The surname, Wilkens, has not appeared on this blog before. When this post ends, there will still be some unanswered questions. It is a story that begins in the Apple Creek Township of northern Cape Girardeau County.

Alvine Kayser was born on November 19, 1873, making today her 150th birthday. What little we do have in our GFT gives her surname as Kaiser. Alvine was the daughter of Wilhelm and Sophia (Schade) Kayser. I found no connection between Alvine’s mother and other Schade’s in this vicinity. Alvine’s parents had been married in Cape Girardeau County by a justice of the peace in 1864 according to the marriage record below.

I expected to find Kayser (or Kaiser) church records to be found in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim, but instead I found that this Kayser family was involved in the Arnsberg Lutheran Church which was located not far from Friedheim. I located this page of information for the Kayser family in the Arnsberg binder we have in our museum.

Alvine is found in only one census as being single. The 1880 census shows the Kayser family living in the Apple Creek Township. Alvine was 6 years old, and her father was a farmer.

Since Alvine would get married before the next census we can view, we will now take a look at the man who would become her husband. His name was Heinrich Wilhelm Wilkens, who was born on December 3, 1874. According to his later death certificate, he was the son of Frances and Anna (Klaus) Wilkens. Henry’s mother was from the Klaus family that has been discussed on this blog before. That Klaus family had a store in Friedheim before moving to Farrar and operating a store there. That same death certificate says that Henry was born in St. Louis. When he was just 5 years old, he and his mother were living in the Henry Klaus family in the Apple Creek Township. In the same household were Anna Wilkens’s parents. I figure either Henry’s father had died or his parents had gotten a divorce. The 1880 census does not have a column for marital status.

Henry Wilkens married Alvine Kayser on November 5, 1899. I think the Arnsberg Lutheran Church was no longer active, so this wedding took place at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. We can look at the church marriage record for this event below. This document says Alvine was from Arnsberg, and Henry was from Shawneetown.

We can also take a look at the Missouri marriage license for this pair.

According to our German Family Tree, this Wilkens couple had 9 children. The first 5 were baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. The remaining ones were baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Shawneetown. No children had been born yet when the 1900 census was taken. Henry and Alvine were living with Henry’s mother, who was called a farmer.

Next, we find the Wilkens household in the 1910 census with 4 children. Henry’s mother was still living with them.

Henry had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. It calls him a farmer in Shawneetown.

The 1920 census lists 7 children in the Wilkens family. Henry was still farming, but his oldest son, Edwin, was called a garage mechanic. Perhaps if his father had any issues with his internal combustion tractor, Edwin could help him solve his problems.

The Wilkens household is next found in the 1930 census. Two older sons were helping Henry on his farm. A boarder named Ernst Kutscher was a mechanic at a machine shop.

The 1940 census does not list an occupation for Henry, but his son, Rudolph, was farming.

One more census entry can be viewed for the Wilkens family, the one taken in 1950. Henry and Alvine were both in their 70’s.

Henry Wilkens died later that year in 1950 at the age of 75. His death certificate below is the document on which we find a few facts about Henry that we do not find elsewhere.

Alvine Wilkens died in 1951 at the age of 77. Pneumonia is given as her cause of death on the document below.

Henry and Alvine Wilkens are each buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Shawneetown.

I am left with several unanswered questions concerning this story. First of all, there is so much uncertainty about the history of the Wilkens family tree. What happened to Henry’s father? When did the Wilkens family arrive in America? There is also the question about how to spell Alvine’s surname, Kayser or Kaiser? I found that surname in the Trinity, Friedheim books spelled each way for not only members of Alvine’s family. Almost all the records for Alvine during her life had her maiden name spelled Kayser, including her death certificate. Yet, when you look at the baptism records found in the Trinity, Shawneetown books, you will see that Alvine’s maiden name was spelled as Kaiser. I have even developed the thought that there were two separate families, the Kaiser’s and the Kayser’s. Perhaps one of our readers can answer these questions.