dad. Jacob became Immanuel Lutheran Church, Gibbon, MN's first resident pastor in June of 1890. Immanuel is where Lydia Baur was born in 1890 and Alfred was born in 1893. Jacob preached for the 1890 cornerstone laying of nearby St. Peter's new church building. Jacob also served as St. Peter's vacancy pastor from Feb 22 - July 12 of 1891.

Immanuel's records indicate that even though they joined the Minnesota Synod and St. Peter's was Missouri Synod, "the ties between the two congregations remained strong." <ref>Immanuel is a daughter congregation of St. Peter's</ref>

Both John and Anna were instrumental in establishing St. Peter’s Lutheran Congregation in Moltke Township. Before the church was built they met in homes, usually in the Christian Buerkle home, because it was the roomiest.<ref>Jaus History book</ref>

File:1883-1905- Martin and Louise Jaus with Lydia-Anna-Otto-Anna-Martin-Herbert age 6 -orginal house 1883-1905.jpg

Martin and Louise Jaus with Lydia-Anna-Otto-Martin-Herbert age 6 -orginal house - picture taken around 1899

There had to be some type of relationship developed between the Baur family and the Jaus clan. Let's look at some ages. The ages of the Baur and Jaus kids overlapped. Alfred and Herbert were born in 1893. Jacob was only five years younger than Anna Jaus. Her husband John Bentz served on St. Peter's building committee. Lydia was 8 years old. She was old enough to notice and remember when the Pastor's wife was pregnant and having kids. She was old enough to appreciate the Pastor's baby boy being the same age as her baby brother. Anna Jaus and Lydia Baur were only a year apart...perfect playmates.

I am positive these families had interaction over the years. I can be confident they had contact at church, but I strongly suspect they had contact on a secular level. The Baur family may have even visited the Jaus farm and eaten in thier log cabin. I guess we will never know...

<ref> Ages in 1893

• Jacob Baur: 28
• Emilie Sommerfeld: 22
• Martin Jaus Sr: 35
• Louis Harms: 33

• Lydia Baur: 3
• [Alfred Baur]]: born 1893 - March 11th

• Lydia Jaus: 8
• Otto Jaus: 6
• Anna Jaus: 4
• Martin A Jaus: 1
• Herbert Jaus: born 1893 - Sept. 8th

• Anna Jaus Bentz: 33
• John Bentz: I don't have birthdate

St. Peter's Building Committee in 1890

• John Bentz
• Simon Jaus
• Christ Burkle Sr
• John Weller

</ref>

We don't know how these two ladies forged their friendship. In 1919 Clara was 31 and Lydia was 34. Lydia had two children, Clara had none. Clara had a husband, Lydia had none. Lydia's experiences with death prepared her to be a comfort to Clara when Alfred died in 1927. However, Lydia would experience one more death before that time came.

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Additional Notes

<references/>

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The Death of Norbert

10 months after Lydia became a widow her brother Martin A. Jaus married Hannah Lieske.

http://www.mcleodhistory.org/ says "Mr. Scheele bought the drugstore in Hutchinson from E. P. J. Harms in 1914 and operated it until 1919 when he died during the influenza epidemic. Mrs. Scheele continued the business for one year." However, we see that Roland was enrolled at St. Peter's School in the the fall of 1919. (more coming...)

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