I think the Bogenpohl surname has only shown up a few times on this blog.  Even when it did, that name was not one that was a major part of the story.  That will change today, because the main character in this post is a Bogenpohl.

Martin Bogenpohl was born on September 30, 1886, the son of Henry and Amalia (Kaufmann) Bogenpohl.  Martin had a twin, but that baby was stillborn.  Martin was baptized at Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob, Illinois.  I was at the museum earlier to get some photos of some church records for this story, but I forgot to get Martin’s baptism record.  Before I move on to Martin’s life, I want to backtrack to tell a little about his parents.  They were married in Perry County, Missouri in 1880, and his mother grew up in the Darnstaedt cabin.  That means this Bogenpohl story had some of its beginnings in Seelitz, Missouri.  However, after marrying Amalia Kaufmann, Henry established his family across the river in Jackson County, Illinois. In an early plat map for Fountain Bluff Township, we find Henry Bogenpohl owning property right next to Christ Lutheran Church.

We have this photo of Henry and Amalia Bogenpohl.

When Martin was just 6 years old, a sister, another Amalia Bogenpohl, was born on May 30, 1893.  We have a Bogenpohl family binder in our research library that tells a sad, but interesting, story.  On the first Sunday after Amalia’s baptism, her mother was changing her diaper before going to church, and she stuck herself with a safety pin.  She got blood poisoning and before the week was over, she was dead..  The baby starved to death because cow’s milk did not agree with her.  The mother died on July 22nd; the baby died on July 30th.  Below is the death record found in the Christ Lutheran Church books for Amalia, the mother.  It is a rather lengthy death record with much information.  It even includes names of children in her family and their birthdays, including Martin Bogenpohl.

The next death record in those church books is the one for the baby, Amalia Josephine Bogenpohl.

Based on how old the children look in the photo below which includes Martin and his younger sister, Anna, I figure it must have been taken not long after the death of their mother.

We find Martin in the 1900 census for Fountain Bluff Township at the age of 13.

Martin’s father married Magdalena Schlimpert in 1901.  Magdalena happened to also have roots in the Seelitz community of Perry County, Missouri.  In the 1910 census, we see Martin as a 24 year-old living with his father and stepmother.  A few more children were born to Henry Bogenpohl’s second wife.

Next, we move on to the early life of Martin’s future first wife, Anna Castens.  Anna was born on February 4, 1883, the daughter of William and Maria (Elling) Castens.  We find her in the 1900 census for Bradley Township in Jackson County, Illinois.

In the 1910 census, Anna was a housekeeper for a coal miner in Murphysboro, Illinois.

In 1911, Martin Bogenpohl married Anna Castens in Jackson County, Illinois.  I do not know exactly where they were married, but this marriage is not recorded in the Christ, Jacob church books.  I did find this Jackson County record.

In 1917, Martin had his World War I draft registration completed.

Martin and Anna would have 5 children.  We see their family in the 1920 census for Degognia Township in Jackson County, Illinois with 4 of those children.

I have included the nearby Rodewald family.  That family will enter the story soon.  In February of 1924, Anna Bogenpohl died of poisoning that resulted from using a syringe improperly.  Here is her death record in the Christ, Jacob church books.

Anna Bogenpohl was buried in the Christ Lutheran Cemetery in Jacob, Illinois.

Before the end of 1924, Martin remarried.  His second wife, Clara Rodewald, can be found in the 1920 census shown earlier, except she is said to be a male.  She had a twin brother, Edward.  Clara and Edward were born on November 2, 1906.  They were the children of Charles and Anna (Brueckner) Rodewald.  That set of parents also had roots in Perry County, Missouri.  Martin Bogenpohl and Clara Rodewald  were married on December 22, 1924, making today their 95th anniversary.  Their marriage record can be found in the Christ Lutheran Church books, but it says they were married in a house.

Three more children would be born with Clara as the mother.  We find the Bogenpohl family in the 1930 census where they are living back in Fountain Bluff Township.

The 1940 census has this family back in the Degognia Township.

It must not have been long after this census when Martin and Clara moved their family to Chester, Illinois, because that is where it says they were living when Martin filled out his World War II draft card in 1942.

Clara Bogenpohl died in 1951 at the age of 44.  Martin Bogenpohl died in 1956 at the age of 70.  Martin and Clara are buried together in the Saint John Lutheran Cemetery in Chester, Illinois.

I did find a photograph which shows Martin and his son, Ralph Bogenpohl, who was a sailor in the Navy.  Ralph was a son of Martin and his first wife, Anna Castens.  Father and son can be seen in the lower right corner of the image.

This Bogenpohl family had its share of unfortunate deaths.  The family also includes a few sets of twins.  The Bogenpohl family binder that we have even says that twins ran in that family.  It was also a family that moved around quite a bit.  I suspect more Bogenpohl stories may show up on this blog in the future.