George Blessel b. 30 May 1848 St Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA d. 14 Dec 1894 Otto Glen, Elk, Pennsylvania, United States: Our Family History

Our Family History

1848 - 1894 (46 years)

Personal Information | Notes | Sources | All | PDF

Name	George Blessel [1]
Birth	30 May 1848	St Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA [1]
Gender	Male
Death	14 Dec 1894	Otto Glen, Elk, Pennsylvania, United States
Burial	St Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA
Person ID	I3189	Branches and Roots
Last Modified	13 Feb 2026

Father	Joseph B Blessel, b. 1812, Baveria, Germany d. Jun 1886, St Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 74 years)
Relationship	natural
Mother	Barbara Heifling, b. 1813, Diefenbach, Germany d. 1864, St Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 51 years)
Relationship	natural
Family ID	F2207	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family Margaret Funk, b. 11 Aug 1853, St Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA d. 28 May 1942, Benzinger, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 88 years)

Children

	1. Fred Blessel [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
+	2. Elizabeth Blessel, b. St Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	3. John Blessel, b. 24 Jan 1883, St Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA d. 4 Aug 1906, St Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 23 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
+	4. Harry Edward Blessel, b. 23 Jan 1884, St Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA d. 4 Jan 1958, Benzinger, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 73 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
	5. William Blessel, b. 31 Jul 1887, St Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA d. Yes, date unknown [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
+	6. Albert Benedict Blessel, b. 5 Jan 1888, St Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA d. 13 Dec 1963, St Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 75 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]
+	7. Emma Cunigunda Blessel, b. 16 Mar 1889, Benzinger, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA d. 14 Aug 1969, St Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 80 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural]

Family ID F289 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 13 Feb 2026

Notes

George was killed while working with George Wittman of Wittman Brothers Lumbering. They were chopping down a large pine tree. The tree fell the opposite way of what they had predicted. The butt end twisted around and hit Mr. Blessel in the stomamach. He fell and got up. When asked if he was hurt he said , "Yes, in my stomach." He didn't say anything further but began screaming in pain. The rest of the logging crew rushed to his side and John Wittman rode into St. Marys tto get the doctor. George was dead on their return, however. His body was returned to St. Marys by mail and a funeral was held at St. Marys Church at 9 o'clock Saturday morning, December 16th. He left a wife and eight children ranging in age from 13 to 9 months.---------------------------------------------------account paraphrased from the newspaper December 1893 buried in St. Marys Catholic cemetery.-no marker-- beside wife Margaret Funk Blessel. (no stone or marker)

George was killed while working with George Wittman of Wittman Brothers Lumbering. They were chopping down a large pine tree. The tree fell the opposite way of what they had predicted. The butt end twisted around and hit Mr. Blessel in the stomamach. He fell and got up. When asked if he was hurt he said , "Yes, in my stomach." He didn't say anything further but began screaming in pain. The rest of the logging crew rushed to his side and John Wittman rode into St. Marys tto get the doctor. George was dead on their return, however. His body was returned to St. Marys by mail and a funeral was held at St. Marys Church at 9 o'clock Saturday morning, December 16th. He left a wife and eight children ranging in age from 13 to 9 months.---------------------------------------------------account paraphrased from the newspaper December 1893 buried in St. Marys Catholic cemetery.-no marker-- beside wife Margaret Funk Blessel. (no stone or marker)
George was killed while working with George Wittman of Wittman Brothers Lumbering. They were chopping down a large pine tree. The tree fell the opposite way of what they had predicted. The butt end twisted around and hit Mr. Blessel in the stomamach. He fell and got up. When asked if he was hurt he said , "Yes, in my stomach." He didn't say anything further but began screaming in pain. The rest of the logging crew rushed to his side and John Wittman rode into St. Marys tto get the doctor. George was dead on their return, however. His body was returned to St. Marys by mail and a funeral was held at St. Marys Church at 9 o'clock Saturday morning, December 16th. He left a wife and eight children ranging in age from 13 to 9 months.---------------------------------------------------account paraphrased from the newspaper December 1893 buried in St. Marys Catholic cemetery.-no marker-- beside wife Margaret Funk Blessel. (no stone or marker)

George was killed while working with George Wittman of Wittman Brothers Lumbering. They were chopping down a large pine tree. The tree fell the opposite way of what they had predicted. The butt end twisted around and hit Mr. Blessel in the stomamach. He fell and got up. When asked if he was hurt he said , "Yes, in my stomach." He didn't say anything further but began screaming in pain. The rest of the logging crew rushed to his side and John Wittman rode into St. Marys tto get the doctor. George was dead on their return, however. His body was returned to St. Marys by mail and a funeral was held at St. Marys Church at 9 o'clock Saturday morning, December 16th. He left a wife and eight children ranging in age from 13 to 9 months.---------------------------------------------------account paraphrased from the newspaper December 1893 buried in St. Marys Catholic cemetery.-no marker-- beside wife Margaret Funk Blessel. (no stone or marker)

Sources

[S234] Staff, Daily Press, The, (Name: Daily Press, The; Location: St. Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, United States;), Blessel, Albert.
Albert Blessel, 75, of West Theresia Road, and life-long resident of St. Marys, passed away at two o'clock this morning at the local hospital. Mr. Blessel was born on January 5, 1888 in St. Marys, son of the late George and Margaret Funk Blessel. He attended St. Marys schools and was a retired laborer.
He was married to the former Appolonia Portzer on August 4, 1914 in St. Marys Church. She preceeded him in death on June 12, 1945.

Mr. Blessel is survived by six daughters and two sons. They are: Martha, Mrs. John Wonderly of Kersey; Louise, Mrs. Edward Feldbauer; Magdalen., Mrs. Thomas Portzer, Celesta, Mrs. John Reading; Angela, Mrs. Joseph Geiser, and Theresa, Mrs. Paul Michel all of St. Marys, George and Benedict both of Kersey.

Other survivors are one sister and two brothers. They are Mrs. Emma Brennen, William and Fred Blessel all of St. Marys. Also surviving are 17 grandchildren and four-great grandchildren. Mr. Blessel was also preceded in death by one daughter in infancy, two brothers and two sisters.
Requiem mass will be celebrated Monday morning at nine o'clock in the St. Marys Church with internment to follow in the parish cemetery.

Daily Press, The: 13DEC1963
Accessed: 18SEP2024