Back in May of 2020, a post was written about Otto Friedrich Weber, who was born on October 27, 1891. That post was titled, Otto and Ida – Ridge Webers. That Otto Weber was baptized and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg. Today, you will read the story of another Otto Weber. What makes today’s character even more interesting is the fact that he was born just one year after Otto Friedrich Weber and also baptized at the same church.

Otto Herman Weber was born on December 1, 1892, making today his 131st birthday. Otto was the firstborn child of Albert and Emma (Jungclaus) Weber. He was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg. We can take a look at his baptism record below in 2 images.

Otto is found in the 1900 census at the age of 7. His father was a farmer in the Brazeau Township.

By the way, the two Otto Weber’s were confirmed at Immanuel, Altenburg in 2 consecutive years. It is somewhat likely that these two boys were in the same confirmation class when one was in his first year of confirmation and the other was in his second year. I took a photo of 2 consecutive pages that show both of these Otto Weber’s confirmation records.

Otto was no longer living with his parents when the 1910 census was taken. He was a 17 year-old hired man working on the Gotthilf Kaufmann farm.

Otto Weber had his World War I draft registration completed in 1917. He was not even living in Missouri anymore. He had moved across the river to Jacob, Illinois where he was employed by Emanuel Weber. Emanuel was another man who was born and raised in Altenburg, but had moved across the river to farm in Jackson County, Illinois. However, I did not find Emanuel in the immediate family with Otto. I did not take the time to wend my way through the Weber Web we find in our German Family Tree to figure out all the relationships between the Weber’s we find in this story.

When the 1920 census was taken, we find Otto still living in the Emanuel Weber household in the Fountain Bluff Township and working on that Weber farm.

Now, the time has come for us to look at the woman who would become Otto’s wife. Her name provides two brand new ones to be found on this blog. Her first name is quite unusual…Deniza. And her surname is a brand new one as well…Pulcher. Deniza Nora Pulcher was born on January 30, 1891. She was the daughter of George and Nora (Gardie) Pulcher. Deniza was apparently not baptized as a child. We will see later when she would be baptized. Deniza was born in Jackson Country, Illinois, but when she shows up in her first census in 1900, her family was living in South St. Paul, Minnesota. Her father is called a farm laborer. Deniza was 9 years old at the time.

Then, when the next census was taken in 1910, we find Deniza back living in Illinois. She was a servant in the household of A.L. Smith in Murphysboro. Deniza was 19 years old at the time.

On September 10, 1914, Deniza Pulcher married her first husband, Wilson Freeman. An Illinois marriage record gives a few details about that wedding.

This couple had one child, a boy named Gussie, born in 1915. However, in 1918, Wilson Freeman died at the age of 27. He is buried in the Camp Creek Cemetery in Oraville, Illinois, which is located north of Murphysboro.

When the 1920 census was taken, we discover that Deniza had once again traveled quite a distance. She is found living in the household of Frank Parnell, a saw mill operator in Cora, Idaho. Cora is located quite far north in that state in what appears to be a rather remote location. Deniza was a servant doing domestic work. Young Gussie was also in that household.

Otto Weber married Deniza (Pulcher) Freeman sometime around 1925. I suspect that Deniza had made her way back to Jackson County, Illinois prior to this wedding. I found no documentation for this event. I know a marriage record for this couple is not to be found in the books of Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob. What we do find in the books of Christ, Jacob is a record of Deniza being baptized and confirmed on the same day in 1926.

In 1928, a son was born to Otto and Deniza. That son was baptized at Christ, Jacob. When the 1930 census was taken, the Weber’s were living in the Fountain Bluff Township where Otto was a farmer. There are two sons listed, Ralph and Gussie. Both of them are given the age of 15, but that cannot be correct.

The 1940 census has the Weber’s still living in the same location. Gussie Freeman had gotten married to Ivy Revelle, and by this time, this young couple had a son named Eugene.

Otto had a World War II draft card completed in 1942. The Weber’s are given a Cora, Illinois address. Cora is located in the Degognia Township, north of the Fountain Bluff Township.

We can view one more census that includes Otto and Deniza, the one taken in 1950. The Weber’s are found in the Degognia Township, and Otto was still farming.

Deniza Weber died in 1957 at the age of 65. After her death, we find evidence that Otto moved back to Altenburg, Missouri. In 1961, Otto died at the age of 68. He died in Missouri, and we can view his death certificate. It says he was living in Altenburg. He died of prostate cancer.

Otto and Deniza Weber are buried in the Pleasant Grove Memorial Park in Murphysboro, Illinois.

I found the story of this second Otto Weber to be rather interesting, not so much because of Otto, but because of the woman who would become his wife. Deniza did not just have an unusual name. She lived what I would call an unusual life, at least compared to the lives of folks that normally appear on this blog. Born in Illinois. Moved to Minnesota. Moved back to Illinois and got married. Moved to Idaho as a widow. Moved back to Illinois to get married again. And what are the chances that a woman would end up living in two remote unincorporated places in two different states, both of which are called Cora?