Bernice's Birthday Book, May

Continuing the prior posts about Bernice's Birthday Book, (Mar & Apr) below are the May birthdays that Bernice Mann Untiedt held most dear (at least around the 1940-1950s).

May 1, Mann & Untiedt: Betty Mann and Barbara Untiedt

Betty & Barb are two very special ladies from Bernice's life, both who we've been blessed to still have with us here on Earth. Both who also made their careers as school teachers.

Betty (Soutar) Mann married Bernice's brother, Verlyn in 1952. Betty's a fellow family historian but also a historical advocate for Rock County, Minnesota. In 2022, Betty was honored with a lifetime achievement award for her history work (see news article for details).

Barbara (Untiedt) Spalinger is Bernice's middle daughter. Barb, my aunt, has made her life in Kodiak, Alaska, with her two children, dogs, and husband, Al. More recently, she's added "grandma" to her list of joys and accomplishments.

May 4 & 5, Mann: Robert Mann & Roger Rohlck

Robert Mann and Bernice were first cousins, born about 4 months apart, both growing up on farms in Mound Township, Rock County, Minnesota. Robert married Alice Iveland, and the couple had two children. Robert's father, Harry Mann, was the brother of Bernice's father, John Mann.

Roger Rohlck was the first born child of Bernice's first cousin, Irene (Mann) Rohlck. Irene's father, Albert Mann, was the brother of Bernice's father, John Mann. Bernice was a teenager when Roger was born.

May 7, Schwager: Amanda Hunkins

Amanda (Schwager) Hunkins was the aunt of Bernice's husband, Paul Untiedt. Paul V. Untiedt was the son of Emma (Schwager) and Paul C.S. Untiedt; Amanda and Emma were sisters. Amanda lived in the Iowa Spirit Lake area, about 70 miles from Luverne, Minnesota (the hub of many early 1900s Mann & Untiedt lives). The loca paper, the Spirit Lake Beacon, includes annual notations in their social section describing the Untiedt and Hunkins prioritizing visits with each other.

May 12, 13 & 14, Untiedt & Mann: Marcella Untiedt, Stephen Schneekloth, & Herb Wiese

Marcella Untiedt was Bernice's sister-in-law. Marcella's brother Paul V. Untiedt was Bernice's husband. While Marcella never married, she prioritized her life around family, having built loving relationships with many nieces and nephews. She passed away in 2001 at the age of 91.

Stephen Schneekloth was the eldest child of Bernice's first cousin, Lester Schneekloth. Lester's mother, Emma (Mann) Schneekloth was the sister of Bernice's father, John Mann.

Herb Wiese was Bernice's uncle. Herb married Amelia Mann; Amelia was the sister of Bernice's father, John Mann. Amelia was the youngest of the Mann children; Herb and Amelia had no children.

May 21 & 23, Untiedt & Mann: Mrs. Henry Untiedt & Gary Mann

Mrs. Henry Untiedt was Bernice's sister-in-law. Henry Untiedt was the brother of Paul V. Untiedt, Bernice's husband. Henry married Johanna Rosenberg (Mrs. Henry Untiedt). Henry & Johanna had 4 children together.

Gary Mann was the eldest child of Bernice's first cousin, George Mann. George was the son of Albert Mann, who was the brother of Bernice's father, John Mann.

May 25, Mann: Janice Mann

Janice Mann was the eldest child of Bernice's first cousin, Charles Mann. Charles was the son of Louis Mann, who was the brother of Bernice's father, John Mann. 

It seems that Bernice's first cousins' 1st born children commonly made it to this Birthday Book, but not the subsequent children. Definitely helps in isolating the time period where this book was being used. In this instance, Janice was born in 1946. We will have to wait until the October birthdays to see if Janice's first sibling, Linda Mann, born in 1947, makes the book.

May 28 & 29, Mann & Untiedt: Grandma Mann, Mrs. Lloyd Untiedt, & Doug Schrank

Grandma Mann refers to Louise (Ahrendt) Mann, the mother of John Mann, Bernice's father. Louise lived until the age of 91, dying in 1952. I noted in a prior post (The 100 Club) that there are at least 5 Ahrendts who achieved the age of 100. There's lots of female longevity in this branch of our tree; on average, an Ahrendt female descendant lives 3 years longer than everyone else in my family tree.

Mrs. Lloyd Untiedt refers to Harriette Bauman Untiedt, the first wife of Lloyd Untiedt. Lloyd was the brother of Bernice's father, Paul V. Untiedt. Harriette passed away from a ruptured appendix in 1951, shortly after adopting her only child, Jerry Untiedt.

Doug Schrank was Bernice's brother-in-law. In 1947, Doug married Bernice's sister, Beatrice ("Bea") Mann. Bea was a favorite photo subject of her sister; my grandmother, Bernice's albums, include many happy, laughing pictures of the young Bea & Doug.

June to December birthdays

Throughout the remainder of 2025, I plan to share the remaining pages of the Birthday Book. At the top of this post, use the Search box to view all "Birthday Book" posts to date.