A while back, I wrote the story of a marriage made up of a Roman Catholic groom and a Lutheran bride. Today, I will tell the story of a child that was born to that couple, and that child, who was baptized at a Lutheran church, would later marry a Catholic man. I will begin with the Catholic groom and eventually get around to today’s birthday girl.

Clement Sylvester Gibbar was born on November 6, 1886, the son of John and Mary (Thompson) Gibbar. I found this photo of Clement’s parents. The original Gibbar’s arrived in America in 1832. They came from the Alsace-Lorraine area of France, which is on the border between France and Germany.

I am certain that Clement must have been baptized at a Catholic parish, so I cannot display a baptism record for him. However, he was born during the time when Perry County kept birth records. The 2 images below show the one for Clement, even though it just gives his last name. He was born in the Saline Township and the midwife was from Lithium.

On a plat map produced later, we find the J.C. Gibbar farm located northwest of Perryville.

Clement is found in the 1900 census at the age of 11, although I think that age is incorrect. His father was a farmer in the St. Mary’s Township.

Clement would get married prior to the 1910 census, so we will switch our attention to the woman who would become Clement’s first bride. Her name was Mary Burnette Mattingly, who was born on August 12, 1889. Burnette was the daughter of Charles and Mary (Brown) Mattingly. I am going to use the name, Burnette, for her because that is what we see on her later gravestone. I found a family tree that traced this Mattingly family back to the 1600’s in Maryland. That family may have been part of the Catholic immigrants who settled in this country in the colony established by Lord Baltimore in 1632. Burnette, who is called Mary in this entry, is found in the 1900 census at the age of 10. Her father was a farmer in the Saline Township.

Clement Gibbar married Burnette Mattingly on April 12, 1909. The Missouri marriage license shown below indicates that this couple was married by a Catholic priest in Perryville.

I located the document below on an Ancestry.com family tree. It is described as a parish marriage record for this couple.

During the decade of the 1910’s, this couple had 5 children. In the 1910 census, this couple just had their first baby. Included in this household was Rosella Gibbar, one of Clement’s sisters. Clement was a farmer in the Saline Township.

Clement had his World War I draft registration completed 1917. He is given a Menfro address and called a farmer with 4 children.

As it turns out, the 1910 census would be the only one in which we would find Burnette after she was married. She died in 1919 at the age of 29. I figured that I could find a Missouri death certificate for her, but I failed. Burnette is buried in the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Perryville.

Later in 1919, Clement would marry again, so now we get to discuss the early life of his second wife, who is also today’s birthday girl. Her name was Mary Pauline Schroeder, who was born on January 22, 1892. That makes today her 133rd birthday. Pauline was the daughter of John and Philomene (Petot) Schroeder. The post that was written about Pauline’s parents was titled, The Bugler’s Daughter. Pauline’s baptism record is found in the books of Cross Lutheran Congregation near Longtown.

Pauline is found in the 1900 census at the age of 8. Her father was a farmer in the Salem Township.

Next, we find Pauline in the 1910 census at the age of 18. Her father, her uncle, Adam, and her brother, Arthur, were doing the farming.

Clement Gibbar married Pauline Schroeder on December 29, 1919. Their Missouri marriage license says Clement was from Menfro, and Pauline was from Crosstown. This wedding was also performed by a Catholic priest.

A parish record for this wedding is also found on Ancestry.com.

I can also show this marriage certificate for this couple.

This photo of Clement and Pauline is said to be the wedding photo for this pair. It certainly is not your typical wedding photograph.

When the 1920 census was taken, we find Clement and Pauline (called Mary P.) with 5 children. This time, the Gibbar’s were living in the Bois Brule Township.

Clement and Pauline had 6 more children, all of which were born in the 1920’s. In the 1930 census, we see those 6 children, plus 3 older children from Clement’s first marriage.

The 1940 census finds the Gibbar’s living in Perryville where Clement was a road worker. Five children remained in their household. I find it interesting that they had a 16 year-old daughter who was a waiter in a tavern.

Clement had a World War II draft card completed in 1942. He is given a Perryville address, and his employer was Fred King.

I should have been able to locate the Gibbar’s in the 1950 census, but I was unsuccessful. I suspect that they may have been living in East St. Louis, Illinois. Clement Gibbar died in 1963 at the age of 76. The obituary for him that is shown here says that he died in East St. Louis.

Pauline Gibbar died in 1970 at the age of 78. Some family trees say that she died in Perryville, and others says she died in East St. Louis, Illinois. I think she died in Illinois because I could not find a Missouri death certificate for her. Clement and Pauline Gibbar are buried together in the Mt. Hope Catholic Cemetery in Perryville.

I figure there must be plenty of descendants still living in Perry County who could include Clement Gibbar and his wives in their family trees. I know that I am not that familiar with this surname, and I was corrected this morning when I pronounce it as Gib-ber. I was told that it is pronounced Gib-bar’, with stress on the second syllable.