Today would be the 130th birthday of Martin Eugene Schamburg, who was born on January 16, 1894. Martin was the son of Traugott and Elizabeth (Hoeckel) Schamburg. Some folks spell his mother’s surname as Haeckel or Hackel. Martin was baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg, so we cannot view an image of his baptism record. We find him in his first census entry when the 1900 census was taken. He was 6 years old, but this entry is part of the Salem Township pages of that year’s census which are so difficult to read. His father was a farmer.

Martin was a teenager when the 1910 census was taken. He was assisting on the family farm. His father had died in 1904, so he is not found in this entry.

The 1915 plat maps for Perry County show the Schamburg farm being located near Crosstown.

Martin had his World War I draft registration completed when that war broke out.  This form says Martin’s employer was his mother.

Martin did get called into military service during that war, although it does not look as if he was sent overseas for active combat. Below is a record of his service.

Next, we find Martin in the 1920 census. He was still living with his mother, and he and his older brother, Leo, were doing the farming.

Now, we will turn our attention to the woman who would become Martin’s bride. Her name was Della Hilda Guemmer, who was born on September 12, 1905. Della was the daughter of Theodore and Rose (Hacker) Guemmer. She was also baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg where her grandfather, Rev. Henry Guemmer, was still the pastor. He must have performed her baptism. Here is a photo of Pastor Guemmer.

Della is found in her first census in 1910 at the age of 4. Her father was a farmer in the Salem Township.

The Guemmer family is next found in the 1920 census. Della was a teenager.

On November 17, 1926, Martin Schamburg married Della Guemmer at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg. We can view the Missouri marriage license for this couple.

Our German Family Tree lists just 2 children for this couple, both of which were baptized at Peace, Friedenberg. However, there is evidence that this pair had more children than that, possibly born too recently to make their way into our GFT. When the 1930 census was taken, we find the Schamburg’s with 2 children. Martin’s sister, Hedwig, was also living with them.

The 1940 census gives evidence that the Schamburg’s had more than 2 children. In this entry, we see 4 children listed.

Martin had his World War II draft card completed in 1942. It says he was a farmer in Crosstown.

We can view one more census that includes the Schamburg’s, the one taken in 1950. Martin was still farming in the Salem Township, and one more child had been born in the previous decade.

At a time when they were older, Martin and Della had this photograph taken.

Martin Schamburg died in 1978 at the age of 84; Della Schamburg died in 1993 at the age of 87. I think at a later time in life, Martin and Della moved to Perryville because they are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville.

All of the Schamburg children that are listed in the census entries shown above were daughters. That means the Schamburg surname came to an end in this branch of that family’s tree.