I am calling today’s bride and groom a VW team just because it was made up of a Villhard and a Wagner. Their surnames are both found way at the end of our German Family Tree because, as you might expect, it is organized alphabetically. I will begin with the “W” name, Wagner because the groom is today’s birthday boy.

Albert Edward Wagner was born on March 3, 1875, making today his 174th birthday. Next year will be his special 175th birthday. It took me a while to settle on what name to call him in this post because documents are so inconsistent. Some call him Edward, some Albert, some as Albert E., and some A.E. I settled on Albert because that is what is inscribed on his tombstone. Albert was the son of Johann and Kunigunde (Fassold) Wagner. He was a firstborn child and was baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg, so I am unable to display his baptism record. Albert shows up in the 1880 census at the age of 5. He is called Edward in this entry. His father was a blacksmith in the Central Township.

In 1882, the Cross Congregation, sometimes called Holy Cross, was established not far from Longtown, and the Wagner family became members of that church. The congregation did not last long, but it was the place where Albert was confirmed. And now, some of that church’s records have made their way into the Ancestry.com database, and I am able to display Albert’s confirmation record here. He was in the confirmation class of 1891. At the age of 16, Albert was the oldest member of that class. You can see Albert’s younger brother, Richard, in this list of confirmands.

The only other census entry in which we find Albert as unmarried is the one taken in 1900. He was no longer living with his family. His father had died in 1887, so if he was still living with his family, his widowed mother would have been the head of the household. Albert was living in the household of Louis Lintner in 1900 and was called a servant, even though I would expect him to be a farm laborer.

Now, it is time to look at the early history of the woman who would become Albert’s wife. Her name was Emilie Elizabeth Villhard, who was born on May 29, 1882. There is some debate about the spelling of Emilie’s surname. Some places use Villhard and others spell it Villhardt. I settled on Villhard because that is how it is spelled on Emilie’s father’s gravestone. Emilie was the daughter of Adam and Elizabeth (Sittner) Villhard. Like Albert, Emilie was a firstborn child. She was also baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg. Because Emilie was born after the 1880 census, the only census entry in which we could find her before she got married was the 1900 census, but for some reason, I was unable to locate her in that year’s enumeration.

I am able to display a photo of the Villhard family. Emilie is standing in the back in the middle.

Albert Wagner married Emilie Villhard on April 18, 1909 at Peace, Friedenberg. We can view the Missouri marriage license for this couple.

In the 1910 census, we see this couple with a young baby and several other members of the Wagner family. We find Albert’s mother, as well as a sister and 2 brothers. For an occupation, it says Albert was saw milling. It looks like his brother, Henry, was helping him with his saw mill.

Albert had his World War I draft registration completed when that war broke out. It said he was a farmer and thresher and is given a Menfro address.

The 1920 census lists the Wagner’s with 2 sons and his brother, Fritz. These two sons are the only ones listed in our GFT for Albert and Emilie. Fritz would have been the Richard Friedrich Wagner, who was part of the earlier displayed confirmation class. I found no evidence that Fritz ever married. Albert was back to farming, along with his brother.

When the 1930 census was taken, we once again find the same characters in the Wagner household. Their oldest son was helping with the farming by this time.

Albert’s brother, Fritz (or Richard), died in 1930, the same year as the above census. Next, we find the Wagner’s in the 1940 census. One son was helping with the farming, and the younger son was working at the shoe factory in Perryville.

The final census we can view is the 1950 census. Albert and Emilie had an empty nest, and no occupations were given for either of them.

Albert Wagner died in 1955 at the age of 79. His death certificate indicates that he was buried in the Dry Fork Cemetery. That is another name for the cemetery associated with Cross Congregation in Longtown where Albert was confirmed. By the time of Albert’s death, that congregation had been closed for quite some time.

Albert and his brother, Richard, are buried together in the Dry Fork or Cross Cemetery.

Emilie Wagner died in 1963 at the age of 80. We can also view her death certificate.

Emilie Wagner is buried in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville. Her name is given as Emelia on her gravestone, even though her name is written as Emilie on her death certificate.

Now, you know the story of the VW pair. In many ways, it is a typical story for this blog. A bride and a groom who were baptized at the same congregation and probably living in the same neighborhood get married. The man mostly farms for a living while raising a family. There are some variations, though. Albert was confirmed at an off-shoot congregation. He also spent some time in the business of saw milling. And it is not often that you see a husband and wife being buried in different cemeteries. It is even more uncommon that a husband gets buried with his unmarried brother.