Steigner-Newlun, Bertha Matilda 1890-1984

Birth 1890 April 5, in St. Joseph, Missouri
Death 1984 Jan 23, in Bellvue, Larimer, Colorado

Spouse
Married 1906 October 12, in Central City
Perley Wayne Newlun

Children
Wayne Newlun
Birth 1907 April 19, in Colorado
Death July 1983, in Eaton, Weld, Colorado
Charles Newlun
Birth abt 1911 in Colorado
Alice Newlun
Birth abt 1913 in Colorado
Death abt 197- Catalina Island, CA
Thomas Jefferson Newlun
Birth 13 Aug 1914 in Missouri
Death 22 Nov 1991 in Los Angeles, California
Lucille Mae Newlun Lindquist
Birth 18 Oct 1916 in Colorado
Death 1 Mar 2009 in Longmont, Colorado
Hazel Newlun Liva
Birth 1920 in Colorado
Death 1986 in San Diego, San Diego, California
Elizabeth "Bessie" Newlan
Birth 1921 in Colorado
Death 1988 in Oregon
Robert Allan Newlun
Birth 09 Mar 1924 in Fort Collins, Laramie, Colorado
Death 27 Mar 1994 in Abingdon, Washington, Virginia
Anna Lee Newlun (Twins)
Birth abt 1928
Mary E Newlan
Birth abt 1928

Colorado State Archives, Marriage Records
Gilpin County Brides' And Groom's Marriage Index 1864-1944
Groom Newlun, Pearl
Bride Stegnier, Bertha
Date 1906 Oct 12
http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/marriage/1gilpin_groom_n.htm#-N-

The Steigner family lived in Missouri. There were so many kids in the family. Pryors, Steigers and then Pryor-Steigers combined. The understanding I have is the older kids from previous marriages moved on and the young ones were left at home with a nanny.

Grandma told me that her father had enrolled the younger children in an exclusive and expensive Catholic school taught only by nuns from Germany. They were very, very strict bordering on the abusive according to Grandma. The children came home scared and crying which enraged their black nanny (the children adored her) and her reaction was that no one was going to hurt HER babies. So she stopped taking them there and enrolled them in a Catholic school in the neighborhood that didn't charge tuition. The Father could not understand why the children couldn't seem to learn German and converse with him when he came home on his breaks. He began to complain that the nuns weren't very good teachers. Don't know when he learned the truth or if he ever did. I suppose he and the nanny hashed that out away from the children if he found out. Anyway, the children never went back to that school.

Her Father traveled and was never home after his wife died. As far as I know, her Father died while working on the railroad (believe he was a cook) and the family never knew when or where he died. Father only returned once a year or so and not much involved. One year, they just never heard from him again. He could have died at anytime in that year or anywhere along the train route. Some effort was made to find him but not much I think and too little too late.

My Grandmother was sent to Colorado to live with a married older sister when she developed 'rheumatism' and the doctor suggested a dryer climate might help. It did. One of the reasons she married so young was that she was not happy living with her sister.

Records may show Grandma was older when she married. She lied. Grandpa never knew her true age.

She came to Denver to work for someone and decided being married was a better idea. Her correct age was unknown at the time. She told me she told [Perley] she was 15, but she was really 13(?). She told that lie for so many years that when she applied for Social Security she was shocked to find out she was 2 years younger than she thought. I remember when that happened.

Grandma's Mother was the second wife (French, according to Grandma). She was sent to Colorado to live with an older sister because of her 'rheumatism,' a condition of puberty? I gather it was not a happy time.

She told me he never knew her real age and she actually forgot her real age after lying about it for so many years.

Grandma never said much about Grandpa, but from what I gathered from random comments from others he was a drinker, a womanizer and had a really bad temper. Mom told me once that he loved babies and toddlers, but when the child reached a certain age they no longer existed in his eyes and were replaced by the new baby.

Central City Opera House

I do remember Grandma saying that she did not want to get married. She wanted to become a nurse and you had to be 16 to go to the school for nursing. She was only 15 and got married then. Her father could no longer keep her because her mother passed away. She also cleaned the opera house at Central City when they were first married. She did clean the Northern Hotel on College (now part of "Old Town") when they moved to Ft. Collins.

Central City, Teller House St view

It's very possible Grandma had a child there in MO. [Charles, 1911] One of the aunts wanted to adopt one or more of the children, Wayne, I think, or maybe the new baby? Wayne spent some time in MO living with one of the aunts. Both of Grandma's parents came into the marriage as widowers with children and then they had children together.
[Croft, J. Dec., 2011]

I remember Grandma telling me that her father could not afford to keep her and she begged him to let her go to school to become a nurse. But she found out you had to be 16 and she was only 13(?). I THINK, that her father set it up to meet and marry our grandfather. She really did not like him and was planning on leaving him when she found out that she was pregnant with Wayne. She also had a miscarriage after Wayne, she fell on the ice in Central City.
[Hoeft, C. April, 2012]

She came to Denver to work for someone and decided being married was a better idea. Her correct age was unknown at the time.

Bertha came to Denver (or was sent to Denver) from St. Joseph, MO to work for someone and decided it would be better to go to the Central City area to work.
She was very young and I have no clue how she managed this.

The boarding house [she worked in] was across the street from the Opera house. Lucille gave me a platter that she said came from that boarding house. I don't know if it was Casandra's or where Grandma Bertha worked.

Grandma did actually leave Grandpa after she had children and went back to Missouri with support of some of her sisters. However, as we know she eventually returned to Colorado.
[Lindquist, L. June, 2011]


Bertha with her Aunt Anna Steigner-Willmot

I found a photo that was taken in 1940 of Bertha, with Alice Smith and Lucille
Lindquist. For sure, that would be the youngest I have of Bertha. I have one with Anna (Steigner) Willmot, but I think she isn't any younger. So hard to tell, she never really looked young to me. Lucille told me, in my younger days that I stayed with her for awhile and also with Bertha. I don't remember that time.


Bertha Newlun in Wellington, CO

When Bertha came to visit my parents, I mostly remember her as very quiet. Dad (Raymond), really thought a lot of Bertha and when he lived in Colorado, he
brought her to his ranch. He told me that Bertha would sit for hours in the same
place. Once he was asked, "if she ever got up, at least, to go to the bathroom?"
(guess you'd have to be there to appreciate the humor).
[Godfrey, M. Feb. 2012]


Grandma Newlun c. 1970

Obituary


Mrs. Newlun was born April 5, 1890, in St. Joseph, Mo. She married Perley Wayne Newlun. [On] Dec. 5, 1946 in Central, Colo, [he] preceded her in death.


Grandma Newlun, c. 1980