Karl Johann Bingenheimer was born on January 12, 1900, so he qualifies to be today’s birthday boy. Today would be his special 125th birthday. Most documents call him Charles, so I will call him by that name. He was the son of William and Martha (Bodenschatz) Bingenheimer. Charles was baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown. His baptism record is the first one to take place in that church in the 1900’s.

Despite being born so early in 1900, Charles managed to get his name into that year’s census. Since I found so many documents for Charles that indicate that he was born on January 12, 1900, I conclude that this entry contains inaccurate information for him. It says Charles was born in July of 1899. His father was a farmer in the Apple Creek Township.

When the 1910 census was taken, Charles was 10 years old, and he had several younger siblings.

A later plat map for Cape Girardeau County shows the William Bingenheimer farm located not far from Old Appleton and right along the banks of the Apple Creek.

Charles had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. He was 18 years old and working on his father’s farm. Charles is given a Uniontown address.

The last census in which we find Charles unmarried is the one taken in 1920. At the age of 20, no occupation is given for Charles, but he was likely still farming with his father. A few other teenage Bingenheimer sons were probably also involved in running the family farm.

Now, it is time to turn our attention to the woman who would become Charles’s bride. Her name was Ella Amanda Vogel, who was born on June 15, 1908. Ella was the daughter of John and Martha (Hopfer) Vogel. Like her future husband, Ella was baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown. Her baptism record from that congregation’s books is pictured here.

Ella is found in the 1910 census at the age of 1 9/12. There were 3 generations of Ella’s family in this census entry. Included were Ella’s grandparents, Salome and Helene Vogel, and her great grandparents, Henry and Wilhelmine Schmidt. Ella’s father and grandfather were farming in the Union Township.

In the 1915 plat maps for Perry County, we find the Vogel farm located southeast of Uniontown right along the Apple Creek.

By the time of the 1920 census, Ella’s great grandparents had died, but her grandparents were still living in the Vogel household. Ella was 11 years old.

Charles Bingenheimer married Ella Vogel on November 14, 1926 at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown. The church marriage record for their wedding is displayed below.

Two civil marriage records for this couple can also be viewed. Here is their Missouri marriage license. In 1926, Grace had a pastoral vacancy for a while. Rev. Hafner from Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna conducted this marriage ceremony. Ella was just 18 years old when she got married, and this form says her father gave his consent.

We can also view this marriage certificate.

Our German Family Tree lists 5 children born to Charles and Ella, but I think they had 6. One was born in the 1940’s, and too recent to be included in our GFT. Two of their children died on the same day they were born. All of the children listed in the GFT that lived long enough to be baptized, were baptized at Grace, Uniontown. In the 1930 census, we find this Bingenheimer family living in the Union Township with just one child. Charles was a farmer.

Next, we find the Bingenheimer’s in the 1940 census. There were 3 children in their family.

Charles had a World War II draft card completed in 1942. He is called Charley on this document.

The last census the public is allowed to view is the one taken in 1950. There were four children in their family, and you can see that all of them were females. Two daughters must have driven to Perryville to work in the shoe factory there. One daughter was called a farm hand.

I was unable to locate a photo of Charles, but I did run across this photo of Ella Bingenheimer.

Charles Bingenheimer died in 1962 at the age of 62. His death certificate cites heart problems as his cause of death.

Ella Bingenheimer died in 1978 at the age of 69. Both Charles and Ella are buried in the Grace Lutheran Cemetery in Uniontown.

Although the husband and wife did not live in the same county all their lives since Charles grew up in Cape Girardeau County and Ella was born and raised in Perry County, we can still classify each of them as being life-long members of the same congregation. Each of them was baptized, confirmed, got married, raised their children, and were buried while being members of Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown.