Today’s story is a blend between a Brandes and a Bronnenkant. The highlighted couple would be celebrating their 130th wedding anniversary today. I will begin with the Brandes groom.

Gustav Friedrich Wilhelm Brandes was born on August 2, 1861, the son of Heinrich and Amalie (Leskiehn) Brandes. Gustav was the firstborn child in this Brandes family which eventually had 6 total children. Starting with their 3rd child in 1865, their children were baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown. The 2nd child, born in 1863, has no baptism record in any local churches. Gustav may or may not be the child listed in this baptism record found in the books of Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar. It lists the correct parents, but gives no name for the baby that was baptized, and it says the child was born in 1860, with no exact date.

Gustav is found in his first census entry in 1870 at the age of 8. His father was a farmer in the Cinque Hommes Township.

I was unsuccessful at finding Gustav in the 1880 census. I did find his parents in the long-lost pages of the Union Township 1880 census, but Gustav apparently was no longer living with them. Since Gustav would get married before the next census we can view, we will now take a look at the bride in today’s couple.

Marie Ernestine Ottilie Bronnenkant was born on October 20, 1871, so I guess I could have also written this story tomorrow and called Mary the birthday girl. She was the daughter of Gabriel and Emma (Moeckel) Bronnenkant. Mary was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. An image of her baptism record is displayed below.

Mary is found in her only census as a single person in 1880 at the age of 7. Her father was a farmer in the Union Township. I find it fascinating that Mary’s older sister, Julia, at the age of 10, was said to be farming. It is even amazing that her older brother, Martin, was farming at the age of 11.

Gustav Brandes married Mary Bronnenkant on October 19, 1893, so, as said before, today would be their 130th anniversary. The wedding took place at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. The church record for this event is pictured here.

The Missouri marriage license for this couple can also be viewed.

According to our German Family Tree, Gustav and Mary had 6 children. The first 4 were baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown. When the 1900 census was taken, we find the Brandes’s with 3 children. Gustav was a farmer in the Union Township.

Another child was born later in 1900, and then the last two children were baptized at Zion Lutheran Church in Crosstown when they were born. Prior to 1909, Gustav and Mary moved their family to the Fountain Bluff Township in Jackson County, Illinois. A record in the books of Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob, Illinois says Gustav became a voting member of that congregation in 1909. The 1910 census entry for the Brandes family shows them living in the Fountain Bluff Township. Gustav was a harness maker. There were 6 children in their family.

Next, we find the Brandes household in the 1920 census. Only 3 children were still living with Gustav and Mary. Mary’s younger sister, Martha, was also living with them. She was in her 40’s and still single. This time, Gustav was back to being a farmer.

The 1930 census shows only 1 single son living with Gustav and Mary. Gustav was still farming at the age of 68.

The last census entry in which we find the Brandes couple is the one taken in 1940. Oscar was still the only son living with his parents.

Mary Brandes died in 1945 at the age of 73. I found this short obituary for her on her Findagrave.com entry.

Gustav Brandes died 3 years later in 1948 at the age of 87. His obituary is considerably longer.

Gustav and Mary Brandes are buried together in the Christ Lutheran Cemetery in Jacob.

Today’s Brandes/Bronnenkant couple is yet another example of a Perry County, Missouri family that made the move across the Mississippi River to Jackson County, Illinois where they remained the rest of their lives.