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A Tribute to Ben Mesenbrink

This is a tribute to my grandfather, who I never knew, Benjamin Henry Mesenbrink. Through the wonders of the internet, and a few family photos that I've collected over the years, I feel like I have gotten to know him a bit. He lived his entire life in and around Denison, Iowa. He was born near Charter Oak in 1888 and grew up on the farm in Goodrich Township, just to the north or northwest of Denison, perhaps between Charter Oak and Deloit.

He must have been a good student. He won an award for writing.
Later, his family would move to a large house near Dunlap. It was here that he likely became acquainted with the Brady family, in particular his future wife, Mildred. His brother, Charlie, married Mildred's sister, Winnie Hazel as well.

I think this is around 1913 or 1914, with Mildred Brady, Ben Mesenbrink, and possibly Hazel Brady
Ben and Mildred married in 1914.
According to an article in the Denison Review, they took a fairly long wedding trip, and returned home to a chivaree. They were a popular couple judging from the nice writeups in the paper about them.

My dad, Russell, was born in 1915. He was the first of six children that Ben and Mildred would have.



Ben and Russ, about 1918
Ben farmed southwest of Dow City on what was the Walters farm for a few years.In 1918, they moved closer to Denison near his brother August, and in 1919 they moved to town. He took a job as a freight worker at the Balle-Brodersen store in Denison until by 1922 he was employed at the Denison light plant as engineer making $120 a month.


In the meantime, the family was growing. The picture below was taken approximately 1925. Russell on top, Virginia to left, Donovan to the right, and Benjamin Junior in front.
Janae and Jarvis would come along in the next few years.

Ben has a letter to the editor of the Omaha World Herald published in 1928. Ben was critical of prohibition and in favor of Al Smith for president.

Ben got his picture in the Council Bluffs Nonpareil in 1934 when they did a feature of the town of Denison and included a story on the light plant.

It was around this time that they bought the house that we remember, at 311 North 17th Street in Denison.

Ben died in 1943. Here is his obituary from the Denison Bulletin.


And here is a picture of Ben at work and a tribute written by someone in the family, perhaps Ben Junior.


Please let me know of other photos or memorabilia on Ben that I can share here.

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