I have written a bunch of stories involving people with the name, Stueve. The number of posts written about a surname that has a slightly different name, Stueven, is considerably smaller. I did a search on this blog for posts that included the name, Stueve, and stopped counting the number of results after getting to 50. When I did a search for stories mentioning the name, Stueven, there were only 4 results. After today’s post, that number will go up to 5. Not only that, but today’s character with the Stueven name is likely one of the pioneer Stueven’s to arrive in this area that are included in our German Family Tree.

Heinrich Stueven was born on November 14, 1853 in Germany, so today would be his 170th birthday. I was only able to identify Henry’s father as being Claus Stueven. I do not know his mother’s name. Henry and his father, Claus, came to this country in 1868 aboard the ship, Constantia. We find these two names on the passenger list for that ship shown below.

Despite the fact that Claus and Henry came to this country before 1870, I was unsuccessful at locating them in that year’s census. Since Henry would get married before the 1880 census, I will now discuss the early life of the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Anna Hollmann, who was born on November 4, 1859. Like Henry, Anna was born in Germany. She was the daughter of Friedrich and Anna (Rathjen) Hollmann. The Hollmann family came to this country with a bunch of others who ended up settling in this area, aboard the ship, Carl, in 1866. They are seen on the Carl’s passenger list here.

When the 1870 census was taken, we find the Hollmann’s living in the Brazeau Township in Perry County, Missouri. Anna was 11 years old, and her father was working on a farm.

Henry Stueven married Anna Hollmann on December 6, 1877. According to the Illinois marriage record shown below, this couple was married in Jackson County, Illinois. That is where Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob is located, but that congregation was just being established at about that time. This couple’s marriage record is not included in that congregation’s books. Some family trees on Ancestry.com say this wedding took place in Murphysboro, which is also located in Jackson County.

When the Stueven couple began having children in 1879, and continuing through all of their children, the baptisms took place at Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob. This couple has 10 children listed in our German Family Tree. In the 1880 census, we see just the first child in the Stueven household. They were living in the Fountain Bluff Township where Henry was farming.

All but one of the Stueven children were born before the 1900 census was taken. There were 7 children in this census entry. Henry was still a farmer, but the oldest living son, Samuel, was helping him with the farm work.

The last of the Stueven children was born in 1901. The 1910 census indicates that several of the children had moved on, and only 4 of them remained living with Henry and Anna. In addition, Anna’s mother, who was also named Anna, was living with them.

The above census entry turned out to be the last one in which we find Anna Stueven. She died in 1912 at the age of 52. Her death record in the Christ, Jacob books says she died of stomach cancer. In the 1920 census, the widower, Henry, who was then 68 years old, was living in Murphysboro with his daughter, Emma, who had married Charles King. Two of Henry’s children were also living in that King household. Charles was a coal miner, and Henry no longer had an occupation.

Next, we find Henry in the 1930 census. This time he was living in another daughter’s household. Mathilda Stueven had married William Hartenberger, and that couple lived in St. Louis. William was a dealer in ice and coal.

Henry Stueven died in 1935 at the age of 81. An Illinois death record says he died in Murphysboro.

Both Anna and Henry Stueven are buried in the Christ Lutheran Cemetery in Jacob, Illinois. Anna died at a time when German was still the predominant language for gravestones in this cemetery. Henry died after the transition had been made to English.

With all of the Stueven children in the Henry and Anna Stueven family, I am guessing that more Stueven posts will show up on this blog in the future.