Mary Lou (Kramer) Hintermeister 1868 - 1947

HINTERMEISTER, KRAMER

Posted By: Ed Hintermeister (email)
Date: 11/17/2008 at 10:47:52

Mary Lou (Kramer) Hintermeister
20 June 1868 - 18 February 1947

Mary Lou Kramer Hintermeister was the wife of Frederick John Hintermeister (15 February 1862 - 2 November 1926). She came from a large family of nine children. Of these nine children she had two half sisters and one adopted sister named Emma (born February 1863).

As a child Mary attended school for several grades. The 1880 census shows that Mary's occupation at age 12 was a domestic servant.

Mary married Fred Hintermeister on 1 May 1889, and the couple lived at 406 Third Street, South Muscatine (now 406 Evans Street). To this marriage were born seven children, five of whom reached adulthood. The children are listed in order of birth as follows:

***Elmer Clyde*******(26 February 1890 - 4 May 1958)
***Charlie William****(15 November 1891 - 10 August 1963)
***Hildred Eliza******(10 March 1894 - 1 June 1944)
***Hubert Glenn******( 7 June 1896 - 28 March 1982)
***Fernie Isabell******(13 September 1900 - 21 January 1905)
***Clarissa Mida******(22 January 1903 - 6 August 1998)
***Ernest Frederick****(12 September 1909 - 16 September 1921)

In February 1902 Fred and Mary purchased a lot in the Stortz's Addition to Muscatine. On this lot Fred constructed a new home for his family at what is now 1830 New Hampshire Street. This was a large, lovely, wooden frame type constructed home with a family size front porch.

Five years later, Fred and Mary sold their home on New Hampshire Street in March 1907. One month earlier they had purchased a 150 acre farm located six miles south of Muscatine along the Great White Way Road (now Highway 61 South) . Fred and Mary believed that farm life would provide a better life style for the family.
In 1917 the decision was made to sell the farm and move back to Muscatine, as Mary preferred city life. The older children had already left home, and only the younger children remained to help with the farm chores.

The family purchased a lovely two story home from Fred Hoopes at 344 Stewart Road (now 2017 Stewart Road) in January 1917. This house had a beautiful lawn and flowers, and Mary liked it very much. However, in 1925 Fred was forced to foreclose on his farm. As a result of this, Fred and Mary moved back to the farm and sold their house on Stewart Road to their daughter, Hildred, and her husband, Archie King in March 1925.

Mary was a strong willed woman, a loving wife and mother. She had high moral standards and principles, which she taught her family, and was very supportive of her husband. She worked hard to provide her family a good environment to live in. She was strongly against alcohol and would not allow it in her home. She was also strongly against smoking, but tolerated her husband's pipe and cigarettes. She was a very organized lady and kept a detailed diary of family events for many years (this diary could not be located at this writing). Mary kept a neat home and enjoyed having a well manicured yard with beautiful flower beds.

Mary had deep religious convictions. Both she and her husband, Fred, attended the Church of the Nazarene in Muscatine for many years, and Mary taught a Sunday school class. When the family moved from Muscatine back to their farm in 1924, they lost contact with the church.

Mary was a rather large woman and enjoyed eating. She was about five feet seven inches tall and weighed 185 pounds. She had brown eyes and brown hair, which turned gray in her later years.

After the death of her husband on 2 November 1926, Mary sold the family farm and their three rental properties, and lived with her daughter, Hildred, for many years. When Hildred died in 1944, Mary lived with each of her sons, Hubert and Charles, for a short time. She then moved into the Muscatine Lutheran Home. She died on 18 February 1947 at Hershey Hospital after a short illness. She was 78 years old.

Mary Lou Kramer Hintermeister's Parents

Mary's mother, Fredericka Behncke (also spelled Bekey and Banika) (20 June 1835 - 6 June 1902), was born in Prussia, Germany. Her obituary states that she immigrated to the United States in about 1852 at the age of 17, and moved to Muscatine, Iowa, but the 1900 census states that she arrived in 1857. It is believed, however, that Fredericka actually immigrated to the United States in 1856. The passenger manifest for the ship "Elida", which sailed from Hamburg and landed at New York on 3 July 1856, shows that Friedericke Behncke (age 21) and Carl Strutz (a tailor from Germany, age 22) were traveling together. The marriage records for Muscatine County also show that Fredericka Banika married Charles Strutz on 28 January 1857. Although the spelling of Fredericka's name on the manifest is different than the marriage records, the pronunciation of both spellings is similiar. Thus, they must be the same person. It is also presumed that Carl Strutz and Charles Strutz are the same person, although there does appear to be a discrepancy in their ages. Charles and Fredericka had two daughters.

***Mary Strutz******(born c. 1858)
***Lizzie Strutz*****(January 1860-Unknown)

Mary Strutz apparently died at a young age. She is listed in the 1860 census for Muscatine, and is recorded as age two. However, she is not listed in the 1870 census, and is presumed to have died prior to 1868, the birth year of Mary Kramer Hintermeister.

Charles Strutz enlisted in the Union Army on 22 August 1862 at age 32, and died on 18 July 1863 of disease in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He served with the Iowa Volunteers, Regiment 35, Company C. In a vision Fredericka had at the time of Charles' death, he told her that he would not be returning.

Fredericka then married Fred Kramer (c.1815 - 17 May 1891), in approximately 1865. He was a day laborer and carpenter from Prussia. The children born to this marriage are listed in order of birth as follows:

***William F. Kramer******(18 September 1865 - 13 June 1921)
***Mary Lou Kramer*******(20 June 1868 - 18 February 1947)
***Herman Kramer*********(10 May 1871 - 10 August 1931)
***Minna Kramer**********(c.1874 - Unknown)
***Ferdinand Kramer*******(September 1876 - Unknown)
***Benjamin Kramer********(c.1878 - Unknown)

Fred Kramer died on 17 May 1891 at the age of 76. Fredericka died 13 years later of dropsy on 6 June 1902 at her home located at 1068 Lucas Street. She was 67 years of age. Fredericka was a faithful and consistent member of the German Baptist Church.

Mary Lou Kramer Hintermeister's Siblings

Lizzie Strutz (born January 1860). Lizzie married George Baer on 6 December 1881. Lizzie moved to Sonora, California. It is believed that she died between 1921 and 1931.

Emma Kramer (born February 1863). As the story was verbally passed down, Emma was the child of an unwed daughter of a prominent family. Her father was apparently a servant or coachman for the daughter's family. It is uncertain where the family lived, but both the 1900 and 1910 census shows that Emma was born in Illinois. She was born in February 1863, and was adopted by Frederika shortly after her birth. When Emma reached adulthood, she visited her natural mother, who denied ever having a child. Emma was very disappointed with this encounter.

Emma married Henry Graw on 24 February 1880. It is uncertain whether they had six or seven children, but six children could be verified. Henry Graw died at age 79 on 6 March 1894, and left Emma to raise the children by herself. Because of the difficult times, the children got jobs to support the family as soon as they were old enough to work. Emma's six children are listed in order of birth as follows:

***Emma**********(born February 1881)
***Frederick********(born May 1883)
***Harvy**********(born April 1885)
***Stella**********(born January 1888)
***Esther**********(born August 1892)
***Eddie**********(born July 1894)

Emma's son, Fred, ran a button shop on Lucas Street. As an adult Emma's daughter, Esther, grew to be a very large woman and never married.

In July 1900 Emma purchased a home from Fred Hintermeister in the Hintermeister Subdivision on New Hampshire Street.

Emma was well liked and a Christian woman.

William F. Kramer (18 September 1865 - 13 June 1921). William was a carpenter who worked for Roach and Musser Company. He served three years in the U.S. Army. William married Leulla Perry on 7 May 1892 and lived at 988 Lucas Street. William and Leulla had two daughters, Mrs. Oliver Terry and Mrs. Ben Hopkins. (Note, one of the daughter's names was Muriel). William also had one son, Willian Jr. On 13 June 1921 William died of heart trouble aggravated by a work injury. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery.

Herman Kramer (10 May 1871 - 10 August 1931). Herman married Marie Gable of Kansas City in Muscatine in September 1897. The couple had one daughter, who died at a young age. Herman worked as a button cutter. Herman died at his home at 1101 Oregon Street on 10 August 1931 at age 60.

Minna Kramer (c.1874 - Unknown). Minna moved to Greenly, Colorado, and married J. Petersen. It is believed that she later married Sam Teideman.

Ferdinand Kramer (September 1876 - Unknown). Ferdinand worked as a button cutter. He later moved to Wilmington, California.

Benjamin Kramer (c.1878 - Unknown). Benjamin served in the Spanish American War. He married Helen Bolbehr, and they had three children, Benjamin (21 December 1910 - 15 December 1948), Louise (May 19xx - 1985), and Fred (9 August 1907 - Unknown).

Benjamin Jr. married Eva Huessner. Ben and Eva had twin daughters. One of the daughters is a nurse in Montana, and the other daughter married Pee Wee Riefert. They live in Wilton. Ben and Eva purchased his parents home on Lucas Street, and Eva still lives in this home today. Ben died in 1948.

Louise married Thomas Clark and had one daughter named Iris. Iris married Charlie Mikota, who was Fred's wife's brother. After Thomas Clark's death, Louise married Frank Johnson.

Fred married Bertha Mikota (born 5 December 1911) on 29 August 1931. Fred and Bertha had two sons, who both died in infancy.