This story is taken from “Orphan Train Riders: Their Own Stories,” Volume 6
Rose Ringmuth was born as Rose Harmon on October 11, 1896, (it could be German, said a letter that son Alcuin received from the New York Foundling Hospital on April 21, 1938) in Mothers’ and Babies’ Hospital in New York City during the first Great Depression. Her mother, a German, brought her to the New York Foundling Hospital at 175 East 68th Street twelve days later on October 23, 1896, at 2:45 p.m., because she could not care for her. Rose was baptized in their chapel on October 24, 1896, by the hospital chaplain, Rev. C. M. Thence, O. P. About three years later she was sent to St. Cloud, Minnesota, on one of the “orphan trains.” The Sebastian Wimmer family from Albany, Minnesota, planned on adopting her and brought her to Albany. They later decided that they couldn’t keep her either.
Mathias and Mary Aim (Wagner) Thelen, who had seven sons: John, Michael, Peter, Hubert, Joseph, Anton (Tony), and Henry, then took Rose in as a member of their family. The boys were all older than Rose and greatly enjoyed having a young sister. Mathias Thelen was 34 years old when he married Maria Ella Wagner who was 17. Maria was born on March 16, 1849, and died on January 5, 1929. The Thelens lived northeast of the Sauk River, just off Steams County Road. (Anton Thelen’s son Raymond lives there today.)
They gave Rose a good home. She was educated at a one-room country school where she made many friends. The Thelens had a substantial brick home with a water system fed by a windmill-powered well and had hot water heat in their home. They made their living by farming and, among other crops, raised tobacco, which they dried in a special shed built for the purpose. They attended St. Martin’s Catholic Church in St. Martin. On cold winter Sundays they would keep their feet warm in the horse-drawn sled with bricks they had heated in their oven before they left for Mass.
On February 20, 1913, the Thelens signed an indenture with the New York Foundling Hospital promising to raise Rose as they would their own child until she reached the age of eighteen and that she would have all the benefits of their family life, including inheritance, and would be raised in the Catholic faith. It also stipulated that: “If the child is returned to the party of the first part when she shall reach the age of eighteen years, then the party of the second part will give to the child a new Bible and a complete suit of new clothes. Together, with these, she shall then have an outfit of at least the same in every respect as their own child.”
Rose made friends with all the neighbors, among them the Machtemes family, the Netts, the Kalthoffs, the Terres family, and the Murrays (Madeline Murray Mathews, also a New York orphan,) just to name a few.
After graduating from the eighth grade, she attended business college at St. Cloud, where she stayed with the Math and Lena Wagner family. Math Wagner was her foster mother’s brother. They lived at 710 14th Avenue South, and had one daughter, Ann, who married Ben Gohman.
After completing Business College, Rose got a job at the Freeport State Bank in Freeport, Minnesota. She stayed with the Hubert Thelen family (her brother) in Freeport while she worked at the bank. Hubert had married Susan Nell: Gertrude (married Jack Rengel), John, Joseph, Edward, Leo & Marie (Glatzmeier).
Math Ringsmuth met Rose Thelen at a dance at the New Munich Ballroom one evening in 1920. She had come there with friends from Freeport after practicing for a play she was to be in, This stranger asked her for a dance. Nobody seemed to know him.
Math and Rose became better acquainted as time went on. Rose had heard that the Great Northern car shops in Waite Park were hiring workers and suggested he apply. He did and was hired. Math proposed to Rose and they were married at Sacred Heart Church in Freeport on June 26, 1923. Gertrude Thelen and John Rengel were their bridesmaid and best man and Marie (Thelen) Glatzmeier (now lives in Little Falls) was the flower girl at their wedding. The wedding celebration was held at Hubert Thelen’s home in Freeport.
Math and Rose finalized the purchase of their home at 231st Avenue North in Waite Park on November 19, 1923.
Son, Alcuin, was born on April 16, 1924. Math and Rose had great respect for Abbot Lenin at St. John’s Abbey, and John and Gert (Thelen) Rengel, who later married, were Alcuin’s baptismal sponsors, so he was named Alcuin John. Alcuin attended St. Joseph’s School in Waite Park and Cathedral High School in St. Cloud. He married June G. Spieker April 17, 1945. They have eleven children and twenty-five grandchildren. Alcuin worked for the Burlington Northern Railroad for 42 years and was Mayor of Waite Park for 38 years, then retired.
Daughter, Audrey Scholastica, was born on February 12, 1926, on the feast of St. Scholastica (the sister of St. Benedict). She attended St. Joseph’s School, Cathedral High School, and St. Benedict’s College. She joined the Benedictine Sisters on June 19th, 1946 and became Sr. Philaine O.S.B. She became an elementary teacher and taught school at Bucknian, Pierz, and St. Joseph’s parishes in Minneapolis. She later taught home economics at Cathedral High School in St. Cloud. She was discovered to have a bad heart valve in 1951 and had open heart surgery at the University of Minnesota Heart Hospital in 1952. She died on November 11, 1972 and is buried in the first row from the East (south side) in the convent cemetery in St. Joseph, Minnesota.
Son, Dennis Mathias, was born on September 9, 1939. He was a very active boy. Audrey took care of him every now and then. She sometimes used a harness to keep him from running off. Dennis attended St. Joseph’s School and Cathedral High School and graduated from St. Cloud State University. He became vice president of the Dam Rauseher investment firm in St. Cloud, retiring on December 13, 2000. He married Karol Schwartz on April 26, 1969. They have four daughters and seven grandchildren. They live on the south side of Grand Lake, south of Rockville, Minnesota.
Rose was very active in St. Joseph Parish over the years. She belonged to the Christian Women, where she was treasurer for many years. She also belonged to several mission circles, the Daughters of Isabella, and the Legion of Mary. She was active in the Waite Park Senior citizens, was a member of the Waite Park Boosters, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and did volunteer work for St. Joseph’s School preparing Campbell Soup labels to acquire school equipment, sometimes as many as 25,000 a year.
Math and Rose lived through hard times and made good and many friends in Waite Park. They enjoyed many card games with friends and neighbors. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in style. Math’s health deteriorated just before their 55th anniversary. He died on July 26, 1978. He is buried in St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Waite Park.
Rose died at the Waite Park Nursing Home Sunday evening on October 4th, just 7 days before her 96th birthday. She had entered the nursing home on September 10, 1992.
Her funeral Mass was Wednesday, October 7th, at 10:30 at St. Joseph’s Church in Waite Park. Father Herman Winkels was celebrant with Father Claude Schwinghammer concelebrant. Burial was in St. Joseph’s Parish Cemetery, middle entrance, second row, north. Arrangements were by the Daniel Funeral Home. Memorials to the St. Joseph’s Church building fund were suggested. Pallbearers were all of her grandsons.
