One surname that hopped across the Mississippi River to be found in the vicinity of Jacob, Illinois was Moeckel. You will read about another Perry County name that ends up in Jacob today. That was the surname, Lungwitz. There are only 3 gravesites in the Christ Lutheran Cemetery, the two that were today’s Lungwitz-Moeckel couple along with one of their children. The name, Moeckel, is one that has 15 gravesites in that cemetery.

I will eventually get around to a birthday girl today, but I choose to start with the groom in today’s highlighted marriage. Theodore Gottfried Johann Lungwitz was born on July 19, 1880, the son of Herman and Mathilde (Meyr) Lungwitz. Theodore was born in Perry County, Missouri and baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. He was the firstborn child of 10 children in this Lungwitz family. Theodore’s baptism record is displayed below.

Theodore did not make it into the 1880 census. Then, because we cannot view the 1890 census, the first time we can view Theodore in a census was the one taken in 1900. This is the only census in which we find him living in Missouri. At the age of 19, Theodore was working on his father’s farm.

It is recorded in the Christ Lutheran Church books that Theodore became a member of that congregation in 1905. That is where he would find his bride, so let’s take a look at her early life. She is also today’s birthday girl.

Julia Amanda Moeckel was born on December 7, 1885, the daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Distler) Moeckel. Julia’s parents apparently moved to the Jacob area in the late 1870’s because their first child, born in 1880 was baptized at Christ Lutheran Church. Julia was the 4th out of 5 children born into her family. Her baptism record, which has to be displayed in two images, is found the Christ, Jacob books.

The 1900 census is the first census in which we can find Julia. When I found this census entry for the Fountain Bluff Township, I was surprised. In the Moeckel household, we find Theodore Lungwitz listed as a farm worker in Julia’s family. That means Theodore is one of those rare people who show up in two different census entries for the same year. What makes it more amazing is that both of those census entries were submitted in June of 1900. This also means that Theodore was likely attending Christ Lutheran Church prior to 1905, when he officially become a member. And we see an even more obvious reason Theodore got to know his future wife, Julia.

Theodore Lungwitz married Julia Moeckel on November 25, 1906 at Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob. The church record for this wedding is displayed below.

Our German Family Tree lists 3 children born to this couple, two boys and a girl. When the 1910 census was taken we find the following Lungwitz household. They had two young children, and Theodore’s younger brother, Martin Lungwitz, was a hired hand.

In 1911, two days before Christmas, their youngest child, George, died at the age of two. It must have been a tragic death because his church death record says he died from a fall. That child was buried on Christmas Eve. Their last child would be born in 1913.

Theodore had a World War I draft registration completed when the United States got involved in that war.

Theodore’s younger brother, Theobald Lungwitz, was killed in Europe during World War I. His story was told in the post, Theobald Almost Made It.

Next, we find the Lungwitz household in the 1920 census. I have included the Adolph Vogel household right above the Lungwitz’s. Adolph had married Julia’s younger sister, Mathilde. Julia’s father is also listed in that Vogel household.

Theodore and Julia are found in the 1930 census with their two remaining children.

The last census we can view is the one taken in 1940. Theodore and Julia had an empty nest.

The above census was submitted in April of 1940. Theodore Lungwitz died in June of 1940 at the age of 59. His obituary is pictured below. It says he was 50 years old when he died, but that is not correct.

One year after her husband’s death, on her 56th birthday, Julia had to hear that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. After that her day of birth would live in infamy. The last birthday she would celebrate in 1961 was the 20th anniversary of that attack. Today is the 80th anniversary.

Julia Lungwitz died in 1962 at the age of 76. We can also view an obituary for her.

Theodore and Julia Lungwitz are buried together in the Christ Lutheran Cemetery in Jacob.

The Moeckel and Lungwitz names are each ones that started in Perry County, Missouri, but the two that made up today’s pair ended up in Jackson County, Illinois. These two surnames add to the number of Perry County names that are found in the Christ Lutheran Cemetery in Jacob.