Today, I will tell the tale of a baby girl who was born a day after yesterday’s birthday girl. Yesterday, a man ended up having 2 wives. Today’s birthday girl would end up having 2 husbands. We begin with the birthday girl.

Emma Barbara Boxdorfer was born on June 15, 1874, thus making today her 150th birthday. Emma was the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Rauh) Boxdorfer. She was baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg, so we are unable to view an actual image of her baptism record. Emma was 5 years old when she is found in the 1880 census. Her father was a farmer in the Central Township.

Since Emma got married before the 1900 census, we wil now take a look at the man who would become her first husband. His name was Heinrich Christian Hoehn, who was born on March 28, 1870. Henry was the son of Valentine and Margaretha (Bergmann) Hoehn. Henry was also baptized at Peace, Friedenberg. Henry was 9 years old when he is found in the 1880 census. His father was a farmer in the Central Township.

Henry Hoehn married Emma Boxdorfer on October 27, 1895 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. We can take a look at the Missouri marriage license for this pair. By the way, this is certainly not the only marriage that united a Hoehn with a Boxdorfer. Other members of those 2 prominent families in the Friedenberg area managed to find each other and get married.

Henry and Emma had just one child, a girl named Ida, who was born toward the end of September in 1896. Sadly, Henry died just a little over a month later in early November. Then, in March of 1897, that baby died. That left Emma not only as a widow, but also childless. When the 1900 census was taken, Emma was living with her older brother, John, who was also a farmer in the Central Township. Like Emma, John and his wife, Catherine Stuebinger, had gotten married in the 1890’s, had a baby girl, Elsie, and then Catherine died in 1897, leaving John as a widower with a young child. It must have been helpful for both John and Emma. John had someone to assist with his child, and Emma may have appreciated taking care of a young child after losing her baby.

Now, we will take a look at the man who would become Emma’s 2nd husband. His name was Ferdinand Carl Klobe, who was born on January 12, 1869. An amazing part of this story is that Emma and her brother, John, both married siblings in the Klobe family. Ferdinand was the son of Adam and Margaretha (Bienlein) Klobe. He was also baptized at Peace, Friedenberg. Ferdinand is found in the 1870 census at the age of 1. His father was a farmer in the Cinque Hommes Township.

Next, we find Ferdinand in the 1880 census when he was 11 years old. This time, the Klobe’s were living in the Central Township.

Ferdinand was still a bachelor when the 1900 census was taken, but he may have been engaged. We find him living as a boarder in a Duggins household and working as a farmer. However, right below his entry in this census, we see the household of his parents.

Later in 1900, Ferdinand Klobe married Emma Hoehn on November 29th. These two were married by Rev. Griebel, the pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville, and the church record says these two were married in a parish house. Below is an image of Emma and Ferdinand’s Missouri marriage license.

Although our German Family Tree lists just 2 children born to this couple, I think there were 3. In the 1910 census, we see 3 children in their household. The baby in this entry (it looks like Elina) is not included in the GFT.

In the 1915 Perry County plat maps, we see the Klobe farm located east of Perryville. His name is spelled Klope on this map.

The 1920 census once again shows the Klobe’s with the same 3 children.

The last census in which we find Ferdinand is the one taken in 1930. The Klobe’s had an empty nest.

At some point in time when Ferdinand and Emma were older, they were included in a group photo that was taken outdoors. These two have been cropped out to make the image below.

Ferdinand Klobe died in 1936 at the age of 67. His death certificate can be viewed here.

Emma is found in the 1940 census living with her daughter, Eleanore (the Elina from a previous census), who had married Ernest Lawrence. Ernest was a farmer in the Salem Township.

In the 1950 census, Emma was living with a different daughter, Edna, who had married Fred Boxdorfer. So, we see the Boxdorfer name once again enter this story. Fred was a farmer in the Cinque Hommes Township. In this entry, Emma’s surname is spelled Globe. I think that is because Klobe is sometimes pronounced as Globe around here.

Emma Klobe died in 1951 at the age of 76. Cancer of the lungs caused her death.

Ferdinand and Emma Klobe are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville.

As time went by, the medical profession improved, and not as many people died early deaths as a result of illness or childbirth. However, back in the old days, there were a lot more cases of someone getting widowed. Like in the last 2 posts I have written, a widow or widower gets married again, and in many cases, more children were born in the 2nd marriage.