Tombstone Tuesday-Elisabeth (Herzog) Brenner

Elisabeth (Herzog) Brenner, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Elizabeth (Herzog) Brenner, located in row 8 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Elisabeth
Ehegattinn des
Herin G. J. Brenner
Geboren
Feb. 22, 1805
Gestorben
Mai. 7, 1875
Alter 70y, 2m, 15t

Elisabeth, wife of Mr. G.J. Brenner, born 22 February 1805, died 7 May 1875, aged 70 years, 2 months, 15 days.

According to the Zion Lutheran Schumm church records Elisabeth Herzog was born in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, on 22 February 1805. She married John George Brenner in 1840 and they had one son, Johann Gottfried, who was born in 1845. Elisabeth Brenner died 7 May 1875 at noon and was buried on the 11th. As is so often seen in these older records there are some discrepancies, and some dates and ages are a day or so off.

According to Van Wert County marriage records John George Brenner married Elisabeth Herzog in Van Wert County, Ohio on 14 Jan 1840, married by Jacob Harper JP. [1]

The John Brenner family lived in the Willshire/Schumm area in 1850. Their household in 1850: John Brenner, 51, Germany; Elisabeth Brenner, 46, PA; Gottfried Brenner, 5, Ohio; and Cyrus Reed, 8, Ohio. [2] According to Zion Schumm’s records, Cyrus Reid was the foster son of John Brenner. Cyrus died 6 May 1857, at the age of 15 years, 10 months, and 2 days, after getting chilled and developing pneumonia. He was buried on 7 May, buried in row 5 of Zion Schumm’s cemetery.   

The John Brenner family in 1860: John Brenner, 62, Wuerttemberg; Elisabeth, 55, PA; Godfrey, 16, OH; and Catharine Airman, 10, OH. The 10-year-old could be Catharine Ehrman/Ehrenman, perhaps another foster child. John Brenner was a farmer.

The John Brenner family in 1870, now living with their son John Gottfried Brenner and his wife of 3 years, Mary (Kreiselmeyer): John, 73; Elizabeth, 65; JC Brenner, 25; and Mary Brenner, 21. [4]

According to her county death record Elisabeth Brenner died of palsy in Willshire Township on 6 May 1875, at the age of 70 years, 2 months, and 1 day. She was born in Pennsylvania and was a housekeeper. [5]

John George and Elisabeth (Herzog) Brenner had one child:
John Gottfried Brenner (1845-1879), married Katharina Maria Margaretha “Mary” Kreiselmeyer

I do not know who Elisabeth’s parents were. And I wonder if Herzog was her maiden name. She married John Brenner in 1840, at the age of 35, I wonder if she may have been a widow who had been married to a Herzog. As always there are unanswered questions…

[1] “Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958,” Van Wert Marriages, image 25, John Brenner & Elizabeth Harzogg, 14 Jan 1840; database, FamilySearch.org (https://www.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-S5QF-47?i=24&cc=1614804 : viewed 6 Sep 2021).

[2] 1850 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, dwelling 354, family 373, John Brenner; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/ : viewed 6 Sep 2021).

[3] 1860 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, dwelling 1073, family 1067, John Bauner; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667/ : viewed 6 Sep 2021).

[4] 1870 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED, dwelling 101, family 102, JC Brenner; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com  (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/ : viewed 6 Sep 2021).

[5]“Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001,” Van Wert County, Vol. 1, p.102-3, Elisabeth Brenner, 6 May 1875; database with images, FamilySearch.org p.102-3, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6725-YC?i=224&cc=2128172&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AF6NJ-J4D : viewed 6 Sep 2021).

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