Today would be a very special birthday for Herman Scholl. He was born on July 20, 1848, so he would be 175 years old if he was still alive today. Herman was the son of Conrad and Elizabeth Scholl. I was not able to determine the maiden name of his mother. Herman was born in Germany and came to America prior to 1860. In the census for that year, Herman was 12 years old and his father was a stone mason in the Brazeau Township. He had 2 older brothers, Tobias and Conrad.

Two years later, Herman was confirmed in 1862 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. We find his name in the confirmation class listed in the image below.

Next, we find Herman in the 1870 census at the age of 21. He was the only child left living with his parents. This time, his father is called a farmer, and Herman was helping him.

Now, we will turn our attention to the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Alvina Maria Tanz, who was born on October 8, 1851. Alvina was the daughter of Herman and Justine (Haselbarth) Tanz. Her family came to America not long before Alvina was born, and they first settled in Wisconsin. Alvira was the only Tanz child who was born in Wisconsin. The older children were born in Germany, and later children were born in Missouri. The Tanz family must have been living in Perry County by 1856 because a child was baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown in 1856. We find the Tanz household living in the Brazeau Township in the 1860 census. Since this family’s church records are found in Grace, Uniontown’s books, they likely lived in the section of the Brazeau Township that become the Union Township later on. Alvina was 8 years old at the time. The surname is spelled Danz in this entry. Both of the words, tanz and danz, mean “dance” in German.

I was unable to locate the Tanz household in the 1870 census. Alvina had a father named Herman. She also had an older brother named Herman. Then she managed to marry a man named Herman. Herman Scholl married Alvina Tanz on April 29, 1873, so this past April this couple would have had their 150th wedding anniversary. These two were married at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown. We can view the church record for this wedding below.

We can also take a look at a civil record from Perry County for this pair.

According to our German Family Tree, this Scholl couple had 8 children. All but the last one were baptized at Trinity, Altenburg. Their last child, born in 1887, was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, indicating that this family moved to Cape Girardeau County just before that child was born. Then in 1889, Herman Scholl died from typhoid fever at the age of 41. He is reportedly buried in the old cemetery of Immanuel, New Wells, but there is no gravestone photo for him on Findagrave.com.

It is at this point that this story intersects with a few others that have previously shown up on this blog. Two posts have already mentioned Alvina Tanz. One was Schmidt and Scholl – Another “Sch-” Couple, and the other was Dancing with the Best. Alvina manages to get into so many posts partly due to the fact that she would get married 3 times. I am not sure when it occurred, but after Herman died, Alvina married Henry Suhr. When the 1900 census was taken, we find Henry and Alvina living in the Whitewater Township where Henry was a farmer. All of the children were from Henry’s previous marriage.

Henry Suhr died in 1903, so once again, Alvina became a widow. Then, in 1906, Alvina married for the third time. She found her last husband in a rather unusual way. One of her daughters had married a man named William Best. Alvina married William”s father, Charles Best. That marriage record is found in the books of Zion Lutheran Church in Pocahontas.

A photo of Charles Best is found in the binder we have for the Lutheran church in Arnsberg.

The Best’s are found in the 1910 census with just one son from Charles’s previous marriage. Charles was a farmer in the Apple Creek Township.

Next, we find Charles and Alvina in the 1920 census. A servant named Paul Wills was living with them.

Charles Best died in 1928, leaving Alvina as a widow for the third time. I did not locate Alvina in the 1930 census. Then, Alvina died in 1933 at the age of 82. Her death certificate shown below says she was born in Kansas, but I think that is incorrect. Almost all of her census entries say she was born in Wisconsin.

Alvina Best is buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Shawneetown.

I guess you could say that Alvina Tanz had 3 dance partners during her life. Perhaps if I decide to write the story of Henry Suhr’s life someday, Alvina may have to show up in yet another post on this blog.