Today’s post begins in St. Louis, then proceeds to Perry County, but the story mostly centers in a region of Nebraska near the towns of West Point and Scribner. A baby was born on April 30, 1899 to Adolph and Louisa (Marx) Moeslein by the name of Clara. That means Clara Moeslein would be celebrating her 125th birthday today. A later confirmation record states that Clara was baptized in St. Louis, but I was unable to determine at which church she was baptized. She is found in the 1900 census at the age of 1. You can see that this Moeslein family was quite large. Clara’s father was a machinist in St. Louis.

Clara’s story has a bit of mystery to it. When the 1910 census was taken, we find several members of the Moeslein family, even at fairly young ages, living with other families. Interestingly, at least 3 of them were living with families in Perry County, including Clara. She is found living in the Union Township in the George Lauer household. She is called an orphan child in this entry at the age of 10. George Lauer was the father of Frederick Lauer, whose story was told in the post, Lauer’s Labor with Leather.

The puzzling aspect of this situation is that Clara’s parents were both still alive and living in St. Louis in 1910. We can see them in this census entry below. This entry was on the bottom of a page, and just one child, their youngest named Charles, was found on the next page.

Perhaps this situation was due to Adolph Moeslein’s health. He died in 1911 of tuberculosis. When Clara was confirmed in 1913, that event took place at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wittenberg. Her confirmation record states that she was a foster child of Joseph Schmidt. Interestingly, one of Joseph’s own children, Edward Schmidt, was also a member of that same confirmation class.

Another interesting fact in this story is that Joseph Schmidt’s first wife, Mathilda, died later in 1913, so Joseph may have found it difficult to include a foster child in his family as a widower.

Clara made her way to Cuming County, Nebraska prior to the 1920 census. At that time, she was living in the August Stark household and working as a servant.

At this point, let me show you this map of Cuming County, Nebraska and its townships.

Let’s now look at the man who would become Clara’s husband. His name was Otto Henry Weber, who was born on April 18, 1896. Otto was the firstborn child of Herman and Emma (Poppitz) Weber. He was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. An image of that baptism record is pictured here.

Otto is found in the 1900 census at the age of 4. Her father was a farmer in the Brazeau Township. At this point in time, let me say that this Weber family has been highlighted in a previous post titled, As For Me and My House…. That post told the story of Herman Weber and his 2 Poppitz brides. The entry below shows Agnes Poppitz as a servant. Herman did marry 2 Poppitz sisters, but his second wife was not Agnes. However, perhaps you noticed that Agnes Poppitz was one of Otto’s baptismal sponsors.

Next, we find Otto in the 1910 census as a teenager. You can see that the Weber family had gotten quite large.

We find Otto living in Beemer, Nebraska when he completed his World War I draft registration in 1917. It says he was working as a farm laborer for Emil Rabbam.

West Point and Beemer are located in Cuming County, and are not far from one another. That means two young people with some roots in Perry County, Missouri both ended up in Cuming County, Nebraska. When the 1920 census was taken, Otto was living in the Elkhorn Township and was farming with William Dassow.

Otto Weber married Clara Moeslein on September 21, 1920. What makes this wedding so interesting is that it took place in Perry County. These two were married at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg.

We can also view this couple’s Missouri marriage license. What is interesting is that this form says both Otto and Clara were from Altenburg, not Nebraska.

This couple would return to Nebraska to live out the rest of their lives. It appears from later census entries that these 2 had 3 children. The 1930 census shows this young couple with 2 daughters living in the Sherman Township in Cuming County. Otto was a farmer.

The 1940 census shows that the Weber’s moved to Dodge County and were living in Scribner, Nebraska, which is just down the road from Cuming County. Otto had what was called a cream store and selling cream and eggs. A son had been added to the family during the previous decade.

Otto had a World War II draft card completed in 1942. It gives him a Scribner address and says he had his own business.

We are able to view one more census entry for this couple. In 1950, their entry says Otto was buying and selling eggs, cream, and poultry at a farm produce station. I am thinking that the Charles Weber shown in their household is the Charles Weber who went on to become a Lutheran pastor and would later be a preacher in Altenburg.

Otto Weber died in 1963 at the age of 67. Clara Weber did not die until 1995 at the age of 96. Both Otto and Clara have entries on Findagrave.com in the Scribner Municipal Cemetery, but only Otto has a gravestone photo.

I’m beginning to hear rumblings about another Weber family reunion taking place in the near future. I am going to issue a request to anyone in that Weber family. I would like to see a gravestone photo for Clara, and I would love to see a photo of the Weber farm produce store in Scribner. I will also point out that the family reunion will certainly spend much time at the old Weber farm house which is now an Airbnb. If you’re planning a trip to this area and are looking for a place to stay, you might consider staying at the Weber Farm. Information can be found on our website under the tab, Plan a Visit and Lodging.