I was 39 years old before I got married, and when I did, my wife had 3 children by a previous marriage. As that turned out, those were the only children in my household. Today you will read about a man who did not marry until he was 38 years old, yet he still managed to father 6 children, and in order to accomplish that, he was also married to two younger women of child-bearing age.

George Springer was born on September 15, 1842, so today he would be celebrating his 181st birthday. George was the son of Peter and Magdalena (Hoehn) Springer. According to our German Family Tree, he was the second of six children in his family. George was born in the Alsace-Lorraine region in Europe that has been part of Germany and part of France over the years. So, on some of his later census entries, it says he was born in France. George’s parents came to this country in 1847 aboard the ship, Titcomb. The passenger list that includes George is displayed below.

We find George in the 1850 census at the age of 8. His family was living in the Brazeau Township where his father was a farmer.

In the 1860 census, George was a teenager and working on his father’s farm.

When the Civil War broke out, George went off to serve in the Union Army. He was part of the 64th regiment and the 8th Regiment during his military service. Two documents for his service are shown below.

George is once again listed as working on his father’s farm and living in his household when the 1870 census was taken.

In the 1880 census, we no longer find George living with his parents. He was living in the Conrad Ochs household and working in Conrad’s sawmill in the Bois Brule Township.

It was later during 1880 that George got married for the first time. Let’s take a look at the woman who would become his first bride. Her name was Anna Catharina Muench, who was born on February 9, 1855, making her about 13 years younger that George. Catherine was the daughter of Peter and Magdalena (Schaefer) Muench. She was born in Germany. I found Catherine in just one census entry. We find this interesting entry in the 1880 census, not long before she would marry George Springer. She was living in the Peter G. Springer household in the Salem Township. Peter was George’s younger brother, and he was still single. One of Peter’s nephews, Charles Springer, was also living in this small household.

One might conclude that if there was a Springer/Muench wedding that took place in 1880, it might be one in which Peter Springer married his housekeeper, Catherine Muench, but that is not the case. Instead, she married George Springer on September 14, 1880, one day before George’s 38th birthday. But the story gets more interesting. You see, Peter G. Springer also got married on September 14, 1880. He would marry a woman named Louisa Seiler. I assume that this was a double wedding held at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg. Below are Perry County marriage records for this pair of Springer weddings.

George and Catharine had 2 children, each of which were baptized at the Cross Congregation located near Longtown. Then, Catherine died in 1887 at the age of 32. That means we never see George and Catherine in a census together. Catherine is reportedly buried in the cemetery of Cross Congregation, but there is no entry for her on Findagrave.com in that cemetery.

George Springer would get married again. His second wife was Mary Angermann, who was born on December 12, 1857. That means she was about 15 years younger than George. Mary was the daughter of George and Felicitas (Lang) Angermann. Mary was baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg, so I cannot display an image of that baptism record. Mary is found in her first census at the age of 2 living in the Saline Township. Her father was a farmer.

Mary’s father died in 1867, so when we see the Angermann’s in the 1870 census, her mother was the head of the household. The Angermann’s were then living in the Bois Brule Township.

Mary is found in the 1880 census when she was in her 20’s. Her older brother was doing the farming.

George Springer married Mary Angermann on March 4, 1889 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. We can take a look at the Missouri marriage license for this couple.

According to our German Family Tree, George and Mary had 4 children. The first 2 were baptized at Immanuel, Perryville, but the last 2, a set of twins, were baptized at Peace, Friedenberg. The twins were born in 1895. The photo shown here of the George Springer family must have been taken not long after they were born. The 2 girls in the back were from George’s first marriage.

When the 1900 census was taken, we see all 6 of the Springer children in the household. This time, George was a farmer in the Union Township.

Although I do not see any evidence in a census of George being in this business, this advertisement appeared in a booklet printed in 1895. It says this business was located in Longtown.

George Springer died in 1905 at the age of 62. Mary is still found in the 1910 census living with 4 daughters and her 85 year-old mother.

Mary is found in one more census entry. In the 1920 census, she is listed as a 63 year-old truck farmer. Two single daughters were still living with her.

Mary Springer died in 1924 at the age of 66. In her case, we are able to view her death certificate, which says she died of tuberculosis.

George and Mary Springer are each buried in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Longtown.

When George Springer lived, young men would normally get married around the age of 20. Nowadays, young people are often waiting longer before getting married. George certainly got married at an older age than most, but he still managed to have a household of 6 children, which is considered huge by today’s standards.