Funeral of Mrs. Henry Benck

Ft. Calhoun, Nebr., June 24, 1896. Yesterday we went out to offer the Christian sympathy of the good Christian people of Ft. Calhoun to the bereaved family. In a beautiful valley in an ideal spot on virgin prairie grass and summer flowers we found a cluster of new nicely painted buildings. The house is a two-story frame and almost at P.M. yesterday a sudden storm coming up, Mr. Benck started for the house with his team and Mrs. B. went to the duck pen at the north end of the house and began to house her young ducks. The lightning struck the comb of the extreme north end tearing up a few shingles, ran down almost four feet inside the wall, made a small hole in the siding and then ran down to the window cap, tore off one corner and threw one or two four-foot weather boards almost twelve feet from the earth between the two windows, and then struck Mrs. B. near one ear.

Her little sister called her husband who was unable to life her in the house and had to run half a mile for help. Dr. Pettengill was also called, but after seven or eight hours of unconsciousness she died.

She was the daughter of Louis Lorsch, was born in Illinois 23 years 6 months and 9 days ago, and was married over four years ago, leaving a child eight months old. They are all well respected people. Mr. and Mrs. Lorsch we regard very highly. The young people we did not know very well, but the farm and surroundings, showed thrift and cleanliness. Grandmother Lorsch has seen much trouble; once in Illinois seven children had scarlet fever all at once and on coming to Nebraska the measles gave her a house full of sickness, and last year diphtheria carried away two children and nearly took some others.

Two sisters of the deceased are in Omaha, one west of Blair and one near Tekamah and were the hearts of the messengers who went to gather up the scattered flock.

The funeral was this morning in the Ft. Calhoun cemetery. Rev. Parker of the Ft. Calhoun Congregational church officiated, there being no Lutheran minister in the neighborhood.

Her parents and her husband’s parents and friends wanted us to thank all for their kindness and sympathy in all their recent sorrow. In spite of the heat, the Masonic installation and other matters, forty-seven carriages had come from their houses to the cemetery. W. H. Woods

Note: The obituary was very difficult to read.

Note: Name Minnie; Born in 1873; Died Buried in Section A, Block 131, Grave 6 in Ft. Calhoun Cemetery. Find A Grave Memorial# 18175133

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~