Treasure Chest Thursday

This is one of only a handful of photographs of my Great-Grandmother, Josephine Benzel Dreher.

Josephine is holding my aunt Laura Marion, here. And the two smallest children, standing in the front, are my Uncle Art, and my aunt Ethel Dreher, Laura Marion's older siblings.

Following this photograph, Josephine travelled with a group of WWI mother's who had lost their son's during that war, to view the cemetery where their bodies were layed to rest.

Unfortunately, when the ship passed over a particular spot in the Atlantic Ocean, Josephine was given a few moments to pray over hte spot where her son's body was layed in a watery grave.

Officially, Frank Henry Dreher's grave is located in Suresne, France. However, he succombed to illness on the voyage over, and was given a burial at sea.

Josephine wrote several letters home during her journey.

Josephine Benzel was born 21 July 1865 in Indiana to John Benzel and Wilhelmina Lambrecht.

She married Henry Condar Dreher, Sr.[1863-1925] on 11 August 1888 in Indiana [we believe, although a marriage record has not been located, so it may have been Kentucky].

She had 10 children with Henry Sr. [three of her sons with the name Henry!].

Josephine died 12 December 1932 [on Henry Jr's wedding anniversary]. She is buried at Evergreen Cemetery, Louisville, Jefferson Co., Kentucky.