Today’s birthday girl is Frieda T.K. Sittner, who was born on November 13, 1895. That means today would be her 129th birthday. Frieda was the daughter of Charles and Annie (Mecker) Sittner. She was baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg, so we are not able to view an image of her baptism record. Frieda was 4 years old when she is found in her first census in 1900. Her father was a farmer in the Cinque Hommes Township.

When the 1910 census was taken, Frieda, at the age of 14, was no longer living with her parents. She was a servant in the household of Ferdinand Gerringer, another farmer in the Cinque Hommes Township. Ferdinand’s wife, Julia, was Frieda’s aunt.

The year, 1910, was also when Frieda was confirmed. By that time, Zion Lutheran Church in Longtown had been established. That is where we find the confirmation record for Frieda. This is one of the places where we see Frieda’s middle initials as T.K. It also gives confirmation to the fact that Frieda was baptized at Peace, Friedenberg. If we could view an image of her baptism record, perhaps we could see what the T.K. stands for.

When the 1915 plat maps were produced for Perry County, we find the Sittner farm located west of Longtown. There were several Gerringer farms near Biehle, but I could not find one for a Ferdinand Gerringer, but you can see the W.H. Eddleman farm on this image. That name will become part of this story shortly.

Then, when the 1920 census was taken, we find Frieda living in yet another location. Like so many other young women in those days, she moved to St. Louis to find work. She was one of many lodgers living in a household in that city. She was called a shoeworker at a factory. Other lodgers in that household were Julia Sittner, Frieda’s older sister, along with Ida and Augusta Gerringer, her cousins who were included in the 1910 census for the Gerringer’s above.

That leads us up to Frieda’s wedding which also took place in 1920. Let’s take a look at the man who would become her husband. His name was Jesse Henry Eddleman, who was born on April 27, 1896. Jesse was the son of William and Nurcena (Welker) Eddleman. The Eddleman family arrived in Perry County in 1802, prior to the Louisiana Purchase. I do not know where he was baptized. Jesse is found in the 1900 census at the age of 4. He was a younger member of a rather large Eddleman family.

Probably during the next decade, the Eddleman family had this photo taken. The caption will direct you to the front row to locate Jesse.

In the 1910 census, Jesse was a teenager. He was working on his father’s farm.

I figure it must have been about this time that Jesse had this photograph taken.

Jesse completed his World War I draft registration in 1917. He was given a Biehle address and was called a farmer.

Jesse did get called into military service during that war and spent some time overseas. His military record is displayed below.

We find Jesse’s name on this passenger list for the ship, Berrima, which departed New York on June 4, 1918 headed for Europe.

Jesse was one of 3 soldiers in the photo shown here. I am almost certain that Jessie is the one sitting in the middle. I do not know who the other 2 men are.

The last census in which we find Jesse as a single man was the one taken in 1920. He was 23 years old and was said to be farming.

I had to look at both of the 1920 census entries for Jesse and Frieda to see when they were submitted. I discovered that both of them were taken fairly early in January of that year. I had to look because I know that these two were married on January 10, 1920. These two were married in St. Louis. We can view a St. Louis marriage record for this couple below. Rev. Louis Sieck was the pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in that city.

According to our German Family Tree, Jesse and Frieda had 3 children. Their first child was baptized at Zion Lutheran Church in Longtown. I do not know where the other 2 were baptized. In the 1930 census, we find all 3 of their children. Jesse was a farmer in the Central Township.

Next, we find the Eddleman’s in the 1940 census. Their 3 children were all teenagers. Their oldest son was working at the shoe factory in Perryville.

In 1942, Jesse had a World War II draft card completed. He was given a rural Perryville address.

I located this photo taken of Jesse with two other people, his Uncle John and his Aunt Sarah. Jesse is standing in the middle.

The last census the public can view is the one taken in 1950. Jesse and Frieda were each in their 50’s, and Jesse was still farming. The had an empty nest.

At some point in their lives, Jesse and Frieda had this photograph taken. The flowers they are wearing usually means a couple was celebrating some sort of special anniversary. I am thinking this may have been taken in 1960 on the occasion of their 40th wedding anniversary.

Frieda Eddleman died in 1977 at the age of 81; Jesse Eddleman died a year later in 1978 at the age of 82. These two are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville.

A prominent figure in the study of this area’s history is a gentleman named Bill Eddleman. He has even been a banquet speaker at our museum’s Immigration Conference in the past. I believe that Bill still serves on the State Historical Society of Missouri. Although I was unable to track down Bill’s family history, I am fairly confident that Bill is connected to the Eddleman family highlighted in this story. After all, he likely carries the same name, William, as that of Jesse’s father. Perhaps if he reads this article, he will leave a comment explaining his connection. Here is a link to a site that tells of Bill’s service at the State Historical Society of Missouri.

https://shsmo.org/about/staff/bill-eddleman

Here is a fairly recent photo of Bill.