Paul Ludwig Pilz is today’s birthday boy. He was born on November 16, 1899, so today would be his 125th birthday. Paul was the son of Henry and Maria (Stueve) Pilz. You can read a previous post that was written about Paul’s parents titled, Pilz/Stueve: Another Ridge Couple. Paul was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg. We can view these two images of his baptism record from that congregation’s books.

Paul is found in his first census entry when he was just a matter of months old. His father was a farmer in the Brazeau Township.

On a later plat map, we see that the Pilz farm was located on The Ridge north of Altenburg.

Maria Pilz is called the owner of the land on the above map because her husband, Henry Pilz, died in 1905 when Paul was just 5 years old. I will add that when Henry died, Paul’s mother was pregnant with her last child, Rudolph, who was born about 2 months after his father died. In the 1910 census, Paul was 10 years old. The son who had been born in 1905 lived only a matter of months. Two older Pilz siblings were already no longer living with their mother.

Paul had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. We find him living in Potter, Nebraska where he was working on the Arthur Schubarth farm. Arthur’s story was written in the post, Lydia’s and Arthur’s in Potter, Nebraska.

Prior to the 1920 census, Paul returned to Perry County. In the 1920 census, we find Paul living in Wittenberg where he was working at the swing factory. He was living in the William Mayhew household. Although William was said to be doing auto service, I know that he and his wife, Maria (Birner) Mayhew, were operating the Birner Hotel in Wittenberg, and Paul is just one of several people in this household that is called a boarder.

In an article found in the Perry County Republican in 1922, it mentions that Paul, along with Alfred Leimbach and Ferdinand Steffens, had come home to Altenburg after working in Potter, Nebraska. It said that he was going to be spending the winter in Altenburg with plans to return to Potter the next spring. Perhaps many young men back in those days would spend much of their time up north working elsewhere and returned home for the winter months.

During the next decade, Paul moved to St. Louis. By the time of the 1930 census, he was called the manager of an A&P grocery store. He was living with Joseph and Lydia Waser. Lydia’s maiden name was Grebing, and that couple had been married in Altenburg.

I have to laugh when I look at the above entry. At the bottom of the list, you will see a name that looks like Gerard Fiehler (although that is not how Ancestry.com calls him). It even says that this 19 year-old man was working in a garage. Gerard Fiehler, who now works at our museum, spent much of his life working in the Altenburg Garage.

Now, we finally get to talk about the woman who would become Paul’s bride. Her name was Marie Caroline Voepel, who was born on December 21, 1905. Marie was the daughter of John and Emilie (Schilling) Voepel. A previous post, Voepel from Palmyra Enters Perry County, documents how Marie’s father who was originally from Palmyra, Missouri managed to make his way to Perry County. Marie must have been baptized elsewhere because we do not find such a record in our German Family Tree.

Marie is found in the 1910 census at the age of 4. Her father was a farmer in the Brazeau Township. I must admit that I also had to laugh when I saw that there was a young boarder living in this household doing farm labor by the name of John Hellwege. Just this past Thursday, I wrote the story of John Hellwege and also mentioned that our museum director’s husband is Rev. John Hellwege. What are the chances that I find another John Hellwege in the next post that I write?

Marie was a teenager when the 1920 census was taken. The only Voepel son named Bernhardt had been born in the previous decade.

Next, we find Marie in the 1930 census. Like many other young ladies back then, she had gone to St. Louis to find work. She was a servant in the Norris Hoffmann household. That is likely where she either became acquainted with Paul Pilz, or she became reacquainted with him from their days of growing up in Altenburg. There was a 6 year difference in age.

Paul Pilz married Marie Voepel on June 28, 1931. They returned to Perry County to get married. The wedding took place at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. We can look at the church marriage record for this couple.

We can also view this pair’s Missouri marriage license. This document says that both the bride and groom were from Altenburg.

An article pertaining to this wedding was printed in the Perry County Republican. It was one of those articles that gives plenty of description to the bride and her bridesmaids and what they wore and what flowers they carried. Just a small paragraph at the end gives a few details about the groom. I have to display this article in two images. You may have to click the thumbnails to enlarge them.

Another shorter article was published in the Perry County Sun about this wedding.

As was mentioned in the above articles, Paul would return to St. Louis with his bride after they were married. I believe that this couple had just one child, a girl named Ruth Marie. In the 1940 census, we see this trio of Pilz’s. Paul continued in the same occupation.

Paul had a World War II draft card completed in 1942. This form says his employer was the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company. That was the official name for the A&P grocery company.

We find a bit of an unusual situation when the 1950 census was taken. First, we find Paul still living and working in St. Louis. In his household, we find his sister, Ida Thurm, who was a widow and Paul’s mother, Mary, who was also a widow. Ruth is called a niece in this entry, but I think that was Paul’s daughter. The person who is noticeably missing in Paul’s wife, Marie.

In 1950, Marie Pilz was living in Altenburg with her younger brother, Bernhardt. Bernhardt was pinned with the nickname, Johnny. He was a tavern operator in Altenburg. His tavern was called Johnny’s Place.

This photo below has shown up on this blog before. It shows Marie’s brother, Johnny standing in front of Johnny’s Place.

There must have been a reason why Marie and Paul were not living in the same location but I do not know what it is. I do know that both of them were called “married” on their census entries.

In 1953, an article appeared in the Perry County Republican that told of Paul’s 25 years of service to A&P.

I found this photo of an A&P grocery store in St. Louis. I have been told that the cars in the parking lot probably indicate that this photo was taken in the 1950’s. You can also see that the A&P grocery store chain got its start in 1859.

Paul Pilz died in 1969 at the age of 69. His death certificate below says that he died at the St. Louis County Hospital in Clayton, a municipality in St. Louis.

Marie Pilz died a year later in 1970. She died in Altenburg. On both death certificates, the informant was Ruth Craig. I figure that must be their daughter, Ruth.

Paul and Marie Pilz are buried together in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Altenburg.

Despite spending much of his time living in the St. Louis area and managing a grocery store, Paul Pilz found his way back to his hometown where he was buried.

Before I close, I want to share a few more things about grocery stores. Perhaps I have a soft spot in my heart because our daughter, Martha, is the manager of an Aldi Grocery Store in Chaska, Minnesota. However, there have also been some notable grocery stores here in Altenburg.

The Fischer General Store eventually morphed into what was once called the AG Super Market. It is pictured below.

That business eventually became what was known as Altenburg Foods, which was operated by Gary Voelker. This building still stands and is now the home of John’s Pharmacy.

The latest grocery store in Altenburg in the River Hills Grocery and Deli operated by Joe Holt.

Altenburg has never had a really big grocery store like ones found in bigger cities, but local folks have relied on a nearby location to obtain groceries for a lot of years.