A few years ago, in the post, Premiere Lutheran Publisher, I wrote about Martin Tirmenstein, who was one of the early leaders of Concordia Publishing House in St. Louis. Martin’s wife was Clara Lange. I found out today that this was not the only marriage between a Tirmenstein and a Lange. A few years after Martin married Clara, another marriage took place in which a Lange man married a Tirmenstein woman who were from the same families as Martin and Clara. You will read the story of that couple today.

Heinrich Ernst Lange was born on July 7, 1864, making today his 158th birthday. Henry was the son of Carl and Louise (Brinkmeyer) Lange. He was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis. Below is his baptism record as it is found in an Excel spreadsheet.

Henry is found in his first census in 1870 at the age of 5. This is the only census in which he is called Ernst, not Henry. His father is called a china store keeper. Henry’s older sister, Clara, was the one who married Martin Tirmenstein.

The last census in which we find Henry as a single man was the one taken in 1880. The Lange household had gotten considerably larger. This time his father was called a dealer in glass ware.

Let’s now take a look at the Tirmenstein woman who was going to become Henry’s wife. Bertha Tirmenstein was born on December 1, 1866, the daughter of Gustav and Bertha (Hanny) Tirmenstein. When Bertha was born, her family was living in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. A baptism record for Bertha is found in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau, but it gives no date of birth or exact date of the baptism.

However, Bertha is found in the 1870 census at the age of 4 living in St. Louis. Her father was called a jeweler and watchmaker.

Next, we find Bertha in the 1880 census as a teenager.

Henry Lange married Bertha Tirmenstein on May 23, 1888. There is a church record for this wedding in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis.

However, that record also states that the wedding took place in Cape Girardeau.

The books of Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau contain a marriage record for Henry and Bertha. Henry is called a porcelain dealer, just like his father.

We can also view a marriage license for this couple from Cape Girardeau County.

I found two children born to this couple in the church records of Trinity, St. Louis. We cannot view this couple in a census until the one taken in 1900. Henry is called a clerk at a china store.

Next, we find the Lange’s in the 1910 census. This time, Henry is called a shoe salesman. Their two daughters are the ages of 16 and 20 at this time.

The 1920 census lists only one daughter living with Henry and Bertha. Henry was the vice president of a glass company.

When the 1930 census was taken, Henry and Bertha were living along with their daughter, Norma’s, family. She had married Arthur Grosse, who was a pharmacist. Henry was called a treasurer for a glassware company.

Henry and Bertha were in their 70’s when the 1940 census was taken. This time, Arthur Grosse is called the head of the household. Henry was still working and was described as a merchant of hardware.

The 1950 census shows Henry and Bertha in their 80’s, and Henry is finally shown with no occupation. It is not often that I am able to display folks in 8 different census entries, but that is the case with Henry and Bertha. Even then, if we could look at the 1890 census, it would be 9 census entries.

Both Henry and Bertha Lange died in 1952. Bertha died in June at the age of 85. We can view her death certificate.

One month later, Henry Lange died at the age of 88. He is called a merchant of glassware on his death certificate.

Henry and Bertha Lange are buried in the Concordia Lutheran Cemetery in St. Louis. The Lange family also has a marker for the family plot.

The Lange and Tirmenstein surnames are prominent ones in the early history of Lutherans in St. Louis. In this post and the previous one about Martin Tirmenstein, we see examples of marriages that brought these two surnames together.