A baby boy was born in Illinois on this date in 1893, so this man would be celebrating his 130th birthday if he was still alive. The boy, William Johann Pohnke, was the son of Johann and Emma (Petzolldt) Pohnke. He was the grandson of the brother of Friedrich Florian “The Face” Petzoldt, so he would qualify as the grandnephew of “The Face”. William’s mother, Emma, was first married to Franz Kieninger and had several children by that marriage, but after her first husband died in 1890, she married Johann Pohnke. It appears that this Pohnke couple resided in Jackson County, Illinois after their marriage. Even though William was born in Illinois, his baptism took place at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg. His baptism record shown below in 2 images states that Johann Pohnka was from Jackson County, Illinois. We can also note that it was about 2 months after William was born before his parents were able to bring him across the river to Perry County to be baptized.

Several events then took place in this family in 1895 when William was just 2 years old. First, another child was born to the Pohnka’s on October 13, 1895. On the same day, Emma died. She has a death record in the books of Immanuel, Altenburg which says she was buried in Illinois, even though there is an entry for Emma on Findagrave.com for the Immanuel Cemetery in Altenburg. The death record states that Emma died of a heart attack, but one has to think that her death had to have something to do with childbirth. The baby, a girl named Emma Alvine, was baptized on October 31, 1895 at Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob, Illinois. That baby only lived 8 months. The death record for this child is found in the books of Immanuel, Altenburg, and it says the child died of a heart attack. That record, like the one for her mother, says the child was buried in Illinois. There are no gravesites on Findagrave.com for any Pohnka’s in the Christ Lutheran Cemetery in Jacob.

Johann Pohnka married again in 1898. His second wife was Mina Brena. An Illinois marriage record for their wedding is displayed below. They were married in Jackson County, Illinois.

After all of these events that occurred in the first few years of William’s life, he finally shows up in his first census in 1900 at the age of 6. His father was a farmer in the Degognia Township in Jackson County, Illinois.

William was confirmed in 1906, and that confirmation record is found in the books of Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob, Illinois. The Pohnka family relocated not long after that. When the 1910 census was taken, we find them living in McCrory, Arkansas. William’s father was still farming. William was 16 years old.

Now, we will take a look at the early life of the woman who would become William’s wife. Her name was Mary Wright, who was born on October 21, 1891. At least, that is the birth date engraved on her tombstone. However, the Arkansas birth certificate below says she was born on October 22nd. This document gives her parents’ names as Eugene Wright and Janie Deason. Mary was born in West Point, Arkansas.

West Point and McCrory are not that far away from each other as seen on the map below.

I was unable to find Mary in the 1900 census. When the 1910 census was taken, Mary is found living in McCrory, Arkansas with her widowed mother and several siblings. She, along with her mother and some sisters were doing the farming. There was only one male in the family, a 7 year-old son.

William Pohnka married Mary Wright on March 27, 1912. We can look at an Arkansas marriage record for this wedding.

As near as I can figure, William and Mary had 4 children. When William had his World War I draft registration completed in 1917, it says he had a wife and 2 children. It also says he was born in Altenburg, cut I think that is incorrect.

I have every reason to believe that the Pohnka’s were living in McCrory when the 1920 census was taken, but I was unsuccessful at locating an entry for them. The 1930 census shows the Pohnka’s with 4 children. William is called a farmer. This is the only census record in which we see William as being born in Missouri.

We find William with a different occupation when the 1940 census was compiled. He was called a mail carrier for a rural route.

William had a World War II draft card completed in 1942. This document says William was born in Neunert, Illinois.

We can look at one more census entry for the Pohnka’s, the one taken in 1950. Only one daughter remained in their household.

In 1952, William and Mary applied for a divorce.

William married again in 1961. His second wife was Ruth Marlar. Below is this couple’s Arkansas marriage certificate.

Ruth’s later obituary gives plenty more details about her life history. By the way, the Halk Cemetery has no gravestone photo for Ruth on Findagrave.com.

Mary Pohnka, William’s first wife, died in 1978 at the age of 86; William Pohnka died in 1979 at the age of 87. These two, despite no longer being husband and wife, are each buried in the Woodman Cemetery in McCrory, Arkansas.

Both the Social Security death record below and the gravestone above for William say that he was born in 1892.

I think the baptism record found amongst all the Immanuel Lutheran baptism records for 1893 to be more convincing in support of an 1893 birth year.