The Loss of Lena...my Great Grandmother

Lena Gressel was born in Germany on August 3, 1870 and she died as Lena Froehly in St. Louis, Missouri on March 25, 1915. Late March in St. Louis is a time when the winter weather begins to break as the temperature starts to warm. Rains fall and snows melt as the waters in the creeks and tributaries flow into the rising Mississippi River.



It was almost 3 years since Lena lost her beloved husband, Alfred and her youngest son, Larenz to the currents of the river. The memory must have been too hard to bear as the anniverary of their deaths was rapidly approaching. Afterall, the flowing Mighty Mississippi was in sight each and every day as the Froehly's house was just a short walk to the riverbank. That is where Alfred and his son, Larenz went fishing on the night of May 24, 1912.


The story goes that the 13 year old boy somehow was taken by the river's current and Alfred went into the water to save his son. At some point both were pulled from the river, but it was too late. On the report, the time of death was given as 10 p.m. that evening. When I asked my Aunt Dolly about this event she told me that she had heard that the father and son were still clinging to one another as rescuers retrieved the bodies.


Lena 44, Joe 21, Mary and Clara now lived at the house on 3730 Salena St. since the passing of Alfred and Larenz. Their home was just south of Soulard and the Annheuser-Busch brewery, an area where many Germans lived back then. Who knows what pressures the family faced with the losses? One can only imagine what their lives were like back in 1915 without their loved ones. Apparently, it became too much for Lena as one day she decided to end her life by drinking a clear, sweet-smelling liquid. She was then rushed to the City Hospital in an attempt to save her, but it was to no avail as she died the following day, March 25, 1915. It was ruled a suicide and the cause was carbolic acid poisioning.


My Grandfather, Joe Froehly signed the death certificate for his mother and had his mother laid to rest at New Picker's cemetary. The location was just across the street on Gravois Avenue where Alfred and Larenz were previously buried. Joe, Mary, and Clara were now on their own.

On a side note...the death certificate indicates that the Froehly Family lived in St. Louis for 16 years. This means the family arrived in St. Louis in 1899 and Alfred was 37, Lena 28, and Joseph 5 years old. More than likely the family took the train from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to St. Louis, Missouri as Joseph was born in Pittsburgh. When the family traveled to St. Louis the Eads bridge (1874) was the only bridge to cross the Mississippi River at that time. The bridge was built with two levels; one level was for train traffic and one level was for regular road traffic (horses). The only other way to cross the river would have been by ferry. By taking the train the family would have arrived at the beautiful Union Station which opened five years earlier in 1894.