I was a Lutheran educator for many years. During that time, I met quite a few Lutheran teacher couples that were made up of two people whose hometowns were very distant from one another. Even my marriage is made up of a St. Louis city boy who married a Minnesota farm girl who got married in Memphis. Such situations are common when Lutheran teachers are called to serve at congregations far from their homes, who then meet and marry another Lutheran teacher. However, I don’t think you find farming is an occupation that brings far-distant pairs together. Today is such a story.

Joachim Peter Lohmann is today’s birthday boy. He was born in Farrar, Missouri on July 17, 1897, so if he was still alive, he would be celebrating a very special 125th birthday. I will insert here that just down the road from Farrar, a brand new church, Zion Lutheran, was being formed in Longtown, and that congregation is spending this year celebrating their 125th anniversary. The baby born in Farrar would go on to be mostly called Joe. He was the 7th child of 9 born to Peter and Margaret (Versemann) Lohmann. Joe was baptized at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar. His baptism record from that congregation’s books is shown here.

Joe is first found in the infamous pages of the Salem Township census from 1900 that are usually difficult to read. Joe was 2 years old, and his father was a farmer.

The last census in which we find Joe and his family living in Perry County was the one taken in 1910. One more daughter had been born into this household during the previous decade.

We see evidence that this family had moved when Joe had his World War I draft registration completed. His address was given as Alva, Oklahoma, and he was working for his father. An interesting fact found on this form is that Joe was said to be missing his right eye.

One of Joe’s older brothers can already be found living in Oklahoma when the 1910 census was taken. Joe’s parents must have made the decision to relocate to the area near Alva, Oklahoma sometime prior to 1917, thus joining one of their sons in that state. When the 1920 census was taken, we find the Lohmann household living in the Valley Township of Woods County, Oklahoma. Joe was 22 years old and working on his father’s farm.

Now, we will turn our attention to the woman who would become Joe’s wife. Her name was Frieda Anne Ottille Dubben, who was born on March 24, 1900. Frieda was the daughter of August and Emilie (Schlenten) Dubben. She was born in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. She was likely baptized in a Lutheran church there, but we certainly don’t have access to any baptism records from Wisconsin. Frieda is found in the 1900 census as a two-month old baby. Like her future husband, Frieda was part of a large family.

The Dubben family was living in a rural area of Sheboygan County as we see in this 1902 plat map.

A Wisconsin state census was taken in 1905 in which we find the Dubben family still living in Sheboygan County. Frieda’s father was a farmer.

Between 1905 and 1910, this Dubben family relocated to the area near Alva, Oklahoma. That means the Dubben’s arrived in Oklahoma several years before the Peter Lohmann family arrived. The 1910 census shows the Dubben family living in the Liberty Township of Woods County, Oklahoma. Frieda was 10 years old.

The 1920 census shows Frieda at the age of 19. It would be the last census in which we find Frieda as being single.

Joe Lohmann married Frieda Dubben on August 27, 1924 at Zion Lutheran Church in Alva. Since we have that congregation’s historic books in our research library, I can display this couple’s church marriage record.

We can also view a civil marriage license for this pair.

Let me point out that this was not the only Lohmann/Dubben marriage to take place at Zion, Alva. There were four Lohmann siblings that married four Dubben siblings. The brother that was mentioned earlier as moving to Oklahoma prior to Joe, had married Lillian Dubben in 1919.

Our German Family Tree indicates that 3 children were born to Joe and Frieda. The first one died rather early. Their second child was called Goldie. I was thinking that was a nickname, but you can see on the baptism record below that it was her given name.

The 1930 census for the Lohmann’s is quite interesting. We see them with Goldie, their second-born child. Also living in their household was Walter Schuessler who is called a lodger.

You can read the story of Walter Schuessler in the post titled, A Perry County Suburb in Oklahoma. On the same census page on which we find Joe Schuessler’s entry, you will see several other names that originated in Perry County, Missouri. I have highlighted them in this image (and I forgot to include Walter Schuessler).

The last son, Raymond, was born later in 1930, so we see this Lohmann household when the 1940 census was taken. Please note that Frieda is said to have been born in Wisconsin in all these census entries.

In 1942, Joe was required to complete a World War II draft card.

Joe was still a farmer in the same location when we find him in the 1950 census.

Joe Lohmann died in 1957 at the age of 60; Frieda Lohmann did not die until 1992 at the age of 91. These two are buried together in the Lutheran Cemetery in Alva.

There you have it. The story of a Sheboygan girl who finds a Farrar man in Alva, Oklahoma. What’s even more is amazing is that there were 4 Sheboygan siblings who found 4 Farrar siblings in Oklahoma. Who woulda’ thunk it?