Previous posts have mentioned characters who had their beginnings in the Shawnee Township, but later migrated south to Cape Girardeau where they established a business known as the Landgraf Lumber Company. You will be reading another post today that is connected to that Landgraf family. However, this tale begins with the birth of a Schuppan.

Clara Louise Lina Schuppan was born on January 27, 1867, making today her 156th birthday. Lina was the daughter of Ludwig and Theresia (Lehner) Schuppan. She was the 2nd of 11 children born into this Schuppan family. Lina was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. Let’s take a look at an image of her baptism record from the books of Immanuel, New Wells.

Lina shows up in her first census at the age of 4, although I think she was only 3. Her father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township.

The 1800 census is the last one in which we find Lina as a single woman. This was time when she would have been attending confirmation classes at Immanuel. Lina would get confirmed during then next year.

We get to the Landgraf family because Lina would marry a man with that surname. Gustav Adolph Landgraf was born on November 16, 1864, the son of Herman and Mathilda (Naeser) Landgraf. He was child #4 in a family of 10 according to our German Family Tree. Adolph was also baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. His baptism record is pictured here.

I was unable to find Adolph’s Landgraf family in the 1870 census, so the first census entry I can display that includes him is the one taken in 1880. By that time, Adolph was a 15 year-old apprentice carpenter. His father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township.

Adolph Landgraf married Lina Schuppan on November 20, 1890. The church record for that wedding is found in the books of Immanuel, New Wells. You can view that record below.

We can also take a look at the marriage license for this pair.

Our German Family Tree lists 4 children born to this couple. Their first child was baptized at Immanuel, New Wells, but the rest of them were baptized at Zion Lutheran Church in Pocahontas. The first census entry in which we find this married couple was the one taken in 1900. There were 3 children in their household, along with a servant named Amelia Schuppan, who was Lina’s sister. Adolph was called a contractor, and I think it also says a bridge builder.

Next, we find the Landgraf’s in the 1910 census. All 4 children are listed, and Adolph is called a house carpenter.

I found a record that indicates that Adolph was the justice of the peace in Pocahontas in 1919-1920.

The 1920 census would be the last census in which we find Adolph and Lina living in the Shawnee Township. Adolph was still a contractor.

A move was made by the Landgraf’s in the 1920’s. They are next found living in Cape Girardeau, Missouri in the 1930 census. This time, Adolph is called a secretary for an insurance company.

I can also tell you that the above entry is found on the bottom of this census page. On the top of the next page, you will find the entry for Louis Landgraf, one of Adolph and Lina’s sons.

In a 1939 Cape Girardeau city directory, we find the list of Landgraf names shown below.

Arthur, Edwin, and Louis were sons of Adolph and Lina. Rudolph was Adolph’s brother. You can see that by this time, Louis was operating the L.H. Landgraf Lumber Company.

In the 1940 census, Adolph is called a 75 year-old carpenter for his son’s Landgraf Lumber Company. Louis’s entry is right below his father’s again in this census.

In one of the previous stories that I wrote about one of these Landgraf’s, I shared a link to a Fred Lynch blog that included some photos of the Landgraf Lumber Company over the years. I will share that link here again.

https://www.semissourian.com/blogs/flynch/entry/60103

Adolph Landgraf died in 1945 at the age of 81. On his death certificate shown below, he is called a retired cabinet maker.

We can also look at an obituary for Adolph that was published in a local newspaper.

Lina Landgraf is still found in the 1950 census. She was living with 2 of her unmarried children, Edwin and Cecilia.

Lina Landgraf died later during the same year of the above census. Her death certificate indicates she died at the age of 83.

We can also look at Lina’s obituary.

Adolph and Lina Landgraf are each buried in the Cape County Memorial Park in Cape Girardeau.

If you go way back to the original Schuppan who arrived in Perry County, you will discover that he was involved in helping build several early structures in this area, including the Brazeau Presbyterian Church. The Landgraf family from the Shawnee Township was definitely involved in lumber and building occupations. Today’s marriage united two families with a history of being involved in the building trade.