Emil Bensel (1884 - 1905)

Born Feb 1884 in Bromberg, Posen, Prussia, Germany

Ancestors

Died 21 Jul 1905 at age 21 in At Sea

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Research Notes

There are number of errors on the FAG Memorial.^[1] His name is spelled Emil not Amel (which is found throughout his military records). He did not die in San Diego; but he WAS buried^[2] there after his body was recovered from the USS Bennington (PG-4). His mother's name was Mathilde not Matilda. His father's surname is Bensel not Benzel.

Biography

Emil was born in 1884 in Bromberg, Posen, Prussia.^[3][4]He was the son of August Ferdinand Bensel and Mathilde Johanna Meyer. He came with his parents and siblings to the U.S. in 1890.^[5]Emil enlisted in the Navy and was killed on 21 Jul 1905,^[6] when the the boiler room of the USS Bennington (PG-4) exploded. Emil was among the sixty-six men killed. A history of the USS Bennington and details of the explosion can found on Wikipedia^[7]. His father refused to accept the military life insurance payment, saying money could not replace his son.

Sources

1. ↑ Find A Grave Index. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3387346/amel-bensel
2. ↑ U.S., National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=2590&h=1798672
3. ↑ 1900 United States Federal Census, Shell Creek, Platte, Nebraska. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/65288720:7602
4. ↑ Baltimore, Passenger Lists, 1820-1964. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=8679&h=1200826
5. ↑ Baltimore, Passenger Lists, 1820-1964. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=8679&h=1200826
6. ↑ U.S., Navy Casualties Books, 1776-1941. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/7416:2324
7. ↑ USS BENNINGTON (CPG-4). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bennington_(PG-4)