I have known some women who hoped to receive a diamond someday. I imagine you could say that you have known such women. Maybe, if you are a woman, you may remember hoping to receive a diamond or are still hoping. Today I will tell the story of Ruben Klemp. Even though he was not a woman, he found a Deimund (and according to German rules of pronunciation, Deimund is pronounced the same as diamond.
Ruben (sometimes spelled Reuben) Klemp was born on July 2, 1870 and baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. Today would have been his 149th birthday. Ruben was the son of Johann and Elizabeth (Klinger) Klemp. The first census in which I found Ruben was the one taken in 1880. He was 9 years old, and his father was a blacksmith.
We have this photograph of Ruben Klemp.
On April 17, 1898, Ruben married Caroline Deimund at Immanuel, Perryville. Caroline was the daughter of John and Mathilda (Seahan) Deimund. Caroline was born on October 8, 1880. Here is the marriage license of Ruben and Caroline.
The 1900 census shows this Klemp couple with one daughter, Elma. Ruben followed in his father’s footsteps to become a blacksmith.
When the 1910 census was taken, it said Ruben was a farmer.
The 1920 census once again shows Ruben as a blacksmith. If I was to guess, I would say that Ruben was both a farmer and a blacksmith at the same time over the years.
I found this 1915 land map showing some property owned by Caroline Klemp. I am not 100% sure this is the right Caroline Klemp. I found several death certificates for women by that name. Plus, I just find it difficult to believe that a piece of property would have been in the woman’s name when she was not a widow. The neighbor, John Klemp, could have been Ruben’s father, though.
Our German Family Tree lists 6 children for Ruben and Caroline. Sometime later in their lives, the photo shown below was taken.
The 1930 census entry for Ruben has him shown as a farmer again.
The last census in which we find Ruben and Caroline shows him as a blacksmith. They were in their 60’s and no longer had any children in their household.
Both Ruben and Caroline were in St. Louis at the time of their deaths. Ruben died in 1947 at the age of 75. He died at Park Lane Hospital. The Elma Rhodes listed on the “informant” line was his daughter. Ruben’s occupation is shown to be a blacksmith.
Caroline died in 1953 at the age of 73. Her death certificate is shown below. After Ruben’s death, she must have married a man by the name of Jess Gordon. Whoever filled out this form spelled Caroline’s maiden name as Diamond. Also, the date of birth says she was born in 1879. Her gravestone says 1880.
Ruben and Caroline are both buried in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville.
Ruben found his Deimund. In closing, let me point out that if Caroline’s maiden name had been spelled Diemund – or Die Mund – then her name would mean “The Mouth” in German. Let’s hope Ruben found a Deimund, not Die Mund.
These were my husbands grandparents. He remembers spending time with them near Perryvile. We also have pictures of Rueben and Caroline. One of their sons, Wallace, was the father of my husband Kenneth. Thank you for sharing this information!
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