A Hoehn/Meyer Wedding Anniversary

I began looking at the couple highlighted in this post, and it did not take me long to discover that today’s tale will be connected to the one I wrote yesterday. You will be reading the story of a Hoehn and a Meyer who got married on this date back in the late 1880’s. I will begin by looking at the man who would be the groom at that wedding.

George V. Hoehn was born on April 13, 1861, the son of Valentine and Margaret (Bergmann) Hoehn. Although I found no evidence to back this up, I think the middle initial, “V”, was actually Valentine, his father’s name. George was the firstborn child in a family of 12 children. He was baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg, so we cannot view an original baptism record for him. George is found in his first census in 1870. He was 9 years old, and his father was a farmer.

1870 census – Cinque Hommes Township, MO

Next, we find George in the 1880 census. This time his family is found living in the Central Township of Perry County.

1880 census – Central Township, MO

The above census would be the last one in which George was single, so we will turn our attention to his bride. Her name was Amalia Emma Meyer, who was born on December 14, 1866. She mostly went by the name, Emma, during her life. Emma was the daughter of Andrew and Mary Jane (Bloom) Meyer. She was also baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg. We find her in the 1870 census, but for some odd reason, she is called Annie. She was 4 years old, and her father was also a farmer.

1870 census – Cinque Hommes Township, MO

The 1880 census shows the following Meyer household. Like the Hoehn family, they were then living in the Central Township. I have to wonder if the boundaries of the townships had been changed between 1870 and 1880. Emma was 13 years old and attending school.

1880 census – Central Township, MO

George V. Hoehn married Emma Meyer on May 21, 1885, making today their 137th wedding anniversary. They were married at Peace Lutheran in Friedenberg, so we cannot view a church marriage record. However, we can take a look at this couple’s marriage license.

Hoehn/Meyer marriage license

George and Emma would have only one child, a boy named Michael born in 1886. We cannot view this Hoehn household in a census until the one taken in 1900. George was a farmer in the Cinque Hommes Township.

1900 census – Cinque Hommes Township, MO

The 1910 census shows the following Hoehn household. Their son, Michael, was helping on the family farm.

1910 census – Cinque Hommes Township, MO

The plat maps made for Perry County in 1915 show the G.V. Hoehn farm located south of Perryville.

G.V. Hoehn land map – 1915

Next, we find the Hoehn’s in the 1920 census. This time, George and Emma were living in Perryville where George is called an implement dealer.

1920 census – Perryville, MO

The above census entry would be the last one in which we find Emma Hoehn. She died in 1928 at the age of 61. We can view her death certificate. This is a document that calls her Amalia.

Emma Hoehne death certificate

An obituary for Emma was published in a local newspaper.

Emma Hoehn obituary

George is found in two more census entries after his wife’s death. We see him in the 1930 census in which his son, Michael, and his family were living with him. There were also several boarders in the household. George is still called a dealer of farm implements.

1930 census – Perryville, MO

This is where we find a connection to yesterday’s post. Michael Hoehn, George and Emma’s son, had married Isabella Hacker in 1910. Isabella was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Hacker, two characters from the previous story.

George is found in his last census in 1940. This time, his son is the head of the household. At the age of 79, had no occupation. Sadly, it also says that Isabella was taking care of her invalid husband, who also had no occupation. Michael’s later death certificate indicates that he had palsy for 20 years before his death in 1949.

1940 census – Perryville, MO

George V. Hoehn died in 1947 at the age of 85. We can also view his death certificate.

George V. Hoehn death certificate

There was likely an obituary published in the Perry County Republican, but the archives for that newspaper that we can view only go up to 1946. George and Emma are each buried in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville.

Other than George V. Hoehn, the folks around him died at relatively young ages. Their son, Michael, died just 2 years after his father. Michael and Isabella had just one son, and I discovered that he died at the age of 39. Yesterday’s post also had most of its characters die at rather young ages. I guess it just so happens that these recent stories contain this similar characteristic. I think I could use one of those stories that tell of a couple in which both the husband and wife live to a ripe, old age. Perhaps I will find one tomorrow.


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