| Name |
Mathias Mentgen52 |
| Birth |
3 May 1833, Trier,Germany52,37 |
| Death |
6 Apr 190937 |
| Immigration |
1852, Buffalo,NY52 |
| Residence |
Peru,Il52 |
| Occupation |
painting and paperhanging and repair jobs52 |
| Father |
older unknown Mentgen |
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| Notes for Mathias Mentgen |
"Mathias Mentgen lived at Trier, Germany which was seperated from France by the Mosel River. His father operated a ferry boat to take passangers across the river to France. Mathias used to go with his father and knew how to operate the boat. One hot night in the summer he and his brother, Jake were sleeping outdoors when two men came and asked if they would take them across the river and not make them sign the register They were political escapees and said they would them well. So the boys took them across. They said they were escaping to America and were going to Buffalo, New York. The said they wanted to come to America to escape Army service, so the men told them to land at Buffalo, New York and they would help them. The men gave the boys money and gave Mathias a cutting diamond imbedded in a handle. The boys never said a word to their father about taking the men across. The next day police officers came and aske! d ! thier father if he had taken those men across during the night. He said "No" and the boys denied it also. In 1852 Mathias and "Uncle Jake" and another boy came to Amercia, on being smuggled on board due to lack of passage, and landed in Buffalo New York. The men had gone down to meet all ships coming in and sure enough they found them. They gave all three of the boys jobs in New York and Mathias lived in New York for awhile learning painting. It is not known when Mathias left New York and came to Peru, Il. " This story was taken from the book given to Louis (Luke) Richard Mentgen at a family pinic on October 6, 1991. It is written as a historical sketch. I believe it was written by John Robinson.
History of cutting diamond taken from same historical sketch.
"Grospapa (Mathias) brought it to the United States with him. It was always the family pride. He used it to cut glass when he was doing painting and paperhanging and repair jobs and it was always kept in the brown wooden strong box with the family papers. About ten years after Grosmama moved from the farm in 1901 it was lost." |
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