Today’s couple has already been discussed in a previous post titled, An Angel’s Sad Pilgrimage. That post mainly told the story of one of their sons, Theodore. This time, I will highlight the parents. I will begin with the husband.

Ernst William Arbeiter was born either on November 4th or November 5th in 1864. That means either yesterday or today would be his 160th birthday. William was born in Ittlingen, Germany to his parents, Wilhelm and Marie (Hering) Arbeiter. I located a baptism record for William from the parish in Ittlingen. It’s in German script which I cannot read very well, and Family Search says that his date of birth was November 4, 1864, and he was baptized on November 13th.

A few of William’s siblings, including his brother, Henry Arbeiter, came to America before William did. I found evidence that William came to America in 1882. That means we cannot view him in a census entry prior to his marriage. So, now we will take a look at the woman who would become his bride.

Engel Bellmann was born on January 29, 1866 in the Vahlde, Germany. Engel was the daughter of Johann and Margaretha (Lohmann) Bellmann. It was not long after she was born that Engel’s parents brought her to America. The Bellmann’s came to this country aboard the ship, Carl, in October of 1866..

I was not able to find the Bellmann’s in the 1870 census, but there is a report that one of the Bellmann children who died in 1873 was buried in Altenburg. There is no death record for that child in any church books, however. The Bellmann parents were charter members of the new church that was established in Jacob, Illinois in about 1876. Then, in the 1880 census, we find the Bellmann’s living in the Fountain Bluff Township in Jackson County, Illinois, which is where Christ Lutheran Church is found. Engel was 14 years old at the time. That was also the year that Engel was confirmed at Christ, Jacob.

William Arbeiter married Engel Bellmann on November 5, 1885. That means that even if William was born on November 4th, I have another reason to write this story today because November 5th was the date on which this couple was married. If William was born on November 5th, then his wedding took place on his 21st birthday. The church marriage record for this occasion is found in the books of Christ, Jacob. This is one of the documents that says William was born on November 5th.

I am also able to display an Illinois civil marriage record for this couple.

Here is a wedding photo of William and Engel. It is not the best image, partly because it is from a copy machine.

In 1887, William Arbeiter became a naturalized citizen of the United States. His naturalization form below is rather difficult to readd.

Our German Family Tree lists 8 children for William and Engel. Not all of them lived to adulthood. In the 1900 census, we see quite a large household. There were 6 children, along with Engel’s parents and a boarder named August Fick. The family was still living in the Fountain Bluff Township where William was farming.

In the 1910 census, we find 7 children and Engel’s mother in the Arbeiter household. The family had made a move during the previous decade. This time, they were living in the Somerset Township, which is located near Murphysboro.

Here is a photo of the house that William built near Murphysboro.

In 1911, William applied for a passport. Several pieces of information about him are found on this form, including the fact that he came to this country in 1882. It also gives him a November 5th birthday.

Later in 1911, William and his brother, Henry, made a voyage to Germany aboard the ship, Kaiser Wilhelm II.

The next decade turned out to be a tragic one for the Arbeiter’s. In June of 1918, William died at the age of 53. On the Illinois death certificate shown here, it says he died of a fractured skull in a railroad accident. This is another document that says William was born on November 5th.

Meanwhile, Theodore Arbeiter, one of their sons, had gone off to fight in World War I in Europe. Theodore was wounded in battle and succumbed to his injuries in October of 1918. Here is a photo of Theodore in his military uniform.

Theodore Arbeiter was buried in France where he died.

Both of these deaths must have been devastating for Engel. In the 1920 census, we find her as a widow with 3 remaining children. Engel’s mother was still alive and living in this household. A son, Rudolph Arbeiter, was doing the farming.

Engel Arbeiter died in 1930 at the age of 64. I was not able to find an actual image of her Illinois death record, but I found this transcription that gives some of the details.

William and Engel Arbeiter are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Murphysboro.

We have two rather large Arbeiter family binders in our research library. In those resources, I was able to find several other photographs from the William and Engel Arbeiter family. I will place them in a gallery here. The thumbnails are clickable.

I will leave it up to you as to whether you think today is not only William Arbeiter’s wedding anniversary, but is also his birthday.