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Helena "Lena" Kautenberger Friedrichs (b.1869)
Helena was the wife of Michael Louis Friedrichs
(1863-1924), married in 1889. Louis owned a small
saloon at 347 Center Street in Chicago where Helena
and Mary spent much time. Louis said it was fitting
for their funerals to be held at the saloon. Mary's
funeral was held on Monday, January 3, 1904 and
Helena's the following day. (Related Iroquois victims usually shared a joint funeral.)
The caskets were placed on the bar, the walls draped
in black with lavender ribbons. Helena's children
helped decorate the saloon. The oldest of Helena's and Michael's eight
children, three sons and five daughters, was eleven,
the youngest not yet a year old.
Michael Friedrichs identified his wife's body. She
was buried in St. Boniface cemetery in Chicago and
he joined her in 1924. He remarried and he and
Helena's children produced many offspring. He and
his second wife remained close to Helena's mother,
Maggie Kautenberger.
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Maria Kautenberger Wermich / Wernisch (b. 1883)
The coroner's inquest records for fire victims included
a twenty year old Iroquois victim named Mary Wermich.
In a newspaper story it was reported that she lived
in Springfield and was visiting for the holiday. Her residence was given as
341 Center St. in Chicago, address of Helena and Michael Friedrichs bar and home
Helena's husband remarked that it was fitting for the sisters funeral to be held at his saloon because
they had spent a lot of time there. That would seem to conflict with her living in Springfield unless,
perhaps, Mary's time spent at the saloon was prior to a move to Springfield. Disappointingly,
that story about funerals in a bar so captured newspapers that it became the only coverage about the
Kautenberger sisters.
Mary's body was identified by nineteen-year-old Anna
Appel, the unmarried oldest daughter of German
immigrant, Martha H. Appel. The Appel family lived
1361 Rockwell street. At sixteen, Anna was working
as a "nurse girl." The relationship to Mary
is not known.
Nothing is known as to the identity of Maria's husband, Wermich or Wenisch, or her life in Springfield, IL.
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Discrepancies and addendum
There are holes and inconsistencies throughout the Kautenberger story.
A Margurite Kantenberger also lived at Michael Friedrich's bar at 341 Center St. in 1903.
* Spelled Kautenberger, Kautenburger and Kantenberger. Mary's first name was sometimes given as Mary and her last
name spelled Wemich and Wernisch. As she had a sister named Mary, Maria is the more likely first name.
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