Frank married twice. His first marriage was the infamous $15 wedding that was described in the post with that title, The $15 Wedding. Then, his second marriage, the one involving Frank and Minnie, took place on this day, so that couple would be celebrating their wedding anniversary today if they were still alive.

I urge you to read the post about Magdalena Feig and her marriage to Franz Ruehling. Magdalena’s father had put in his will that her older brother was supposed to pay for her wedding, but he was to limit his spending to $15 for that event. That provision always makes me giggle. After all, I helped finance three weddings for our daughters and know you can’t even come close to paying for a bride’s bouquet nowadays with $15.

Before I move on, let me say that I will not be going to the museum today, so I will not be displaying as many church records as I usually do.

Magdalena Feig was born on October 27, 1851, the daughter of Christoph and Jane (Aloe) Feig. She was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. Magdalena shows up in her first census in 1860.

Next, we find Magdalena in the 1870 census where she is said to be 19 years old.

I found Magdalena in the long-lost 1880 Union Township census pages. She was living with her older sister, Ernestine, who had married August Roth.

Now, let’s take a look at Magdalena’s husband. His name was Franz Ruehling (although later records show him called Frank). Franz was born on March 8, 1853. Franz’s parents were Gottlieb and Christiana (Thurm) Ruehling. His parents probably arrived in 1853, the same year as Franz’s birth. Census records say he was born in Germany. We find Franz in the 1870 census for Brazeau Township. His father had died not long before this census was taken.

When the 1880 census was enumerated, Franz was living in the Shawnee Township where he was a farmer and was the only person in his household.

On August 24, 1882, Franz Ruehling married Magdalena Feig at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna.

Our German Family Tree lists 3 children born to this couple, two boys and a girl. Then in 1890, Magdalena died at the age of 38. So, we do not see Franz and Magdalena together in a census. Then in 1891, Frank married again. Let’s look at the early life of Wilhelmina Edlinger. Many documents call her Minnie. She was born on February 25, 1869, the daughter of Leopold and Katherine (Straf) Edlinger. Minnie was the sister of Henry Wallmann’s first wife, Eva, whose story was told just a few days ago. We find Minnie in the 1880 census for Shawnee Township at the age of 11.

Frank Ruehling married Minnie Edlinger on January 4, 1891. It’s a little difficult to determine the location of this wedding. Both the St. John’s, Pocahontas and the Zion, Pocahontas church books talk about this couple being married, but we cannot look at a record in either of those church’s books. I did locate the marriage license for Frank and Minnie, and I think the pastor’s name on this document was the pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Jackson, Missouri.

The German Family Tree shows 7 children born to Frank and Minnie. We find the Ruehling household in the 1900 census with 5 children. The 3 oldest children were from Frank’s first marriage.

Next, we find this Ruehling household in the 1910 census.

The 1920 census is so hard to read that I will not display it here. We will move on to the 1930 census, which is the final entry in which we find Frank Ruehling.

A set of plat maps was produced for Cape Girardeau County in 1930, and we find some farmland in Frank Ruehling’s name not far from Pocahontas.

Frank Ruehling died in 1932 at the age of 79. His death certificate says he died of influenza.

Minnie can still be found in the 1940 census. She was living with her son, who also was named Frank.

Minnie Ruehling died in 1953 at the age of 84. We can also view her death certificate.

Frank and Minnie Ruehling are each buried in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Pocahontas.

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Franz Ruehling was the father of numerous children with his two wives. There are still plenty of Ruehling’s around here. The Edlinger and Feig surnames are not so numerous.