Bernice's Birthday Book, Jan & Feb

Overview

The little, palm-sized, blue-bound Auld Lang Syne Birthday Book was a keepsake of my grandmother, Bernice (Mann) Untiedt. Recently loaned to me by my Uncle Don Untiedt, inside each of its pages is a unique look into someone that was important to Bernice. As it will take several posts to share all of the written pages, I am posting January & February birthdays first and then the remaining months throughout 2025. I invite you to scroll the pages, look for your ancestors, and explore this treasure through this blog.

Bernice (Mann) Untiedt

First, a little about my maternal grandmother: Bernice was the daughter of Freda (Krabbenhoft) & John Mann. She was born in Mound Township, Rock County, Minnesota on August 19, 1923. At the age of 20, she married Paul Valentine Untiedt, son of Emma (Schwager) & Paul Christian Sophius Untiedt. Growing up in Rock County, Minnesota, amongst many cousins, the pages are filled with the names of relatives joined to our tree through birth, adoption, and marriage.

Cover of birthday book

As I analyzed page by page, I've concluded that she likely became the recipient of this book around the time of her 1944 marriage, perhaps receiving it as a wedding gift. She made periodic updates, including adding each of her children born between 1944 and 1957, but she didn't keep up with the many children her cousins' had during the post-WWII Baby Boom. Bernice passed in 1976; she had not updated the book for the 1972 birth of her first grandchild, Jason Schardin. I can only speculate, but I suspect that one of Bernice's six children was the perpetrator who blessed this black-and-white book with splotches of color.

Title page of birthday book

The Birthday Book

The book title of Auld Lang Syne, refers to the New Year's Eve song written in the 18th century by Robert Burns. Traditionally sung with friends to close out the last year, using the song's title for a birthday book ensures old acquaintances are not forgot each year when their birthday rolls around, even now, 80 years later.

The top of each calendar page contains a quote from one of Robert Burns' poems. It's fitting that the publishers then began the book with an excerpt from Henry Longfellow's poem, Robert Burns. Longfellow is also the author of the poem, The Song of Hiawatha, which has it's own connection to Bernice. After her husband's death, Bernice made her home in Pipestone, Minnesota; for 60 years, Pipestone was the site of the The Song of Hiawatha pageant, a theaterical retelling of Longfellow's poem. 

Introduction of birthday book

I suspect descendants of each of my maternal lines may be interested in viewing the contents of this book. To make it easier to find your own branch, I've standardized the blog headers to be the birth date, followed by the branch of the family tree and then the birthday person's name as listed in the book. For persons, such as Bernice, who cross multiple branches, they are listed by their paternal branch at birth (i.e., for Bernice, she will be listed as "Mann"). These headers are then followed by a description of each person's relationship to Bernice and a copy of the relevant page. Blank pages have not been digitized.

January 3, Schwager: Linda Hunkins

Linda Hunkins, born in 1948, was a publisher of safety manuals. Linda's father, Harvey, was a first cousin of Bernice's husband, Paul V. Untiedt. Harvey's mother, Amanda (Schwager) Hunkins was the sister of Paul's mother, Emma (Schwager) Untiedt.

January 5, Mann: Mrs. Albert Mann

Mrs. Albert Mann was born Hilda Wulf. In 1912, she married Albert, Bernice's uncle. Albert and Bernice's father, John, were the sons of Louise (Ahrendt) and Wilhelm Mann.

January 10, Mann: Mrs. Melvin Hemme

Mrs. Melvin Hemme was born Eva Lu Mann. Eva Lu was the child of Albert & Hilda (Wulf) Mann, making her a first cousin of Bernice. My understanding is that the cousins, born less than 2 years apart, were very close, particularly during early adulthood.

January 13 & 15, Untiedt: Jerry Untiedt, Mrs. Jack Boelman, & Harry Untiedt

Jerry Allen Untiedt (Jerome), born in 1948, was the son of Lloyd Untiedt. Lloyd was Bernice's brother-in-law; Lloyd also served as the best man at Bernice and Paul's wedding.

Harriet and Harry Untiedt were one of three sets of twins born to Emma (Schwager) and Paul C.S. Untiedt, parent-in-laws of Bernice. Harriet became Mrs. Jack Boelman.

January 17, friend: Shirley Paul

Shirley Paul is one of two names in this book that I don't recognize. I assume she must have been a friend of Bernice. It appears she became Mrs. Wendell Lee Faulken in 1951. Since she's listed by her maiden name, it further supports that Bernice likely started using this birthday book in the 1940s.

January 26, Mann: Janeen Mann

Janeen Mann was the daughter of Alice (Iveland) and Robert Mann. Robert was Bernice's first cousin. Robert's father, Harry Mann, was the brother of John Mann, Bernice's father. 

January 31 & February 1, Mann: Mrs. Elroy Schneekloth and Dennis Hemme

Mrs. Elroy Schneekloth was born Olga Benson; she married Elroy in 1944. Elroy was Bernice's first cousin. His mother, Emma (Mann) Schneekloth was the sister of John Mann, Bernice's father.

Dennis Dale Hemme was born in 1945; he was the firstborn child of Eva Lu (Mann) & Melvin Hemme. Eva Lu's birthday was January 10, as listed above. Eva Lu's second child, David, was born the following May, but isn't included in the book.

February 3 & 4, Untiedt & friend: Mrs. Art Hickman (Norma) and Elliot Hansen

Art Hickman was the husband of Anna Untiedt, a sister-in-law of Bernice. Anna passed away in 1946, after which her husband remarried to Norma Meyer. His remarriage was a fact I learned from this birthday book and was then able to substantiate by locating Art's obituary, which I previously did not have. Norma is now the 12,033 in my family tree database.

Elliot Hansen was a neighbor to Paul & Bernice when they were building their young family. He and his sisters played with Bernice's eldest son, Don Untiedt.

February 9, Ahrendt: Lorraine & Elaine Ahrendt

Twins, Lorraine & Elaine Ahrendt, were double-related to my maternal line. First, their grandfather, Albert Henry Ahrendt, was the sibling of Bernice's grandmother, Louise Ahrendt Mann. This makes them second cousins. Additionally, Bernice's great-great-grandparents, Anna (Schult) & Johann Goeske, were the great-great-great-grandparents of the twins. This makes them also Bernice's third cousins, once removed. I suspect though that to Bernice they were just friends, or known as distant cousins.

February 14, Untiedt: Paul Untiedt

Paul Valentine Untiedt was my grandfather and Bernice's husband. They were married in 1944.

February 20, Mann?: Hemme

This entry just says "Hemme". I currently have 53 Hemme's in our family tree plus about another 20 persons who carry "Hemme" as their married name. However, I don't have any with a February 20th birthday. My best guess is that it could be a misprint, as Melvin Hemme was born the following week on February 27. Anyone know a Hemme that just went by "Hemme"?

February 23, Mann: Jane Schneekloth

Jane Schneekloth was the daughter of Bernice's first cousin, Elroy Schneekloth. Elroy was the son of Emma (Mann) Schneekloth, who was the sister of Bernice's father, John Mann.

February 25, Mann: Loren Hemme

Loren Hemme was the son of Bernice's first cousin, Verna (Schneekloth) Hemme. Verna was the daughter of Emma (Mann) Schneekloth, who was the sister of Bernice's father, John Mann. Genealogically, this makes Loren & Bernice first cousins, once removed.

February 27, Mann: Melvin Hemme

Melvin Hemme was the husband of Bernice's first cousin, Eva Lu Mann; they were married in June 1944, three months after Bernice & Paul.

March to December birthdays

Throughout 2025 I will be sharing the remaining months in the Birthday Book. At the top of this post, use the Search box to view all "Birthday Book" posts to date.