Mary (Dentel) Meiers (1844 - 1918)

Born May 1844 in New York, United States

Wife of John H. Meiers — married 17 Mar 1862 in Trenton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States

Died 24 Dec 1918 at age 74 in North Plainfield, Somerset, New Jersey, United States

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Biography

Mary was the daughter of ethnic Germans Wentelin "Wendel" Dentel and Catherine Cline. They immigrated to New York from France, arriving on 25 Aug 1843, with her older siblings Wentelin and Catherine.^[1] Mary was born in May 1844.^[2] Her family lived in Mercer County, New Jersey.^[3] Mary was married to German immigrant John Meiers on 17 Mar 1862 in Trenton.^[4] Nine months later, daughter Catherine was born in December. John enlisted in Company F of the 11th New Jersey Infantry during the Civil War on 3 Sep 1862 and was discharged on 6 Jun 1865.^[5] He did not return to his family. Whether they were officially divorced is unknown. Mary continued to appear in census records as Mary Meiers, married without a husband in the household, living in Trenton.^[6][7] John filed for a Civil War pension in Oct 1866. Mary subsequently filed as a "widow" in 1883. Whether she believed he was dead or this was fraudulent is unknown.^[8]

After his Civil War service, John moved to Lanark, Illinois where he married Belinda Bridget Hoban McDonnell, a widowed Irish immigrant, in 1872. They had many more children and moved to Story County, Iowa where John died in 1908.^[5] To later generations, his obituary caused some consternation:^[9]

It took a while to figure out “wife” and “12th child” listed in the obituary but information gathered from Alice Larson, Alice Johnson and Dorothy Johnson helped make the numbers come out.

John Fredrick Meiers was married to Kate Cubberly. She was from New Jersey. This marriage was probably before the war. They were the parents of one daughter, Mary (Meiers) Dendel. Following his discharge from the service in 1865 he never went back East.

...

Bridget Meiers died Nov 17, 1894 after a long illness. Shortly before her death John Meiers first wife, Kate, came to Ames hoping to take him back East with her. The families were quite upset by her sudden appearance, but John remained in Ames. It is not known how long Kate remained in Iowa. John died Apr 27, 1908 fourteen years after Bridget’s death. His obituary states he left a wife and twelve children.

This conclusion mixed up the name of his first wife and daughter. John and Mary were actually re-married on 26 Dec 1896 in Story County.^[10] They were living together in 1900.^[11] In John's 1908 will, he left one third of his estate to his wife, Mary Meiers, and among his named children was daughter Kate Cubberly (daughter Catherine had married Irving Cubberly).^[12] Mary was the recipient of John's Civil War pension in 1908.^[13] After John's death, Mary returned to New Jersey^[14][15] where she died in daughter Catherine Cubberly's North Plainfield, NJ home in 1918.^[16][17]

Sources

1. ↑ Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897. Year: 1843; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Line: 23; List Number: 613
   • View Ancestry Record 7488 #1022833257
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9LK-KLX : accessed 19 July 2021), Mary S Meiers in household of John Meiers, Washington Township (excl. Ames city) Kelly town (part), Story, Iowa, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 128, sheet 4B, family 61, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,460.
   • Also available at Ancestry Record 7602 #16162324
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6M2-4LZ : 23 December 2020), Mary Dentill in household of Wentelin Dentill, Hopewell, Mercer, New Jersey, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
   • Also available at https://records.myheritagelibraryedition.com/research/record-10126-6195945/mary-dentill-in-1850-united-states-federal-census
4. ↑ "New Jersey Marriages, 1678-1985", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FZGQ-J5G : 20 January 2020), John Myers, 1862.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "John Frederick Meiers", Ames Intelligencer (Iowa), 7 May 1908, p. 10, column 4; digitized image at link
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNDP-X8L : 29 May 2021), Mary Miers in entry for Wendel Dedell, 1870.
   • Also available at Ancestry Record 7163 #25485883
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN8N-7SP : 19 February 2021), Mary Meyer in household of Catherine Deutel, Trenton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States; citing enumeration district ED 102, sheet 235B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,254,788.
   • Also available at Ancestry Record 6742 #36361686
8. ↑ "United States General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KDB6-ZQL : 20 February 2021), John Meiers, 1884.
9. ↑ Rose Marie Warren, The Descendants of John McDonnell, Ames, Iowa: Self-published, 2002, p. 30
10. ↑ "Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1951". Iowa Department of Public Health; Des Moines, Iowa; Series Title: Iowa Marriage Records, 1880–1922; Record Type: Marriage. Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8823 #903536495 (accessed 20 November 2021). Mrs Mary Dendel (50) marriage to John Miers on 26 Dec 1896 in Story, Iowa, USA.
11. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9LK-KLX : accessed 19 July 2021), Mary S Meiers in household of John Meiers, Washington Township (excl. Ames city) Kelly town (part), Story, Iowa, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 128, sheet 4B, family 61, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,460.
    • Also available at Ancestry Record 7602 #16162324
12. ↑ Probate Records, 1855-1947; Author: Iowa. District Court (Story County); Probate Place: Story, Iowa, Probate Records, Vol 4-7, 1891-1929, p. 189; Ancestry Record 9064 #619850, Ancestry Sharing Link
13. ↑ "United States General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KDB6-ZQ2 : 20 February 2021), John Meiers, 1887.
14. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKBT-JNL : accessed 19 July 2021), Mary A Meyers in household of Irving Cubberly, North Plainfield, Somerset, New Jersey, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 119, sheet 2A, family 33, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 908; FHL microfilm 1,374,921.
    • Also available at Ancestry Record 7884 #16743568
15. ↑ "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995". Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #723829140 (accessed 21 November 2021). Name: Mary A Meiers; Gender: Female; Residence Year: 1917; Street Address: 47 Pearl N P; Residence Place: Plainfield, New Jersey, USA; Spouse: John Meiers; Publication Title: Plainfield, New Jersey, City Directory, 1917.
16. ↑ "Obituary...Mrs. Mary A. Meiers", Plainfield Record (Bridgewater, New Jersey), 27 Dec 1918, p. 6, column 1; digitized image at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81744663/obituary-for-mary-a-meiers/
17. ↑ "Meiers", Plainfield Courier-News (New Jersey), 24 Dec 1918, p. 9; digitized image at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81768523/obituary-for-mary-a-meiers-aged-72/

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