Sketch of Theresia Otteni
1820 - 1895
Theresia Otteni, also known as Theresa, was the forth child of Benedict and Christina Otteni. According to the church birth records, she was born on 11 Nov 1820 in Urloffen, Germany. However, not very much is known about her.
Theresia came to America with the family in the early 1830's. According to the 1840 U.S. Census, the family lived in Greenfield Township in Fairfield County, Ohio. Names of children were not captured for this census, but a breakdown by age was given. In the "15 - 19" age category, the census listed 2 females. Theresia would have been 19 years old in early 1840.
According to Fairfield County Ohio marriage records,
"Therese Ottney" married Christian "Flam" on 21 Apr 1842 in Lancaster,
Ohio. The wedding was officiated by J. Young, who was a priest at St. Mary Church.
By 1860, according to the U.S. Census, Theresa and Christian were listed as the landlord of the American Hotel. They were also listed as living there with 8 children. They were:
NAME |
AGE LISTED |
| Joseph Flemm | 18 |
| Lewis Flemm | 16 |
| Louisa Flemm | 15 |
| Emma Flemm | 13 |
| Philomena Flemm | 11 |
| Ellen Flemm | 9 |
| Emelia Flemm | 7 |
| Charles Flemm | 3 |
The 1870 U.S. Census shows that two of the children were no longer living at home since the census only listed 6 children. Joseph and Ellen married prior to 1870 The children listed were:
NAME |
AGE LISTED |
| Lewis Flemm | 27 |
| Mary L. Flemm | 25 |
| Christiana Flemm | 23 |
| Philomena Flemm | 22 |
| Emelia Flemm | 14 |
| Charles C. Flemm | 13 |
The 1870 U.S. Census listed Christian Flemm as a "Hotel Keeper" at the Tallmadge House.
There are some inconsistencies between names and ages between the 1860 and 1870 census. The 1860 census listed Emma Flemm as 13 years old. The 1870 census listed Christinana as 23 years old. On 26 January 1876, Annie Theresa Flemm married William H. Jeffries. The assumption is that all three, Ellen, Christinana, and Annie Theresa Flemm refer to the same person.
From a combination of records, their full names, birth and death dates are:
NAME |
BIRTH - DEATH DATES |
|
| Joseph Flemm | 1842? - |
? |
| Lewis L. Flemm | 1843? - |
? |
| Mary Louise (Lida) Flemm | 1845? - |
? |
| Philomena (Minnie) Flemm | 1848? - |
? |
| Anna Theresa Flemm | 1847? - |
? |
| Helena (Ellen) Flemm | 1850? - |
? |
| Emma Cecilia Flemm | 1852 - |
1927 |
| Charles Christian Flemm | 1857? - |
? |
Theresa Otteni Flemm died in early May 1895. A notice in the Lancaster Daily Eagle on 6 May 1895 read:
Mesdames Bowen and Brooke of Logan, have been called to the city by the death of their mother, Mrs. Flemm.Mesdames Bowen and Brooke of Logan, have been called to the city by the death of their mother, Mrs. Flemm.
Bowen refers to Theresa’s daughter, Ellen Flemm Bowen. Brooke refers to Emma Flemm Brooke.
It is not known where Theresa is buried, however, Christian Flemm is buried in St. Mary Cemetery in Lancaster, Ohio. His tombstone is next to many members of the Thimmes family, including Louise Otteni Thimmes, Theresa’s sister. Christian died 18 years earlier on 22 Apr 1877 at age 66 years, 7 months, and 8 days.
