Tombstone Tuesday–Magdalena (Schueler) Bienz

Magdalena (Schueler) Bienz, St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery, Preble, Adams County, Indiana. (2019 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Magdalena (Schueler) Bienz, located in St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery, Preble, Adams County, Indiana. The marker is inscribed:

BIENZ
Magdalena
Ehefrau von
Joh. Bienz
3 Nov. 1835
21 Sep. 1916

Magdalena, wife of John Bienz, 3 Nov 1835-21 Sep 1916.

Magdalena Schueler was born in Ohio, probably in Holmes County, on 3 November 1835, the daughter of Michael and Maria “Katharina” (Schumm) Schueler (1810-1838). Magdalena’s parents were married in Holmes County in 1833. [1] Magdalena’s mother Katharina Schumm immigrated to America with her four brothers and their father Johann Georg Schumm (1777-1846) in 1833.

The Michael Schueler family moved to Van Wert County by 1838, where Magdalena’s mother Katharina (Schumm) Schueler died. Magdalena was only 3 years old when her mother died. Katharina was the first person buried in Zion Schumm’s cemetery. Magdalena’s widowed father, Michael Schueler, married Catherine Lakehard on 1 March 1839 in Van Wert County, married by Jacob M. Harper. [2]

The Michael Schuller family in 1850, living near Schumm: Michael, 40; Catharine, 37; Magdalena, 15; Rosanna, 13; Hanna M, 10; Andrew, 7; and Jacob, 1. Michael and Catharine were born in Germany and the children were born in Ohio. Michael was a farmer and they lived near Jacob Dietrich. [3]

Magdalena Schueler married John Bienz 15 April 1852 near Schumm. Both were from Zion’s parish and John was a widower. John’s first wife, Louise A. Billmann, died 18 June 1849. John Bienz was born 23 March 1823 in Wuerttemberg, the son of Balthas and Catharina Barbara (Weidlin) Bienz. [4]

In 1860 John and Magdalena (Schueler) Bienz lived near Schumm, with Christoph Kreiselmeyer and Michael Geisler as some of their nearest neighbors. The John Bienz family as enumerated in 1860: John, 36, born in Wuerttemberg; Rose AM, 24, Ohio; John F, 7; George E, 5; Catharine R, 4; Anna BC, 1; and Alfred Geier, 20, born in Bavaria. [5]

The John Bienz family in 1870, spelled Bence in this enumeration: John, 47; Magdalena, 35; John F, 17; George E, 15; Rosina C, 13; Anna BC, 11; John JC, 9; Henry W, 5; and Mary, 1. The father John was a farmer. [6]

The John Bienz household in 1880, in Van Wert County: John, 55; Magdalena, 45; Catharine, 21; John, 19; August, 17; Henry, 14; Mary, 11; Christian, 8; and Martin, 4. [7]

John Bienz died in Van Wert County on 13 July 1898 [8] and is buried next to their daughter Maria Bienz, who died the year before.

Widow Magdalena Bienz lived in Willshire Township with two of her unmarried children in 1900: Magdalena, 64, widow, head; Martin, 24, son; and Anna MM, 19 daughter. This enumeration indicates that Magdalena had given birth to 13 children and that 10 of them were living. [9]

Sometime between 1900 and 1910 Magdalena Bienz and her two unmarried children Martin and Anna moved to Preble in Adams County, Indiana. Their household in 1910: Magdalena K, 74, widow, head; Martin M, 34, single; and Magdalena A, 29, single. This enumeration indicates that the mother Magdalena had given birth to 13 children and that 10 of them were living. [10]    

Magdalena (Schueler) Bienz died of liver cancer in Preble, Adams County, on 21 September 1916. She was buried on the 24th. [11]

St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery, Preble, Adams County, Indiana. (2019 photo by Karen)

Johann and Magdalena (Schueler) Bienz had the following children:
Johann Friedrich (1853-1918), married Mary “Virginia” Bleichner
George Emanuel (1855-1954), married Lucinda “Cindy” Fox
Rosina Catharine (1857-1940), married Charles Carl Meyer
Anna Barbara Catharine (1859-1943), married Henry Linnemeier
Johann Jacob Andreas (1861-1935), married Caroline Dueker
August George (1863-1938), married Lena Strubel
Heinrich Wilhelm (1865-1926), married Mini Winte
Maria Barbara Elizabeth (1868-1897)
Christian Andreas (1872-1947?)
Ludwig Eberhart Ferdinand (1873-1876)
Martin Gottfried (1875-1954)
Wilhelm C (1878-1879)
Magdalena Anna Margaretha (1881-1965), married Charles Hobrock

St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Preble, Adams County, Indiana. (2019 photo by Karen)

 

[1] Holmes County, Ohio, Marriages, Vol. 1:161, Michael Scheuler & Catharine Schoone, 22 Nov 1833; “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-PX39-9L?i=112&cc=1614804 : viewed 30 Apr 2019), Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society, Columbus.

[2] Van Wert County, Ohio, Marriages, 1837-1840, unpaginated, Michael Shueler & Catherine Lakehard, 1 Mar 1839; “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013,” database with images, FamiySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-G5BW-9479?i=1&cc=1614804 : viewed 30 Apr 2019), Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society, Columbus.

[3] 1850 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.172A [stamped], p.343 [penned] dwelling 356, family 375, Michael Shuler; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1850usfedcenancestry/ : viewed 30 Apr 2019).

[4] Lutheran Taufen, Tote, & Heiraten, 1564-1875, [Baptisms, Deaths & Marriages] Gerlingen, Wuerttemberg, 1823 baptisms, Johannes Bienz; Ancestry.com, tree of klicen, viewed 2 Apr 2019.

[5] 1860 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.150 (penned), dwelling 1071, family 1065, John Bientz; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1860usfedcenancestry/ : viewed 1 Apr 2019).

[6] 1870 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.439B, dwelling 135, family 136, John F. Bence; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1870usfedcen/ : viewed 24 Mar 2019).

[7] 1880 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 145, p.452C, family 162, John Beinz; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1880usfedcen/ : viewed 24 Mar 2019).  

[8] Van Wert County Deaths, Vol. 2:13, John Bienz, 13 Jul 1898; database with images, Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6722-2S?i=380&cc=2128172 : viewed 1 Apr 2019), “Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001.”

[9] 1900 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 98, p. 11 [penned], p.110A [stamped], dwelling 212, family 217, Magdalena Bienz; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com  (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1900usfedcen/ : viewed 29 Apr 2019).

[10] 1910 U.S. Census, Preble, Adams, Indiana, ED 8, p.10B [penned], dwelling 187, family 194, Magdalena K Benz; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1910uscenindex/ : viewed 29 Apr 2019).

[11] Indiana, Death Certificates, 1916, Roll 1, Adams County, Magdalena Bienz, 21 Sep 1916; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis.

 

2 comments

    • Luca Bienz on May 7, 2019 at 9:56 am
    • Reply

    So weird, I’ve never met anyone with the same surname as me and I don’t even know how I stumbled upon this, my family is mostly Swiss so I have no idea how that surname got to the Americas

    1. This local family immigrated from Germany, so the surname was in Germany, too. I have found the same with my maiden name, Miller. My Millers came from Germany but I have talked to other Millers whose ancestors came from Switzerland. Thanks for writing!

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