Arthur Wilhelm Stueve was born on March 28, 1896.  He was the son of Peter and Mary (Engert) Stueve.  Right away when Arthur was born we find a somewhat unusual fact.  Even though he was born in Jackson County, Illinois, he was brought across the river to be baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg.  He was baptized on April 10th.  Here is the baptism record from Immanuel’s church books.  Immanuel’s records stretch out across two pages so I will show the record in two images.

Arthur’s mother’s family, the Engerts, were part of the original immigration in 1839, but his father, Peter Stueve, did not arrive in Perry County until 1880.  Several children that were born into this family were born in Perry County (on The Ridge), but sometime between 1886 and 1889, they must have moved across the Mississippi River to Jackson County (around Jacob, Illinois).  Their children were born across the river, but up until Arthur’s birth, they were brought to Immanuel to be baptized.  Arthur was the last to be recorded in the Immanuel books.  Their last three children, beginning in 1898, were baptized at Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob, Illinois.

The census records for the Peter Stueve family indicate that the family lived in the Degognia Township.  On this map, you can see where Degognia is located in relationship with Jacob.

As you can see, Degognia is located more into the hill country away from the river.  Jacob is located in the bottomlands.

In 1917, Arthur’s World War I draft registration indicates that he was a farm laborer on the Will Korando farm in Raddle, Illinois.

You can find Raddle on the above map.  Here is an enlargement of that area.

Raddle is about as small as you can get.  The straight line on the map is a railroad track and Highway 3.

Arthur did enter the military and went overseas to fight in World War I.  Military records indicate that he was part of the Military Police Corps.  Here are two different records that show this.

Both of these show Arthur being from Rattles, Illinois, which is a misspelling of Raddle.  MPC in the bottom record represents the Military Police Corps.  From what I have read, the military police during World War I were involved in the handling of prisoners of war.  It makes sense that German-speaking soldiers from the USA would have been utilized in this way so they could communicate with the prisoners.

This photo is not of Arthur, but it does show a World War I soldier wearing a Military Police uniform.

The 1920 census shows that after the war, Arthur returned to live with his father’s family.  By then, his mother had died.  Then in 1923, Arthur married Martha Knoll.  Martha was the daughter of John and Wilhelmina (Mehner) Knoll.  Our German Family Tree does not contain a baptism record for Martha, but other children in the Knoll family were baptized at the churches in Friedenberg, Point Rest, and Crosstown.  She is shown in several records as being from Menfro, Missouri.  Several of these little towns can be seen on the first map above on the Missouri side of the Mississippi.

Although I could not find an official civil or church document, Arthur’s obituary states that Martha and he were married in West Point, Illinois, which is north of Quincy.  I do not know how Martha managed to make her way to that town.  However, prior to her marriage, in the 1920 census, we find her living in St. Louis and working in a shoe factory.

She was rooming with another young woman from the same area of Perry County, Lidda Magwitz, who was also working at a shoe factory.

When the Stueve couple began having children, they were baptized at Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob, Illinois.  The German Family Tree indicates that they had four children.  This 1940 census shows this Stueve family once again living in the Degognia Township.

One of Arthur’s younger brothers, Walter, was living with them.  The last official document I could find for Arthur was his World War II draft card.

Arthur died in 1951 from cancer.  Here is his obituary.

Martha would not die until 1978.  Here is her obituary.

Arthur and Martha are buried together in the Christ Lutheran Cemetery in Jacob, Illinois.  Here is their gravestone.

There is also a plaque located there acknowledging Arthur’s military service in World War I.