Ida Aloysia (Louise) Koeberl would possibly be celebrating her 125th birthday today. I have to say “possibly” because our German Family Tree says she was born on either November 29th or November 30th in 1897. I have learned that it is more difficult to confirm a woman’s birth date than it is for men. That’s because military documents will have a man’s birthday listed on them. Ida was the daughter of Herman and Theresia (Moosburger) Koeberl. She was baptized at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pocahontas. I think our museum will have original images of this congregation’s books in the near future, but as for now, I can only display some information that is found in a St. John’s binder that we have. Here is what we have for Ida. This is where we see two options for her birthday.

Ida was difficult to find in the 1900 census. Her surname is not transposed correctly on Ancestry.com, and Ida’s name is given as Ettie. I will display later how I found this Koeberl entry. She was 2 years old, and her father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township. Ida was the 6th and last child born into this Koeberl family.

Next, we find Ida in the 1910 census at the age of 12. Ida’s brother, Andrew, had gotten married to Ida Wallmann, and we find his family right below Ida’s entry. So, there are two Ida Koeberl’s in this image. They even both have the middle initial of L.

Now we will turn our attention to the man who would become Ida’s first husband. His name was Johann Theodore Leimer, who was born on April 29, 1884. There are a few other John Leimer’s that could be confused with this one, so I will call him John T. Leimer. He was the 3rd of 6 children born to Frank and Pauline (Petzoldt) Leimer. John T. was also baptized at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pocahontas. Here is the information about John T. that we find in the St. John’s binder.

We find John T. in his first census in 1900 at the age of 15. His father had died in 1895, so his mother is the head of this household. This entry displays how I located the Koeberl family in that year’s census. I went to John T.’s 1900 census entry on Ancestry.com as a starting point to find Ida Koeberl. As you can see, it did not take me long to find her. The Koeberl family is on the same page not far below the Leimer family. So, John T. and Ida were neighbors.

John T. is found in the 1910 census at the age of 23. His mother is called the farm owner, and John T. was a farm laborer.

It certainly looks as if John T. and Ida would have to wait until the Advent season was over before getting married. They did not even wait until December 26th to get married. These two were married on Christmas Day, December 25, 1916. The information shown earlier says that they were married at St. John’s, Pocahontas. We can take a look at the marriage license for this couple.

Not long after he was married, John T. was required to complete a World War I draft registration. It states that John T. was a farmer.

According to our German Family Tree, John T. and Ida had two sons, Edward and Rudolph. Both of them were baptized at St. John’s, Pocahontas. We find the Leimer household in the 1920 census with their first son.

The above entry would be the last one in which we find John T. Leimer. He died in 1926 at the age of 41. His death certificate gives pneumonia as his cause of death.

John T. Leimer is buried in the St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery in Pocahontas.

Ida Leimer shows up as a widow in the 1930 census with both of her sons. She was called the operator of a farm.

Ida would marry again in 1931, so let’s take a look at her second husband, Gustav William Starzinger, who was born on April 9, 1893. William was the son of Joseph and Wilhelmine (Hoehne) Starzinger. He was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. We can view an image of his baptism record from that congregation’s books.

William is found in the 1900 census at the age of 7. His father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township.

Next, we find William as a teenager in the 1910 census.

In 1917, William had his World War I draft registration completed.

The 1920 census shows William still living with his parents.

At the age of 36, William was still single when the 1930 census was taken.

William Starzinger married Ida Leimer on May 17, 1931. These two were married at Trinity Lutheran Church in Shawneetown. We can take a look at the church record for this event.

The marriage license for this wedding is also available to view.

One son named Allen was born to this couple in 1933. We see the blended Starzinger family in the 1940 census.

One more census entry can be viewed for this couple, the one taken in 1950.

William Starzinger died in 1972 at the age of 78. Soon, we will be able to view his death certificate, but not yet. Ida Starzinger died in 1979 at the age of 81. Both William and Ida Starzinger are buried in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Pocahontas.

The only document I located that gives a birthday for Ida is in the social security death index record shown below. It gives a November 30th birth date.

The above record may tip the scales in the direction of a November 30th birthday. If that’s the case, I guess you can wish her a Happy 125th Birthday tomorrow.