Yesterday, I wrote a post about a bride and groom who both had surnames that began with a “K”. Today, I ran across the story of a pair that each had names starting with an “H”.

The birthday girl for today’s post is Anna Sophie Hilpert, who was born on May 31, 1878, so she would be 146 years old today. Anna Sophie was the daughter of John and Margaretha (Blanken) Hilpert. She was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. Her baptism record is displayed below.

Anna Sophie is found in her first census when she was 2 years old. Her father was a cooper. Based on who was listed around this Hilpert family in this census, I figure they lived in Frohna, and my best guess is that John Hilpert worked at the Frohna Flour mill making barrels.

It would be 20 years later before we can view Anna Sophie in another census entry in 1900. She was 22 years old, and her father still had the same occupation.

That would be the last census in which we find Anna Sophie as a single person, so we will now look at the man who would become her husband. His name was Robert William (Rudolph?) Haupt, who was born on March 24, 1880. He was the son of Charles and Hannah (Mantz) Haupt. I have no information about where he was baptized. He was born early enough in 1880 to appear in that year’s census. It appears that he was the firstborn child in his family. His father was a farmer in the Whitewater Township in Cape Girardeau County.

I failed to find Robert in the 1900 census. I do know that he was not listed in his parents’ household in that year’s census.

Robert Haupt married Anna Sophie Hilpert on July 29, 1906 at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. The church record for this wedding is shown here. This document says Robert (Rudolph) was from Cape Girardeau.

We can also view this pair’s Missouri marriage license. This form says Robert was from Perry County.

According to Robert’s later obituary, this couple had 5 children. When the 1910 census was taken, the Haupt’s were living in Cape Girardeau with 2 children. Robert was an engineer for the Normal School. The Normal School was what became Southeast Missouri State University. Back in those days, a person who operated engines and machinery was called an engineer.

Robert had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. It said he was a stationary engineer, and his employer was the Union Lumber Company in Cape Girardeau.

In the 1920 census, the Haupt’s had 5 children listed in their household. It looks like Robert had the same occupation as shown on his draft registration form because he is called an engineer at a lumber company.

Next, we find Robert and Anna Sophie still living in Cape Girardeau with 5 children. There were 2 Clara Haupt’s in this household, but one of them was Robert’s sister. Robert’s occupation is just a mess of scribblings, but it said he was working at a filling station. I remember days when gas stations were commonly called filling stations. I don’t think it’s as common today.

The last census in which we find Robert is the one taken in 1940. Both Robert and his son, Richard, were called attendants at a gasoline filling station.

Robert Haupt died in 1946 at the age of 66. Several causes of death are given on his death certificate. He died at the Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau.

An obituary was published in a newspaper for Robert. It says his funeral service took place at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau.

Anna Sophie is found in the 1950 census living with her single daughter, Clara. Neither one had an occupation listed.

Anna Sophie Haupt died later that year at the age of 72. Her death certificate also stated that Anna Sophie died at the same hospital in which her husband had died.

Both Robert and Anna Sophie Haupt are buried in the Cape County Memorial Park in Cape Girardeau.

The big question remains in my mind about this Haupt/Hilpert couple. Just how did a Frohna girl meet a man from Cape Girardeau. I must admit that I have given thought to Robert Haupt being related to Christiane Haupt, who was part of the Stephanite immigrants who arrived in 1839. Christiane was from Nieder-Frohna, Germany, and many of the immigrants from that city were part of the settlement in Perry County named Frohna. Christiane married another original immigrant, Johann August Sterzel. That couple returned to Germany shortly after they were married in 1840. Is there a connection between the Haupt’s, and did Robert know someone in Frohna, Missouri that caused him to become acquainted with Anna Marie? Will we ever know?