Mary Helene Offerman, 1890-1953

136 years ago this month, one of my Great Grand-Aunt’s was born… and 73 years ago this month, she passed away.

Mary (sometimes listed as Maria) Helene Offerman was born on August 19, 1890, in Otto Township, IL.  She was the 11th child (and one of only 3 girls) of Heinrich and Maria Sophia (Doscher) Offerman.  She grew up on a big farm in rural Kankakee County.  Otto Township is just north of Chebanse.  There was not a downtown area, it was simply a rural community.  Life centered around grain production, livestock and family farms supplying regional markets thanks to the Illinois Central Railroad.

1898 Offerman family portrait... Mary is the young girl in the middle

1900 census

In the 1900 census, Mary is noted as attending 1st grade.  In a later census, we find that her highest level of education was 8th grade.  At age 18, in 1908, Mary married Fred W. Meyer.  He was just a few years older than her.  Fred was noted as a farmer in every census except for 1930.  That year, they were living in the small community of Compton, in Lee County, IL.  The census states that Frank was a peddler of “spices and medicines.”  After that, he went back to farming and the family moved back to the Chebanse/Otto area.  In 1950, they were living on Van Siding Road in Limestone (still in Kankakee County).

Mary with siblings

Offerman children with mother Maria Sophia

Frank and Mary had 3 known children… two boys and one girl.  I was able to find a biographical sketch written by a nephew of Mary.  The memories about Mary are from her son Alfred…  “She did or helped with all the things there are to do on the farm, never complaining. She could make a house into a home with very little to work with.  She used to like to curl her hair with an iron that she hung in the chimney, then swing around to show us how nice she looked. She would curl her hair before the dances that she and dad would attend.  Mom used to tell how she, Aunt Dora and Aunt Minnie used to drink some vinegar before going to dances to make their faces pale, as they had no face powder.”  The writer adds at the end that he remembered his Aunt Mary as always happy, jovial and laughing.

Mary passed away in Kankakee County (actual location isn’t known at this time) on August 10, 1953.  She was 62 years old.  She’s buried at Kankakee Memorial Gardens.