- Feb 5, 2021
- 2 min read
JEN COMES HOME. HENRY TAKES ILL.
Stormy, snowing most of
day. Henry and I
went to Hospital brought
Jen home. Henry sick
when we started and by
the time we got to Jen's
he was so sick we
called Dr. Wedel right
away. Gall attack first
one in 3 yrs. Had to
call Dr. again at 8 o'clock.
Dr. gave him a big
shot of morphine which
put him asleep immediately.
I am sleeping on
davenport at Jen's.
Lyd sleeping with Jen.
I am glad Jen is home. Jen's sister Lydia and Edna are staying with Jen to make sure she is well cared for now that she is no longer in the hospital. Henry was suffering from a gall attack which prompted two calls to the doctor and resulted in a "big dose of morphine." He is resting peacefully.
With Jen and Henry both stable, I was curious about Dr. Wedel. He must have lived nearby. He came to the farm to attend to Henry.
Ancestry.com is one of my favorite resources and today it did not disappoint. With a little bit of digging, I found Herbert S. Wedel and details of his amazing history.
Dr. Wedel was educated at the University of Michigan and, according to his draft card and several other documents, he was born on April 3, 1896 in W. Africa.
Peter and Martha (Liebig) Wedel were Herbert's parents. Peter was an evangelist and missionary. Born in Russia in 1865, he immigrated to America with his family in 1874. As a young man, Peter studied at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Rochester, New York. From 1888-95 he evangelized for the Mennonite Brethren Church in Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota. After his marriage to Martha, Peter felt called to foreign missionary service, eventually landing in W. Africa. After two years, Peter was in declining health. On the voyage back he died and was buried at sea. Herbert was not yet one.
Martha and Herbert left Africa ahead of Peter. Martha made the journey home with her infant son in 1896. I am not sure how they departed Africa, but they traveled from England to the United States on a ship called Germanic, arriving in New York on July 30, 1896. Martha was 23. Herbert was just three months.
Martha eventually remarried and had two other children.
Read more about Peter and his history:
I didn't have much luck unearthing Herbert's history after his arrival back in America until he was a student at the University of Michigan. I am not sure how he ended up in the vicinity of Bowne Center but it seems he had a fairly successful career.
A December 7, 1961 article in the Battle Creek Inquirer details what was his final post as a medical professional, director of the Thornapple Valley Home and Medical Care Facility. Prior to that, he served as chair for the Barry County Cancer Society and received a special citation for serving 15 years as a medical advisor to the Barry County Draft Board without compensation.
Henry was in good hands.
Dr. Wedel died in 1965. He is buried in Hastings, Michigan.
