Obituary       
CHARLES HENRY CARSTEN

Born:  December 1846 or 1847 in Kiel in province of Holstein, Germany.  

              (Headstone in Mt. Hope Cemetery at West Point reads born 1847. 

              Earl Boston of West Point Monuments said the rock was hand carved.)

Died:  Thursday morning, February 20, 1919, at home in West Point, Nebraska.

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The obituary from West Point Republican Newspaper Feb. 21, 1919, reads:

As mentioned in these columns last week, Charles Carsten passed away at his home in this city, Thursday morning, February 20, after a lingering illness of many months duration.  Kidney trouble was the nature of his disease.

Charles Henry Carsten was born in 1847 in the city of Kiel in the province of Holstein, Germany.   His early school training was in that city and later, from 14 years of age to 18 he took a course in a training school for ship carpenters.   At the age of nineteen he was employed on an American sailing vessel, and during his sea life he made approximately two trips around the world.

At the age of 23 Mr. Carsten landed in New York City and was employed in the Brooklyn navy shipyard.   He returned to sea at twenty-seven and worked at his trade for twelve years when he again relocated at New York City.  

Later he came inland going as far west as Fremont, Nebr. where he remained one year and then came to West Point.   Here in this city he took up the wagon maker trade which he continued to the end of his life.

Mr. Carsten was first married to Josephine Scharlick, who after a short illness died in 1897.  In 1898 he was again married to Mrs. Marie Rehme.

Mr. Carsten was a highly respected citizen of this community.   Although of a quiet disposition, he took a keen interest in public affairs and held minor political offices.   He was also active in societies, being a member of the I.O.O.F. and other organizations.   He was a charter member of the Rebekah lodge.   He joined the I.O.O.F. on February 4, 1885 and held continuous membership.   He was past Noble Grand of this lodge and also District Deputy Grand Master and served as delegate to the Grand Lodge for several years. 

Mr. Carsten is survived by his wife and three sons.   Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon under the auspices of the I.O.O.F. lodge.   Interment was made in Mt. Hope cemetery.   The Republican offers condolences to the bereaved family.
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The librarian who helped me commented that Charles lead a full, remarkable life.    That he was active in community caused her to look into some city year books but with quick glancing, we did not see him listed.    The librarian also made note that she had not seen a newspaper write their condolences into an obituary.

This is being added by Diane, Marie's great granddaughter.

Augusta Maria Dorothea Rehme, born in Oldenberg, Germany about April 19 1870.     Marie's obituary says that she traveled to this country alone in 1888.

My mother told me that Marie Carsten's first husband died, leaving his wife Marie and their three sons.    We never knew his name.   Even after much searching, we could not learn the name of Marie's first husband.    Then, when I looked at the military registrations of the sons, I found that one of the older sons listed Hooper, Nebraska, as his own place of birth.    Well, that was a hint that I did not have.  

I contacted the Hooper Public Library in 2011 and 2012; however, they did not have any information on the Rehme or Carsten families.   

In 2013, I contacted a Lutheran church in Hooper and was kindly redirected to two other people.   All very friendly.  They felt that any birth, death, and other records were destroyed in an accidental fire at a church. 

The manager (Nona Weise) of the museum at Scribner is retaining my information, just in case something turns up regarding either the Carsten or Rehme (or perhaps Mueller families) in the Scribner/Hooper area in the later 1800's.   

Note:   The name Herman J. Mueller came up in a search of Dodge County marriages back in about 1889.   No other information about Herman J. Mueller has been found by the museum people at Scribner, not even a death record.  We are not certain that this was Marie's first husband.  

Marie eventually married Charles H. Carsten (about 1898)   Together they raised the three young boys.   With instruction from Charles, who had his own wood-working shop and had constructed wagons.....all three sons became excellent builders of homes and churches in the West Point, Wisner, and Wayne areas (and more).   Those buildings are still there today (known as the Carsten homes or something similar).  

In October 2016, I went to the public library in West Point, Nebraska.    I was shown how to use the microflim reader.    I located the obituary of Charles H. Carsten.    What a remarkable life, in so many ways.    I will be placing that info into this forevermissed.com site.    We understood that Charles adopted the three boys.   Their sons benefitted by the advanced woodworking skills of Charles H. Carsten.      

Submitted by Diane Stittgen, 2014.   Adapted in 2016