There is plenty to debate in today’s tale. The date of birth for one character can be debated. One surname is often misspelled. Another surname has two possible spellings. And while we’re at it, should a man named Carl Ferdinand be called Ferdinand or Charles?

It all begins with the birth of a girl named Anna Johanna Bienlien. Anna was born on August 2, 1842. Or was she? Our German Family Tree gives both an August 2nd and an August 4th date of birth for Anna. After looking at all the documents I located, I think she is a birthday girl today, August 2nd. Anna was the daughter of Johann and Margaretha (Billhorn) Bienlein. It is the Bienlein surname that gets spelled in a variety of ways on documents. The typical pronunciation of this surname would be “bean-line”. That pronunciation is what likely leads to the misspellings. Anna’s parents arrived in America in 1840 aboard the ship, Plato. Several other immigrants who settled in Perry County were also aboard that ship. We see the Bienlein names (spelled Benlein) on the passenger list below. There are two Anna’s on this list, neither of which are today’s birthday girl.

The Friedenberg Remembrances book has information about Anna’s birth, but it also states that her baptism record is found in the Grace Lutheran Church, Uniontown books. Two images of that baptism record are pictured here. This is where we find the August 4th date of birth for Anna.

Anna is found in the 1850 census at the age of 9, although I think she was only 8. Her father was a farmer in the Brazeau Township. The census taker spelled the name the way he heard it…Beanline.

Next, we find Anna in the 1860 census still living with her parents, even though she would get married during that year. This time, this household is found living in the Cinque Hommes Township. Anna is shown as being 17 years old. Their surname is spelled Beinline this time.

Now, we will take a look at the man who would become Anna’s husband. His name was Ferdinand Carl Sommer. Or was his surname Sommers…with an “s”. We will see this name spelled both ways on documents. I am going with Sommer because the two obituaries you will see later will spell their name this way. Also, our German Family Tree uses this spelling. Also, some documentation calls him Charles and some call him Ferdinand. I will use Ferdinand. He was born on September 10, 1834 in Germany. A later census entry says Ferdinand came to this country in 1852 when he was 18 years old. The names of his parents are unknown. Then, on July 1, 1855, Ferdinand married Emilie Schumann. I do not know much about Emilie. The marriage record for this wedding is found in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. It is shown here.

A civil marriage record from Perry County can also be viewed. Rev. Georg Schieferdecker was still the pastor at Trinity at that time.

A son named Carl Heinrich was born in 1856. That baby, along with Emilie, died in 1856. I immediately thought this was a case of Emilie dying in childbirth, but the baby was born in January and died in February. Emilie, however, died in October, and dysentery is given as the cause of death on her church death record.

The 1860 census shows Ferdinand living in the Brazeau Township in the Charles Metzner household. Charles was a carpenter, and Ferdinand was called a laborer.

Then, on August 21, 1860, Ferdinand Sommer married Anna Bienlein. That wedding took place at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg. We can take a look at a civil record of that event.

Another civil form for this wedding is a bit easier to read. Rev. Charles Theodore Gruber, who was the pastor of Peace, Friedenberg, performed this wedding.

Our German Family Tree lists 5 children born to Ferdinand and Anna. When the 1870 census was compiled, it says the Sommer family was living in Perryville where Ferdinand was a laborer. There were 4 children in their household.

A move must have been made by the Sommer’s during the next decade. In the 1880 census, we find them living in the Apple Creek Township in Cape Girardeau County. Ferdinand (called Charles F.) was a farmer. All 5 of their children can be seen in this entry.

We have to wait until 1900 to see the next census record. In that entry, Ferdinand and Anna almost had an empty nest. Fanny Angermann, a 70 year-old cousin of Ferdinand, was living with them. Ferdinand’s occupation column just says restaurant.

The last census in which we find Ferdinand was the one taken in 1910. We find just Ferdinand and Anna in this entry, and the occupation for Ferdinand says “own income”, which I think was another way of saying he was retired.

Ferdinand died in 1917 at the age of 82. We can take a look at his death certificate. It does not help us identify the names of his parents. This form gives him the name of Charles and uses the Sommers spelling of his surname.

An obituary was published in the Perry County Republican for Ferdinand. The heading uses the name, Ferdinand Sommer.

Anna was still alive in1920, but I was unable to find her in that year’s census. Anna died in 1923 at the age of 80. She has a death record in the books of Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. Her death certificate reconfirms her birth date as August 2, 1842.

We can also look at her obituary from the Perry County Republican. It also mentions an August 2nd birthday.

Ferdinand and Anna Sommer are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville.

After looking at all the documentation involved in this story, I have my own opinions about all the debatable issues I mentioned before. Perhaps you agree with me. Perhaps you do not.