Maria Sophia Heise is today’s birthday girl. She would have been 132 years old if she was alive today. Marie would eventually take on the nickname, Mamie. She was born on September 9, 1889, the daughter of Andrew and Louise (Schamburg) Heise. Mamie was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. Her baptism record is displayed below.

Mamie is found in her first census in 1900 at the age of 9 (although I think that age is incorrect). Her father was a cooper in Frohna.

When the 1910 census was taken, Mamie was no longer living with her parents. She was still in the Frohna area, but she was a servant in the household of Emanuel Popp. Mamie was 20 years old.

Next, we need to take a look at the early life of the man that Mamie would marry. His name was Oscar Benjamin Mueller, who was born on December 23, 1884. He was the son of Emanuel and Sophie (Grosse) Mueller. Oscar was born during that short time when Perry County kept birth records. We find this document for Oscar.

Oscar, like his future wife, was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. Below is an image of his baptism record. I find it interesting that Mamie’s mother, Louise Heise, was a sponsor for Oscar.

Oscar is found in the 1900 census at the age of 15. His father was a farmer.

Next, we find Oscar in the next census in 1910. He was a laborer on his father’s farm at the age of 25.

That leads us up to the marriage of Oscar Mueller and Mamie Heise. That wedding took place on October 27, 1912 at Concordia, Frohna. The church record for that event is pictured here.

We can also take a look at the marriage license for this couple.

The first of this couple’s two children was born in 1914, and that son’s baptism record is in the Concordia, Frohna books. However, that is the last church record we find for anyone in this family in Perry County. At some time between 1914 and 1917, this family moved to western Nebraska. Let’s take a look at the World War I draft registration for Oscar Mueller. This document says that Oscar and his family were living in Potter, Nebraska.

Here is a map showing where Potter, Nebraska is located. You can see how near it is to the states of Colorado and Wyoming.

In a previous post written by Eunice Schlichting titled, Praise God for Potter Parish, it mentions that St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was established in 1918. Oscar Mueller was a charter member of that congregation. The 1920 census shows the Mueller family living in Potter. Right above this family’s entry, you will see the entry for Wilson Wagner, who had married Oscar’s sister, Clara. Included in that household were three of Oscar’s brothers, Hugo, Frank, and Arthur.

Later in 1920, the second child, a daughter named Myrtle, was born to Oscar and Mamie. When the 1930 census was taken, we see the Mueller household, along with several other folks who had their roots in Perry County, Missouri, the Aurich’s, the Schlichting’s, and the Bergt’s. This time, they were living in the Davison Township of Cheyenne County.

The Davison Township can be seen on this map of Cheyenne County.

The last census we can view that includes this Mueller family is the one taken in 1940. This time, they are found in the Trognitz Township. Oscar and Mamie had an empty nest. Oscar was listed as a farmer in all his census entries from Nebraska.

Oscar Mueller had to complete a World War II draft card in 1942 even though he was already 57 years old.

Mamie Mueller died in 1963 at the age of 74; Oscar Mueller died in 1965 at the age of 80. These two are buried together in the St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery in Gurley, Nebraska.

The area around Potter, Nebraska is one of the places that we jokingly call a “Perry County suburb”. Quite a few Perry County natives moved to that area in the early 1900’s and were actively involved in establishing Lutheran churches there. By placing the terms, “Potter” or “Cheyenne County” in the search box on our website, you will find several posts that have been published on our blog.