Foertmeyer Family at Spring Grove Cemetery

	Foertmeyer, Mente, Seinecke, Rocklin, Wagner, Leicht, Leurck, Reum, Knoblaugh, Burt, Yount, Buttemiller, Motz, Cottrell, Treinen, Driskell, Schweinlin, Schwartz, Thüme, and Maienschein Distribution of Family Names in Germany

For quick look-up, the alphabetical surname index contains most of the names you will come across in this project. For those unfamiliar with the family, just browsing through the site is probably the best way to get a handle on it.

How the Foertmeyers Came From
Germany and where they Settled

Family Group Photos

Making Sense of Spring Grove Burials

Foertmeyer
Section 39 Lot 136:
Foertmeyer / Wagner / Reum

Spring Grove Map

Unfortunately, there is only one individual marker in the Foertmeyer, Wagner, and Reum Lot. I suppose these three families felt it sufficient to mark their passing with just one monument marker bearing their surnames. This, despite there being 30 individuals burried here.

The oldest members of the family can be found here. We start with Doris Georg Förtmeier who came to America in 1861. she was preceeded by several Förtmeiers, the first of which, and not buried here, was Georg Eduard Förtmeier, her first son and third child, coming here in 1846 on the ship Johann George. At the end of this document is a complete list of the Förtmeier children, both those eight who came to the USA and those three who remained in Germany. Immediately below are just those buried in Section 39 Lot 136.

When surfing through this document remember that the name Förtmeier goes way back to a town in Germany called Loccum and probably to a farm thirteen miles away, known as the Förthof. You can read all about the Föertmeiers of Loccum and Mönchehagen at this location. To read about the Förthof, you may go to this location.

Click Here to go back as far as we have been able

Johann Friedrich FÖRTMEIER - b.1775 in Loccum
m. 1797 Catharine Elisabeth MELL
b.1779 in Loccum - d.1854 in Bohnhorst

German records show (so far) two offspring...

1) Dietrich Friedrich Wilhelm Förtmeier 1798-1861 m. Doris Georges Förtmeier 1802-1864
2) Marie Luise Förtmeier 1799-xxxx m.(1826) Friedrich Wilhelm Moeller 1806-xxxx

In the embedded chart below there are three "EXPAND" notes after the names of three ancestors. They indicate that there is a page that expands that person's downline. Here are the links to those family's downlines:
Adolph W. Förtmeier..... Emma Förtmeier Wagner... Bertha Förtmeier Reum... Wm. Charles Foertmeyer..	Click Here Click Here Click Here Click Here Section 39 Lot 136

CLICK HERE for a list of the people in the original Foertmeyer plot...

@@ The family story is that his nanny set him on a wall while she talked to the beat cop. He fell and suffered fatal injuries. However, Spring Grove records say he died of spinal meningitis. He is found interred at Spring Grove cemetery in the Foertmeyer/Reum/Wagner plot.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Aug 1882: On Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 o'clock, Edward William, infant son of Louis C and Marie Foertmeyer, age 2 yr. 2 mo. Funeral from residence no. 113 Mill St. on Friday at 2 p.m.

The large numbers in the diagram below pertain to the numbered name in the tree branch above

The photo above shows approximately the area of the plot into which thirty relatives are buried. Some of the graves are contained within one another, as shown in the diagram, and some of the individual graves are very small; the graves in the diagram are not to scale. All in all, it is a crowded plot, yet there are still two graves available for any direct descendant of anyone currently interred there.

This is an Excel file showing graphically who came to America and when, and who, including offspring, and who were all here together... CLICK HERE

Section 113 Lot 8

No Monument


Charles Henry Foertmeyer MD [II]	Virginia Louise Driskell Foertmeyer

Charles and Virginia had Four Children
Charles Henry 07/29/1949	Gayle Marie 03/03/1951 - 01/23/2022	Thomas Heston 02/20/1955	John Louis 06/20/1956

From diary of Blanche Cole Foertmeyer:

Oct. 7, 1918: Our baby (Charles Henry Foertmeyer) has the flu, fever 103. Dr. Neitus attending. Charles G. out with Edna & children - all very ill.

Oct. 14, 1918: No hope for Edna. Brought Blanche & Chas. here. Edna died 5:23 P.M. was just 36 years old last Aug. The flu spreading. Schools and other places closed.

Carrie Virginia Evans was born a "Ferguson" but was adopted by her grandparents, Charles W. Evans and Sarah Anderson Evans. Carrie's mother died shortly after her birth. Her father, John C. Ferguson, traveled for a living and felt he could not care for an infant. Therefore, she was adopted by her maternal grandparents.

Louis served in the Army during WWI, but his enlistment lasted only a short time before the war ended. He was honorably discharged on December 20, 1918. He attended the University of Cincinnati for a couple of months before giving up college and traveling to New York to work for the Dalton Adding Machine Co. He returned home shortly after when he became ill, and upon recovering, again joined the army. He was briefly married (December 22, 1924...noted in Blanche's diary) to Nellie Swann, but she didn't want to move away from Norfolk, and Louis didn't want to stay, so they separated. Louis never remarried and never had children.

Foertmeyer - Treinen
Oak Hill Cemetery
Section: 19K Lot: 1265

Mary Elisa Treinen 1955 Nikki's Sister	Natalie "Nikki" Treinen Foertmeyer 03 JAN 1957 - 18 AUG 2018 Tom's Wife	Thomas Heston Foertmeyer 20 FEB 1955 Nikki's Husband
	Nikki	Nikki and Tom

Section 113 Lot 320

Foertmeyer / Rentz

Julia A. Rentz
1846 - 1932
Rosa's Younger Sister

Section 114 Lot 144D

Driskell

The Driskell branch of the family comes from Garland and Ruth Driskell, parents of Virginia Louise Driskell Foertmeyer. To their grandchildren they were affectionately known at Boo Boo and Granddaddy.

Garland Driskell
1893 - 1960
"Granddaddy"

Ruth Marie Schwartz Driskell
1898 - 1989
"Boo Boo"

Section 101 Lot 473 Evans
	Carrie Virginia Ferguson Evans Foertmeyer's Family
John C. Ferguson** Carrie Foertmeyer's Father Sarah Anderson's son first marriage 1869 - 1907	Virginia Estella Joynes Ferguson Carrie Foertmeyer's Mother * 1873 - 1892	Sarah Anderson Evans Carrie Foertmeyer's Grandmother *** 1842 - 1925
Charles W. Evans Carrie Foertmeyer's Step-Grandfather *** 1841 - 1930		Josephine F. Evans Carrie Foertmeyer's Aunt *** 1866 - 1886
**Although born Fergusons, the two children apparently adopted the Evans name
Although there are two graves earmarked for Helen and Philip Williams at Spring Grove, they were actually laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery, 25 Alexandria Pike, Southgate, Kentucky (Sec-16, lot-89 W1/2)


Philip Dowe Williams Carrie Foertmeyer's Uncle by Marriage *** 1885 - 1976	Helen Evans Williams Carrie Foertmeyer's Aunt *** 1886 - 1970

           Carrie Virginia Foertmeyer was raised by her grandparents, 
           as her mother died as a result of Carrie's birth, and her 
           father left her upbringing to Charles and Sarah Evans, her
	   grandmother and her step-grandfather.

Garden Mausoleum
M104-G1-0

Dorothy E. Foertmeyer
1923 - 2003

Section 72 Lot 159

Foertmeyer / Devou


DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM C. FOERTMEYER HERE IS THE CHART

George N. DeVou [ who married Nellie Foertmeyer ] was the nephew of William P. DeVou, Jr. who donated the land for Devou Park along with Charles DeVou ( who was, I believe, his brother).

Birth: Jul. 18, 1855 Death: Dec. 8, 1937

William P. Devou, Jr. was born in 1855 at Ninth and Race Streets, Cincinnati to William P. Devou, a wholesale milliner, and Sarah Ogden Devou. This photo was taken in 1870 when William was 15, before he was sent to Germany for his high school and college education. When he returned he became a bookkeeper for his father and later entered the real estate business where he accumulated considerable property. At one time his holdings were estimated to be $6,000,000. Even with his wealth and property he was an eccentric recluse. He lived in a storeroom and spent little on clothes or ammenities. He had few friends. He personally collected rent from his tenants. He was close to his parents, and in their memory, donated the family farm, Devou Park, to the city of Covington, KY. Devou died of pneumonia in 1937 and was buried in Spring Grove Cemetery, section 52, lot 140. The bulk of his million dollar estate was left to the city of Covington for the upkeep of Devou Park.

William P. Devou, Jr. Cemetery Card
1855 - 1937

Young William P. Devou, Jr.

Charles P. Devou
1858 - 1922

This is the plot of Catherine Bultmann Foertmeyer's parents Walnut Hills Cemetery - Section 7 Lot 106 Here is an article from the Cincinnati Enquirer that explains the tragic death of Harry Bultmann at the age of 22: CLICK HERE To read about the burial of the recovered boys, CLICK HERE

Section 122 Lot 81

Foertmeyer / Konnersman


	                         OTHER CHILDREN OF A.W. FOERTMEYER & CLARA KONNERSMAN

    	               Charlotte L.                    1877-1883     Spring Grove Sec. 39 Lot 136	
	               Adolphus William                1879-1944     Spring Grove Sec. 60 Lot 25A
	               Robert                          1888-1968     Unknown
	               Clara    (Twin Sister of John)  1891-1891     Spring Grove Sec. 39 Lot 136    
                       Walter John                     1891-1968     [See Above]

The mystery here on this plot is that there is only one marker. It seems to fit, on the surface, but it does not match up with the cemetery records at all. The spelling of the last name is different. It fits closest to Louisa Konnersman, although the first name is only an initial, which appears to be an I, not an L. Her parents were John and Mary Konnersman, so that doesn't provide an explanation either. Also, although close, the dates are slightly different than those stated for Louisa. If this isn't supposed to be Louisa, then even the cemetery doesn't know who it is.

Section 60 Lot 25A

Section 60 Lot 21A

Section 131 Lot F

Lee Hearne Taylor 1915 - 1983 Graceland Cemetery Sidney, Ohio First Husband of Maree Foertmeyer Father of Kim Taylor Westendorf (Greg)	Maree Foertmeyer Schweinlin 1920 - 1996 Daughter of Adolphus W. "Dolph" Foertmeyer Sister of Adolph W. "Duff" Foertmeyer	Frederick H. Schweinlin 1923 - 1996 Second Husband of Maree Foertmeyer . .
Maree Foertmeyer and Adolph "Duff" Foertmeyer were adoptive children of Adolphus and Marie Foertmeyer. They were, however, natural brother and sister who were adopted from the orphanage at the same time. Their birth mother's maiden name was Bessie May Smith.

1891 - 1962 1892 - 1967

Buried in Vine Street Hill Cemetery are Frederick's parents, Frederick Schweinlin and Alma Pauline Rabe Schweinlin. They are located in Section 22 Plot 12

Jacob Frederick Schweinlin - Margareta Theisinger Schweinlin
1869 - 1950 1873 - 1950

Buried in Spring Grove Cemetery are Frederick's grandparents, Jacob Frederick Schweinlin and Margareta Theisinger Schweinlin. They are located in Section 7 Plot 2040

Rosa Schweinlin 1897 - 1905	Karl & Margaret M. Schweinlin 1909 - 2002 1912 - 1995
Buried in Spring Grove Cemetery, are Jacob and Margareta's daughter Rosa who is located in Section 9 Lot 4395. Their other son, Karl Schweinlin, and his wife Margaret Klink, are located in St. Joseph's New Cemetery. They are entombed in the outdoor mausoleum; Nativity Terrace Crypt F-105.

Section 100 Lot 341

Mente

Not buried in Spring Grove, but the parents and grandparents to some of the following are William Heinrich Mente and Elizabeth Sophia Fricke Mente. Marie Mente Foertmeyer (Section 113 Lot 8) was born to Heinrich Wilhelm Mente and his first wife, Wilhelmena Dorthea Fricke. There were 4 children: Louis, Betti, Marie, and Adolph. Betti and Adolph were somehow "retarded" or disabled. In his will, Wilhelm left most of his estate to their care. When Wilhelmena died, he married her sister, Marie Wilhelmine Sophie Henrietta Fricke. They had 9 more children: Emil, William, Alvin, EUGENE, Charles, Elise Bertha "Otillie", Karl Julius, Richard, and Emilie. Any of these children buried in Spring Grove will have their mother's name below their listing in green type.

Wilhelm Heinrich Mente

Marie Wilhelmena Sophie
Henrietta Fricke Mente

Wilhelm Heinrich Mente

When Herr Mente died, most of his children were living in the United States. Having never immigrated himself, his funeral was held in Germany and this photo was taken to send to his children abroad who could not attend.

Graveside Eulogy for Heinrich Wilhelm Mente

Last Will and Testament of Heinrich Wilhelm Mente

In the chart below, the two Fricke sisters were actually half-sisters, having the same father [Johann Heinrich Tiede Fricke] like the Mente children did, but also like the Mente children, their mothers were half-sisters. Dorothea Fricke's mother was Dorothee Auguste Habichhorst, and Henrietta Fricke's mother was Marie Charlotte Habichhorst. Johann Tiede Fricke was a forester in Harpstedt (Eugene Mente said he was a forester for the King of Hannover), his bride was Catherine Marie Charlotte Habichhorst.

This chart shows the two wives of Wilhelm Heinrich Mente [they were half-sisters]
and which of his thirteen children were born to each, and the order of their births

..
Cincinnati Enquirer (1872-1922);Feb 19, 1888

Section 31A Lot 0
Breitfeld





Eddie, his grandmother and grandfather, and his Aunt Auguste Dotzauer are buried in single spaces of Lot 31A. They did purchase six spaces all together in a block consisting of the use of two rows. These lots are numbered 227 through 232 with three spaces lying in each row and across from each other. Spaces 229 and 231, the numbers being staggered, are occupied by the Breitfeld monument stone. The diagram, and the photo, should help in seeing where each individual is located.

This is where cemetery records show Eddie lies, with his grandparents
Breitfeld and his mother's sister, Aunt Augusta Dotzauer.

Edwin "Eddie" Mente

1880 - 1888
Grandson of Marie Wilhelmena Sophie Henrietta Fricke Mente
Son of Louis H. Mente

Edwin Space 227 - Fred Breitfeld Space 232 - Wilhelmina Space 230

Augusta Breitfeld Dotzauer Space 228 (Daughter of Wilhelmina Breitfeld and sister of Minnie Breitfeld Mente)
There is no record for a Space 229 or Space 231

Augusta Breitfeld Dotzauer and Expanded Family

STONE WHEN FOUND HERE

Louis Mente
1867 - 1868
Grandson of Marie Wilhelmena Sophie Henrietta Fricke Mente
Son of Louis H. Mente

Section 29 Lot 0 Space 469

Section 100 Lot 341

Mente (Continued)

Mente Farm in Negenborn, Germany

Mentes Buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery 686 Mount Moriah Drive Cincinnati, OH 45245 Section 1 Lot 270

William Benjamin Mente 1881 - 1965 Grandson of Marie Wilhelmena Sophie Henrietta Fricke Mente Son of Emil Arnold Mente	M	Sadie Kendall Mente 1886 - 1970 * *
Wood Kendall 1862 - 1953 Sadie's Uncle James Woodruff Kendall	M	Ida Kendall 1866 - 1961 Sadie's Aunt Ida May Kendall
Although William Benjamin Mente and his wife Sadie Kendall Mente are not buried in Spring Grove Cemetery, William is one of the only Mente offspring in America not interred there. Furthermore, their infant son is buried in the Mente plot at Spring Grove as well. Little Emil Alwin died at birth. To my knowledge, William and Sadie had no other children. Note: To locate this family, Click Here To view family record, Click Here Related Kendall's Buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery 686 Mount Moriah Drive Cincinnati, OH 45245 Section 12 Lot 426

John Kendall 1854 - 1939 Father of Sadie Kendall Mente	M	Ellen Kendall 1856 - 1939 Sadie Kendall Mente's Mother
Florence Marjorie Kendall 1890 - 1963 Sadie's Sister	M	Carrie Kendall Tharp 1877 - 1925 Sadie's Sister
Clarence Kendall 1899 - 1899 Sadie's Uncle James Woodruff Kendall Note: To locate this family, Click Here To view family record, Click Here

Spring Grove Cemetery Section 100 Lot 345 Mente, Motz, and Cottrell [Immediately to the right of the Mente Plot]

Augusta Mente Motz Sister of William F. Mente MD Granddaughter of Wilhelmena Dorothea Fricke Mente 1873 - 1957	M	Clemens Henry Motz Husband of Augusta *** 1870 - 1925
Julius "Jack" Mente, Marie Mente Foertmeyer, Blanche Cole Foertmeyer, Clemons Henry Motz, and Augusta Mente Motz New Orleans - 1910
Philip R. Cottrell Husband of Lucille M. Motz Cottrell 1896 - 1978	M	Lucille M. Cottrell Daughter of Clemens and Augusta Mente Motz 1899 - 1976
J. Louis Motz Son of Clemens and Augusta Mente Motz 1894 - 1961		Henry H. Cottrell Son of Philip R Cottrell and Lucille Mente Cottrell 1924 - 1957
Cemetery Records Original Papers

This is a recap of information listed above on this page, and then a continuation of that information.

My great grandmother, Marie Mente Foertmeyer [1845-1925], had several brothers among which was Louis H. Mente MD [1842-1874].

Somewhere around 1865 or so, Louis married Wilhelmina "Minnie" Breitfeld [1851-1927].

Louis and Minnie had a son named Louis who lived from December 1867 to February 1868, exactly two months. A living son was born to them as well; William F. Mente [1869-1941]. William married Margaret Puthoff [1875-1949]. William and Margaret Puthoff had no children. Louis and Minnie also had a daughter, Augusta E. Mente Motz. This is who we are following right here and now.

Augusta E. Mente [1873-1957] married Clemens H. Motz [1870-1975] on September 6, 1893. To this couple was born a daughter named Lucille [1899-1976]. Lucille married Philip Rutherfoord Cottrell [1896-1956]. Their son, Henry H. Cottrell [1924-1957] married Edna Mae Clark [1923-2006] in 1946. He reportedly jumped from a window in New York City, as shown on his interment card, but there was some speculation as to whether or not it was simply a fall by accident.

Augusta and Clemens also had a son, John Louis Motz [1894-1961], who married a first wife, Dorothy Blagg Motz [1895-1974] on April 19, 1916.

To this union were born two daughters, Margaret M. Motz [1923- ], and Elizabeth Motz Sanders [1917- ].

John Louis Motz's First Wife

John Louis Motz

Margaret Motz Meyer [daughter of John Louis Motz]
Walter H. Meyer [husband of Margaret Motz Meyer]

son of Walter and Margaret Meyer

Section 72 Lot 44

Buttemiller

Clara L. Foertmeyer Buttemiller 1858 - 1935 Daughter of Adolph W. Foertmeyer and Elizabeth Kirchof	Marriage License Application	John Christian Buttemiller MD 1853 - 1934 Son of George Buttemiller I
Descendants of Joseph Buttemiller

George S. Buttemiller MD	M	Erna VonBargen Buttemiller
1878 - 1966 Son of John C. Buttemiller MD		1885 - 1973

George Buttemiller I Father of John C. Buttemiller MD	M	Mary T. Rentz Buttemiller
1820 - 1855		1830 - 1916
Daughter of Clara Foertmeyer Buttemiller Granddaughter of Immigrant Adolph W. Foertmeyer Sister of George S. Buttemiller Morrow Cemetery, Morrow, Ohio

Section 101 Lot 221

Foertmeyer

First Person Buried in Clegg Plot

Georg Heinrich "George" Foertmeyer

1850 - 1877

27 Years (Consumption)

Henrietta Fike Foertmeyer Clegg

1850 - 1923
***

George Heinrich Foertmeyer married Henrietta Fike in ____. To them, on October 13, 1876, a daughter was born, whom they named Lillian Elizabeth. On March 8, 1877 George succomed to tuberculosis, leaving Henrietta and their four month old Lillian behind. George was buried in the Foertmeyer family plot at Spring Grove Cemetery (Section 39 Lot 136 Space 11. In 1885 George was moved to the John Joseph Clegg plot and placed in Space 1. He was the first person to be buried in this plot. Apparently, Henrietta must have loved him very much, because she had herself laid to rest between George and her second husband of many years, John Joseph Clegg. Both had preceeded her in death, John having been killed when he was struck by a streetcar at Main and Canal.

George, having been buried in the Foertmeyer plot would have been in an unmarked grave. None of the original thirty-some graves are individually marked. Being that George's headstone matches both Henrietta's and John's in style and content, I think it safe to say that Henrietta arranged for and paid for a personal stone for George.

George and Henrietta's daughter, Lillian Foertmeyer, was raised in the Clegg household and sometime around 1900 married Dr. Edward Guinn. More can be read about this family at the Lillian Foertmeyer link below.

Lillian Foertmeyer Guinn Information

Born: October 13, 1876 in Hamilton County, Ohio
Died: November 6, 1951 in Los Angeles, California [not a certainty]

George was the illegitimate son of Dorothee Luise Förtmeier. His cemetery records show that his father's name was Henry Fortmeyer, but based on German records, George was illegitimate so Henry, if that is his father's name, would not have been Foertmeyer. George did immigrate, and lived in Cincinnati until his untimely death at age 27 of tuberculosis.

There were both Fortmeyers (meiers), and Förtmeyers (meiers) in this area of Germany. It seems that the two German ways of writing the names were Förtmeier and Fortmeier, pronounced distinctly differently. Americanized, the meier became meyer for both, but the Förtmeiers dropped the umlaut ö and replaced it with the diphthong oe which carried the same pronunciation.

The German Connection

Who Came, Who Stayed

Actual German Records

Dorothee Luise Förtmeier, B: 02 Jun 1826 in Essern, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Mother of George H. who immigrated to Cincinnati D: 1881 Louisville, KY Buried Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville

Arrived New Orleans 1851 on ship Olbers - Traveled with younger sister Emma Förtmeier Wagner

Louise Mathilde Förtmeier, B: 10 Mar 1828 in Essern, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, D: Jun 1854 in Bohnhorst, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Stayed in Germany

Georg Eduard Förtmeier, B: 21 Jul 1830 in Essern, Nienburg, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Immigrated to U.S. - Nothing more is known about this brother

Wilhelm Adolph (Adolphus William) Foertmeyer, B: 08 Jul 1832 in Bonhorst, Hanover,Germany, D: 07 Jul 1893 in Cincinnati, Ohio, M: Elizabeth Kirchoff, Cincinnati, Ohio.