The son of Herman Heinrich Meiners and his third wife Elizabeth Mary Kreke Meiners, George Gerard Meiners was his mother's third-born and one of nine of their children. He also had nine older half-siblings. He was born January 6 (Epiphany), 1875 in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. His World War I draft registration describes him with black hair and brown eyes and as tall and slender. His role model was his hard working father who rose from orphan to successful contractor.
After working as a clerk and other positions in the Kroger Company, by 1918 George was an auditor for the Kroger Company and later went on to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Kroger Company in Cincinnati. He served as Secretary of the Kroger Company during the term of Treasurer William H. Albers, who went on to be President of the Kroger Company and then the founder of Albers (later Colonial) Super Markets.
Despite financial success, George and Clara Meiners suffered greatly. Half their children did not survive till adulthood, and two of their surviving children died of diseases in their 20s. This did not, however, shake their religious faith.
After graduating from college, George married Clara Estermann Meiners on May 28, 1897 in Saint Lawrence Roman Catholic Church in Cincinnati, and they had at least 13 children, about half of whom survived into adulthood, including: Herman George Meiners, Clare Cecelia "Ceil" Meiners Donnelly, Lawrence H. "Bill" Meiners, Eleanor Clara Meiners, Clara Meiners, Paul John Meiners, George Meiners, Roger Sampson L. Meiners, Genevieve Meiners, Thomas Meiners, Martin Meiners, Lucy Meiners, and at least one additional infant. In 1900 the family lived at 1016 Sturm Street in Cincinnati. In 1910 they lived at 3614 Warsaw Avenue. In 1918 into the 1920s, the family lived at 4077 Eighth Street. In 1926 they built their dream house, Clarestone, at 5693 Cleves-Warsaw Pike (RR 4, Box 53). George often took his family on vacation by train to Florida and made drawings of the trips.
In 1930 he, his wife, and three of their adult children (Eleanor, Paul, and Roger) toured Europe, stopping at the shrine of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, France, hoping for a cure for Eleanor (who had myocarditis). George made college educations available to his children. Shortly after their son Roger's death in 1940, they moved to 4953 Relleum Avenue in Cincinnati. By 1942 they had a winter home in Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida. Their last Fort Lauderdale address was at 100 NE Third.
George and Clara were devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and were good friends with American Catholic stigmatist, mystic, and visionary Rhoda T. Greer Wise who has been designated by the Church as a "Servant of God," a first step to sainthood. (Rhoda was the godmother of George and Clara's granddaughter Catherine Thérèse "Katie" Donnelly O'Fallon.).
George was the founder in 1941 of the family's Sacred Heart Press to manufacture religious badges touched to relics. These badges were taken into battle during World War II (and later wars) by Catholic soldiers. After George the Sacred Heart Press was taken over in 1950 by his son-in-law Thomas James Donnelly, then in 1979 his grandson Thomas Meiners Donnelly, and then in 1997 his great-grandson Thomas Christian "Tom" Donnelly and all Tom's siblings. Thomas Christian Donnelly and his mother, Mary Stauber Donnelly, presented one of the family's Sacred Heart badges to Pope John Paul II via his Swiss Guards at the Vatican in 1999.
George was a 50-year member of the Saint Aloysius Orphan Society, a third order secular Franciscan, and a member of the Saint Teresa Church Saint Joseph Men's Society in Cincinnati. In Fort Lauderdale he was a fourth-degree member of Council 3080 of the Knights of Columbus. (His great-grandson Kevin Rodger Donnelly is also a Knight of Columbus.). At Saint Aloysius Orphanage George dedicated a stain glass window (of the Virgin Mary and her parents) at the orphanage's chapel to his parents. His father, Herman Meiners, was orphaned at age 13 and worked hard to bring himself and his two younger siblings to America. Some of George's descendants, like his great-great-grandchildren Bridgette Donnelly and Joey Kues have carried on his legacy of concern for orphans by becoming foster parents.
After being ill for two days, George died at home, perhaps of a heart attack, on Relleum Avenue in Cincinnati at age 79 on August 19, 1954. A solemn requiem funeral high mass was held for him at Saint Teresa Roman Catholic Church in Cincinnati, and he is buried at Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Cincinnati next to his beloved wife Clara and between his children Eleanor (who died at age 24) and Roger (who died at age 27). His heritage was German. He and his wife were born on the same date one year apart.
Thanks so much to his granddaughter Mary Donnelly Minges for so much of this information. Any errors, however, are mine alone. Please go to the "edit" link on this site with any corrections or additions.
After working as a clerk and other positions in the Kroger Company, by 1918 George was an auditor for the Kroger Company and later went on to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Kroger Company in Cincinnati. He served as Secretary of the Kroger Company during the term of Treasurer William H. Albers, who went on to be President of the Kroger Company and then the founder of Albers (later Colonial) Super Markets.
Despite financial success, George and Clara Meiners suffered greatly. Half their children did not survive till adulthood, and two of their surviving children died of diseases in their 20s. This did not, however, shake their religious faith.
After graduating from college, George married Clara Estermann Meiners on May 28, 1897 in Saint Lawrence Roman Catholic Church in Cincinnati, and they had at least 13 children, about half of whom survived into adulthood, including: Herman George Meiners, Clare Cecelia "Ceil" Meiners Donnelly, Lawrence H. "Bill" Meiners, Eleanor Clara Meiners, Clara Meiners, Paul John Meiners, George Meiners, Roger Sampson L. Meiners, Genevieve Meiners, Thomas Meiners, Martin Meiners, Lucy Meiners, and at least one additional infant. In 1900 the family lived at 1016 Sturm Street in Cincinnati. In 1910 they lived at 3614 Warsaw Avenue. In 1918 into the 1920s, the family lived at 4077 Eighth Street. In 1926 they built their dream house, Clarestone, at 5693 Cleves-Warsaw Pike (RR 4, Box 53). George often took his family on vacation by train to Florida and made drawings of the trips.
In 1930 he, his wife, and three of their adult children (Eleanor, Paul, and Roger) toured Europe, stopping at the shrine of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, France, hoping for a cure for Eleanor (who had myocarditis). George made college educations available to his children. Shortly after their son Roger's death in 1940, they moved to 4953 Relleum Avenue in Cincinnati. By 1942 they had a winter home in Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida. Their last Fort Lauderdale address was at 100 NE Third.
George and Clara were devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and were good friends with American Catholic stigmatist, mystic, and visionary Rhoda T. Greer Wise who has been designated by the Church as a "Servant of God," a first step to sainthood. (Rhoda was the godmother of George and Clara's granddaughter Catherine Thérèse "Katie" Donnelly O'Fallon.).
George was the founder in 1941 of the family's Sacred Heart Press to manufacture religious badges touched to relics. These badges were taken into battle during World War II (and later wars) by Catholic soldiers. After George the Sacred Heart Press was taken over in 1950 by his son-in-law Thomas James Donnelly, then in 1979 his grandson Thomas Meiners Donnelly, and then in 1997 his great-grandson Thomas Christian "Tom" Donnelly and all Tom's siblings. Thomas Christian Donnelly and his mother, Mary Stauber Donnelly, presented one of the family's Sacred Heart badges to Pope John Paul II via his Swiss Guards at the Vatican in 1999.
George was a 50-year member of the Saint Aloysius Orphan Society, a third order secular Franciscan, and a member of the Saint Teresa Church Saint Joseph Men's Society in Cincinnati. In Fort Lauderdale he was a fourth-degree member of Council 3080 of the Knights of Columbus. (His great-grandson Kevin Rodger Donnelly is also a Knight of Columbus.). At Saint Aloysius Orphanage George dedicated a stain glass window (of the Virgin Mary and her parents) at the orphanage's chapel to his parents. His father, Herman Meiners, was orphaned at age 13 and worked hard to bring himself and his two younger siblings to America. Some of George's descendants, like his great-great-grandchildren Bridgette Donnelly and Joey Kues have carried on his legacy of concern for orphans by becoming foster parents.
After being ill for two days, George died at home, perhaps of a heart attack, on Relleum Avenue in Cincinnati at age 79 on August 19, 1954. A solemn requiem funeral high mass was held for him at Saint Teresa Roman Catholic Church in Cincinnati, and he is buried at Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Cincinnati next to his beloved wife Clara and between his children Eleanor (who died at age 24) and Roger (who died at age 27). His heritage was German. He and his wife were born on the same date one year apart.
Thanks so much to his granddaughter Mary Donnelly Minges for so much of this information. Any errors, however, are mine alone. Please go to the "edit" link on this site with any corrections or additions.
The son of Herman Heinrich Meiners and his third wife Elizabeth Mary Kreke Meiners, George Gerard Meiners was his mother's third-born and one of nine of their children. He also had nine older half-siblings. He was born January 6 (Epiphany), 1875 in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. His World War I draft registration describes him with black hair and brown eyes and as tall and slender. His role model was his hard working father who rose from orphan to successful contractor.
After working as a clerk and other positions in the Kroger Company, by 1918 George was an auditor for the Kroger Company and later went on to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Kroger Company in Cincinnati. He served as Secretary of the Kroger Company during the term of Treasurer William H. Albers, who went on to be President of the Kroger Company and then the founder of Albers (later Colonial) Super Markets.
Despite financial success, George and Clara Meiners suffered greatly. Half their children did not survive till adulthood, and two of their surviving children died of diseases in their 20s. This did not, however, shake their religious faith.
After graduating from college, George married Clara Estermann Meiners on May 28, 1897 in Saint Lawrence Roman Catholic Church in Cincinnati, and they had at least 13 children, about half of whom survived into adulthood, including: Herman George Meiners, Clare Cecelia "Ceil" Meiners Donnelly, Lawrence H. "Bill" Meiners, Eleanor Clara Meiners, Clara Meiners, Paul John Meiners, George Meiners, Roger Sampson L. Meiners, Genevieve Meiners, Thomas Meiners, Martin Meiners, Lucy Meiners, and at least one additional infant. In 1900 the family lived at 1016 Sturm Street in Cincinnati. In 1910 they lived at 3614 Warsaw Avenue. In 1918 into the 1920s, the family lived at 4077 Eighth Street. In 1926 they built their dream house, Clarestone, at 5693 Cleves-Warsaw Pike (RR 4, Box 53). George often took his family on vacation by train to Florida and made drawings of the trips.
In 1930 he, his wife, and three of their adult children (Eleanor, Paul, and Roger) toured Europe, stopping at the shrine of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, France, hoping for a cure for Eleanor (who had myocarditis). George made college educations available to his children. Shortly after their son Roger's death in 1940, they moved to 4953 Relleum Avenue in Cincinnati. By 1942 they had a winter home in Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida. Their last Fort Lauderdale address was at 100 NE Third.
George and Clara were devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and were good friends with American Catholic stigmatist, mystic, and visionary Rhoda T. Greer Wise who has been designated by the Church as a "Servant of God," a first step to sainthood. (Rhoda was the godmother of George and Clara's granddaughter Catherine Thérèse "Katie" Donnelly O'Fallon.).
George was the founder in 1941 of the family's Sacred Heart Press to manufacture religious badges touched to relics. These badges were taken into battle during World War II (and later wars) by Catholic soldiers. After George the Sacred Heart Press was taken over in 1950 by his son-in-law Thomas James Donnelly, then in 1979 his grandson Thomas Meiners Donnelly, and then in 1997 his great-grandson Thomas Christian "Tom" Donnelly and all Tom's siblings. Thomas Christian Donnelly and his mother, Mary Stauber Donnelly, presented one of the family's Sacred Heart badges to Pope John Paul II via his Swiss Guards at the Vatican in 1999.
George was a 50-year member of the Saint Aloysius Orphan Society, a third order secular Franciscan, and a member of the Saint Teresa Church Saint Joseph Men's Society in Cincinnati. In Fort Lauderdale he was a fourth-degree member of Council 3080 of the Knights of Columbus. (His great-grandson Kevin Rodger Donnelly is also a Knight of Columbus.). At Saint Aloysius Orphanage George dedicated a stain glass window (of the Virgin Mary and her parents) at the orphanage's chapel to his parents. His father, Herman Meiners, was orphaned at age 13 and worked hard to bring himself and his two younger siblings to America. Some of George's descendants, like his great-great-grandchildren Bridgette Donnelly and Joey Kues have carried on his legacy of concern for orphans by becoming foster parents.
After being ill for two days, George died at home, perhaps of a heart attack, on Relleum Avenue in Cincinnati at age 79 on August 19, 1954. A solemn requiem funeral high mass was held for him at Saint Teresa Roman Catholic Church in Cincinnati, and he is buried at Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Cincinnati next to his beloved wife Clara and between his children Eleanor (who died at age 24) and Roger (who died at age 27). His heritage was German. He and his wife were born on the same date one year apart.
Thanks so much to his granddaughter Mary Donnelly Minges for so much of this information. Any errors, however, are mine alone. Please go to the "edit" link on this site with any corrections or additions.
After working as a clerk and other positions in the Kroger Company, by 1918 George was an auditor for the Kroger Company and later went on to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Kroger Company in Cincinnati. He served as Secretary of the Kroger Company during the term of Treasurer William H. Albers, who went on to be President of the Kroger Company and then the founder of Albers (later Colonial) Super Markets.
Despite financial success, George and Clara Meiners suffered greatly. Half their children did not survive till adulthood, and two of their surviving children died of diseases in their 20s. This did not, however, shake their religious faith.
After graduating from college, George married Clara Estermann Meiners on May 28, 1897 in Saint Lawrence Roman Catholic Church in Cincinnati, and they had at least 13 children, about half of whom survived into adulthood, including: Herman George Meiners, Clare Cecelia "Ceil" Meiners Donnelly, Lawrence H. "Bill" Meiners, Eleanor Clara Meiners, Clara Meiners, Paul John Meiners, George Meiners, Roger Sampson L. Meiners, Genevieve Meiners, Thomas Meiners, Martin Meiners, Lucy Meiners, and at least one additional infant. In 1900 the family lived at 1016 Sturm Street in Cincinnati. In 1910 they lived at 3614 Warsaw Avenue. In 1918 into the 1920s, the family lived at 4077 Eighth Street. In 1926 they built their dream house, Clarestone, at 5693 Cleves-Warsaw Pike (RR 4, Box 53). George often took his family on vacation by train to Florida and made drawings of the trips.
In 1930 he, his wife, and three of their adult children (Eleanor, Paul, and Roger) toured Europe, stopping at the shrine of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, France, hoping for a cure for Eleanor (who had myocarditis). George made college educations available to his children. Shortly after their son Roger's death in 1940, they moved to 4953 Relleum Avenue in Cincinnati. By 1942 they had a winter home in Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida. Their last Fort Lauderdale address was at 100 NE Third.
George and Clara were devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and were good friends with American Catholic stigmatist, mystic, and visionary Rhoda T. Greer Wise who has been designated by the Church as a "Servant of God," a first step to sainthood. (Rhoda was the godmother of George and Clara's granddaughter Catherine Thérèse "Katie" Donnelly O'Fallon.).
George was the founder in 1941 of the family's Sacred Heart Press to manufacture religious badges touched to relics. These badges were taken into battle during World War II (and later wars) by Catholic soldiers. After George the Sacred Heart Press was taken over in 1950 by his son-in-law Thomas James Donnelly, then in 1979 his grandson Thomas Meiners Donnelly, and then in 1997 his great-grandson Thomas Christian "Tom" Donnelly and all Tom's siblings. Thomas Christian Donnelly and his mother, Mary Stauber Donnelly, presented one of the family's Sacred Heart badges to Pope John Paul II via his Swiss Guards at the Vatican in 1999.
George was a 50-year member of the Saint Aloysius Orphan Society, a third order secular Franciscan, and a member of the Saint Teresa Church Saint Joseph Men's Society in Cincinnati. In Fort Lauderdale he was a fourth-degree member of Council 3080 of the Knights of Columbus. (His great-grandson Kevin Rodger Donnelly is also a Knight of Columbus.). At Saint Aloysius Orphanage George dedicated a stain glass window (of the Virgin Mary and her parents) at the orphanage's chapel to his parents. His father, Herman Meiners, was orphaned at age 13 and worked hard to bring himself and his two younger siblings to America. Some of George's descendants, like his great-great-grandchildren Bridgette Donnelly and Joey Kues have carried on his legacy of concern for orphans by becoming foster parents.
After being ill for two days, George died at home, perhaps of a heart attack, on Relleum Avenue in Cincinnati at age 79 on August 19, 1954. A solemn requiem funeral high mass was held for him at Saint Teresa Roman Catholic Church in Cincinnati, and he is buried at Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Cincinnati next to his beloved wife Clara and between his children Eleanor (who died at age 24) and Roger (who died at age 27). His heritage was German. He and his wife were born on the same date one year apart.
Thanks so much to his granddaughter Mary Donnelly Minges for so much of this information. Any errors, however, are mine alone. Please go to the "edit" link on this site with any corrections or additions.
