Many lifelong Missourians are familiar with the name, Kit Bond, who was a two-time governor of our state and a 4-term U.S. Senator. Today, you will be reading the story of Kit Bond’s grandparents because today would be a special wedding anniversary for that couple. I will begin by discussing his grandpa.

Samuel Bond was born on December 19, 1873, the son of George and Catherine (Bogy) Bond. Below are photos of Samuel’s parents.

Samuel was born in Ste. Genevieve County and shows up in his first census in 1880 at the age of 6. He was part of a very large Bond family, and his father was a retail merchant in the Saint Mary Township. A few of Samuel’s older brothers were clerks in their father’s store as teenagers.

We cannot view the 1890 census, and Samuel got married before 1900, so we will now look at the woman who became his bride. Her name was Ida Martha Doerr, who was born on January 2, 1880. She was the daughter of Louis and Rosa (Pfeiffer) Doerr. Ida was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville.

Ida barely makes it into the 1880 census as an infant. If she was not found in that year’s census, we would not have been able to see her in a census entry until after she was married. Her father was a merchant in Perryville. 

In the Goodspeed’s History of Southeast Missouri, it says that Louis Doerr at one time was a clerk in a store in Ste. Genevieve County. Perhaps he at one time had worked with Samuel Bond’s father, and that may have led to Samuel getting to know Louis Doerr’s daughter. The Louis Doerr Store was located on the courthouse square in Perryville.

Samuel Bond married Ida Doerr on January 30, 1899 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. That makes today the 125th anniversary for this couple. A transcription of their church marriage record is pictured here.

We can also view this pair’s Missouri marriage license below.

In the 1900 census, we find this young Bond couple with an infant child. They were living with Ida’s parents in Perryville. The infant, Samuel Bond, Jr., is described as a grandson of the Doerr’s. Another grandson named Louis Brown was included in this household, along with a servant named Lena Ochs. Samuel was a lawyer. 

Two other previous posts on this blog can provide some more background to today’s tale. The post, Governor’s Great Grandpa, told the story of Samuel’s parents. Also, the post, Death of a Doughboy, explains how a grandson with the surname, Brown, entered this family.

Next, we find the Bond’s in the 1910 census. There were 3 children in their household, and Samuel continued as a lawyer.

Our German Family Tree lists 4 children born to Samuel and Ida, but one of them died before he was baptized. The Immanuel Lutheran books contain three Bond baptisms as seen in the image below.

Samuel Bond had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. 

The Bond’s oldest son, Samuel, Jr., can be seen in his high school yearbook picture shown below. 

Based on the caption in the above photo, it is surprising that he became a teacher, and he entered East Perry County in his early teaching career. He is listed as a teacher at the Wittenberg Public School for the school year, 1919-1920.

Then, when the 1920 census was taken, we find the following Bond household which shows that Samuel, Jr. had once again moved back to Perryville to live with his parents, and he is still called a teacher.

The young teacher, Samuel, Jr., died in 1922 at the age of 23 as as result of tuberculosis. The other son of the Bond’s, Arthur, would also attend Perryville High School and then went on to attend the University of Missouri. He apparently was quite the athlete. He became the captain of the football team as a running back and also was a sprinter on the track team. I found these college photos of Arthur. The thumbnails are clickable.

Arthur was the father of Kit Bond, and I may have to write his amazing story someday. However, let’s return to Samuel and Ida. They are found in the 1930 census with just their daughter, Rosalind, and Ida’s father, Louis Doerr. Rosalind, like her older brother, had become a public school teacher.

I found this high school yearbook photo of Rosalind.

The last census in which we find Samuel Bond is the one taken in 1940. He and Ida had an empty nest, and Samuel was still an attorney at the age of 66.

Samuel Bond died in 1949 at the age of 75. His death certificate is pictured here.

Ida is found as a widow in the 1950 census. She was living with her daughter, Rosalind, who had married Joseph DeBolt. They were living in St. Louis.

Ida Bond died in 1959 at the age of 79. Her death certificate indicates that she died at the Bernard Nursing Home in St. Louis.

Samuel and Ida Bond are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville.

The way I have it figured, Samuel Bond became a Lutheran because he married Ida Doerr.  His children were all baptized as Lutherans, and he and his wife were buried in a Lutheran cemetery. 

Christopher “Kit” Bond was born in 1939 in Mexico, Missouri. He was 10 years old when his grandpa died in Perryville. I like to think that Kit was able to spend some time with his grandparents when he was a boy. In 1973, Kit Bond became the youngest governor in the history of Missouri. At the time of this writing, I believe Kit Bond is still alive and would be celebrating his 85th birthday this coming March. I’d like to think that someone who reads this post might inform Governor and Senator Bond and encourage him to read this article.