Henry and Lydia Guetersloh

I have to be very careful when telling the story of one of today’s main characters. The birthday boy for today was named Henry Guetersloh. However, this post is not the first one that tells the tale of a Henry Guetersloh. There was a Henry Guetersloh in the previous generation of this Guetersloh family. In other words, today’s Henry was the nephew of a previous Henry Guetersloh. So, today, I will be careful to refer to the Henry that is today’s birthday boy as Henry H. Guetersloh.

Henry Herman Guetersloh was born on January 24, 1897, the son of Herman and Marie (Heitmann) Guetersloh. It was Henry Herman’s grandparents who were the first Guetersloh’s so show up in this area. A previous post about Dietrich and Margaretha (Boesch) Guetersloh told the story of that couple titled, The Original Gueterslohs. Here are photos of Henry H. Guetersloh’s grandparents.

A story highlighting the older Henry Guetersloh was titled, Boy/Girl Guetersloh Twins.

Henry H. Guetersloh was baptized at Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob, Illinois. Below is an image of his baptism record from that congregation.

Henry H. Guetersloh baptism record – Christ, Jacob, IL

We find Henry H. Guetersloh in his first census in 1900. He was living in the household of his grandparents. Henry H. was the oldest child in his Guetersloh family. We find him at the age of 3 in that 1900 census for Fountain Bluff Township in Jackson County, Illinois. Both his father and his grandfather were farmers.

1900 census – Fountain Bluff Township, IL

Ten years later, we find Henry H. in the 1910 census for the same location. I have included a few other Guetersloh households that were living near one another. We see Henry H Guetersloh’s grandparents living in a separate household. We also see Herman Guetersloh’s younger brother, John Guetersloh, and his family living nearby. Henry H. Guetersloh would have called John his Uncle John.

1910 census – Fountain Bluff Township, IL

Henry H. Guetersloh can be still found as a single man in the 1920 census, but that was also the year in which he would get married. He was a 23 year-old farmer still living with his parents.

1920 census – Fountain Bluff Township, IL

Now, let’s turn our attention to Henry H. Guetersloh’s future wife. His wife had her roots across the river in Perry County, Missouri. Her name was Lydia Engert, the daughter of Joseph and Lina (Schade) Engert. Lydia was born on August 28, 1897 and baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg, Missouri. Below is an image of her baptism record from that congregation’s books. It is in two images.

Lydia Engert baptism record – Immanuel, Altenburg, MO

The first census in which we find Lydia was the one taken in 1900. Her family was living in the Brazeau Township of Perry County where her father was a blacksmith. Lydia was 2 years old.

Next, we find the Engert household in the 1910 census. Lydia’s father was now called a farmer. The family’s entry spills over two census pages.

Sometime between the 1910 and 1920 census, the Engert family relocated across the river into Fountain Bluff Township. This is likely how Henry H. Guetersloh managed to develop a relationship with Lydia Engert. Here we see Lydia in that census entry for the same year in which she would get married. In this entry, Lydia’s father is once again called a blacksmith.

In 1918, Henry H. Guetersloh had his World War I draft registration completed. The form indicates that he was farming with his father.

Henry H. Guetersloh – WWI draft registration

On May 2, 1920, Henry H. Guetersloh married Lydia Engert at Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob, Illinois. We can take a look at the church record for that wedding.

Guetersloh/Engert marriage record – Christ, Jacob, IL

According to our German Family Tree, Henry H. and Lydia had 3 children. Next, we find this household in the 1930 census. By this time, this couple had two daughters. Once again, we see another Guetersloh household living nearby. Annie Guetersloh was the widow of John Guetersloh, Henry H.’s uncle.

1930 census – Fountain Bluff Township, IL

The last census in which we can view this family was the one taken in 1940. We see Henry H. Guetersloh’s parents living nearby, and a his younger brother, Rudolph’s, family close by as well.

1940 census – Fountain Bluff Township, IL

Henry H. Guetersloh had his World War II draft card completed in 1942.

Lydia Guetersloh died in 1953 at the age of 55, On her Findagrave site, you can find an obituary for her.

After his wife’s death, Henry H. Guetersloh found himself a second wife. Her name was Louise Hoehn. She had recently become a widow herself, having been married to Howard Gilbert Hoehn. Louise’s maiden name was Bergmann. Henry H. and Louise were married on June 8, 1957 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. We can view their Missouri marriage license.

Henry H. Guetersloh died in 1965 at the age of 68. We can also view an obituary for him.

Henry H. Guetersloh and his first wife, Lydia, are buried together in the Christ Lutheran Cemetery in Jacob, Illinois.

Henry H. and Lydia Guetersloh gravestone – Christ, Jacob, IL

Henry H. Guetersloh spent his entire life in Fountain Bluff Township. His first wife came to him from Perry County, Missouri. Now, you have heard two stories about men named Henry Guetersloh, one an uncle, and the other a nephew.

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I thought I’d leave you with a few photos I took earlier this week of our museum’s expansion. A new vinyl siding now puts a new “skin” on the building.