Referenced in the family
Arminda Annabelle French
b. 1868
Life
Records & Research
Arminda Annabelle French was born 11 June 1868 on a farm near Canton in Clay Township, Jones County, Iowa, the youngest child of Joseph French (1823-1900) and Grace Catherine Beever (1836/1837-1911). She married LeRoy James Bender in 1888 and had at least three daughters. She died 23 June 1942 in Jones County, Iowa, and is buried in Wyoming Cemetery, Wyoming, Jones County, Iowa. Identity verified against the known facts on multiple independent anchors: exact birth date (11 Jun 1868), father Joseph French with exact dates (1823-1900), and mother Grace Catherine Beever (death year 1911), all corroborated by the FindAGrave memorial and its transcribed obituary.
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Born 11 June 1868 on a farm near Canton, in Clay Township, Jones County, Iowa, USA — the youngest child of Joseph French and Grace Catherine Beever.
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Daughter of Joseph French (1823-1900) and Grace Catherine Beever French (1837-1911).
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Married LeRoy James Bender (1862-1955) in 1888.
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Had at least three children: Elsie Lovina Bender (1889-1964), Irma G. Bender Garside (1893-1915), and Edna Agnes Bender Peck (1896-1987).
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Died 23 June 1942 (aged 74) in Jones County, Iowa, USA, following a series of heart spells beginning 5 May 1942.
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Buried in Wyoming Cemetery, Wyoming, Jones County, Iowa, USA (Lot 290, Block Old).
Not yet confirmed — probable matches and family lore, shown for research. Treat with caution.
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Moved to Madison Township at about age fifteen (attending the Niles school), and to Wyoming, Iowa, with her parents at about age eighteen. likely
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Siblings included William Newton French (1857-1940), Mary Joanna French DeMoss (1859-1920), James Myron French (1865-1948), and Sarah Jane French Bills (1866-1950); half-siblings Charlotte French DeMoss (1851-1903) and Angeline F. French Gracey Dewitt (1853-1941). likely
likely mother.birth.date: report “Grace Catherine Beever born 1836” vs. found “1837”. Known facts give the mother's birth year as 1836; FindAGrave gives 1837. A one-year discrepancy on a secondary figure (not the subject); names and death year (1911) agree, so this does not affect the identity match. Minor.
likely name: report “Arminda Annabelle French” vs. found “Arminda Annabel French (also 'Arminda Anabel' and 'Armida' in the obituary)”. Spelling of the middle name varies (Annabelle / Annabel / Anabel); the obituary headline misspells the first name as 'Armida' (ARMIDA BENDER). The mother's maiden name appears as 'Beaver' in the obituary text but 'Beever' in the family-links section. Same person; spelling variation only, not an identity conflict.
Open questions (6)
- The known facts list no spouses or children; research found marriage to LeRoy James Bender (m. 1888) and three daughters (Elsie Lovina, Irma G., Edna Agnes). These should be added to the family record.
- Married name 'Bender' and obituary first-name variant 'Armida' (plus 'Anabel'/'Annabel') should be added to otherNames for future record matching.
- Father Joseph French appears to have had older half-children (Charlotte, 1851; Angeline, 1853) before the children with Grace Catherine Beever — worth confirming a prior marriage via a primary record.
- All findings derive from a single FindAGrave memorial (and its transcribed obituary). Identity is solidly multi-anchored, but a primary record (Iowa marriage record, census, death certificate, or the original obituary in The Anamosa Eureka, page 9) would independently corroborate the marriage, children, and residence narrative beyond the FindAGrave transcription.
- Exact death place is given only as 'Jones County, Iowa' — a county-level death certificate could pin the town.
- No finding was removed: every fact in the dossier traces to the same memorial whose subject is unambiguously identified by exact birth date (11 Jun 1868) plus father Joseph French (1823-1900, exact) plus mother Grace Catherine Beever (d. 1911).
Sources consulted (3)
Ancestry
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