One of the big questions I came away with while researching the story of today’s birthday girl is how to spell her first name. I challenge you to look at the various documents I will display to see how it is spelled. You will find several different variations. And then, when all is said and done, take a look at the name on her gravestone, and you will see a spelling that is not seen on any of those documents. I will use the spelling you see in the title.
Otillie Catharina Klemp was born on October 2, 1874, so she would be celebrating a special 150th birthday today. Otillie was the daughter of Wilhelm and Margaretha (Schneider) Klemp. She was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. An image of her baptism record from that congregation’s books is shown here.
Otillie is found in her first census in 1880 at the age of 5. The large Klemp household spills over 2 census pages. Otillie’s father was a farmer in the Cinque Hommes Township.
The next census we could be able to view for Otillie would be the one taken in 1900, but I failed to find her. I do know that she was not living with her widowed mother in that year’s census. Like so many other younger ladies back in those days, she likely found work somewhere else. So, now we need to switch our attention over to the man she would marry.
Oswald Valentin Eduard Funke was born on July 15, 1878, the son of Herman and Elizabeth (Ochs) Funke. Our German Family Tree does not list a baptism record for Oswald, but some other Funke siblings were baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg, so I think Oswald was likely baptized by the pastor in Friedenberg, even if he was baptized at his home, which was located in or near Longtown. When the 1880 census was taken, the Funke family is found living in Longtown. Oswald was 1 year old, and his father was a house carpenter. An older son was doing farming, so the Funke’s may have had some farmland as well.
When Zion Lutheran Church in Longtown was established in 1897, the Funke family were original members of that congregation.
I think the person called Oscar Funke in the 1900 census is actually Oswald. He was living in the Huldreich Gottweth Telle household in which Huldreich was a hardware merchant. Huldreich was married to Clara Funke, Oswald’s sister. Right above the Telle’s is the household of Oswald’s older brother, Carl Funke, who was also a hardware dealer in Longtown. The son of Carl, named Ludwig, carried a middle name of Oswald because today’s Oswald was one of his sponsors.
I will add that Carl and Clara Funke has the first marriage record in the Zion, Longtown books. Our museum director, Denise Hellwege, displayed the Funke/Hacker marriage certificate that was donated to our museum recently in her blog post last Friday.
Oswald Funke married Otillie Klemp on March 30, 1902 at Zion Lutheran Church in Longtown. Theirs was the 12th marriage record found in that church’s books. The marriage record for the Funke/Klemp wedding is pictured below. You can see that the Telle couple that Oswald lived with were the attendants at this wedding. This record says Otillie was also from Longtown.
We can also take a look at the Missouri marriage license for this couple. Rev. Hamm, the first pastor at Zion, conducted the marriage ceremony.
Oswald and Otillie had no children. When the 1910 census was taken, we find them living in Longtown where it says Oswald was working at a blacksmith shop.
Oswald had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. It says he was a blacksmith, and his employer was August Meier. There is another Funke connection here. August Meier was married to Rosa Funke, another one of Oswald’s sisters.
The 1920 census says that Oswald was working as a retail merchant and mentions confections. Right above Oswald and Otillie’s entry, you will see the August Funke household. August was yet another sibling of Oswald. I am beginning to think that Longtown should be called Funke Town.
Next, we find the Funke’s in the 1930 census. Oswald is called the proprietor of a soft drink parlor in Longtown. This was the time when Prohibition was in effect. I have seen a few other indications while researching for this blog that during Prohibition, taverns were called soft drink parlors. Also in their household was Otillie’s mother, Margaret Klemp, who was a 94 year-old widow.
In the 1940 census, Oswald is called the manager of a restaurant in Longtown. By then, Prohibition had been repealed, and I strongly suspect that Oswald’s establishment also sold adult beverages.
Oswald had a World War II draft card completed in 1942, despite the fact that he was 63 years old.
Otillie Funke died in 1947 at the age of 72. Her death certificate is pictured below. This document actually uses the spelling for Otillie that I have used in this post.
The last census entry we can view is the one taken in 1950. It says Oswald was a waiter at a restaurant. This entry had me flummoxed for a while. It says a son and daughter-in-law were living with him. I eventually discovered that the census taker made a mistake. Ernie was actually the son of Adolph and Clara Funke, the couple shown in the first wedding certificate shown earlier. So Ernie was a nephew, not a son.
Not long after the above census was taken, Oswald Funke died in 1950 at the age of 72. This document says Oswald’s usual occupation was a tavern owner. That is why I suspected that his restaurant sold alcoholic drinks.
Oswald and Otillie Funke are buried together in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Longtown. It is engraved with the name, Odelia.
This post has pointed out a veritable web of Funke connections in the village of Longtown. I know that when you drive through Longtown to this day, there is evidence that the name, Funke, is still present in this little town.