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| Anthony & Victoria (Casanova) Worm |
Obituary of Anthony V. Worm - Obituary File at Paulding County Public Library, Paulding, Ohio
"The following obituary of Anthony Worm is taken from the St. Paul (Kansas) Gazette:
'There is a reaper whose name is Death,
And, with his sickle keen,
He reaps the bearded grain at a breath,
And the flower that grow between.'
Anthony Worm died at Mercy hospital, Parsons, Kansas May 12, 1924 and was buried from St. Francis church here, May 15, at a solmen Requiem High Mass. His six sons were his pall bearers.
Neither the ministrations of kindly hands and loving hearts, not the skill of medical science, could alleviate the suffering he bore so patiently for almost three years. At his bedside during three weeks at Mercy hospital were always some of his children - oftentimes all of them - their presence affording him much comfort and consolation.
Mr. Worm was born in Seneca County, Ohio, May 19, 1856, and resided there until 1884 when he moved to Payne, O. In 1903 he moved to St. Paul, Kansas. He was married to Miss Victoria Casasnova in 1880. To them were born thirteen children, two of them preceded their parents to eternity. The surviving children are: Mrs. Jos. Lucas, Antwerp, O.; Mrs. Jos. Nunnink and Mrs. Oliver Richards, St. Paul, Kas.; Mrs. Orval Hunt and Mrs. Oscar Hoke, Humboldt, Kas.; Oliver and Cyril, Luling, Texas; John, Port Arthur, Texas; Henry, Carthage, Mo.; Ralph, Carl Junction, Mo.; and Jerome, Sapulpa, Okla. There are also sixteen grandchildren.
Among many lovable traits of character Mr. Worm's charity was conspicuous. He was always ready to extend help and assistance to a neighbor in sickness and trouble. St. John's beautiful church in Payne, Ohio, his former home, is largely indebted to his generous donations. Requiescat in peace.
Mr. Worm was married a second time, the latter part of 1921 to Mrs. Sidonia Rice of Humboldt, Kansas, who survives him. Until the last few months of his life, Mr. Worm made his home in Humboldt."
The following recollections were written by Victoria (Lucas) Kuhn in 1970 and shared with me by her daughter, Christena (Kuhn) Schaefer. Victoria was the daughter of Mary Isabelle (Wurm) Lucas and a granddaughter of Anthony & Victoria (Casasnova) Wurm.
"My mother's parents were Anthony and Victoria Worm but I wouldn't see them often as they moved their family of 11 children to Kansas in Oct., as I was born in Nov. of 1903. Mother told me often how sad she was to see all her loved one go so far away and she and daddy stay here. They had married on Jan. 12, 1901. Before grandpa left Ohio he owned over 800 acres of land, a hotel and furniture factory and a feed mill in Payne. Then on the farm he had a saw mill, a brick and tile mill. I think he donated the brick for our St. John's Catholic Church as well as the Communion rail and pulpit and several windows. When they had their farm sale it took 2 days so they told me, and he furnished the eats. Dad roasted a beef in an outdoor pit and also cooked bean soup in a large outside kettle and another one with vegetable soup in it. So they moved to Kansas.
When I was 6 mo. old Grandma came to visit us. Then is when they took a picture of my Great Grandmother Casanova, Grandma Worm, my mom and I. Then when I was 5 yrs. old my mother and I went to Kansas to see them. I remember I had my first loose tooth and Aunt Marie had me kneel down in front of her, she put a string around it and yanked it out. She was a year or so older than I.
In those days Grandma Worm would write and ask Mother and I to come visit them if she would send an excursion ticket on the railroad. That meant a 2 weeks stay with them and the ticket was sold them at a real discount. So when I was about 8 years old, she wrote and ask us to come as Aunt Pauline was ill, so we went. Aunt Pauline was 12 or 14 years old and she was so sick. The day after we arrived she took spinal meningitis and was buried the day before Xmas. I remember she looked like a waxed doll to me and she had such a beautiful smile on her pretty face. The children and I weren't allowed to go in her room and we would play very quietly. Every moning and evening we all lined up for our tablespoon of rock and rye as a preventative of the disease. My mom was her nurse. Aunt Pauline couldn't move or talk but when the priest ask her if she wanted Holy Communion she pressed his hand (as he had instructed) so he put a little piece of host on a few drops of water and put it in her mouth. The first night we arrived she asked my mother to come kneel and pray with her at her altar that was in the corner of her room. In her prayers she asked God for her to become a Sister and if he didn't want her to live she asked him to take her to heaven - and the next morning she was stricken, so the priest told us she went into heaven and that was the cause of the beautiful smile as she died. Grandma had bought a Christmas gift for Aunt Pauline, which was the chocolate set I have that says, "Merry Christmas". So she gave it to my mom to keep for me. I always cherished it and have some beautiful memories of that trip.
About every Christmas as long as my grandma Worm lived she would send us a barrel of gifts from Kansas. That barrel would come by train and daddy would go to town in a wagon to get it. That would be a big event, opening the barrel. It would contain lots of canned fruits and jellies, home made candy and about 1/2 bushel of pecan nuts. They grew in Kansas. Then there would be beautiful materials for mom to sew into dresses for her and I. And there would be a few suits of heavy underwear for all 3 of us. Mother would sew all those pretty materials into dresses for her and I. One time there was a little bracelet for me and another time a string of beads. Those were really great days.
I recall that when I was about 7 years old we expected Grandma and Grandpa Worm with Aunt Marie and 5 year old Uncle Cyril to come visit us over Thanksgiving. My parents wanted to have roast goose for the dinner, so Mom went about a mile away to a Hungarian lady who was raising them and bought one from her. This lady said she would fatten this goose until time to dress it. The way she did it was to stir warm milk into corn meal and sitting on the floor she would take the goose's head between her legs and open the goose's mouth and spoon big amounts of this mushy corn stuff down its throat. This lady weighed 250 pounds and it really was a funny sight to behold. This particular time Uncle Cyril, Aunt Marie and I went back in the field to our watermelon patch with our coaster wagon to gather watermelons. We filled them high on the wagon and pulling it across the rough ground 2 big melons fell off and broke all up. Well we sat there in the corn field and really filled up - but we still had several to take home. Then one day the 3 of us were coasting down a pasture slope and up came our flock of sheep. We left the wagon and all ran to go over a high woven fence that had a barbed wire string on top. Well, we all got over the fence, but Aunt Marie, there she was on top of the fence with her panites caught in the barbed wire, and there was the old Buck sheep trying to reach her. We all screamed until Mother came and got Aunt Marie off the fence. Mother had this Hungarian lady to come cook and serve our Thanksgiving dinner so she could just enjoy and visit with her dear Parents.
In 1918 an epidemic of flu and lots of people got the flu and died. In Oct. they closed all the schools, movies and church services. Then the last day of Oct. came a very sad day. We received a telegram that Grandma Worm died suddenly. My dear saddened Mother was taken to the train and she went to attend the funeral. Everyone on the train were wearing masks, so mother said, trying to avoid the flu. I stayed home with daddy and helped him."
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| Gravestones of Anthony & Victoria (Casanova) Worm, their daughter Pauline Worm, and their infant son - St. Francis Catholic Cemetery, St. Paul, Neosho County, Kansas |
Anthony V. and Victoria Maria (Casanova) Wurm had fourteen children:
1 - Mary Isabelle" Belle" Worm (1881-1947)
2 - Joseph Aloysius Worm was born 23 Aug 1882 in Venice Township, Seneca County, Ohio and died 14 Dec 1882 in Venice Township, Seneca County, Ohio. He is buried in St. Stephen Catholic Cemetery in Seneca County.
3 - Mary Philomena "Minnie" Worm (1884-1972)
4 - John Christian Worm (1886-1947)
5 - Henry Joseph Worm was born 8 March 1888 in Paulding County, Ohio and died 27 July 1943 at Lockhart, Texas. He married Margaret M. Kelly about 1925. She was born 18 May 1882 in Caldwell County, Texas to William and Lucy A. (Head) Kelly and died 16 Dec 1964 in Travis County, Texas.
6 - Oliver Joseph "O.J." Worm was born 6 April 1890 in Harrison Township, Paulding County, Ohio and died 26 Sept 1960 at Pharr, Texas. He married Lillian M. Stevens. She was born 23 Dec 1881 in Kansas and died 25 Feb 1969 in Hidalgo County, Texas. O.J. and Lillian are buried in St. Francis Catholic Cemetery in St. Paul, Kansas. They did not have any children.
7 - Ralph Anthony Worm (1882-1950)
8 - Jerome Beaugart Worm (1894-1959)
9 - Ethel Margaret Worm (1896-1982)
10 - Mary Pauline Worm was born 5 Aug 1898 in Harrison Township, Paulding County, Ohio and died of measles 23 Dec 1912 at St. Paul, Kansas.
11 - Mary Victoria Worm (1900-1980)
12 - Marie Magdalena Worm (1902-1989)
13 - infant son Worm was born and died 15 Feb 1904 in Neosho County, Kansas. He is buried in St. Francis Catholic Cemetery at St. Paul, Kansas.
14 - Cyril Joseph Worm (1905-1991)
Mary "Minnie" Worm is my great grandmother. I have been trying to find information on my ancestors and came across this. Loved being able to learn more about her. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteRalph Anthony was my great grandfather. thanks for the info...
ReplyDeleteHow can I update his line?