There is an isolated baptism record found for a baby boy in the books of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pocahontas. That boy and his future wife will lead us on a winding tour through the Midwest until these two manage to meet and marry near Tulsa, Oklahoma.

On June 7, 1898, Herbert Joseph Putz was born, so today would be a special birthday, his 125th. Herbert was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Wunderlich) Putz. Presently, our museum just has a binder that contains some transcribed information about people that were part of that congregation. Below is the information about Herbert. As you can see, all that is listed is his birth and baptism.

Herbert was the 8th of 9 Putz children listed in our German Family Tree. When the 9th child was born in February of 1900, the mother, Elizabeth, died on the same day as that birth. That left Joseph Putz with quite a few children, one of which was a newborn. The census that was taken later in 1900 gives us a picture of how Joseph handled his situation. Joseph was living with August Kasten, a young, single farmer in the Shawnee Township. Joseph shoed horses for a living.

At the same time, the Putz children are found living with their Wunderlich grandmother, Maria (Ludwig) Wunderlich. Maria had already been a widow for quite a few years prior to 1900. Maria did have a son and daughter in their 20’s, but it still must have been quite a challenge for her to take in the 6 grandchildren, including the 2 year-old Herbert, listed in this entry. Even the newborn baby was included in the household.

In 1905, Herbert’s father married again. His second wife was Grace Elbertie Bessinger. Joseph and Bertie moved to Parma, Missouri, a small village west of New Madrid, where Joseph became a butcher. We find 2 of Joseph’s sons, one of which was Herbert, back living with their father. By the way, 2 of Herbert’s older siblings were still living with their grandmother in Pocahontas. In the entry below, Herbert is listed as being 11 years old.

The next document we can view for Herbert was his World War I draft registration form. It indicates that by 1918, although he had an address given as New Madrid County in Missouri, he was employed as a truck driver for the Sapulpa Refining Company located not far from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I found an old postcard that pictures the Supulpa Refinery in Supulpa, Oklahoma.

Prior to the 1920 census, Herbert got married, so let’s take a look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Leona Belle Murphy, who was born on June 3, 1903. Leona was the daughter of George and Ellen (Harrison) Murphy. Her father had been raised in Leef, Illinois, a rural area east of St. Louis, not far from Hamel, Illinois. Somehow, George had made his way to Springfield, Missouri, where he met his wife and was married. Leona was born in Springfield. Then her father died in 1905 when Leona was very young. Her mother moved her family to Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is where we find them in the 1910 census. Ellen and her children were boarders in the Bob Ortner household. Leona was 7 years old at the time.

Herbert Putz married Leona Murphy on August 27, 1919. Their wedding took place in Tulsa. The marriage license shown below indicates that it was a marriage conducted by a justice of the peace. Herbert was 21 years old and Leona was just 16 years old when they married.

A family tree on Ancestry.com, one that was produced by our friend, Diane Anderson, says that Herbert and Leona had 3 children. None of those children were born before 1920, so we see this pair of newlyweds living by themselves. Herbert is called a chauffeur for a truck. I have seen the term, chauffeur, used in old census entries which has meant some sort of driver.

I was not able to locate the Putz family in the 1930 census, but in a 1932 city directory for Tulsa, Oklahoma, we find Herbert and Leona. Herbert is called a driver.

The 1940 census displays the Putz family with 2 children, both teenagers. This time, Herbert was called a carpenter.

Herbert Putz died in April of 1950 at the age of 51. Herbert is buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Tulsa.

Leona Putz married again. She married John Lewis Waldrip on November 15, 1951 in Tulsa. The marriage license for that wedding is displayed below. This wedding was performed by a pastor of the Church of God.

Leona Putz Waldrip died in 1971 at the age of 68. I do not know when John Lewis Waldrip died. Leona is buried in the Floral Haven Cemetery in Tulsa.

I have discovered that an isolated record found in our German Family Tree like that of Herbert Putz is the kind that leads me on a trail to other locations beyond Perry County. I just never know where they will lead when I get started.