On a couple occasions in the past, instead of writing the story of a man and a woman who get married and raise a family, I have written one about two siblings who spent most of their lives together without ever getting married. In some situations, the two unwed siblings were brothers; in others they were sisters. Today’s tale will demonstrate a pair made up of a brother and a sister. We begin with a birthday girl.

Bertha Mathilda Wachter was born on January 14, 1879, so today would be her 145th birthday. Mathilda, also called Tillie, was the daughter of William and Ernestine (Bodenschatz) Wachter, whose story was told in the post, Double Double-U. Here is a photo of Mathilda’s parents.

Mathilda, like others in this Wachter family, was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. Her baptism record is pictured here. She was child #4 in a family of 9 according to our German Family Tree. This record says she was born in 1878, but all other documentation says she was born in 1879. Perhaps the pastor was still in the habit of writing 1878 in January of 1879.

I normally track a man or a woman up to the point of their wedding before switching over to a spouse’s story, but since today’s pair never married and grew up together, I will switch to tell of Mathilda’s brother’s beginnings. The Wachter brother who never wed was an older brother. His name was Ernst Herman Gustav Wachter, who was born on October 30, 1874. We can also look at his baptism record from the books of Trinity, Altenburg. 

The first census entry for both Herman and Mathilda was the one taken in 1880. Herman was 5 years old, and Mathilda was just 1. Their father was a farmer in the Brazeau Township.

Next, we find the Wachter family in the 1900 census. Their household had gotten quite large and spills over 2 census pages. Herman and Tillie were each in their 20’s. I find it a little surprising that this entry says Tillie was “at school” at the age of 21. 

The 1910 census is the only one in which we find Herman and Mathilda in different census entries. Herman is found still living with his parents.

Mathilda is found living with her brother, Theodore, who was still single and farming in the Shawnee Township in Cape Girardeau County. A hired man by the name of Martin Eggers also lived in this household. I am guessing that Tillie was doing the housekeeping for the two single men. Later that year, Theodore would marry Thekla Degenhardt.

Herman Wachter had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. It said he was working on his father’s farm, however, it also says his right and left hips were out of place.

Herman and Mathilda’s mother died in 1919. When the 1920 census was taken, both Herman and Mathilda were living with their widowed father. Herman was helping his father farm, but Mathilda was reported to have no occupation. However, I have to think that she was doing the housekeeping for the two men in the household.

Herman and Mathilda’s father died in 1924, so when the 1930 census was taken, If you looked at this entry quickly without noticing the details, you might conclude that Herman and Mathilda were a married couple with no children, but upon closer look, Mathilda is called a sister. Herman and Mathilda were both in their 50’s by this time.

At some point in time, the children of William and Ernestine Wachter had a photo taken. It included both Herman and Mathilda, and it is the only photo that I located for this pair. Herman is seated in the front row, second from the right. Tillie is standing in the back, also second from the right.

The 1940 census once again shows Herman and Mathilda living in the same household, this time in their 60’s.

Mathilda Wachter died in 1944 at the age of 65. Her death certificate below states that she died of pancreatic cancer. This document confirms her birth as taking place in 1879.

Herman is still found in the 1950 census. At the age of 75, he was living by himself, and it says he was “working with chickens and chores”.

Herman died in 1957 at the age of 81. His death certificate says he died at the Lutheran Hospital in St. Louis. The address where he usually resided was just down the street from that hospital. I remember visiting my Great Aunt Clara when she lived at the Lutheran Altenheim and recall it was in that neighborhood. I think it is likely that Herman was also a resident at the Altenheim.

Both Herman and Mathilda Wachter are buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Altenburg. Mathilda’s gravestone also confirms an 1879 year of birth.

As I think of this pair of siblings that remained single all their lives, I cannot help but think how they must have had many similarities to a married couple, except without the romance. One did the farming; one did the housekeeping. They likely attended church together, probably sharing the same pew. They probably attended family gatherings together. They might have even done some shopping as a pair. They must have had to learn how to tolerate each other’s differences, but also must have had their differences of opinions. Yet it looks as if they remained faithful to each other throughout a lot of years of living with each other.