I really wasn’t planning to write a “Part 4” story today, but when I found another wedding that took place on today’s date, it did not take me long to connect it to the same photo that has been part of the last three posts. The connection is with Henry Miesner, the man indicated by the red arrow in this photograph.
This Heinrich Miesner was the only son of another Heinrich Miesner and his wife, Sophia (Imbusch) Miesner. It is the marriage of Heinrich and Sophia that took place on November 21, 1878. Before I go on, I want to point out that several posts have already been written that have a relationship to today’s episode. Here are a few of them.
The Heinrich Miesner that was married on this day was the son of another Heinrich Miesner, so if you count the young man in the photo, there were at least three straight generations of Heinrich Miesners.
As already noted, Heinrich and Sophia were married in 1878, but there is an unusual fact associated with this marriage. It was recorded in both the Trinity, Altenburg and the Concordia, Frohna church books. First of all, here is the record from Trinity.
From my past experience, I can tell that this record is in the handwriting of Rev. J.F. Koestering. I will go on record saying that I am not a big fan of his penmanship skills. Next, we look at the record from Concordia.
This record was definitely not written by Rev. Koestering. I have included the record that is above the Miesner/Imbusch marriage. That record is in yet another person’s handwriting. Next, let’s take a look at the Perry County marriage record for this wedding.
This document also states that Rev. Koestering performed this wedding. Here is what I think happened. Rev. Koestering was the pastor of both Trinity and Concordia from 1864-1877. In 1877, Concordia called a new pastor, Rev. Chris. Hochstetter, who only remained in Frohna one year before taking a call elsewhere. At the end of 1878, Concordia was likely in between pastors, and Rev. Koestering probably performed this wedding at the Frohna church. Someone from Concordia (someone with much better penmanship than Rev. Koestering) entered the record into their church books. Pastor Koestering must have thought it important to include it in the Trinity church books since he performed the ceremony.
On September 27, 1879, a son by the name of Heinrich Dietrich Miesner was born to this couple. He was baptized at Concordia, Frohna. This is his baptism record.
Please note that one of Heinrich’s sponsors was Heinrich Brueckner, the father of the groom in the 1905 wedding photo. Little Heinrich Miesner basically did not get to know his father because in April of 1880, he died. The 1880 census shows Sophia living in her father-in-law’s household in Union Township as a widow, along with her young son.
Sophia married a second time in 1886. Her second husband was Heinrich Luedemann from Fountain Bluff Township, Illinois. That marriage took place at Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob, Illinois on September 7, 1886. This is the record from that congregation.
There is no census record for us to look at until the one taken in 1900, but it must be assumed that Henry Miesner must have moved with his mother across the river into Fountain Bluff Township in Jackson County, Illinois. The 1900 census shows Henry living in the Zerbst household as a farm laborer.
Let’s return to the wedding that took place in 1905. The groom, Dietrich Brueckner, was the cousin of Henry Miesner. Their mothers were Imbusch sisters. I am guessing that Henry had to cross the Mississippi River in order to attend this wedding.
On April 7, 1910, Henry Miesner married Anna Miesner. That story can be found in the Miesner/Miesner Marriage story mentioned above. Here are photos of Henry and Anna that must have been taken sometime around the time when they were married.
Sophia (Imbusch)(Miesner) Luedeman, like her husband, died at a rather early age. She was only 37 years old when she died in 1891. She was probably buried in the Christ Lutheran Cemetery in Jacob, but there is no photo of her gravestone. Her second husband, Henry Luedemann, married a second time in 1892 to Marie Guetersloh.
I have now discussed eight people in the 1905 wedding photograph. I have not decided yet, but I may have to go ahead and write about the other four individuals before all is said and done.
lutheranmuseum.com 
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