Francois (Frank) Bredimus was our great-grandfather. I wondered why he died young at the age of 43 and our branch of the family had no answer. Forties are the prime of life for most people and his death must have been devasting to his large family of five young children. I was recently able to obtain a certified certificate of death from the State of Iowa allowing me to fill in some missing pieces of this puzzle. Iowa runs a tight ship regarding such records, and I was required to produce certified birth certificates as evidence of my legal right as his descendant.
The cause of death was consumption (tuberculosis – TB) which was quite common in the year 1893. The doctor noted he had been treating him for several months. It is likely his family watched over Frank as he died a slow, painful death. If he was not quarantined, our grandfather (Poppy), might have been by his father’s side as he wasted away knowing he would soon die. Poppy was only eleven years old when Frank died. His grieving mother, Henrietta, was then left with young children and she needed to work as a seamstress to support all six (Fanny, Maurice, Martha, Poppy, Raymond, and Victor). A descendant of Martha recently wrote to tell me Henrietta and Martha sewed the Des Moines high school band outfits.
Only five years afterwards, Poppy’s grandfather Michel Bredimus also died. So, by age 16 he was painfully separated with no father and no grandfather. BTW, Poppy was born Arthur F. Bredimus and apparently had his name changed to Franklin to honor his deceased father, Frank.
The family lived at 1327 E. Court Ave in Des Moines, however, that neighborhood was raised years ago.
Cousin Harriett once wrote: “… (Francois’s) work in America did not follow the same line as that of his European occupation. Due, of course, to the fact that there were not the lavish interior decoration put in the homes here. So he went into the carriage painting business and decorated and painted carriages. My
father (Maurice Bredimus) worked for him during his boyhood and seems to be the only member of the family to carry along the art line in his sign and commercial artwork …“
Francois’s sign and commercial artwork business was located nearby their Court Avenue home at 416 E 5th Street Des Moines, Iowa and that building is still standing as a bar/restaurant. I’d enjoy stepping inside that old structure someday. It should be possible since the area is now protected as the Historic East Village of Des Moines. Could there be any traces of the old signs and artwork?
I noted a strong family resemblance as I clipped Francois’s face from the 1890 Bredimus family portrait. Here is a side-by-side comparison of our great-grandfather and our father (Robert Leo Bredimus 1909-1980). Do you see the resemblance?
I am collecting more information about our great-grandmother, Harriett Blum Bredimus, and her marriage to Frank. I’ll be posting an article soon so please look for it.
