Theobald Edmund Kaempfe was born on February 18, 1893, making today his 130th birthday. Documents during his lifetime give his name as Edmund, but I found a family tree on Ancestry.com that calls him Butch. Edmund was the son of William and Anna (Mangels) Kaempfe. A previous post titled A Mangeled Kaempfe told the story of Edmund’s parents. I can also show you a photo of them.

Edmund was the first of 4 children born in his family. He was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna, but I am away from the museum for a few days and cannot display church records. Edmund shows up in his first census in 1900 at the age of 7. He is found in the miserable pages of the Salem Township from that year, although this might be one of more readable entries. His father was a farmer.

Next, we find Edmund as a teenager when the 1910 census was taken.

Now we will turn our attention to the woman who would become Edmund’s bride. Her name was Minna Margaretha Versemann who was born on August 13, 1896. Minna was the daughter of Heinrich and Emma (Koenig) Versemann. Minna was the 3rd of 12 children born to Henry and Emma, but Henry had been first married to Ernestine Eggers, and he had 3 additional children by that marriage. Minna was baptized at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar. She is found in her first census at the age of 3, also in that difficult-to-read Salem Township collection. Her father was a farmer.

In 1910, Minna was 13 years old. That would be the year that she was confirmed at Salem, Farrar.

Edmund Kaempfe married Minna Versemann on October 14, 1915 at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar. The marriage license for this couple is shown here.

When the United States joined the fighting in World War I, Edmund had a draft registration completed. He is given a Menfro address and is called Theobald E. Kaempfe. One child is mentioned.

The German Family Tree lists 9 children born to Butch and Minna, but some family trees on Ancestry say another child was born in 1937. Most of them were baptized at Salem, Farrar, but a few were baptized at Zion Lutheran Church in Crosstown. The 1920 census shows the following Kaempfe household. This family was living in the Salem Township, but for some reason, Edmund is given no occupation. Two young children were in their family at that time.

The 1930 census illustrates a much larger Kaempfe family. Edmund’s father had died in 1922, so his widowed mother was now living with him. Edmund was a farmer.

In the 1940 census, we find the Kaempfe living in the Bois Brule Township. It still says Edmund was a farmer, but it adds the words “custom works”.

The last census we can view is the one taken in 1950. Their household was diminishing in size as children got married and moved away.

I think sometime later, Edmund and Minna moved to Perryville based on where they are buried. Also, at some time, Edmund had the photo shown below taken. I did not find one for Minna.

Minna Kaempfe died in 1972 at the age of 75; Edmund Kaempfe died in 1984 at the age of 90 (almost 91). Only Minna’s death certificate can be viewed.

Edmund and Minna are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville.

Out of the 10 Kaempfe children, 9 of them were boys, so there were plenty of children who carried the Kaempfe surname to the next generations. Their father supposedly had the nickname, Butch. One of the sons in this family somehow got the nickname, Shorty. I never met Shorty Kaempfe, but I have heard plenty of stories told about him.