Today’s birthday boy is Christian Furchtegott Lorenz who was born on October 24, 1857. That makes today his 166th birthday. Christian was the son of John and Johanna (Mueller) Lorenz. His mother was the sister of Rev. J.A.F.W. (Alphabet) Mueller. Both of his parents had arrived in Perry County as part of the Gesellschaft in 1839. Christian was born right in the midst of the turmoil that was going on at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg when Rev. Georg Schieferdecker was being removed from the Synod. Immanuel Lutheran Church was officially established on November 5, 1857, and Christian was baptized on November 8th. Christian’s baptism record shown below is not written in the distinctive handwriting of Pastor Schieferdecker, but Trinity’s next pastor would not arrive until early in 1858, so some other pastor must have baptized him. One of his sponsors was my great great grandmother, Johanne Christiane (Theilig) Mueller.

Christian is found in his first census in 1860 at the age of 2. His father was a shoemaker in the Brazeau Township.

Next, we find Christian in the 1870 census at the age of 14, although I don’t think he was that old. This time, his father is called a farmer and shoemaker.

Finding Christian in the 1880 census proved to be a challenge. The census taker wrote his name as Christian Lorance. In the entry below, we find Christian as a laborer in the Abel Swan household.

Now, we will turn our attention to the woman who would become Christian’s wife. Her name was Ida Marie Schlimpert, who was born on July 31, 1861. Ida was the daughter of Julius and Johanne (Boehme) Schlimpert. Ida’s parents were also both part of the Gesellschaft. Ida was also baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. We can take a look at her baptism record from the books of that congregation.

Ida is found in the 1870 census at the age of 8. The census taker wrote her name as Edith. Her father was a farmer in the Brazeau Township. Her mother had died in 1863, so her father was a widower when this census was taken.

Ida’s father died in 1879, so when the 1880 census was taken, we find Ida living with her older brother, Henry. Henry was doing the farming, and Ida the housekeeping.

Christian Lorenz married Ida Schlimpert on November 23, 1884 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. The church record for this event is shown below.

We can also view the Missouri marriage license for this pair.

Our German Family Tree lists 9 children born to Christian and Ida. The 1900 census shows 6 children in the Lorenz household. Christian was a farmer.

Three more children were born in the next decade, including a set of twin girls born in 1901. The twins were named Mary and Martha, just like the famous sisters in the Bible. A previous post was written about those twins titled, Together in Birth and Death. In the 1910 census, we still find 6 children in the household, but a different set of children.

When the 1915 plat maps were produced for Perry County, we find the C. Lorenz farm located just east of Altenburg. Today, you would find this land across the road from the Altenburg Hardwood Lumber Company.

Christian and Ida are found in one more census entry living in Perry County, the one taken in 1920. Christian was still farming in his 60’s.

Also, during that same year, we find 4 Lorenz sisters, including the twins, living in St. Louis together. They were all still single.

The 1930 census indicates that Christian and Ida had relocated to St. Louis and joined several of their children who had already been there for a while. Christian no longer had an occupation, but all their children did.

Ida Lorenz died later in 1930 at the age of 68. Her death certificate is pictured here.

Christian Lorenz died in 1936 at the age of 78. We can also look at his death certificate.

Before I discuss the burial of these two, let me display this unusual census entry from the 1940 census. It is not often that you see a household made up of 5 single siblings, all over 30 years old.

Christian and Ida Lorenz are buried together in the New Bethlehem Cemetery in St. Louis.

There are two major Lorenz clans found in our German Family Tree. The one mentioned in today’s stor was part of the 1839 immigration, and they are found living in the Altenburg and New Wells communities. Another Lorenz clan arrived later and resided around Farrar. I know I have to be careful when starting my research on a Lorenz character.

My late cousin once told me that when he was young, he accompanied his Aunt Meta Schlimpert, also a single woman all her life, to St. Louis to visit the Lorenz twins. Milton and Meta took the train to St. Louis, which, for a youngster like Milton, was a really special experience.