;
Emma [Hoffman] Yentch – Lykens Woman’s Relief Corps Member
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on March 28, 2018
According to her death certificate, Emma [Hoffman] Yentch died on 5 January 1908 in Lykens, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, of pneumonia. She was the widow of Frederick Yentch, a Civil War veteran who died in Lykens on 11 September 1885. Her obituary, which appeared in the Lykens Standard, 10 January 1908, told of her role in community activities in Lykens, as well as giving a great deal of detail about her family:
MRS. EMMA YENTCH
Mrs. Emma Yentch, relict of the late Frederick Yentch, died at her home on West Main Street at 11:30 a.m. Sunday after an illness of four days with pneumonia, aged 64 years old, 1 month and 10 days. She was a native of Germany and came to this country when nine years of age, locating at Trevorton. After residing a few years at that place she came to Lykens and has lived here ever since. In 1859 she married Frederick Yentch, the union being blessed with eleven children, three of whom preceded her in death, as did her husband who died 11 September 1885.
The surviving children are Mrs. F. H. Coles (Annie Yentch), of Erie, Pennsylvania; Mrs. George W. Driver (Katie Yentch), of Philadelphia; Mrs. Albert J. Williams (Lizzie Yentch), of Youngstown, Ohio; William C. Yentch and Frank J. Yentch of Harrisburg; Edward Yentch and John Yentch, at home; and Henry Yentch of Youngstown, Ohio. She is also survived by one brother and one sister, M. M. Hoffman of town, and Mrs. Charles Heck of Shamokin. There are ten grandchildren. All the children came home to attend the funeral.
Deceased has been a member of the Lutheran Church for forty years. About eight years ago she was stricken with paralysis which rendered her helpless, and since that time she has sat in a chair. Despite her affliction, she never uttered a word of complaint, but was always in a cheerful mood and had a smile for all.
The funeral took place at 2 o’clock Wednesday afternoon. Services were held in Zion Lutheran Church by the pastor, C. M. Nicholas, assisted by Rev. H. E. Hildt of the Evangelical Association. Interment was made in the Odd Fellows Cemetery.
The Woman’s Relief Corps, of which she was a member, presented the slumber robe; the children and sister, pillow and sheaf of wheat; Charles Lebo and wife, bouquet of roses; Mrs. Richard Noble, bouquet of roses.
The following relatives and friends from out of town attended the funeral: Mrs. Charlesworth, D. Stein and wife, Tower City; John Hoffman and wife, Williamstown; James Hoffman, Sunbury; Harry Hoffman, Harrisburg.
To the dear friends and neighbors who so kindly assisted them in life’s greatest trial and those who so deftly wove together the beautiful flowers, the family tender their sincere thanks. Also to the minister and the choir.
Frederick Yentch, also found in the records as Yantsh, Yantsch, and Yentsch, as well as other variations, was born in Prussia, Germany 10 April 1826. In 1865, he enrolled at Harrisburg in the 16th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company F, as a Private.
At the time of his enrollment (as shown on the veterans’ card from the Pennsylvania Archives), Frederick Yentch was 38 years old. There was some confusion between his actual age and the age on the muster rolls which give his age as 26, but can be assumed that the 26 represented his birth year of 1826, not his age. He claimed to be a miner who resided in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. He stood 5 foot, 9 inches tall, had sandy hair, a sandy complexion, and gray eyes. On 5 March 1865, he was mustered into service at Harrisburg. In a regimental consolidation which took place on 24 July 1865, he transferred into the 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company F, at the same rank. Subsequently, he was honorably discharged on 11 September 1865.
In the 1880 census for Lykens, Frederick reported his occupation as coal miner. He family included five children.
As previously stated, Frederick Yentch died on 11 September 1885. He is buried in the Odd Fellow’s Cemetery (I.O.O.F.) at Lykens.
On 8 July 1887, the family of Frederick Yentch applied for a government-issued grave marker. According to all information available, the stone was delivered, but no photograph has been seen of it, including on the Findagrave Memorial for him. The card shown above was obtained from Ancestry.com.
There is a piece of information missing in regard to the military service of Frederick Yentch. Did he apply for a pension, and after his death, did his widow apply? If she was a member of the local Woman’s Relief Corps, she certainly would have known about her right to receive widow’s benefits, yet no record has been seen that she even applied.
Finally, it must be noted that the name of Frederick Yentch does appear on the Lykens G.A.R. Monument, although there is a misspelling. This fact was previously noted here on 20 December 2011.
Comments