...lest she be forgotten.
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| Seiter Family Marker; St. Joseph Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana |
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| Teresie Seiter Gravestone; St. Joseph Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana |
T
eresie was the fifth of ten children born to Christopher (Christoph) and Cecelia Stierle Seiter. She was born on Wednesday, August 27, 1884 in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. By the time of her birth the Christopher and Cecelia had already suffered the death of their second born child, Anna, in 1879.
Christopher and Cecelia, both German immigrants, were a part of the large German population in Indianapolis during the late nineteenth century. At that time Indianapolis had several German language newspapers. I found the following record of Teresie's birth in The Indianapolis Tribüne, dated August 30, 1884:
Listed under the heading 'Geburten' (births);
Christian Seiter (I have, on several occasions, found his name listed as such), Mädchen (girl), 27, August.
Teresie's life was short. Teresie died on July 15, 1887 at the age of 2 years, 9 months, 19 days old. She is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her gravestone says:
Teresie Seiter
GEB 27 AUG 1884
GEST 15 JULI 1887
Notice that it is written in German.
I found the following notice of her death in The Indianapolis Tribüne, dated July 16, 1887:
Listed under the heading "The Small Town Herald".
"Mr. Christ Seiter and his wife have lost through death their nearly 3 year old little daughter."
Teresie's Certificate of Death Record lists her cause of death as "Dephtheria [sic] (2 Days)".
Diphtheria, a bacterial infection of the upper-respiratory system, was once call "The Strangling Angel of Children". Considered highly contagious, easily transmitted through contact with an infected person, this disease spread rapidly through families. Until the beginning of the 1920's diphtheria was one of the leading causes of death in children. The disease caused pain, swelling of the neck and lymph nodes and eventually suffocation and death.
Teresie Seiter's life ended too soon; her life story too short. But she hasn't been forgotten.
(Teresie Seiter - Khris's Grand Aunt)
Sources: Gravestone Photos (Lisa's Personal Collection); The Indianapolis Tribüne (Hoosier State Chronicles); Certificate of Death Record (Marion County Indiana Health Department)
Wednesday’s Child blog postings include photos of gravestones of children. A sad topic but posts can give life to the stories of these young souls.
This and all other posts on this blog are © copyright 2016 by Lisa Dillman Wright.
