Van Buren Dennis
Born: June 3, 1842 in Ohio1
Died: January 5, 1910 in Jasper Co., Iowa
Buried: Lot 72, plot 2
Lot Owner: Montraville Dennis, purchased in 1904
Married: Catherine Clement on June 8, 1867 in Jasper Co., Iowa3
Children: Montraville "Mont", Louis R.1, Goldie Gibson, William "Will", and Ava Viola
Van Dennis Commits Suicide
The community of Metz was greatly shocked on Wednesday morning of last week by the news of the suicide of Mr. Van Dennis who had been making his home for several weeks at the home of his brother-in-law, Mr. Sam Clements.
He had not been well and his condition was such that it was necessary to have some one sit up at nights with him. On Wednesday night there were two staying with him. About 1:30 they, supposing Dennis to be asleep, went into another room for something and the suicide was committed, a razor which was concealed under his pillow being used to do the deed. The funeral was held at the Metz School house on Friday, conducted by Rev. W. Dieffenbach.
Mr. Dennis is well known in the vicinity of Colfax and Metz. His wife died at Colfax about six years ago. He has three living children: Lou, of Des Moines, Mont of Stuart, and Mrs. John Gibson, of near Metz. He is an old soldier, being about sixty five or seventy years of age.
Often times he has acted as if his mental condition was not right and at one time was in the hospital at Mt. Pleasant. ~ The Newton Daily News, January, 1910.
Catherine (Clement) Dennis
Born: February 26, 1848 in Ohio or Indiana4
Died: January 24, 1904 in Jasper Co., Iowa
Buried: Lot 72, plot 1
Lot Owner: Montraville Dennis, purchased in 1904
Married: Van Buren Dennis on June 8, 1867 in Jasper Co., Iowa3
Children: Montraville "Mont", Louis R.1, Goldie Gibson, William "Will", and Ava Viola
Parents: William and Nancy (Murphy) Clement
Obituary: Catherine Dennis
Catherine, wife of V. B. Dennis who had been prostrated at her home in this place for some weeks theretofore with a paralytic attack, passed away last Saturday, and was laid to rest last Wednesday; the funeral ceremonies being conducted by Rev'ds Stahl and Roby from the Sugar Grove church near Metz.
Deceased was a native of Ohio, and would have been 48
years old had she lived to the 29th of next month. She had
resided in Iowa since before her marriage with V. B. Dennis
which took place June 8, 1867 and leaves a husband and four
of the five children born to them. She was a faithful wife,
a loving and devoted mother and a sincere Christian, and
will be missed from the little circle of her home and the
M.E. Church of which she had long been a member. ~ The
Newton Harold, January 1904.
Montraville "Mont" Dennis
Born: January 10, 1868 in Iowa2
Died: January 14, 19422
Buried: Lot 72, plot 3 -- no stone2
Lot Owner: Montraville Dennis, purchased in 1904
Married: Rose Sumpter on October 28, 1891 in Jasper Co., Iowa2
Married: Mary5
Children: Roy, Mabel, Lloyd and Carl5
Parents: Van Buren and Catherine (Clement) Dennis
William "Will" Dennis
Born: May 26, 1881 in Iowa2
Died: December 4, 19072
Buried: Lot 72, plot 4 -- no stone2
Lot Owner: Montraville Dennis, purchased in 1904
Parents: Van Buren and Catherine (Clement) Dennis
Ava Viola
Born: January 13, 1884
Died: March 6, 1884 in Gowrie, Webster Co., Iowa
Buried: South of Gowrie, Webster Co., Iowa
Obituary: Ava Dennis
DIED.--Thursday, March 6, 1884, Ava Viola infant daughter of V.B. and Catherine Dennis, aged two months.
Mr. Dennis and family came to Colfax Thursday morning to start for Gowrie where they go to make their home. The babe, a bright little thing, seemed to be in good health when they started, but on the way began crying and writhing as if in pain. The mother attempted to soothe it, and aft? sesson seemed to have succeeded, as it ? ceased crying and settled down into wraps, quietly. On arriving in town the child was found, upon unwrapping to be dead. The examination by physicians showed that the child had died from natural causes and not from suffocation by too close wrapped as the agonized mother at first feared. The funeral occurred from the Old Presbyterian church, Rev. Holmes of the Free Methodist church, preaching the discourse and the remains were interred in the cemetery south of town. ~ March 1884.
The Van Buren and Catherine Dennis Family
William, Catherine, Van, and Mont 2
1. 1880 U.S. Census, Mound Prairie Twp., Jasper Co., Iowa, page 17
2. Family records by Ruby Gibson Jacobs
3. Jasper Co., Iowa Marriages, Volume I, page 42
4. 1870 U.S. Census, Mound Prairie Twp., Jasper Co., Iowa, page 9
5. 1930 U.S. Census, Iowa, Madison Co., Walnut Township, Distict 25 shows Mont Dennis, age 62, living with his wife Mary, age 45. The data shows his father being born in Ohio and his mother in Indiana. It also says that age of first marriage was 23 and her age as 24. Since there is a 17 year age difference, my guess is that Mary is a second marriage.