Today’s birthday boy is Benjamin Immanuel Soehl, who was born on August 16, 1899. That means today would be his special 125th birthday. Benjamin was the son of Henry and Martha (Etzold) Soehl. He was baptized at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar. An image of his baptism record is pictured here.

Benjamin was still a baby when he appears in the 1900 census at the age of 9 months. His father was a farmer in the Union Township.

Next, we find Benjamin in the 1910 census at the age of 10. Benjamin was one of 4 Soehl children in this household, along with his grandfather, Frederick Soehl.

When the plat maps were produced in 1915, we find a parcel of land owned by Fred Soehl, Benjamin’s grandfather. This is likely where Ben spent much of his childhood. It was located in the Schalls neighborhood in the Union Township.

Benjamin had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. He was given a Farrar address and was a farmer working for his father.

Benjamin was 20 years old when the 1920 census was taken, and for some unknown reason, he is not given an occupation on this form.

Benjamin had turned 30 before the 1930 census was taken, and in that year’s entry, Benjamin was still single. He and 2 of his brothers were assisting their father on his farm.

Now, we will turn our attention to the woman who would become Benjamin’s bride. Her name was Lina Augusta Amelia Kasten, who was born on February 24, 1904. Lina was the daughter of Emmanuel Benjamin and Mary (Grebing) Kasten. That means today’s birthday boy, Benjamin Immanuel would eventually have a father-in-law whose name was Emmanuel Benjamin, both of which would be called Benjamin or Ben. Lina was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. Her baptism record from that congregation’s books is displayed below.

Lina appears in the 1910 census at the age of 6. Her father was a farmer in the Brazeau Township. Included in this Kasten household were Wilhemina and Martha Grebing, Benjamin’s mother-in-law and sister-in-law, along with a hired man named John Pilz.

The land that Benjamin Kasten was farming was owned by his mother-in-law, Wilhelmina Grebing. It was located along the banks of the Apple Creek in the southern part of Perry County.

The 1920 census shows Lina as a teenager. This time, there was also a young woman, Ethel Tacke, who was a public school teacher, living with the Kasten’s.

Lina was in her 20’s when the 1930 census was taken. The Kasten household was quite large. It included 2 of Lina’s brothers who had married and were still living in the original home place. I find this entry interesting because it includes Melba Kasten, a 4 year-old, who would have been Lina’s niece. Melba would later marry Herb Schmidt and become my Aunt Melba, who most folks around here called Mousie. I now live in Herb and Mousie’s house.

Benjamin Soehl married Lina Kasten on May 22, 1932 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. The church marriage record for this event is pictured here.

We are also able to view the Missouri marriage license for this couple.

An article describing the Soehl/Kasten wedding was published in the Perry County Republican.

Our German Family Tree lists 3 children born to Benjamin and Lina. The first was a son named Kenneth, born in 1933. Then, in 1937, they had a set of twin girls. I find the names that were given the twins rather intriguing. They were named Myra Martha and Myrtha Marie. It seems to me to be an unusual variation on naming these twins, Mary and Martha, of Biblical fame.

In the 1940 census, the Soehl’s had all 3 of their children in their household. They had apparently relocated to a farm in the Apple Creek Township.

Benjamin had his World War II draft card completed in 1942. He is given an Oak Ridge address.

The final census entry we can view for Benjamin and Lina is the one taken in 1950. The 3 children were teenagers.

Benjamin Soehl died in 1966 at the age of 66. His death certificate below says that he died while a patient at the Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau.

Lina Soehl died in 1976 at the age of 72, too recently to view her death certificate. Both Benjamin and Lina Soehl are buried in the Grace Lutheran Cemetery in Uniontown.

One of the first people I met after moving to Altenburg after my retirement was Bob Kasten, only almost everyone around here calls him Ben Kasten. During the first conversation I had with him, I told him that Mousie Schmidt was my aunt, and Ben got a smile on his face and said Mousie was his aunt also. Now, since doing research on the Kasten family, I have noticed that the name, Benjamin or Ben, appears in several generations. Now, you know the story about how yet another Benjamin managed to find his way into the Kasten family tree by marrying a Kasten.