Ben Franklin Kraatz ^{1 2 3 4}

   Cause of his death was coronary occlusion, arteriosclerosis, chronic myocarditis.⁶

  General Notes:

Ben gave his age as 26 on the 1920 census and 36 on the 1930 census. The original birth date of Aug 1892 given in 1900 seems off, but Social Security had 3 Aug 1892. (There is a 5 Jun 1917 WWI draft registration that matches the age given on the 1920 and 1930 census. That is for Ben Fenard Kraatz, 22, born 3 Aug 1894 in Texas. He was a farmer, married with no children yet, living in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas. The only reference to Franklin as a middle name was the birth record for Betty Lou.)

At the time of the 1920 census, Ben was renting his home in Runnels County, Texas. He was farming a general farm. His brother in law, Lummie Pressley, age 17 was listed with his family. He was a farm laborer on a general farm. The family moved back to Milam County, Texas, by the time of the 1930 census. Ben rented his home and was farming. His widowed father, August, was living with them.

Social Security had his last residence as Rockdale, Milam County, Texas. He had lived there two years. His daughter Gertie Svetlik was the informant on the death certificate.

  Additional Information:

• Death Certificate Image: here.

• FindAGrave: Memorial# 12617255.

Ben married Bernice Elnora Presley, daughter of Petus Wales Chick Presley and Emma Leek Stewart, about 1915. (Bernice Elnora Presley was born on 28 Jun 1899 in Little River, Bell County, Texas,^{9 10} died on 30 Jul 1975 in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas ^{7 9 10} and was buried on 1 Aug 1975 in Sharp Cemetery, Sharp, Milam County, Texas ^{10 11}.). The cause of her death was adenocarcinoma of liver, primary site unknown.⁶