Wilhelmina Frankenstine b. 17 Dec 1843 , Germany d. 6 Mar 1925 Doon (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada: Waterloo Region Generations

1843 - 1925 (81 years)

Name	Wilhelmina Frankenstine
Born	17 Dec 1843	, Germany [1, 2]
Gender	Female
Interesting	scandal, life story,
Immigration	1888 [1]
Name	Wilhelmina Karweil
Eby ID Number	Waterloo-94789
Died	6 Mar 1925	Doon (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada [2]
	Cause: apoplexy
Buried	Kinzie-Bean Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region. Ontario
Person ID	I94789	Generations
Last Modified	28 Jan 2025

Family	Herman Karweil, b. 14 Mar 1844, , Germany , d. Yes, date unknown
Last Modified	29 Jan 2025
Family ID	F24537	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Notes

The Karweil Case.

Editor, Reporter:

Regarding the investigation of dead woman which you had in March 6, Reporter, I wish to let the people know the truth. Forty-one years ago I met Mr. and Mrs. Karweil through Mr. H. Krantz in the town hall in Berlin, coming from Germany. I took them to Doon and gave Mr. Karweil work for quite a number of years. Then he went to Williamsburg and after some years came back to Doon, bought a house and worked for me and others. In 1923 he fell off in health and I looked after him. At the time some people and specially one merchant tried to take advantage of him, by giving not the proper change and selling him one dozen eggs and deliver only eight eggs. After eight days I tackled this merchant for the balance of 4 eggs and he got furious and threatened to break my bones, We quit that merchant and I supplied Mr. Karweil with groceries and whatever he wanted and took for him what goods he had to sell for market. This merchant minds all other peoples' business except his wife's grocery business. As to the Provincial police investigation surrounding the death of aged Doon resident on March 6, 1925, that could only be sent to the Reporter by such a lunatic as he, as there was no provincial police investigation until Saturday March 7. Last summer Mr. Karweil fell in health. He was weak and could not work except in his own garden. He wanted not to be bothered by his next neighbors because they wanted him to go to the Poorhouse in Kitchener. An old spinster he made me order from the house as he says she was after his purse. Last summer I met the reeve in Preston and he told me they must go to the poor house. He had the papers all ready. When I came home and told them this they were just wild. They offered to deed the property over to me as they had no children and no relations. If I would see to it that they did not go to the Poorhouse. I Agreed and he said to get a lawyer. Well the deed was made by Mr. Bitzer of Kitchener , and I took them over to my house, I got medicine from a doctor often and both old people improved a lot. On Feb. 22, after Mrs. Karweil had her oatmeal breakfast, coffee, etc., on the lounge she started to knit socks as she always made me buy yarn so she could knit socks. Then I went to the stable to attend the stock. When I came back she had left the lounge and lay near the bed on the floor, and Mr. Karweil trying to help her up, saying "get up. I can't lift you alone, but I must help you", and I lifted her up on the bed. Then I seen what had happened, she was lame in the left arm and her mouth was drawn to one side. She had suffered a stroke. I went at once to a doctor in Preston and told him and wanted him to come, but he explained tome that he could do nothing for her as she was old and besides he had no way to come to Doon and was needed in Preston. Roads were bad to Doon for a car.
All we could do was to keep her clean and give her what she wanted. For 2 or 3 days she lay in torment. Then she wanted a drink. We gave it to her with a spoon , but two days before she died she could not swallow and slept peacefully away on Sunday March 1. I could not go on Sunday and leave the old man alone. The road was icy and I had no sharp shod horse. I made arrangements to go with Mr. Teet to come on Monday and take me over with his horse as I needed a coffin. Mr.Teet came on Monday but being under the weather myself and with the bitter cold wind blowing I could not go.

In the meantime Mr. Karweil insisted on making the coffin himself as he had made them in Germany, and by Wednesday he had the coffin made.

On Wednesday, being mild, I went to the doctor in Preston and got the death certificate. Coming home, I went to Mr. Hepburn, cemetery caretaker, for a grave, but it seems to me Miss Hepburn was running this as she insisted that her father have nothing to do with it. When I saw I had trouble getting a grave from Mr. Hepburn, I made up my mind to find who was the coroner in Preston. On the way to Preston I met Dr. Oakes, and I found he was the coroner. I went back with him and he looked up the corpse and declared the coffin all right. In the afternoon I went to Preston and got through the coroner the burial certificate and arranged with Mr.Grieve the undertaker and sent to Galt and arranged with Mr. Oder for a burial sermon.
Friday I went to Mrs. Kinzie at Doon got a grave without any trouble, in the cemetery. I ordered the grave dug and on Sunday at 2 p.m. we had the funeral with about 50 in attendance, we had a very nice sermon at the house and cemetery. God give her the needed rest.

How I do not want to seem such a prude in the eyes of the public as some scoundrels wnt to show me up. Some of the people of the village are so bigoted and narrow minded and long-nosed that the rumour was afloat that I intended burning the; body instead of burying same. Provincial Police Inspector McCaffrey asked me so arbitrary and, I may say, funny that I cannot close this chapter without giving him some good advice, viz; To work in a shoddy mill for a year. It may do him good and he might improve a lot.

(Signed ) Jacob Cluthe,

Doon, March 21, 1925

Mr. Cluthe buried the two Karweils in the old cemetery, (now the Kinzie-Bean cemetery). When this cemetery was renovated a few years ago, the curator of the cemetery, Stanley Kinzie, noticed the markers were rotted so we made a marker of concrete with the name "Karweil" on it.

Women's Institute, Tweedsmuir History Doon and Blair Branch.

Sources

[S86] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo South - 1901, Waterloo (South/Sud) G-1 Page 9.
[S713] Vit - ON - Death Registration, death certificate.
Wilhelmina Karwil, b. 17 Dec 1843, d/o Frankenstine, d. 1 Mar 1925 Doon, cause: apoplexy

Event Map

	Born - 17 Dec 1843 - , Germany
	Died - Cause: apoplexy - 6 Mar 1925 - Doon (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
	Buried - - Kinzie-Bean Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region. Ontario

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