Maria Elizabeth Clemens

FAMILY LINE AND HISTORY

0. infant Clemens
1st child of Mathias/Mathew Clemens & Anna Mary Reiland
Feb 5, 1860, Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota
Feb 5, 1860, Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota
Buried: unkn

1. Maria Elizabeth Clemens
1st of 7 living children of Mathias/Mathew Clemens & Anna Mary Reiland
Born: Jul 7, 1861, Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota
Died: Aug 14, 1874 (age 13), Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota
Buried: Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery in Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota

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Seven living children of Mathias/Mathew Clemens & Anna Mary Reiland:
0. Infant Clemens
1860–1860
1. Maria Elizabeth Clemens
1861–1874
2. Catherine “Kate” Clemens
1863–1934
3. Peter Daniel Clemens
1864–1956
4. Margaret Elizabeth Clemens
1866–1954
5. Angeline “Annie” Clemens
1869–1962
6. Rose Clemens
1871 –1943
7. Mathew Sylvester “Matt” Clemens
1874–1947

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Timeline and Records

Spellings and information in the census and other records
are retained as in the original documents.
(italicized clarifications or corrections are in parentheses)

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Apr 24, 1858: Marriage of Mathias/Mathew Clemens & Anna Mary Reiland, in Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota
Eight children, seven living: (infant Clemens), Maria Elizabeth Clemens, Catherine “Kate” Clemens, Peter Daniel Clemens, Margaret Elizabeth “Maggie” Clemens, Angeline “Annie” Clemens, Rose Clemens, Mathew Sylvester “Matt” Clemens

Feb 5, 1860: Birth of infant Clemens, 1st child of Mathew Clemens & Anna Mary Reiland, in Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota

Feb 5, 1860: Death of infant Clemens, 1st child of Mathew Clemens & Anna Mary Reiland, in Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota

Jul 7, 1861: Birth of Maria Elizabeth Clemens, 1st of 7 living children of Mathew Clemens & Anna Mary Reiland, in Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota

1865: Minnesota State Census, Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota:

Mathias Clemens Male (father, Mathew Clemens, born 1836)
Maria Clemens Female (his 3rd wife, Anna Mary (Reiland) Clemens, born 1832)
Maria Clemens Female (daughter, Maria Elizabeth Clemens, born 1861)
Catharine Clemens Female (daughter, Catherine “Kate” Clemens, born 1863)
Peter Clemens Male (son, Peter Daniel Clemens, born 1864)

Aug 31, 1870: U.S. Federal Census, Pine Island, Goodhue Co., Minnesota:
Name Matthias Clemens (Mathias Clemens)
Birth Date abt 1833
Birthplace Luxembourg
Home in 1870 Pine Island, Goodhue, Minnesota
Race White
Gender Male
Post Office Zumbrota
Occupation Farmer
Father of Foreign Birth Yes
Mother of Foreign Birth Yes
Personal Estate Value 300
Real Estate Value 1000
Clemens Matthias Age 37, Male, White, Farmer born Luxemburg (father Mathias/Mathew Clemens)
Clemens Anna M Age 40, Female, White, Keeping House born Luxemburg (mother Anna Mary Reiland)
Clemens Mary Age 9, Female, White, at home born Minnesota (died in 1874) (Maria Elizabeth Clemens)
Clemens Catherine Age 7, Female, White, at home born Minnesota
Clemens Peter Age 5, Male, White, at home born Minnesota
Clemens Margaret Age, 4 Female, White, at home born Minnesota
Clemens Angeline Age, 1 Female, White, at home born Minnesota
Riland John Age 80, Male, White, born Luxemburg (John Reiland, father of Anna Mary (Reiland) Clemens)

Aug 14, 1874: Death of Maria Elizabeth Clemens (age 13), 1st of 7 living children of Mathew Clemens & Anna Mary Reiland, in Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota. 

Aug 1874: Burial of Maria Elizabeth Clemens at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery in Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minnesota; Block 7, Lot 38, Site 3

Burial Record for Maria Elizabeth Clemens: (5th entry from top) Maria’s written burial record reflects her name as Marie Clemens rather than Maria, and that she died on Aug 14, 1871 at age 10, which conflicts with the headstone engraving of Aug 14, 1874, at the age of 13 yrs, 1 mo, 7 days and the census record confirming she was born in 1861.

Maria Elizabeth Clemens’ stone was recently cleaned:

Translation:
MARIA
CLEMENS
born
7 July 1861,
died
14 Aug. 1874,
at the age of 13 yrs, 1 mo, 7 days

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Four sides of the monument:
The writing is on the north and south sides of the stone. There is writing on the west side, but it is too worn to read. At some point, the limestone was broken from the base and reset and rotated 90 degrees from where it should be. The cross was also broken off and reset. If the stone was turned correctly, which name should be on the west side? Graves are generally placed east-west, with the head facing east, not north-south.
John Francis Clemens, Mazeppa

North side: Anna Maria (Clemens) Reiland (1794-1869) is the grandmother of the above young girl, Maria Clemens. Anna Maria (Clemens) Reiland was born Sep 28, 1794, in Luxembourg. The last record found for her is in the 1860 census in Mazeppa. She died close to the 1870 census at 75 years of age. 

Anna Maria Clemen is carved on her headstone. The monument was too small to add Reiland, though it was not uncommon to have only the maiden name carved onto a stone. The “S” on Clemens was also omitted. The burial record in the books confirmed this was Anna Maria (Clemens) Reiland, and Sister Ann Clemens, another granddaughter of Anna, had also said this was her stone.

Enlargement of Anna Maria Clemen (Anna Maria (Clemens) Reiland)

The writing above her name says “In Erinnerung” which means, “in memory”
Below it is “gestorben im Alter vom 75 Jahre” meaning “died at the age of 75 years”

South side: Maria Clemens 1861-1874; west side, shown at left, is too worn to read

West side: too worn to read

East side: appears to be blank

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Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery, Mazeppa

Mar 9, 1867: Five acres of land were sold by Peter and Mary (Reiland) Clemens for $50 for a cemetery, later to be Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery (Recorded May 16, 1867). The deed sale also included Lot 5, Block 20 to build the Catholic church. The land was transferred to the Diocese of St. Paul.

Mar 30, 1867: The Lake City Leader:

1877: Town of Mazeppa: Catholic church with white steeple:

Note: There are 33 known Clemens burials in Saint Peter and Paul Cemetery (this does not include all the related Clemens kin), the first being Peter Clemens in 1871

“BEGINNINGS OF THE PARISH IN MAZEPPA (excerpt):
Peter “Pierre” Clemens was born in Betsdorf, Luxembourg on December 11, 1808. He and Maria (his 3rd wife) arrived in New York on January 1, 1855 with his four (correction: three, the oldest had arrived here the year prior) children from his first marriage. In 1861 they removed to Minnesota and bought a quarter-section (160 acres) of land in Pine Island Township, living there until he moved to the village of Mazeppa in 1865. It was in his house that the First Mass in Mazeppa was said, and continued to be said until the completion of the first Catholic Church, most of the cost of its building borne by Mr. Clemens. “He was the body and soul of this parish from its beginning.” He was the father of 12 children: Matthew, Nicholas, Peter, and John, four sons by his first wife, a child of his second wife died, and seven children by Maria Reiland: Mary, Mathias, Catherine, William, Anna, Elizabeth, and Bernard. Peter died on July 3, 1871 and is buried in the Mazeppa Cemetery (Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery).”

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2025: Researched and compiled by siblings Catherine (Clemens) Sevenau and Gordon Clemens Sevenau, the great-grandchildren of Mathias/Mathew Clemens & Anna Mary Reiland. The town of Mazeppa photo, deed, and headstone photos were contributed by John Francis Clemens, the cemetery information was contributed by Helen Reiland.

A huge thank you to John and Helen for taking their time and effort in helping solve the mystery as to where Anna Maria (Clemens) Reiland, the wife of John Reiland was buried, and to confirm that this was her headstone.