Margaretha Henningsmith
(1862-1929)

Locating information on Margaretha Henningsmith is problematic because her name is spelled so many different ways. For example:

• Margretta Henwgswirth on the death certificate.¹
• Margaret Henning Smith on her son Joseph's marriage certificate to Josephine Berg.² This is also the version of the name that appears on Joseph's death certificate.
• Margret Hainigschmidt on her daughter Anna's marriage certificate to Joseph Green.
• Margaretha Hemmingsmith on some family documents.
• Margaretha Henningsmith on some family documents.
• Margaret Berg on the 1900 and 1920 censuses.
• Margaret Berge on the 1910 census.

Margaretha was born 12 October 1862 in Bavaria, Bayern, Germany. She married George Berg in 1882 and they emigrated from Germany in 1888.³ She was naturalized in 1895.

We have no record of Margaretha's literacy prior to the 1900 census, but at that time she could read, write, and speak English.

The high incidence of infant mortality was evident in her life. As of 1900, she had given birth to eleven children of whom only six had survived. By 1910, she had given birth to three more children--all of whom survived.

Margaretha and her husband lived on a farm in Williams Township, Bay County, Michigan. The 1910 census lists her occupation as farm laborer. Because this blank is frequently left blank for woman working at home, it is possible that she might have worked at someone else's farm as well as her own. In 1900, the occupation section is left blank. In 1920, he occupation is listed as "none." On other records, she is listed as a housewife.

On 25 October 1929, Margaretha died of Chronic Myo Caraditits.

Website Maintained by

Steven L. Berg, PhD
steve@stevenlberg.info

Last updated on 23 August 2011.