Parkersburg, Iowa Eclipse
Thursday, October 31, 1929

Ben J. Tiedeken Buried Here Tuesday Afternoon

        Ben Joseph Tiedeken was born on January 15, 1875, at Heitsfelde, near
Leer, Germany, the eldest of a family of eight children.  When 12 years
of age he came with his parents to America, settling in Butler County.
        He was married to Rosie Renken February 19, 1901.  To this union were
born two children, Reaka and Anton.  After living in Iowa for six
years, the family moved to Lincoln township, Blue Earth county, near
Madelia, Minn., which has since been their home.
        He died Saturday, October 26, as the result of an accident.  He was
cleaning his shotgun and had the cleaning rod in his hand when he leaned
over the gun, from which he had forgotten to remove the shell.  The gun
caught on the handle of a cob basket and was discharged, the charge
entering his body just over the heart, and killing him instantly.  His
family was with him in the room with him.
        Funeral services were held in Madelia at the Presbyterian church of
which he was a devout member.  Rev. Myatt, pastor of the church,
conducted the service and accompanied the funeral party here, where he assisted
Rev. Caskey in the funeral services at the local Congregational church
Tuesday afternoon.  Also accompanying the body were Mrs. Tiedeken, Mr.
and Mrs. Earl Campbell, Mr. and Mrs. Anton Tiedeken and Henry Tiedeken,
all of Madelia; Heye Renken and Heiko Renken, both of Stewartville,
Minn.
        Mr. Tiedeken leaves to mourn his loss his wife, two children, his aged
mother, four brothers and one sister.
        Burial was in Oak Hill Cemetery.

(Apparently at some later time, relatives decided that they wanted his
grave to be in Minnesota, as the cemetery records for Oak Hill Cemetery
have a listing for Tiedenken, Benj. 1875-10/29/1929, plot K-7-5 W which
reads after it "REMOVED TO MINN."  No stone exists in the plot in which
he was originally buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.)