When I see the surnames, Schuppan and Meyr, I immediately think about people from New Wells, Missouri. I was right about today’s couple which was made up of those two names. They indeed each had their start in New Wells, but spent most of their lives elsewhere, only to return to New Wells for their burials.

We begin with a birthday girl. Bertha Marie Meyr was born on July 6, 1885, making today her 138th birthday. Bertha was the oldest child of John and Amelia (Mirly) Meyr. She was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. Bertha shows up in her first census in 1900 at the age of 14. The image below is pretty miserable, but I can tell you that Bertha’s father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township.

The above census entry would be the only one in which Bertha was listed as a single woman, so we will turn our attention to the man who would become her husband. His name was Arthur Emanuel Schuppan, who was born on June 13, 1883. Arthur’s parents were Louise and Rosine (Lehner) Schuppan. According to our German Family Tree, this Schuppan couple had 11 children, and Arthur was #10. In the 1900 census, Arthur was called Otto for some reason, and he was working on his father’s farm. By that time, Arthur’s mother had died, and his father had married again.

Arthur Schuppan married Bertha Meyr in April of 1907. Our German Family Tree says they were married on April 11th, but their marriage license says the wedding took place on April 1st. I am not able to get to the museum today to see what the church record says. The marriage license for this pair is displayed below. The wedding took place at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells.

I believe Arthur and Bertha had 4 children, but only their first child was baptized at Immanuel, New Wells. I strongly suspect that the others were baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. When the 1910 census was taken, the Schuppan’s were living in Cape Girardeau where Arthur was the proprietor of a saw mill. Their first son is included in the household.

Arthur had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. His address is given as Cape Girardeau, and I think it says he was a manufacturer and farmer.

Next, we find the Schuppan household in the 1920 census with 4 sons. Arthur is called a manufacturer of lawn swings.

The Schuppan’s made a move sometime during the next decade. When the 1930 census was taken, they were living in St. Louis. Arthur was the proprietor of an automobile tire shop. Only the oldest child is called a son. The others are called nephews for some unknown reason.

The 1940 census displays Arthur and Bertha in a household with 2 lodgers. Arthur was a salesman of automobile parts.

Arthur had his World War II draft card completed when the United States joined that war.

Both Art and Bert were still living in 1950, but I was unable to find them in that year’s census. Both of them died during the year, 1964. First, Arthur died in February of that year at the age of 80. His death certificate states that he died while he was a patient at the Lutheran Hospital in St. Louis. There is a death record for him in the books of Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells.

Bertha Schuppan died in September of that year at the age of 79. She died while a patient at the St. Louis State Hospital. The address for both Arthur and Bertha given on their death certificates is in the neighborhood near Holy Cross Lutheran Church. Bertha also has a death record in the Immanuel, New Wells books.

Both Arthur and Bertha are buried in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in New Wells.

So, you can see that both Art and Bert returned to the place of their birth and baptism to be buried.