The post you will read today does not fit in the same mold with most other ones on this blog. Almost all of the characters who are discussed here begin their lives in this local area. Some remain here all their lives, and some relocate later. Today, the story is different. A couple begins their life elsewhere and remains there until quite late in their lives. These two make their way into the Christ Lutheran Church books in Jacob, Illinois when they were about 60 years old. Upon their death, their bodies were taken back to their previous home to be buried. So, this couple managed to make their way into our German Family Tree only in the sunset years of their lives, and they aren’t even buried around here.

We begin with a man by the name of Frank Joseph Klepzig, who was born on March 18, 1884. That makes today his 140th birthday. Frank was the son of Wilhelm and Antionette (Peters) Klepzig. He was born in Stewardson, Illinois, which is located in Shelby County. We do not have access to the church records, but I strongly suspect that Frank was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stewardson. Frank is found in the 1900 census at the age of 16. He was part of a rather large Klepzig family, and his father was a farmer in the Sigel Township, which is near Stewardson.

At an early time in his life, Frank’s family had the photo below taken. I don’t know for sure which one is Frank, but he was the 3rd oldest son in his family. My best guess is that Frank is the boy standing right behind his mother’s right shoulder, not in the back row.

Frank got married during the next decade, so we will now take a look at the woman who would become his wife. Her name was Mary Whitmire, who was born on April 19, 1885. She is called Maggie on the documents that I located. She was the daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Book) Whitmire. When she shows up in her first census entry, her family was living in Fairfield, Illinois, where her father was a farmer. She was 15 years old and the oldest child in her family.

It is only in Maggie’s later obituary, which I will not be able to show, that I found the marriage date for Frank Klepzig and Maggie Whitmire. They were married on February 24, 1907 in Stewardson. I have no idea how Frank and Maggie managed to become acquainted. I have to rely upon census entries and Ancestry.com family trees to determine facts about this pair’s family. They may have had as many as 11 children, all of which were born and raised in Stewardson. The 1910 census shows the Klepzig’s living in the Prairie Township, which is where Stewardson is located. They had just one child, and Frank was farming.

A 1914 set of plat maps for Shelby County, Illinois illustrates that Frank Klepzig’s farm was located near Stewardson. His older brother, John, had a farm adjacent to his.

Frank had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. He is given a Stewardson address and was called a farmer.

The 1920 census lists 7 children in Frank and Maggie’s family. Right above Frank’s family, you will see that of John Klepzig. Both of these Klepzig households had gotten quite large.

Another photo was taken of members of the Wilhelm Klepzig family later on. It’s your guess which ones are Frank and Maggie.

Next, we find the Klepzig household in the 1930 census. There were 8 children included. Two of his older sons were helping Frank on his farm.

Frank and Maggie were in their 50’s when the 1940 census was taken. Frank is not given an occupation in this entry. Just one teenage daughter remained living with them.

A change of location for the Klepzig’s took place during the next decade. In the 1950 census, we find this couple with an empty nest living in Grand Tower, Illinois. At the age of 66, Frank was called a common laborer working on the levy.

Frank’s occupation can be explained by the fact that in 1947, there was a flood that caused the levy in Grand Tower to break and cause a lot of damage. I found an article that described that flood.

The levy needed to be repaired after that flood, and Frank apparently helped with that work. Evidence indicates that Frank and Maggie remained in this area until they died.

Stewardson, Illinois must be a place similar to other small towns around here. It still is a place with plenty of German Lutherans. The Lutheran church in Stewardson has over 500 baptized members in a town with a population of about 700. I figure when Frank and Maggie arrived on the scene down in this area, they must have looked for a Lutheran church to attend. They found Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob. It is in that congregation’s books that we find their death records.

Frank Klepzig died in 1959 at the age of 75. His death record from the books of Christ, Jacob is displayed here.

A photograph of Maggie Klepzig was taken in 1975, showing her holding a grandchild.

Maggie died in 1978 at the age of 93. Her church death record can also be viewed.

Both Frank and Maggie’s bodies were returned to be buried together in the Stewardson Community Cemetery.

Only one more Klepzig is found in our German Family Tree. One of Frank and Maggie’s daughters, also named Maggie, is found in the Christ, Jacob books. She had a husband named Harold Ryder in a 1946 record. That would probably be the main reason that Frank and Maggie moved to this area. The flood would not have taken place until a year after that record was placed in the Christ, Jacob books.

Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Stewardson, Illinois is apparently a thriving place. I found this video on that congregation’s website which highlights some of the activities going on at their Lutheran school. It makes me wonder if any of the school children in the video still carry the name, Klepzig.