A story of grace: Headstone marks orphan graves in old parish cemetery

A pair of first cousins — David Marthaler, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Bob Simon, from St. Joseph, Minnesota — are about to finish part of the puzzle of their family history. They know where each of their relatives and ancestors is buried and have prayed at the gravesites — that is, all but one.

The last headstone, which includes their great uncle John and others, will be dedicated in a special ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 26, at the old St. Joseph parish cemetery which adjoins the monastic cemetery on its northwest corner.

“Every Memorial Day when I was growing up, Mom would take us to each of our family  gravesites to pray,” David said. “Then she’d walk us to a deserted section of the cemetery where a half dozen wooden crosses were tilted and in bad shape. She said our great uncle had been buried there more than half a century earlier, as an orphan. We prayed for him but couldn’t tell which of the crosses was for him — the names weren’t visible after so many years.”

Not being able to locate his great uncle in the empty field stayed with David.

“Grandpa Frank Jr. often told us stories about his life — that in 1870 his parents and their three children had moved to St. Joseph, but his mother had died 12 years later,” he said.

“The following year, Frank Sr., his father, died, leaving himself and seven other siblings as orphans. After their farm was sold, the oldest four children left to live with local relatives while the youngest, a year old, was raised by their maternal grandparents and later his baptismal sponsor. That left young Frank and two smaller children without a home.”

In 1883, Frank Jr., 9,  Louisa, 7, and John, 5, were welcomed into Saint Benedict’s Monastery Orphan Asylum in St. Joseph, where they received food, clothing, shelter and an education.

“Frank thrived at the orphanage,” Bob said. “He became very handy to the sisters in many ways — as a Mass server as well as a teamster who drove the sisters to their teaching stations and hauled their laundry to the abbey at Saint John’s. Though orphans were normally released at age 14, Frank stayed an additional year. When he was 15, the sisters gave him an extra set of clothes and 50 cents, and he went to work on various farms, eventually purchasing his own farm where he and his wife, Helena Stock, raised their family of 13 — our parents and aunts and uncles.”

David said, “Louisa stayed at the orphanage for seven years, until she was 14. She left to live with an older sister, but at 17, Louisa contracted tuberculosis and died. We’d pray at her gravesite.

“But shortly after arriving, John died of pneumonia. He was buried in that small section of the parish cemetery, that place with the deteriorating wooden crosses. I’ve always wondered about him,” he added.

The cousins heard stories about the orphan siblings from their grandparents, aunts and uncles, including Benedictine Father Julian Simon, who was particularly interested in genealogy.

“When Father Julian heard the Army was transferring me to Louisiana,” David said, “he suggested that I poke around in that part of the country to find some of our family’s baptismal and marriage records and land deeds. I discovered quite a few documents, and realized how much I enjoyed genealogy, because it connects families.”

Bob said, “While I learned a lot of our family’s history when I was younger, I didn’t think too often about this great uncle — until Father Julian and David pointed out some missing information. Thankfully, David never quit pursuing the question of our great uncle’s burial.”

The two checked for the records from the State of Minnesota and the cemetery but found little.

They contacted the Sisters of Saint Benedict to learn about the orphanage, and the children that the sisters served.

Benedictine Sister Pat Kennedy is the monastery’s heritage coordinator who oversees the archives. She said, “The reason why the orphans were buried in the old St. Joseph cemetery was that the sisters didn’t own a cemetery until 1884. Before that, the deceased members of the monastic community were also buried in that cemetery.”

She also shared the history of the orphanage, which operated from 1875 to 1893, until it was transferred to the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls. There were often up to 24 children living there at any time, and 11 children had died as orphans.

“All children — including these orphans — are precious for their family,” said Sister Pat, who also is responsible for the work at The Art and Heritage Place (the gift shop and museum) and the art collection.

That information helped them realize the importance of a permanent memorial for their great uncle John and the other orphans who’d passed while living there — it would give their own family closure and healing, and possibly others as well. With the permission and blessing of the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, they embarked on a project to erect a headstone in that corner of the old parish cemetery.

The Benedictine sisters committed funds to help with site preparation and concrete work to ensure the new headstone was stable.

The front of the stone includes a photo of all the orphans in about 1883; the reverse side blesses their memory.

Sister Pat said, “It has been an honor to do the archival research for David and Bob, the Simon family. It is a remarkable story of grace.”

“The orphanage provided a lifeline to children who had lost their families. Marking these graves in not just about placing stones, but about acknowledging their existence and honoring their memories. It is about ensuring that these young lives are remembered and respected,” David said.

Bob said, “Erecting the headstone is a great service to the children who lived there when their parents had died earlier. Completing this piece of the puzzle finishes a big part of our family story — our grandfather’s brother is finally being recognized. My family will forever see this place, this cemetery, this stone, honoring him and other children.”

The short dedication ceremony will include opening remarks by the cousins, a history of the orphanage by Sister Pat and a blessing by Benedictine Father Brad Jenniges.

Pictured above: A permanent memorial in memory of the children who died at the orphanage, which operated from 1875 to 1893, stands in the St. Joseph Parish cemetery in St. Joseph. (Dianne Towalski / The Central Minnesota Catholic)