The birthday boy for today’s post is Paul Joseph Mangels, who was born on January 14, 1885, so today would be his 140th birthday. Paul was the son of Gerhard and Martha (von Glahn) Mangels. He was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. His baptism record from that congregation’s books is pictured below.

Because we cannot view the 1890 census, the first entry in which we find Paul was the one taken in 1900. It would turn out to be the only one in which we find him unmarried. Paul was 15 years old and working with his father on his farm in the Salem Township.

Now, we will take a look at the woman who would become Paul’s bride. Her name was Emilie Auguste Mueller, who was born on May 20, 1883, so she was almost 2 years older than Paul. Emilie was the daughter of Immanuel and Sophia (Grosse) Mueller. Like Paul, Emilie was baptized at Concordia, Frohna.

Emilie was the firstborn of several children in the Mueller family. She was 17 years old, and her father was a farmer in the Brazeau Township when we find her in the 1900 census. Emilie is called a farm laborer in this entry.

It must have in the 1900’s prior to Emilie’s marriage that this photo was taken of the Emmanuel Mueller family. I am thinking that this photograph was taken by Paul Lueders, a young photographer in Frohna. Emilie, being the oldest, must be the girl standing on the far left holding a fan.

Paul Mangels married Emilie Mueller on May 24, 1908 at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. The church record for that event is shown here.

We are also able to view this couple’s Missouri marriage license. Rev. Zschoche, who had baptized both Paul and Emilie, also performed their wedding.

I do not often find 2 photographs of a couple’s wedding, but that is the case with this pair. I found them in two different poses, and I think these may also have been taken by Paul Lueders at his Frohna studio. In the early 1900’s, all-white wedding dresses became more popular.

Our German Family Tree lists 6 children for Paul and Emilie. That list includes a child who was born prior to this couple’s wedding who is called a foster child. In the 1910 census, we find the Mangels household with just one child, a daughter named Cleola, born in 1909. Paul was a farmer in the Brazeau Township.

In the 1915 plat maps for Perry County, we find the Paul Mangels farm located between Frohna and Farrar.

Paul Mangels had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. He is given a Frohna address and called a farmer.

In the 1920 census, we find Paul and Emilie living with Emilie’s parents. There are 5 children of Paul and Emilie in this entry, including a 13 year-old son named Thomas, who is the foster son mentioned earlier. When that son was confirmed during that year, his confirmation record indicates that Paul was his foster father.

When the 1930 census was taken, we find the Mangels family with 5 children. The foster child was no longer included. I was unable to determine what happened to him. Emilie’s parents continued to live with the Mangels’s.

The 1940 census indicates that the Mangels family had made a move. This time, they were living in Perryville, where Paul was farming on a rented farm. This is the first time that we see that the oldest Mangels daughter, Cleola, was called an invalid.

The last census the public can view is the one taken in 1950. Paul was no longer farming, but is called a leveler at the shoe factory in Perryville. Their daughter, Cleola, was the only child living with them.

Paul Mangels died in 1962 at the age of 77. His death certificate describes him as a shoe worker at International Shoe Company. He died at the Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville.

An obituary for Paul is pictured here.

In 1965, Cleola Mangels, the invalid daughter of Paul and Emilie died at the age of 55. Her death certificate below says she was an invalid since birth.

Emilie Mangels died a year later in 1966 at the age of 82. We can also view her death certificate.

Paul and Emilie, along with their daughter, Cleola, are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville.

Paul and Emilie Mangels would have definitely grown up with each other and worshiped and attended Sunday School together. Then, after they were married, they continued to attend church at Concordia in Frohna and have their children baptized there. It was only later in their lives that they relocated up the road in Perryville where they spent the remainder of their lives. We can also see that this Mangels couple had the challenge of raising and caring for an invalid child throughout their married lives.