First, let me explain the title. Most of the time, Rudi is a first name, usually a short form of the name, Rudolph. Not so in today’s tale. Additionally, summers is usually the plural form or summer, which is one of the seasons of the year. Not so today. Rudi is a surname, and Summers is also. You will read the story of a Rudi bride marrying a Summers groom.

Olivia Rudi was not born or baptized in any of our local churches. She never shows up in a local census entry. Yet, she is found in our German Family Tree. There is just one lonely church record found for Olivia Rudi. She was confirmed in Wittenberg. How did this happen? The answer is that her father was a pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wittenberg for just 3 short years, from 1911-1913. That explains why she is not found in a local census. However, in 1912, Olivia was confirmed and is therefore found in our German Family Tree. I found her there by doing a search for anyone born on August 5, 1898, 125 years ago.

As just stated, Olivia Theresa Rudi was born 125 years ago on today’s date. She was the daughter of Francis and Minnie (Graul) Rudi. In a previous post about one of Olivia’s brothers, Milton, I discussed the early years of the lives of Olivia’s parents. You can read about them in the post, Dentist, Doctor, Druggist, and Chaplain. That post says that Rev. Francis Rudi became a pastor in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1896. It was there that Olivia was born, the first child born to her parents. Pastor Rudi did not remain in Wichita Falls very long, but the Rudi family is found living there when the 1900 census was taken. Olivia was just one year old and had a younger brother who was just a baby. Also in their household was a boarder named Adolph Oberhaus, who was another minister. Pastor Rudi was serving 8 preaching stations in that area of Texas. Rev Oberhaus was likely working with him in that daunting task.

Rev. Rudi moved his family to St. Louis in 1901, and for a while, left the ministry to work as a druggist. That move may have been motivated by his desire to help his wife’s father, himself a medical doctor, deal with his own illness. Minnie’s father died in 1904. Francis Rudi then became involved in the druggist business with his brother-in-law. We see the combined Graul/Rudi household in St. Louis in the 1910 census. Olivia was 11 years old.

I do not know what went on behind the scenes, but somehow, Francis Rudi was talked into becoming a Lutheran pastor again. In 1911, he became the preacher at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wittenberg. It was during his short stint at that congregation that Olivia was confirmed in 1912. Her confirmation record from that congregation’s books is displayed below.

Pastor Rudi once again moved to St. Louis after his service in Wittenberg. When the 1920 census was taken, we find Francis back to being a druggist. Olivia was a 21 year-old auditor for an insurance company.

Now, we will take a look at the man who would become Olivia’s husband. His name was James Lawrence Summers, who was born on May 8, 1898. He was sometimes called James and sometime Lawrence on documents. I will us Lawrence. He was the son of William and Karen (Kruse) Summers. He was born in the Union Township of Webster County, Missouri, not far from Springfield. In the 1900 census, we discover that his father was a medical doctor. Lawrence was 2 years old at the time. Included in the Summers household was a man named S.S. Glines who was a schoolteacher.

Next, we find Lawrence in the 1910 census at the age of 11. He was still living in a Union Township, but in Laclede County, Missouri. The census page says he was living in the Conway Village, also not far from Springfield.

In 1918, we find that Lawrence was graduating from St. John’s Lutheran College in Winfield, Kansas. Information about him and his photograph are found in that year’s yearbook. He is described as a well-rounded student with many interests.

Apparently, Lawrence was attending St. John’s, Winfield to begin his preparations to become a Lutheran pastor. Later, in September of 1918, he had his World War I draft registration completed. It says he was a student at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis.

Before I move on with Lawrence’s life, let me point out that his father, Dr. William Summers, served his country during World War I in the Medical Corps. He is pictured below in his military uniform.

I am thinking that Lawrence was still attending Concordia Seminary in 1920, but he is found in the census for that year living with his parents in Springfield, Missouri. Lawrence, at the age of 21, was not given an occupation.

Lawrence Summers married Olivia Rudi sometime in 1923. I was unable to determine an exact date for the wedding. Based on later census entries, Lawrence and Olivia had just one child, a girl named Lillian. When we can look at the next census taken in 1930, we find the Summers family living in Hickory, North Carolina where Lawrence was a minister.

The 1940 census has the Summers household still living in Hickory, but this time Lawrence’s occupation is called “executive secretary” for “Lutheran Missouri”. I am thinking that he may have been in some sort of Missouri Synod executive position for that region of the country. The area around Hickory and Conover, North Carolina has a very noticeable Lutheran population. There was a very early Lutheran presence in that area, including a Lutheran seminary located in Conover.

Lawrence had a World War II draft card completed in 1942. It says he was employed by the Southeastern District Mission Board which had a Baltimore address.

A city directory for Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1944 shows the Summers family living in that city, and Lawrence is described as being an assistant pastor at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church. That church was established in 1931, and its name was later changed to Ascension Lutheran Church, which is what it is called now.

Olivia Summers died in 1949 at the age of 50. North Carolina is one of the states which enables us to look at death certificates. Olivia’s is shown here. It says she died while at the Appalachian Hall in Asheville, North Carolina, which was a hospital for people with mental illness.

I found this photo that is said to be Appalachian Hall in a Wikipedia article.

Rev. Summers is found as a widower living in Conover, North Carolina when the 1950 census was taken. He is once again called a Lutheran minister.

Rev. Lawrence Summers died in 1955 at the age of 57.

Lawrence and Olivia Summers are buried together in the Sharon Memorial Park in Charlotte, North Carolina.

This story has a slight connection to my family history. My father, Richard Schmidt, was born in 1913 and baptized at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wittenberg. I wondered if Rev. Francis Rudi was the pastor at St. Paul’s when he was baptized. My father’s baptism record is pictured here.

As you can see, the pastor’s name is not found on this record. However, I noticed that the handwriting in that church’s records changed in 1911 when Pastor Rudi arrived in Wittenberg. That handwriting continued in those records until August of 1913. I am convinced that the handwriting in my father’s baptism record is that of Rev. Francis Rudi, Olivia’s father.