A while back, I wrote the story about Herman Weber, who was married twice.  What made that story especially interesting was the fact that both of Herman’s wives had the surname of Poppitz, and both of those Poppitz girls were sisters.  Well, it just so happens that today’s story is about Lorenz Schlipp, who married twice, and both of his wives had the surname, Poppitz.  Both of those Poppitz girls were sisters.  What makes it even more amazing is that Herman’s two wives and Lorenz’s two wives were all sisters.  That’s right, two men married four sisters.

The story about Herman Weber and his Poppitz wives was titled, As For Me and My House…..  That family had a houseful of children and many descendants.  The story of Lorenz Schlipp is quite different.  There were no children born to him with either of his Poppitz wives.

We start with a birthday.  Pauline Poppitz was born on March 23, 1877.  She was the daughter of Ehregott and Clara (Mueller) Poppitz.  Pauline was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg, Missouri.  Below is her baptism record.

When Pauline was 23 years old, we find her in the 1900 census for St. Louis.  She, like many other young ladies from that era, moved to the big city to find a job.  She was a servant in the Goens family.

Pauline’s future husband, Lorenz Schlipp was the son of Lorenz and Margaretha (Schreiner) Schlipp.  He was born in Germany and came to America when he was 4 years old.  He and his family came aboard the W.A. Scholten which arrived in New York toward the end of 1882.  We see this family on this passenger list.  It is puzzling that his father doesn’t appear on this list.  Future census records state that he came at the same time as the rest of the family.

This family ended up on a farm in Franklin County, Missouri near the towns of Morrellton and St. Clair.  Franklin County is just west of St. Louis.  An 1898 land map shows their farm property.

The 1900 census shows the Schlipp family in Franklin County.  Lorenz, Jr. was 23 years old and shown as a farm laborer.

My best guess is that Lorenz moved to St. Louis not long after this census.  Although I cannot find a marriage record for Lorenz marrying Pauline, that event must have taken place sometime around 1902.  We find this couple living in St. Louis in the 1910 census which says they had been married for 8 years.  They were living with another Schlipp brother and his small family.  Amazingly, Lorenz is said to be a tailor of men’s clothes.  I do not know where he learned that trade.  His brother, Frederick, was a carpenter.

In 1920, Lorenz and Pauline are back on the farm in Franklin County.  As said before, they would have no children.

Pauline would not live to be included in the next census.  She died in 1929 as a result of breast cancer.  We have her death certificate.

Pauline was buried in the United Methodist Church of St. Clair Cemetery.

On May 6, 1930, Lorenz married Pauline’s younger sister, Martha Poppitz.  Their marriage license was recorded in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, but they were married in St. Clair.

At this time, there was some sadness in the Poppitz family.  The Poppitz matriarch, Clara Poppitz, died on April 19th near St. Clair, Missouri according to her death certificate, just a matter of a few weeks before Martha’s wedding.

It looks to me like Clara had gone to attend Martha’s wedding and had died while she was there.  Since Clara was buried on May 1st in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Altenburg, the family must have had to make an unexpected trip back to Perry County for a burial right before Martha’s wedding.

The rest of the census documents we can see indicate that Lorenz and Martha remained in Franklin County until at least 1940.  We know that Lorenz and Martha ended their lives back in Altenburg.  They were said to have lived in a house located right behind the old 1910 bank building.  When Lorenz died in 1963, his death certificate said he was a carpenter.  He died at the age of 86.

Martha died in 1978 at the age of 94.  She and Lorenz are buried together in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Altenburg.

There were Schlipps in Altenburg for just a very short time.  There were no Schlipp children, so this is not a name that was passed to the next generation.  However, these two lonely Schlipp’s do take their place right behind the Schlimpert’s in our German Family Tree.  By all rights, Lynn Degenhardt should add Pauline’s name to the other two Schipp’s.  I’ll have to discuss that with him.