AUGUSTINA CHARLOTTE STRICKERT MAHLER
(1871-1896)
daughter of Karl W. Strickert, son of Johann and Christina Strickert
by Norbert Hattendorf
Of my grandmother, Augustina Strickert Mahler, Tillie Mahler, my step-grandmother and the only “Grandma Mahler” I have known, said that Augustina was “lively and fun-loving.” “Augustina,” by the way, does not appear in any of our records. She went by Augusta or Justine.
Augusta was the fourth child of Karl and Gustina (Scherbarth) Strickert. Gustina, widowed from John Kriese, married Karl in Logan Township, Perth County, Ontario, Canada, and gave birth to ten children, three of whom died within the month of November, 1870, during an apparent diphtheria epidemic! Augusta was born, October 30, 1871, probably on the family farm near Brodhagen, Logan Township, Perth County, Ontario. In what seems to have been another epidemic, two more sisters and twin brothers would die in 1876-1877.
The land beyond the sign (left) was pointed out to us as the Karl Strickert property when we visited Perth County in 2003. No buildings remain on the land. It seemed to be choice and productive farmland.
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Brodhagen, was (and is) a thriving rural congregation. The church and parsonage (right) have replaced the near-by church that Augusta attended the first sixteen years of her life. It must have been difficult for her to part company from her teenage friends to travel to an unknown (to her) destination in a faraway place.
In a March 15, 1888, article in an unidentified newspaper, Karl (Carl) Strickert and William Wilkin of Canada are reported to be “in the city prospecting, with a view to buying farms and locating here. They have already purchased five quarters. Nine families from the Dominion of Canada will settle on these. They are thrifty German farmers.” “Prospecting” evidently did not refer to gold, even though the previous paragraph reports: “Gold was found by Mr. Jonah Harris while digging a well four miles east of Pence. It was analyzed and pronounced gold. Much excitement.”
Later in 1888, at the age of almost 17, Augusta moved with her family to Scott County, Kansas, settling about six miles southeast of Scott City. That was within four miles of Fred Mahler’s farm. It did not take long for Fred (26) and Augusta (19) to become enamored of each other. Their wedding was March 4, 1890. Fred Mahler, as I knew him, was not the forward type so I asked my cousin, Leona Numrich, how she imagined this romance developed. “Oh,” she said, “Augusta probably made eyes at him at church and it went from there.”
I have enlarged the above photo as much as possible so that you can see Augusta, identified as “Justine Strickert,” behind the middle window. Notice her father, Karl (Carl), standing second from the right.
One year after they were married, Louise Justine (Lucy) would be born, April 20, 1891, on the Fred Mahler homestead. Elsie Emma Emily would join the family July 4, 1893. It was a happy family, according to Tillie Strickert Mahler. Fred had worked valiantly to provide a comfortable home for Augusta. Gone was the dugout, and then the sod house of his first homestead days. He had moved a house to his property from Scott City and planted trees. Water was available on the place. Life looked promising.
On Thursday, September 24, 1896, horror would strike the family.
"Last Thursday afternoon about four o’clock a fatal accident befell the wife of Mr. Fred Mahler of Lake Township, which caused her almost instant death. She was out in the field with her husband and riding on a sulky (drawn by a team of horses) plow and when turning at the end of the land one of the horses began to kick which started the team to run away. Mr. Mahler, being present, immedia-tely caught the line but before he was able to stop the team, Mrs. Mahler had under-taken to jump from the plow, was in some manner caught and the large wheel of the plow seems to have passed over her body. Fred, seeing this let the team have its way and came to her rescue, but owning to the injuries received she was then speech-less and breathing her last. There were no serious marks of injury on her person, hence it will always be a mystery what caused such an instant death. It may be that a kick from the horse struck her head, or it may be that falling under the wheel caused fatal internal injuries. Dr. Knapp of Leoti, who was called, thinks that an injury on her head may have produced death.
"The funeral service took place at the Christian church [there was at this time no Lutheran Church building. The congregation held services in the Buffalo school house] in this city Friday, Sept. 25th at 3 o’clock p. m. Elder Evans of Beaver City, Nebraska, conducted the services at the house and church and preached a very impressive funeral sermon. The funeral procession was a very large one. The remains were laid to rest in the Scott City cemetery.
"It is a very sad blow to her husband and two little daughters, age three and five years, that death should take from them without a moment’s warning the loving wife and kind-hearted mother. But such is life.
"Mrs. Mahler was nearly twenty-five years of age and the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Strickert of Keystone township. She was a noble woman and highly esteemed by all her friends and acquaintances. The entire community is in deep sympathy with the bereaved husband and little children and regret the untimely death of Mrs. Augusta C. Mahler."
In the same issue of the newspaper is the announcement:
"The undersigned herewith returns heartfelt thanks to all his friends and acquaintances for kindness shown at the death, funeral and burial of his dear departed wife. Frederick Mahler"
Fred had done his best to rescue Augusta. He picked her up and carried her home, but he would always blame himself for the tragedy.
On her grave he said:
Dearest wife we have laid thee
In the peaceful grave’s embrace.
But thy memory will be cherished
Till we see thy heavenly face.
Augusta is buried in Scott County Cemetery, Kansas, beside her mother, Gustina Scherbarth Strickert.
Augusta leaves us with a generous genetic component. But what is it? Light-heartedness? An open heart? A lively spirit?
By Norbert E. Hattendorf October, 2003, January, 2004, February, 2004.
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