A few posts have already been written on this blog about marriages that have taken place in which both the bride and groom were relative neighbors of each other on The Ridge. You will be told another one of these stories today. First, let’s review the location of that spot that we call The Ridge. On the map below, The Ridge consists basically of the more wooded area north of Frohna and Altenburg, between those towns and the Mississippi River. The red box is placed on this image to help you get a picture of its location.

Today’s couple consisted of a Seibel and a Holschen. On plat maps made about 20 years after this marriage, we see several parcels of land on The Ridge that were identified with these two surnames.

A closer look at this area of the Ridge shows what used to be called Holschen’s Landing as Starland (Star Landing). It is a place where you find relatively small fields surrounded by hilly forests.

Let’s start with the bride. Her name was Christiana Seibel, the daughter of Conrad and Anna (Grother) Seibel. Christiana was born on January 17, 1878 and baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg. Below is her baptism record.

We find Christiana in the 1880 census at the age of 2. Her middle name, Mathilda, is used in this census.

Now, let’s take a look at the groom, Julius Holschen. He was born just a matter of months before Christiana on April 11, 1877, the son of Luetje (Louis) and Emilie (Thurm) Holschen, who could also be called a Ridge couple. Like Christiana, Julius was baptized at Immanuel, Altenburg. Here is his baptism record.

Julius is found in the 1880 census at the age of 3. Julius at that time was one of 5 boys out of 6 children in that household.

On September 24, 1898, Julius Holschen married Christiana Seibel, so today would have been their 122nd wedding anniversary. Let’s take a look at this couple’s marriage license.

I found this document to be troublesome. These two were married by Judge Charles Weber, likely in Perryville. There is no church record for this wedding. It is puzzling to me that these two did not have a church wedding. The usual causes for a non-church wedding around here back in those days were not the case here. The two getting married were not a Lutheran and a Catholic. In fact, they were members of the same congregation. That congregation was not in a vacancy between pastors. There was no case of an illegitimate child being born. I did notice that there seemed to be a drought of marriages at Immanuel at this time.

There were no marriages in the church books from Immanuel from June in 1897 until April of 1899. That seems a little odd for a congregation of its size back in those days.

Julius and Christiana are seen as a couple for the first time in the 1900 census. You can see this couple living among several other Holschen households. Their first child, Frieda, had been born in 1899.

I think what was happening in the early 1900’s is that there wasn’t enough farmland for all the Holschen boys, causing Julius to make the decision to move his family. When the 1910 census was taken, we find him living in St. Louis and working as a bottler in a brewery. This couple had 4 children, but one of them died at a young age in 1905, before this census was taken. Their last child was born in 1907 in St. Louis.

Julius had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. It states that the brewery for which he worked was the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.

Julius’s father had died in 1907, and his mother, Emilie, died in 1919. I think those deaths contributed to Julius moving his family back to Perry County not long after the above draft registration was completed. He was back to being a farmer on the Ridge when the 1920 census was taken.

Julius likely farmed the parcels of land that were said to be owned by Amelia Holschen in the previous plat map. Next, we find the Holschen family in the 1930 census.

Julius Holschen died in 1936 at the age of 59. His death certificate says the cause of death was rheumatic heart disease.

Julius’s wife is called Tillie in the above document, and she is given that name in the 1940 census. She was living with a few other siblings at that time. Her son, Otto, was the farmer.

Christiana Holschen died in 1958 at the age of 80. We can view her death certificate.

Julius and Christiana are both buried in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Altenburg.

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I have heard some locals jokingly state, “What happens on The Ridge, stays on The Ridge”. In the case of Julius and Christiana, what started on The Ridge, left The Ridge for a while, and then returned.