I will begin today with a family photo that has shown up on this blog in several earlier posts.  It shows the Traugott Kaempfe family.

Let me quickly summarize the history of this Kaempfe family and its connection to the Gesellschaft.  Johann Samuel Gottfried Kaempfe came to America aboard the Johann Georg in 1839.  Below is a photo that is said to be Samuel Gottfried Kaempfe.

The photo below is also supposed to be one of Gottfried Kaempfe and his wife Juliane .

I guess I have some doubts that these two photos show the same man.  Regardless, the fact is that this couple had a son named Traugott in 1840 when they lived in Altenburg.  A story was written about his birth in the post titled, Prof. Godfather.  In 1844, the Kaempfe family left Altenburg, and after a short stint in St. Louis, ended up farming near Millstadt, Illinois.  A more complete description of this part of the Kaempfe legacy can be found on the link below from Findagrave.com.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27569545

While in Millstadt, their son, Traugott, married Justine Hennecke.  This couple had several children while in Illinois.  It was while this family was in Millstadt that today’s main character, Carl Johann Kaempfe, was born on May 9, 1873.  Carl is the second person from the right standing in the back on his family photo.  Then when Carl was just 3 years old, this branch of the Kaempfe family moved back to Perry County in 1876.  Traugott bought a farm near Frohna, and that is where Carl was raised.  The map below shows the two cities of Millstadt, Illinois and Frohna, Missouri.

When Carl was confirmed at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna, he was unique.  He was the only member of his confirmation class that was not born in Frohna.  Below is his confirmation record that documents his birth in Millstadt.

Carl’s future wife was not only confirmed at Concordia, Frohna, but she was also baptized there.  Her name was Frieda Burfeind, the daughter of Herman and Elizabeth (Schuessler) Burfeind.  Frieda was born on February 4, 1879.  Here is her baptism record.

Frieda can be found in the 1880 census for Brazeau Township.  She is the baby of the family, but she is incorrectly identified as a son.

Frieda Burfeind was confirmed at Concordia, Frohna in 1882.  Here is that church record.

On October 22, 1899, Carl and Frieda were married at Concordia.  Below is their marriage license.

The marriage record for this couple in the Concordia books shows an interesting situation.  I will include both their record and the one shown above theirs.

The record above theirs shows the marriage of Frieda’s sister Anna Susanne Bertha Burfeind to Wilhelm Friedrich Moeckel.  Frieda is listed as one of the attendants at her sister’s wedding about four months before hers.

One other interesting fact is that the Kaempfe family photo that was shown at the beginning of this post is said to have been taken sometime around 1899.  Maybe the family gathered for that picture at Carl’s wedding.

I could not locate Carl’s family in the 1900 census.  He does show up in the 1910 census as living in the Brazeau Township.

The first 6 children born into this family were baptized at Concordia.  The last one of those was in 1914.  Then their last two children, beginning with one born in 1916, were baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Point Rest, Missouri.  We see them listed in this transcription of that church’s records.

The 1920 census shows the family living in the Bois Brule Township, where that church was located.  All 8 of their children are shown in this census.

Up to this census, Carl is always shown as being a farmer.  Then sometime before the 1930 census, this family moved to Cape Girardeau, where Carl is called a fireman at a shoe factory.  A fireman at a company like that was probably responsible for firing up a boiler.

The 1940 census shows Carl still with that occupation, but fewer children are living in their household.

Carl died in 1946 at the age of 72.  Below is his death certificate.

Frieda died three years later in 1949 at the age of 70.  We also can show her death certificate.

Carl and Frieda are both buried in the Cape County Memorial Park Cemetery in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

 

Maybe eventually, I will get the opportunity to tell the story of all the Kaempfe’s in their 1899 family photo.