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Bertha Buschman (1877 - 1966)
Birth, Parents & Siblings
Bertha was born on November 14, 1877, in either Lafayette or Indianapolis, Indiana – most likely Lafayette based on a verbal account from Bonnie Maude Overby Dinsmore. Her birth certificate has not yet been discovered. Her parents were August (Augustus) Buschman and Emeline Irwin, who were 21 and 18 years old respectively at the time of her birth. She was the oldest of three girls, including Mayme Buschman Wallace, born in July 1883 (husband Robert B. Wallace) and Grace Buschman Murdoch, born in 1882 (husband William T. Murdoch).
Growing up
Bertha grew up in Lafayette, attending the public Lafayette Public Schools and earning a diploma in 1895.
According to the Lafayette City Directory of 1898/1899, she was working as a stenographer for the Wabash Railroad at age 21. By the time of the 1901/1902 Directory, she is working as an assistant ticket agent for the railroad.
Then, according to the Lafayette Daily Call from September 14, 1901, “Miss Bertha Buschman, who has been with the Wabash city ticket office for several years, will leave Monday for Detroit to take the position of extension secretary for the Y.W.C.A.”
June 24, 1902, Detroit Free Press, “Miss Bertha I. Buschman, extension secretary of the Y.W.C.A. at the eastern branch, went to her home in Lafayette, Indiana, for a few months’ vacation. With the end of June, factory visitation and noon meetings by Y.W.C.A. workers will be discontinued for two months.”
She was featured in an article in the Detroit Free Press for the YWCA as Extension Secretary, in October 1902. The YWCA had an eastern branch at 155 Joseph Campeau Street. “The extension work consists of regular weekly visits to various factories at the noon hour. The visits are made by the extension secretary, Miss Bertha Buschman, accompanied by those who volunteer their services and entertain the girls by singing, speaking or in some such manner. The results of this work have been very satisfactory. There has been a marked change in the spirit of the girls and in their attitude toward work. In some cases, the management have co-operated for the comfort of their employees. Seven factories are at present visited in the same way and there are others where entrance is to be gained if people could be found to go.”
According to the Ann Arbor Times, January 26, 1903, “The average attendance at the vesper service of the Y.W.C.A. has doubled recently and the interest is continually increasing. During the month of February, the meeting each Sabbath will be led by prominent Christian workers from Detroit, and the services will begin at 4 o’clock standard time. Next Sabbath, Miss Bertha Buschman, extension secretary of the Y.W.C.A., will lead the meeting. Miss Buschman is a powerful leader and one who will do you good.”
According to the Ann Arbor Times, February 26, 1903, “Interest in the afternoon and evening services at the Young Women’s Christian Association is growing daily. Miss Bertha Buschman of Detroit, as leader, gives some very interesting talks. The music is good, and the meetings are all well attended.”
According to the Lafayette Directory, by 1903 she returned to working as a stenographer for the railroad, where her sister, Mayme, worked as well.
It is unclear when, where and how they met. They both had affiliations with the Y.M.C.A. / Y.W.C.A. at the time, which could have been the reason they met. Perhaps they met in December of 1902 when he would have still been in Lafayette and she was visiting Lafayette for the holidays.
Marriage
Bertha married Carlos Dinsmore on August 26th,1903, in Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, when he was approximately 28 years old and she was approximately 26 years old. According to a Special to the Indianapolis Journal, “They were married at 8 o’clock in the evening at the home of her sister, Grace Murdoch, at the corner of Ninth and Elliott Street. There were no attendants and only families were present. After the ceremony an elaborate supper was served. The couple left last night for a trip before going to Ocoya, where they will be at home in about two weeks.”
It is not clear where they went on the honeymoon trip.
They had four children, including Dorothy Irwin Dinsmore (born July 19, 1904 in Chenoa, Illinois, died May 22, 1980 in Louisville, Kentucky), Margaret Millson Dinsmore (born April 4, 1907 in Harvey, Illinois, died January 1, 2000 in El Toro, California), William James “Jim” Dinsmore (born April 12, 1911 in Anderson, Madison, Indiana, died July 27, 1985, in Waynesville, Warren Ohio at Quaker Heights Nursing Home) and Bertha Elizabeth Dinsmore (born July 13, 1917 in Indianapolis, Indiana, died Feb 13, 1997 in Atlanta, GA).
Adulthood
She was purported to be an activist, leader and meaningful contributor to the church and other related activities and a strong admirer of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Once married, she worked alongside husband, Carlos, in the church communities in each of the locations where they lived as Carlos’ career continued to progress. According to a text written by Sue Brucks Koenig as related to her by Dorothy Irwin Dinsmore, Bertha’s daughter:
“They were a devoted pair whose great dream was to become missionaries to China. In fact, they had many interviews and plans were being made for them to go – when it was discovered that Bertha could not pass the physical examination. Just why isn’t clear. They stayed on for several years in Harvey. Bertha taught Sunday school classes wherever they lived. In Indianapolis, she had the largest women’s Bible class in the state for many years.”
The full nature and details of Bertha’s health issues are unknown, but a record indicates that she had her tonsils removed in 1935 while living at 107 Bonser Apartments, Anderson, Indiana. In addition, according to Bonnie Elizabeth Dinsmore Riordan, Bertha broke a hip later in life. Bonnie Maude Overby Dinsmore and Jim Dinsmore, her daughter-in-law and son, cared for her in their Oklahoma City home. Bonnie Maude shared that she had to go up and down the stairs to respond to Bertha ringing a bell every time she needed something.
After Carlos passed away in 1948, she lived another 18 years, primarily residing in South Haven, Michigan, often traveling to various cities to stay with her children over the winter months. During this period, she lived with Jim and Bonnie Dinsmore, her son and daughter-in-law, in Dayton, Ohio from October 14, 1961, to May 5, 1962, before returning to South Haven. She eventually moved from their South Haven home into the Baptist Retirement Home in Maywood, Illinois, likely to be near her daughter, Margaret, for the last three years of her life.
Death
Bertha died on August 6, 1966, at the age of 88 in Maywood, Illinois at the Baptist Retirement Home at 316 Randolph Street, having lived there for 3 years, 9 months and 8 days, near where her daughter Margaret lived. She died of heart failure due to Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease but also had dementia – Cerebral Arteriosclerosis and Osteoarthritis. Bertha survived her husband by 18 years. She was buried alongside her husband in Memorial Park Cemetery on the east side of Indianapolis, Indiana (first grouping on the right side as you enter).
Capturing Memories: An Ancestral Photo Album
Bertha (top right) with Parents, Augustus and Emeline, and Sisters
Bertha, Carlos and Children
Bertha and Grandkids
Bertha Later in Life
Dinsmore Family at Mimi Koenig Wedding.