AN UNIMAGINABLE TRAGEDY

Several years ago, a friend sent me several news articles from 1919 about the Matt and Anna Faber family and suggested I do a post.  I tucked the info away, saving it for future use.  While researching the influenza outbreak earlier this year, I came across the same articles and once again was reminded.  Last month I attended the cemetery walk hosted by the Kossuth County Historical Society at the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery which is located on the hill behind the church at St. Joe, at the southern end of Kossuth County on Highway 169.  During that walk, the story of the great tragedy which struck the family was briefly described.  After receiving yet another reminder, I decided that fate was telling me the story needed to be told again.

The Children of Math and Anna Faber
(From the St. Joseph Parish Centennial Book)

MATHIAS FABER AND ANNA FUHRMANN

Mathias Faber, known more commonly as Math or Matt, was born in 1879, the son of George and Elizabeth (Hauser) Faber.  His future bride, Anna Fuhrmann, was born September 24, 1884 to John and Mary (Engert) Fuhrmann.  Both families were well-known and respected members of the St. Joe community.  Math and Anna grew up on farms in big families and attended country schools.  Both families were Catholic and faithful members of St. Joseph’s parish which was just a couple miles east of their home sites.

On June 4, 1907, Math and Anna were married in a double wedding ceremony along with Math’s sister, Kate, who wed John Frideres.  The service was held at the George Faber residence with 200 families present.  It was a day filled with joy, happiness and a promising future for both couples.

From The Courier, June 7, 1907

A HOME AND A FAMILY

In November of that year, George Faber and John Fuhrmann purchased a half section of land in Section 33 of Riverdale Township and divided it between the two.  Math and Anna moved into the home located on that farm.  The house was a large two-story structure, perfect for raising a family.  The couple soon discovered they were expecting their first child.  Their son Raymond was born on August 30, 1908.

Lower portion of Riverdale Township map
from 1913 showing location of Faber
home from the town of St. Joe

Life for the most part was good for the young family and by June of 1919, they had been blessed with a total of seven children:  Raymond, Alvina, Lydia, Bernadine, Ernest, Leona, and baby Elmer Joseph.  Late one afternoon, Anna took the six older children to a photography studio to have their photo taken.  She decided not to include little Joseph in the photo as he was only four months old and she didn’t have time to get him properly dressed.  It is said that when Anna arrived at the studio with six children in tow, the photographer was out of sorts that she would bring that many children in for a picture that late in the afternoon.  He quickly set up the shot and took one lone photo before sending them on their way.  

TRAGEDY STRIKES

Sunday, June 21, 1919, was the feast of Corpus Christi.  The feast is celebrated by the church with a procession in honor of the Blessed Sacrament.  The Faber family participated along with the other parishioners.  Members of the congregation remarked how beautifully the children were dressed for the procession.  Later that same day, the children were playing outside.  A new hog house was being built on the farm and they climbed to the top of the roof as they often did.  Lydia began directing them in a song, using a stick as her baton.  As Anna heard them singing “I want to be angel and with the angels sing, a crown on top my head, a scepter in my hand”, she silently hoped that they all would be angels one day.

That evening as the children prepared for bed, they begged for two-and-a-half-year-old Leona to sleep upstairs with them.  The youngest children always slept near their parents on the main floor of the house and she had not yet graduated to the upper floor.  After much cajoling, the parents consented and Leona was tucked in upstairs with the “big” kids.  Herb Roethler, the Fabers’ hired man, also had a room upstairs.  Herb had gone into the children’s room for the lamp as he intended to write a letter yet that evening. Returning to his room, he changed his mind and retired to his bed.

About 11 o’clock Math and Anna awoke hearing what they thought was a call for water.  Thinking someone was thirsty, they went to the staircase only to see the upstairs engulfed in flames.  They could not reach the upper floor and began to yell for Herb Roethler.  Their yelling roused him from his sleep and he immediately tried to enter the children’s rooms but the flames and smoke were so intense that they drove him back.  He managed to break out a window and fell or jumped to the ground. 

After awakening Herb, Math, Anna and little Joseph had left the house.  Herb and Math found a ladder and put it up to the window of one of the children’s bedrooms.  The upper portion of the ladder broke the window, immediately caught on fire and became useless.  Moments later, the upper level collapsed and the entire house was soon completely consumed.

The June 26, 1919 edition of the Livermore Gazette stated, “Nobody knows how the house caught fire, but it was evidently all ablaze and escape from upstairs shut off before the children were awakened.  Or it is possible that they were practically suffocated by the smoke before awakening; nobody knows.  Or their cries from the hallway up stairs may have been what finally awakened the parents; they cannot say exactly.”  The St. Joseph Catholic Church 1876-1976 centennial book says, “The screams of the children stopped, one by one, until none could be heard.”  Anna tried on several occasions to enter the burning house and had to be held back.  Her agonizing cries were heard throughout the neighborhood for days after the tragedy.

The fire had been so intense that very little remains of any of the children could be found.  Some charred bone fragments were found and they were buried in a common grave at St. Joseph Cemetery marked by a stone listing the names of each of the children.  A memorial service was held at the ruins of the home on the Monday evening following the fire.  Anna eventually planted a flower garden where the house had stood as she always felt that was the true resting place of her beloved daughters and sons. 

The deep anguish felt by Math and Anna was almost unbearable.  Even though they had Joseph to care for, the torment and agony of the loss they had suffered threatened their very existence.  The St. Joseph Centennial book states, “Mrs. Faber later had a dream or vision in which her children came from heaven to get her, that she might go back to heaven with them as she was so bereaved by their death.  However, as she neared heaven, she looked back and saw her husband, Matt, and Joseph still on earth without her.  Realizing she was more needed on earth than in heaven, she asked to be returned to her husband and son.  From this time she was able to accept the tragedy and had a great faith until her dying day.  Probably no one read their Bible more than Anna.”

The above photograph of the children that had been taken in such haste was developed after the fire and delivered to the family.  It was the only remaining memento of their precious children as everything else had been lost in the fire.  I am sure that it was a treasure beyond price and was cherished for the rest of their lives.

BEGINNING AGAIN

In August of 1919, the Fabers began building a new large house on the farm.  Five more children would eventually join Joseph and be raised there:  Raphael, Mary, Herman, Florian and Arlene.  The children attended the parish school and were involved in many activities including class plays and music programs, Mary often playing piano either as a solo performance or as an accompanist.  Later Herman and Florian served in the armed forces.  Watching their babies grow and mature must have brought much joy into the Fabers’ lives again, but it is likely there was a mixture of melancholy and wistfulness over what might have been. 

Back row: Raphael, Florian, Herman & Joseph
Front row: Arlene, Math, Anna & Mary
(From the St. Joseph Parish Centennial Book)

In 1946 Math and Anna became grandparents for the first time and they would go on to be blessed with 19 grandchildren.  They celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1957 and Math passed on January 13, 1959.  Anna would live to be 90 years old, dying on October 9, 1974.  Can you imagine the joyous reception at the heavenly gates when she was greeted by her special angels and joined them in the angel chorus?

Until next time,

Jean, a/k/a Kossuth County History Buff

 

If you enjoyed this post, please don’t forget to “like” and SHARE to Facebook.  Not a Facebook user?  Sign up with your email address in the box on the right to have each post sent directly to you.

 

Be sure to visit the KCHB Facebook page for more interesting info about the history of Kossuth County, Iowa.

 

Reminder:  The posts on Kossuth County History Buff are ©2015-20 by Jean Kramer.  Please use the FB “share” feature instead of cutting/pasting.