William Lorsch, 83

1870 ~ June 11, 1953

Obituary printed in the June 18, 1953 Enterprise, Blair, Nebraska

Wm. Lorsch Dies In Omaha

Funeral services were held in Omaha Monday afternoon for William Lorsch, 83, a resident of Omaha since 1900, who passed away in an Omaha hospital last Thursday.

William Lorsch was born at Peoria, Illinois, and came with his parents to settle near Ft. Calhoun when he was eighteen years old. He was married to Julia Baumer, who preceded him in death as did two sons, Edward and George.

Mr. Lorsch is survived by two daughters, Mrs. George Helton of Omaha and Mrs. Henry Mackland of Spokane, Washington. Other survivors include three brothers, Louis, Fritz, and Carl Lorsch, all of Blair; two sisters, Mrs. Emma Wollesen of Raymond, Washington and Mrs. Anna Klassen of Ft. Calhoun; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Burial was in Mt. Hope Cemetery in Omaha.

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Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Public Library, Blair, Nebraska. Material below from the National Archives, with some from family records on Ancestry; kind assistance of FindaGrave volunteer Brad Miller 48780132
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William Lorsch was born March 8, 1870 in Peoria, Illinois to Louis Christian Ferdinand Lorsch and Wilhelmina (Mageski) Lorsch. His parents were both born in Germany.

On May 24, 1896, William married Julia Baumer on May 24, 1896 in Omaha, Nebraska.

In 1900, William and Julia were living in Omaha. William (30) was a day laborer, and Julia (27) took care of the children, George H (born Sept. 1898, so nearly 2 years old) and little 5 month old Louise A (born Sept. 1899).

By 1930, William, now 60, was working as a carpenter in the building trades.
Julia, 57, was caring for the household, which included
Edward A. Lorsch, 28, son, carpenter
Henry Mackland, 31, son-in-law, operator, construction engineering
Helen Mackland, 21, daughter
Robert E. Mackland, 5, grandson

Ten years later, in 1940, William, 70, was still working as a carpenter and also a painter in the building construction field. The family lived at 570 South 28th St. in Omaha, and they and their lodgers had lived in the same house since 1935. That year the US Census noted the highest education level reached by each individual: William and Julia only went as high as 4th grade; their son, Edward (37) and working as a laborer, had passed 6th grade; their two lodgers, younger but earning more, had both gone to high school. The lodgers were Julie Spielman, 24, 2nd yr. high school, working as a seamstress for a casket company, and Leonard Kennel, 28, graduated high school, working as a salesman for an auto parts store.

William Lorsch passed from this life in 1953, at age 83.