Before I get to today’s characters, I have this urge to show you a portion of a passenger list for the ship, Ella, that arrived in New Orleans on November 7, 1853. Take a look at this group of immigrants.

I find this list fascinating. At the top and bottom are 3 names whose destination was New Orleans that became Perry County names…Fritsche, Hopfer, and Buettner. Sandwiched in between was a list of names of people who were destined for Missouri that settled in the area around New Wells…Koch, Koenig, Magwitz, and Haertling. I will discuss a story today that involves Andreas Koenig who married a Haertling. Andreas is on this list, and there is a Haertling named Maria, but she is not the Haertling that Andreas married. Maria Haertling married Gottfried Koch, who is also on the list. There is at least evidence that the people on this list, even if they were not relatives, were friends of each other back in Germany.

Now, let’s proceed with today’s tale. Andreas Koenig, not long after he arrived in America, married Christine Haertling, who was Maria’s sister. They were married on March 21, 1854. This couple’s marriage record is included in a list of marriages recorded by Pastor Gruber of the Lutheran church in Uniontown.

His church marriage record says he was living at Kimmels Mill.

Kimmels Mill was located near Old Appleton across the Apple Creek from Uniontown. This drawing of Old Appleton shows the location of Kimmels Mill.

Several children from this Koenig couple died early, but one of them that lived to adulthood will be one of the main characters today. His name was Edward William Koenig, who was born on January 10, 1861. He was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna, Missouri. Below is his baptism record. One of his sponsors was Maria (Haertling) Koch who was mentioned earlier and would have been Edward’s aunt.

Edward is found as a 9 year-old in the 1870 census living in the Shawnee Township, so the Koenig family must have moved sometime after Edward was born. His father was a farmer.

Next, we find Edward in the 1880 census at the age of 19. He was a laborer on his father’s farm.

Now we will discuss Edward’s future wife. Her surname is one which shows up in our German Family Tree for a short time. Her name was Juliane Mathilde Reuschel, who was born on March 1, 1862. Her parents were Bernhard and Emilie (Siermann) Reuschel. Her baptism record is included in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg.

I find it interesting that Julie’s parents were living in the Charles Weber household in 1860. Before Charles became notable in the Perryville area, he was a store owner in Wittenberg.

After Julie was born in 1862, her father must have died not long afterward. Her mother was marrying again in 1864 to Johann Gottlob Schuessler, but that marriage did not last long. Her second husband died in 1865. Julie’s mother’s death is unknown, but when we find Julie in the 1870 census, she was living in the household of Heinrich Schmidt, a blacksmith who I think was living in Frohna.

In 1880, we find Julie working for a tailor in St. Louis and living in a Koenig household. I know of no connection between this Koenig and Julie’s future husband, Edward, but it certainly is interesting.

That leads us up to the marriage of Edward Koenig and Julie Reuschel which took place on April 24, 1884, making today this couple’s 137th wedding anniversary. This couple was married at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. We can take a look at the church record for this wedding.

I found a lot of information about this family in a book titled, A Farm Near Frohna by Mary Linda Miller. In that book, there is an image of the marriage license for Ed and Julie.

Our German Family Tree says that 6 children were born to this couple, but 2 were stillborn. All of the baptisms took place at Immanuel, New Wells. All of their children were born before the 1900 census in which we find this couple with 4 children, all girls. I have shown several households on the same census page with Edward and Julie. It includes some other Koenig’s along with some Koch’s and Haertling’s, all names which were on the ship, Ella, in 1853.

Another set of photo’s in the Miller book pictured the Koenig farmhouse in Shawnee Township.

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The 1910 census once again shows the collection of Koch’s, Haertling’s, and Koenig’s. I’m puzzled by the Herman Koenig in the Edward Koenig household that is called a son, since this couple had all girls.

The photos of Edward and Julie Koenig shown below were said to be taken around 1916.

The 1920 census is the last census in which we find Julie.

Julie Koenig died in 1921 at the age of 59. For some unknown reason, her death certificate says she died in Perry County. Her son-in-law, Theodore Kaempfe, is the informant, and he lived near Frohna.

Julie Koenig was buried in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in New Wells.

Edward is still found living in the Shawnee Township in the 1930 census. He was living with a widow by the name of Alvine Best who was his housekeeper.

When the 1940 census was taken, Edward was living with his daughter, Natalie, who had married Alfred Kasten. They lived in the Brazeau Township of Perry County.

Edward Koenig died in 1944 at the age of 83. Alfred Kasten is the informant on his death certificate.

Edward Koenig was buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Altenburg.

I really find it interesting that this Koenig story, which began with a passenger list, ends up with the same surnames showing up as neighbors in the Shawnee Township for so many years. The Koenig/Haertling/Koch’s came together and stayed together.