You will be reading in this post about a wedding that took place 126 years ago. This year is the 125th anniversary year of Zion Lutheran Church in Longtown. The family of the bride was especially involved in the establishment of that congregation. However, the marriage is not recorded in that church’s books because it took place a year earlier. Later, this couple would spend most of their lives in Longtown and were members of Zion for a long time. I will begin with the bride.
Clara Anna Pauline Schade was born on December 18, 1875, the daughter of Friedrich (Fritz) and Marie (Weinrich) Schade. Clara was likely baptized by the pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg, but the Schade family probably lived in or near Longtown and the baptism might have taken place in the Schade’s home. A photo of the Schade house was shown in a previous post. I will display it again here. It is reported that the two in the photo are Clara and her father, Fritz.
Clara is found in the 1880 census when she was 4 years old. Her father was a blacksmith in Longtown.
The above entry is the only one in which we find Clara as a single person, so we will turn our attention to the man who would become her husband. Ferdinand Adam Hoehn was born on February 10, 1867, the son of Valentine and Margaretha (Bergmann) Hoehn. Like his future wife, Ferdinand’s baptism record is referred to in his short biography in the Friedenberg Remembrances book. The Hoehn family is found in the 1870 census living in the Cinque Hommes Township when Ferdinand was 3 years old. His father was a farmer.
Next, we find Ferdinand as a teenager in the 1880 census. This time, the family was living in the Central Township. You can see that this Hoehn family had gotten quite large.
Ferdinand Hoehn married Clara Schade on October 11, 1896. Before I proceed with the documentation of this marriage, I want to relate a few other events that took place not long after this marriage. First of all, from the history of Zion Lutheran Church, we discover that the meeting to establish that congregation took place at the Schade family’s house on July 19, 1897.
Next, in a list of that congregation’s pastors over the years, we see that their first pastor, Rev. G.D. Hamm was installed on September 12, 1897.
If this couple would have waited till the next year to get married, they could have been the first marriage to be conducted in this new congregation. The first marriage listed in the Zion, Longtown books did not take place until May of 1898. We can take a look at the marriage license for this couple. It indicates that Rev. Guemmer, who was the pastor of Peace, Friedenberg, performed the ceremony. Prior to 1897, Lutherans in Longtown had to attend services in Friedenberg, including having baptisms and marriages conducted by their pastor.
I am able to display the wedding photo of Ferdinand and Clara.
When the 1900 census was taken, we find Ferdinand and Clara living in Perryville where Ferdinand was a saloon keeper. No children had yet entered their family. Clara’s brother, Will Schade, was living in their household.
The first child of Ferdinand and Clara was born in 1901 and was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. The next child was born in 1907, and that baby was baptized at Zion Lutheran Church in Longtown. This is evidence that prior to that baptism, the Hoehn’s had moved to Longtown and had become members of that congregation. In a Hoehn book that we have in our research library, we find this paragraph that gives some details about this move. I found no evidence in census records that described Ferdinand as operating a harness shop.
When the 1910 census was taken, that is where we find the Hoehn household with their two children, Alma and Fremont. Clara’s father was living with them also. Ferdinand was a laborer at odd jobs.
The Hoehn’s would live in Longtown the rest of their lives. We find them next in the 1920 census, in which Ferdinand is called a day laborer.
The 1930 census shows Ferdinand and Clara with an empty nest. At the age of 63, Ferdinand was the janitor of the Lutheran church. That would have been Zion.
The last census in which we find Ferdinand was the one taken in 1940. No occupation was listed for Ferdinand.
Ferdinand Hoehn died in 1950 before the census was taken for that year. His death certificate says he was 82 years old when he died.
Ferdinand’s church death record is displayed below. It says he died of dropsy.
Clara is found as a widow living by herself in Longtown when the 1950 census was taken. She was 74 years old at the time.
Clara Hoehn died in 1965 at the age of 89. We can also view her death certificate which says she died at the Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville. It also states that she was living in Perryville.
Clara’s death record is also included in the books of Zion Lutheran Church in Longtown.
Ferdinand and Clara Hoehn are buried together in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Longtown.
So, today, we say, “Happy 126th Anniversary”, to Ferdinand and Clara. And while we’re at it, we will also once again say, “Happy 125th Anniversary”, to Zion Lutheran Church in Longtown.