Heinrich Wilhelm Ludwig is today’s birthday boy. He was born on December 23, 1869, making today his 153rd birthday. Henry was the son of Peter and Elisabeth (Gratz) Ludwig and baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. Henry was one of those fairly uncommon people who was born in one year and baptized early the next year. He was baptized on January 2, 1870. We have brutally low temperatures in Altenburg this morning, so I do not have the ambition to head to the museum to get baptism record images (despite the fact that I did have the ambition to get breakfast at the Old Bank Coffee Shop this morning). Henry appears in his first census in 1870 as a baby.

A previous post was written about Henry’s parents with special focus on his father, Peter. That post was called Peter’s 45th Birthday because Peter was one of those unusual people who was born on Leap Year Day. That story also told of Peter’s participation in the Civil War, one who didn’t just serve in Missouri like most men from this area, but he fought in several major battles during that war. Shortly after his military service, he got married and began having children like Henry. Peter was a farmer in the Apple Creek Township.

Henry shows up next in the 1880 census. This would be the last entry in which he was single.

We will now take a look at the woman who would become Henry’s bride. Her name was Amelia Louise Huttegger whose date of birth is a matter of debate. Both her baptism and confirmation records from the books of Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells and St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pocahontas state that she was born on June 4, 1875. Her death certificate backs up this date. However, her gravestone is engraved with the date of birth, August 4, 1877. I tend to think the June 4, 1875 date is the correct one. Amelia was the daughter of Johann and Elizabeth (Steiner) Huttegger. Amelia was also baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. Amelia is found in her only census entry as a single person in 1880. Her father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township.

Both Henry and Amelia were confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pocahontas, and that is where these two would be married. Henry Ludwig married Amelia Huttegger on November 23, 1893. We can view a marriage license application that these two had completed prior to this wedding.

Our German Family Tree lists 7 children born to Henry and Amelia. When the 1900 census was taken, we find this couple with 4 children. Henry’s father was the head of the household. Henry was working on his father’s farm in the Apple Creek Township.

When the 1910 census was taken, all 7 of their children were in the household.

The above census was the last one in which we find Amelia. She died in 1919 at the age of 43. Her death certificate gives both influenza and pneumonia as causes of death.

Henry was a widower in the 1920 census with 4 unmarried children, his father, and his son, Arthur, who had married Alma Rauh.

Henry would remain a widower the rest of his life. The 1930 census shows him with just 2 unmarried children, both in their 20’s.

I was unable to find Henry in the 1940 census, but he was still alive in 1950 when he was in his late 70’s. In that census, we find him living as a lodger in the Robert Smith household in Jackson, Missouri.

Henry Ludwig died in 1955 at the age of 85. His death certificate gives senility and old age as causes of death.

Both Henry and Amelia Ludwig are buried in the St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery in Pocahontas.

I find one thing fascinating about this Ludwig story. Henry’s parents, Peter and Elizabeth, had children born in this order: boy…girl…boy…girl…boy When Henry and Amelia had their 7 children, they were in this order: girl…boy…girl…boy…girl…boy…girl. I guess alternating genders of children was the proper order to follow in that family.