By Jessica Gorman
Last week, we took a look at Captain L.Q.C. “Nat” Puckette. In the same cemetery plot as Captain Puckette is the headstone of Amelia Von Bokern. Well, not actually a stone. Her marker is made of zinc, used for monuments beginning in the 1870s. These markers were marketed as white bronze and are often referred to as “zinkies” today.
Von Bokern is not a locally known name and I suspected that Amelia had not been a resident of Minden. The location of her grave suggests a connection to the Puckette family. Naturally, I wanted to know more about who she was and why she is buried here.
Theresa Antonia Emilia Bockern was born 15 January 1860 in New Orleans to Frederick von Bokern and Catherina Ritter. She also had an older brother, Gustave who was born 19 May 1856. Her father, Frederick, was a jeweler who had immigrated from Hanover. The family lived on Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans.
Not much is known about the von Bokern family. Frederick became a naturalized citizen of the United States in October 1865 and seems to have traveled back to Germany at least once as indicated by a passenger list dated December 1868 recording his return to New Orleans. The last record I find of him is an 1870 New Orleans city directory.
Her mother, Catherina Ritter von Bokern, was born in New York. After the death of her husband, she worked as a dressmaker and lived on Carroll Street, only one block long and running next to the National Theatre. Today, that street runs alongside the Le Pavillon Hotel, said to be haunted. Catherina died 30 November 1878 of what was described as a long and painful illness.
At the time of her mother’s death, Amelia was 18 years old. It is assumed that she lived with her older brother, Gus. In late June of 1879, Amelia boarded the steamer Danube bound for Shreveport. Her ultimate destination was Minden to visit a friend, Mrs. Kate Puckette. Along the way, they made a stop at Bell’s wood yard to resupply the wood used to fuel the steamboat. As the wood was being loaded, Amelia and two other girls, Carrie Brewer and Mattie Joyce, decided to entertain themselves by climbing into an ox cart. They did not suspect that the oxen would run away with them. The girls were thrown from the cart. Carrie Brewer’s arm was broken in two places. Mattie Joyce was injured much more seriously. She was run over lengthwise and sustained internal injuries. Amelia von Bokern was seemingly unharmed.
The Danube continued up the river to Grand Ecore where it met the Yazoo Valley. Mattie Joyce, who was from New Orleans, and her mother were transferred to the Yazoo Valley for the trip back home. The boat continued its trip to Shreveport. There, Carrie Brewer received treatment for her broken arm and took the train back home to Dallas. Amelia continued on to Minden where she stayed with Mrs. Puckette.
Although Amelia had suffered no known injuries in the accident, things soon took an unexpected turn. As she sat in church on Sunday, July 14th, she collapsed. The cause being labeled as “congestion of the nerves” attributed to the emotional distress caused by the accident. She was taken back to the home of Mrs. Puckette where she was cared for until her death a few days later.
Amelia’s remains were interred in the Puckette family plot in the Minden Cemetery. Her headstone reads: Amelia, Our Friend, Died July 17, 1879, Aged 19 years.
(Jessica Gorman is Executive Director of the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum, Webster Parish Historian, President of the Minden Cemetery Association, and an avid genealogist.)