Dedicated to the memory of Captain Edward A. Ankenbauer Died in the Line Of Duty, responding to a fire alam in Indianapolis, January 5, 1919.

 

 

 

UPDATE! On January 7, 2011, I learned that Edward is buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana and that he was buried there on January 9, 1919. Here is a link to all of the documents I have on Edward

 

 

On January 5th, 1919 at the age of 46 years old, our Great-Grandfather, Edward A. Ankenbauer (Father of Martin Michael Ankenbauer, who was the father of Robert Martin Ankenbauer Sr) was killed in an accident in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was actually more than just an accident. You see sometime before that in 1914/15, in an effort to provide for his family, Edward and his wife Josephine (Korte) Ankenbauer and their son Martin; moved from Cincinnati, Ohio to Indianapolis so that Edward could take a job as a paid firefighter for the Underwriters/ Merchants Salvage Corps of Indianapolis.

 

Fire was such a concern those days that the insurance companies hired their own firefighters to assist the local fire departments in fire fighting. Edward was promoted to Captain and on that fateful day was actually driving the fire truck for the Salvage Corp. In those days, if there was a fire alarm, they would notify the city firefighters first and then a few moments later the salvage corps firefighters would be notified so as to prevent them from responding at exactly the same time.

 

At 8:22am on January 5th, 1919 an alarm was received from Box 27, located at the corner of Illinois and Michigan Streets. At 8:25am., the fire alarm was sounded by the Indianapolis Fire Department and there was some delay in sending it to the city fire department Motor Hose Company #7 and they wound up sending both the Indianapolis fire truck and the salvage corps truck at exactly the same time and they collided in the intersection of Delaware and New York Streets in Indianapolis.

 

Our Great-Grandfather, Edward Ankenbauer, was killed when he was thrown from the vehicle. Unfortunately Captain Clinton T. Lowes of the Indianapolis Fire Department was also killed in the accident. Eight other firefighters were injured in the accident.

 

It was soon directed by A.L. Taggert, the president of the board of safety in Indianapolis that all fire trucks in Indianapolis be equipped with high powered motor sirens that can be heard for blocks.  (1919 Municipal Journal, June 1919)

 

In 2002, Captain Clinton T Lowes was added to the Indianapolis Firefighters memorial due to his line of duty death in the accident.

 

On December 8, 2010 I appealed the Indianapolis Firefighters memorial to include Captain Edward A. Ankenbauer on their memorial. The indicated that they would be meeting in the spring of 2011 to discuss new nominations and the folks I spoke with agreed that Edward more than met the minimum qualifications. 

 

 

On December 28th, 2010 I received an email from the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. They indicated that at this time they are working to include firefighter deaths prior to 1981, however they aren’t prepared to do it yet.