Today, we return to the Shawnee Township for our story. Yesterday, the post highlighted a man living in the Shawnee Township with a surname that began with a “K”…Koenig. Today, we double the amount of characters whose names begin with “K”. I will begin with our birthday boy.
Richard Heinrich Kutscher was born on May 30, 1899, thus making today his 125th birthday. Richard was the son of Richard and Magdalina (Pilz) Kutscher. He is sometimes called Richard, Jr., but he had a different middle name than his father. He was child #3 of 4 in his Kutscher family, although the 1st and 4th children died in infancy. Richard’s baptism record is found in the books of Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. An image of that record is shown below.
Richard was called 2 years old when the 1900 census was compiled, but he was just 1. His father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township.
In the 1910 census, Richard was 11 years old. His mother had died in 1903, and his father remarried. His second wife was Martha Holschen, who had gotten divorced from her first husband. A 15 year-old child from Martha’s first marriage was included in this 1910 census entry.
Richard had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. He is given a Shawneetown address, and his employer was his father.
Richard was still single when the 1920 census was taken. Richard was also still working on his father’s farm.
Now, we will take a look at the woman who would become Richard’s bride. Her name was Emilie Kasten, who was born on February 14, 1905. Emilie was the daughter of Rudolph and Augusta (Bingenheimer) Kasten. I highly suspect that, if we had the church records of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Jackson, Missouri, we would find Emilie’s baptism record there. Emilie is found in her first census entry in 1910. She was 5 years old, and her father was foreman for a tile and brick business.
Several members in the Kasten family had established a business in Jackson called the Kasten Clay Products. I am sure that Rudolph Kasten was involved in that company.
Emilie is next found in the 1920 census at the age of 14. Her father is called a manufacturer of brick and tile.
Richard Kutscher married Emilie Kasten on July 28, 1929. On the Missouri marriage license below, it says Rev. Langehennig performed the wedding. He was the pastor of St. Paul’s, Jackson at that time. This form says Richard was from New Wells, and Emilie was from Jackson.
I think Richard and Emilie had four children, one who died as an infant. In the 1930 census, we find a Kutscher household made up of the two newlyweds along with Richard’s father. Richard, Jr. was doing highway construction work.
When the 1940 census was taken, the Kutscher’s had 3 sons. One of Emilie’s sisters, Edna, was also living with them. Richard was a driver for the Kasten Brick Company.
Richard had his World War II draft card completed in 1942. Richard’s employer was the Kasten Brick Company.
The final census entry we can view for the Kutscher’s was the one taken in 1950. Richard was no longer in the brick business. He was doing body work at an auto repair shop. Two sons remained in their household.
Richard Kutscher died in 1953 at the age of 54. Coronary thrombosis is given as his cause of death on the certificate shown below. His usual occupation given on this form was a mechanic at a body shop.
Emilie Kutscher did not die until 1986 at the age of 81. Richard and Emilie are buried together in the Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson.
I cannot help but think about a relatively short county road located not far from Shawneetown and New Wells that is identified as Route KK. That is a road that quite a few folks use to get to Interstate 55 because there is an exit at KK. I know it was not named after this Kutscher and Kasten couple, but I have this feeling that the next time I use that highway, I may think of Richard and Emilie.