Mary Sophia Kiehl Romberger (1834-1920)

Mary Sophia Kiehl Romberger

Birth

10 May 1834

Dornsife, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA

Death

27 Nov 1920 (aged 86)

Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, USA

Burial

Peace Church Cemetery

Berrysburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, USA Add to Map

Memorial ID

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My great great grandmother was the wife of Gilbert Romberger, the saddler, custom horse collar maker and farmer in Berrysburg, PA, and the mother of 16 children, one of whom was my great grandpa Daniel.

Before we write Mary off as yet another woman who anonymously spent her life child bearing and rearing, it is wise to look more closely at her- a task that she her self might have found difficult because to my chagrin, I discovered on a census that she had gone blind and was so for many of the later years of her life.

Through the help of a kind local gent who was able to locate Mary's obituary, we get a much better picture of the kind of lady she was. This item is from the Elizabethville Echo, published December 2, 1920:

"Mrs Mary Romberger, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Clara Harner, on Spruce street. Born May 10, 1834, in Lower Mahanoy, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, daughter of Samuel and Esther Eyster Keihl. She wed Gilbert Romberger, to which union were born 16 children, 10 preceded (her in death). Her husband died March 10, 1894. Mary lived with her daughter Clara, and was blind for the past 22 years, and in all that time, she never bemoaned her fate. She was always cheerful and her counsel was sought by many. She was loved by all who knew her. Surviving to mourn her are Mrs. Mary Shaffer, Mrs. Rebecca Winters, Mrs. Clara Harner, Mrs. Wilson Romberger of Harrisburg, and Daniel H., of Allentown, Ralph E., of Norristown. Burial Berrysburg Cemetery."

Mary lost her father on March 14, 1883. Eleven years later on March 10, 1894, she would lose her husband.

Mary Sophia was the daughter of Samuel and Esther Eyster/Eister Kiehl. Her father Samuel is one of the sons of Peter Kiehl, Jr. and his wife Christina Jaeger/Yeager Kiehl.

Baptismal records of Himmel Church in Rebuck, Northumberland County contain her christening:

KIEHL: Samuel & Esther dau. Maria b. 05/10/1834; bapt. 06/08/1934. Spon. Michael Reitz & Elizabeth. Elizabeth is another moniker for her mother's sister, Magdalena, who married J. Michael Reitz, so young Mary Sophia's baptismal sponsors were her aunt and uncle.

Mary's birthplace had not been known to me, but it appears on the marriage license application for her daughter Mary's second marriage.

Big thanks to contributor Wendy Houck, and the huge amount of grave photography she has done. Wendy, I had wondered when I might ever get out to Dauphin County to locate the resting places of the family of my great great grandpa, and laying eyes on your pictures of their stones gave me tremendous peace. Thank you. I have since been there twice, grateful your pictures made finding the family easier.

Mary's blindness haunts me; was she diabetic or have a stroke, (either of which might have come from bearing so many children) causing her to lose her sight?

The state index confirms the date and place of death, and her death certificate tells us that she died of "Bright's Disease followed by Cold + Bronchial catarrh."

If you are a descendant of Mary, please contact me on my bio page. There is important health info I would like to share with you.