Family Nibbles

It’s January 1919. Ben Teply is just home from the war.

Anna Kloppenberg is working as a domestic.

Let’s get married.

Courtship

Based on this studio photo, I think Ben and Anna were an item before Ben shipped out for France in WWI. Perhaps they had even made marriage plans.

Why would they have this studio photo taken after the war? It’s not their wedding photo. And after his return home, I don’t think he would have posed in his uniform.

What do you think?

Anyway, shortly after Ben’s return home, a wedding was planned.

Marriage

Ben Teply, 25, and Anna Kloppenberg, 19, were married May 14, 1919, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Hanover. Attendants were Albert Teply and Bertha Kloppenberg.

Married Life and Kids

Ben and Anna moved in with Ben’s parents at their farm south of Hanover. Ben’s brothers Albert and Willie lived there too. I imagine it was quite cozy.

Over the next few years, two children were added to the family.

Alice Teply

A daughter Alice was born on February 7, 1920.

I was born on 2-7-20 and weighed 3 pounds. It is only because Grandma knew what to do to care for me that I lived. They kept the house so warm and Grandma placed me on my back with pillows all around. She would dilute whiskey and water and use eye dropper to drop a few drops in my throat. She claimed this helped liver. Anyway all took to me and I’m still alive. I’m quite sure with grandparents, parents, 2 uncles, I was spoiled.

Alice Teply Karr – Letter to Arthur Teply 2000 – later to Nick Teply 2003

Don Teply

Don Teply was born May 27, 1922.

Work

Ben worked as a farm hand for the Alexa family on the neighboring farm. He had worked for them in 1916 and 1917 before his military service.

The Alexas have quite an interesting family story. We’ll find out more about them in our next nibble.

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Sources

• Photos – Teply Family Memoribilia
• Marriage license – Ben Teply and Anna Kloppenberg – Washington County District Court, Washington, Kansas
• Alice Teply Karr – Letter to Arthur Teply 2000 – later to Nick Teply 2003
• All news articles are from The Hanover Democrat, The Hanover Herald, The Marysville Advocate, Washington Register. All are available on Newpapers.com and are free for Kansas residents – Kansas State Historical Society – https://www.kshs.org/ancestry/drivers/dlverify