During my teaching career, I crossed paths with Lutheran teachers with the names Leimer and Pfeiffer. Not that long ago, Clete Pferffer, a retired principal from Minnesota, visited our museum, and I know he can trace his lineage back to the Shawnee Township. I also know that there was a district education executive from Missouri that came out of the Pocahontas Leimer family tree. Today, you will read the story of a married couple made up of a Leimer groom and a Pfeiffer bride.

Theodore Herman Leimer was born on January 19, 1884, thus qualifying him to be called today’s birthday boy. If he was still alive, he would have to blow out 140 candles on his fiery birthday cake. I doubt if someone could light that many candles before some of them were just melted wax in the frosting. Theodore was the son of John and Emilie (Petzoldt) Leimer. I would like to point out that John Leimer was just one of 3 Leimer’s in the same family who married 3 Petzoldt siblings. All of these Petzoldt’s descended from Friedrich Florian “The Face” Petzoldt’s brother, August Petzoldt. So, Theodore’s mother was a niece of “The Face”. Theodore was baptized at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pocahontas. In a binder we have for St. John’s in our research library, we find this information about Theodore.

Theodore is found in his first census in 1900 at the age of 16. His father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township. Theodore is called a mail carrier.

That entry would be the only one in which Theodore is found as an unmarried person. So, we will turn our attention to the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Bertha Alwine Pfeiffer, who was born on December 4, 1888. Bertha was the daughter of Herman and Louise (Klaus) Pfeiffer. She was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. Her baptism record from that congregation’s books is pictured here.

Bertha is found in the 1900 census in which we find her father called a farmer. Bertha is said to be 14 years old and born in March of 1885, but that information does not correspond to the data included in our German Family Tree.

Theodore Leimer married Bertha Pfeiffer on September 20 1908. The wedding took place at Bertha’s church, Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. The church record for this wedding is shown here.

We are also able to view the Missouri marriage license for this pair.

Our German Family Tree lists 8 children born to Theodore and Bertha, all of which were baptized at Theodore’s church, St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pocahontas. The 1910 census shows this couple with their first child. Theodore was a blacksmith in the Shawnee Township.

Theodore had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918.  It said that he was a blacksmith who was part of a business located in Fruitland called the Leimer Brothers. Fruitland is located just down the road from Pocahontas.

When Theodore was quite young, he was part of a town band called the Jolley Boys. This photo of the Jolley Boys Band has appeared on this blog before. The caption will lead you to which one in Theodore.

The 1920 census shows the Leimer’s living in Fruitland, and it repeats the fact that Theodore was working as a blacksmith. The Leimer household had gotten much larger, with 7 children.

The 1930 census shows the Leimer’s living back in the Pocahontas area. Theodore was then called a farmer. His oldest son was a teacher in a public school.

In the same year as the above census, plat maps were produced for Cape Girardeau County. We find the Theo. Leimer farm located just north of Pocahontas. 

Next, we find the Leimer’s in the 1940 census. Theodore was still farming, with the help of a few of his sons. Another son, a different one from before, was a teacher in a rural school.

Theodore had his World War II draft card completed in 1942. It said that Theodore was a farmer with a Pocahontas address.

One more census can be viewed for the Leimer couple, the one taken in 1950. Just one son remained in the Leimer household.

Bertha Leimer died in 1952 at the age of 63. Her death certificate below says she died of a cerebral hemorrhage. 

Theodore Leimer died on Reformation Day in 1969 at the age of 85. According to his death certificate shown here, he died at the Cape La Croix Manor in Cape Girardeau. This form mentions both blacksmithing and farming as his usual occupations.

Theodore and Bertha Leimer are buried together in the St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery in Pocahontas.

There were plenty of Leimer descendants who came out of the Pocahontas vicinity because there were several Leimer’s such as Theodore, who had plenty of sons. I also know that there are Pfeiffer descendants out there that continue to carry that surname. I am pretty sure that some of these Leimer and Pfeiffer descendants spent some time wandering around the hallways of Lutheran schools around our country.