Back in 2017, when this blog was fairly young, I wrote the story of August Wehmueller, who had a Perry County upbringing. August went on to be a street car driver, and later a bus driver, in St. Louis. That post was titled, Streetcar Conductor Named August. August had a younger brother who followed in his footsteps. I will tell his story today. However, it is his wife who is today’s birthday girl, so I will begin with her.

Emma M. Knoll was born on August 1, 1898, so today would be her 125th birthday. Emma was the daughter of Adam and Anna (Klemp) Knoll. A previous post can be found on this blog about her parents titled, Perryville Butcher. Emma was baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg, so I cannot display her baptism record. Emma shows up in her first census entry in 1900 at the age of 1. Her father was a farmer in the Central Township of Perry County.

Next, we find Emma in the 1910 census when she was 11 years old. She was the youngest of two daughters born to her parents. This time her father was called a stock buyer in Perryville.

It was not long after the above census was taken that Emma got confirmed. Our German Family Tree does not say if she was confirmed at Peace, Friedenberg or Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. However, a confirmation photograph of Emma is shown here.

The last census in which we find Emma as a single woman was the one taken in 1920. In this entry, it says that Emma was employed in a dentist’s office in Perryville.

Emma would marry the younger brother of August Wehmueller in the 1920’s, so we will now take a look at that brother. Adlai Conrad Franz Wehmueller was born on May 24, 1893, the son of Louis and Mary (Ochs) Wehmueller. Adlai was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. An image of his baptism record is pictured below.

The Wehmueller household is found in the 1900 census living in the Apple Creek Township. Adlai was 7 years old at the time, and his father was a farmer.

Not long after the above census was taken, the Wehmueller’s moved to Point Rest. They are listed as living in the Bois Brule Township in the 1910 census.

Adlai had been confirmed in 1907 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Point Rest, as you can see in this list of confirmation records for Wehmueller children.

In 1917, Adlai had his World War I draft registration completed. It states that Adlai was farming, and his employer was John Muench.

Adlai did get called into service during that war. His military record is displayed here. It demonstrates that Adlai was not sent overseas.

When the 1920 census was taken, Adlai was living in St. Louis and working as a motorman for a railway. I conclude that this means that he was a street car driver.

Adlai Wehmueller traveled back to Perry County to get married to Emma Knoll on June 15, 1924. This wedding took place at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. A transcription of their church marriage record is found below.

This couple’s marriage license can also be viewed. We can see that Rev. A.M. Lohmann conducted this wedding ceremony.

We can also take a look at the wedding photo of Adlai and Emma.

Adlai and Emma had just one child, a son name Rudolph born in 1927. The Wehmueller’s may have lived for a short time in Granite City, Illinois after they were married because Rudolph’s World War II draft card says that he was born there. For some unknown reason, we do not see Rudolph listed with Adlai and Emma when the 1930 census was taken. Adlai was a motorman for a street car in St. Louis.

The 1940 census does include Rudolph. This time, Adlai was called a bus driver.

At about this time, a photo shown below must have been taken of the small Wehmueller family.

In 1942, Adlai was required to complete a World War II draft card. It says Adlai was employed by the Public Service Company as a bus driver. His address is given as Normandy, which is located on the north side of St. Louis.

I located a few photos taken of Adlai over the years.

Adlai Wehmueller died in 1975 at the age of 82; Emma Wehmueller died in 1977 at the age of 79. Apparently, these two had moved back to Perryville later in their lives because they are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville.

I thought you might like see what some of the street cars and buses may have looked like when Adlai was driving them. There is one street car on the left side of the gallery below that might have been used in St. Louis around 1920. Another one shows a model used around 1930. The bus is one that was used around 1940. I am amazed at how similar in style the newer street car and the bus are.