I will tell the tale of another Perry County man who made the decision to move to the big city of St. Louis where he spent most of his life. That man is today’s birthday boy. Gustav Theodor Schamburg was born on July 7, 1881, so if he was still alive, he would have to blow out 142 candles on his birthday cake. Theodore was the firstborn child of Adolph and Magdalena (Gaebler) Schamburg. There would eventually be 9 children born to that couple. Evidence points to Theodore being born in Wittenberg. His baptism record is found in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg, but he may have been one of those children who was baptized in the church/school building located in Wittenberg. I am still out of town, so I cannot display his baptism record.

When someone is born in the early 1880’s, because the 1890 census was destroyed in a fire, we cannot find that person in a U.S. census entry until the one taken in 1900. By then, those individuals are well into their teenage years. In the case of Theodore Schamburg, we do not find him in a census until he is almost 20 years old. By that time, he was no longer living with his parents. In 1900, his father was a cooper living in Wittenberg. I think it is likely that he worked at the flour mill in that river town. However, Theodore is found living as a farm hand on the Bernhard Palisch farm in 1900.

At some point in time in the early years of the 20th century, Theodore moved to St. Louis. It was there that he got married. Since that marriage took place before the next census, let’s take a look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Emma Kammermann, who was born on October 12, 1880. Emma was the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Hoffstitter) Kammerman. She was born in Switzerland. According to later census entries, Emma came to this country in the mid-1880’s. When the 1900 census was taken, we find her living in St. Louis where she was working as a seamstress. She, along with her mother, then a widow, and another single sister, were living in the household of another sister, who was married to Charles Trochser, although I think his name was Trachsel. Charles was a teamster. Emma was 20 years old at the time.

I figure that Theodore Schamburg had moved to St. Louis and then met Emma. I was unable to determine exactly when Theodore married Emma, but we do know that this couple had their only child in 1908. The 1910 census shows the Schamburg family with their young son, along with Adolph Schamburg, one of Theodore’s younger brothers. Theodore was a teamster for a wholesale groceries business, and Adolph was working at a flour mill.

In 1918, Theodore had a World War I draft registration completed. His occupation is still listed as a teamster, but his employer was the Brown Shoe Company.

The 1920 census shows an interesting Schamburg household. Along with Theodore, Emma, and their son, was another Shamburg couple and their young daughter. Theodore’s brother, Adolph, had married Elsie Trachsel, who was Emma’s niece. Elsie is called Theodore’s sister-in-law because she was the wife of his brother, but Elsie was also Emma’s niece. They also had a daughter named Jane who is called Theodore’s niece, but Jane would also have been Emma’s niece’s daughter. Do you call that a niece once-removed? Theodore was the foreman of a laundry business, and Adolph was a locomotive engineer for the railroad.

The Schamburg family is next found in the 1930 census. It consisted of just Theodore, Emma, and their son, Russell. Theodore had the same occupation as before, but Russell had now entered the work force. He was called a press feeder for a printing company.

The 1940 census shows Theodore and Emma having two lodgers in their house. Theodore had an entirely different occupation. It says he was the manager of a restaurant. The restaurant must have been a family business because Emma was also working as a cashier at a restaurant.

Theodore had a World War II draft card completed in 1942 even though he was already 60 years old. This form tells us that their restaurant was named after them, the Schamburg Restaurant.

The last census entry we can view for the Schamburg’s was the one taken in 1950. Perhaps their restaurant was not successful because now Theodore, at the age of 68, was working as a packer for a wholesale mercantile company. Right under their entry, you will see that of their son, Russell, who had married Eva Uram, and now that couple had 2 children of their own. Russell was a railroad switchman.

Both Theodore and Emma died in 1957. Theodore died in June at the age of 75. His death certificate has yet another occupation listed. He was called a watchman.

Emma Schamburg died in November of that year at the age of 77. Her death certificate says that she died at a Christian Home in University City.

Theodore and Emma Schamburg are buried together in the New St. Marcus Cemetery in St. Louis.

It appears that Theodore Schamburg’s move to St. Louis would also impact at least one other member of his family. I have to think that his brother, Adolph, was attracted to that big city at least partly by the fact that his big brother lived there. And then, Adolph found his bride in the Kammermann family tree.