Back in 2017, I wrote a post, Another Initial Pastor, which told the story of a man who was once a pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells by the name of Rev. R.W.C. Frederking. Today, I will tell the story of one of his sons, who happens to have his wedding anniversary today.

Heinrich Frederking was born on August 26, 1854. He was the son of Rev. Frederking and his wife, whose maiden name was Christine Wunderlich, who was a member of the Gesellschaft. Henry was born when his father was serving Zion Lutheran Church which is located near Jefferson City. The Missouri Synod collection of records on Ancestry.com includes Henry’s baptism record, but it says he was baptized at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lohmann, which was also nearby. I have to display his baptism record in 2 images.

Pastor Frederking served Zion Lutheran Church from 1852-1855 according to this list of early pastors at that congregation that is found in the book, Heart of Missouri.

After also spending some time at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Olivette, Pastor Frederking took a call to Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells in 1859. He would serve that congregation until 1863. Two of Henry’s siblings were born and baptized in New Wells.

It appears that Rev. Frederking spent a short time at St. John Lutheran Church in Mt. Hope, Ohio after leaving New Wells in 1863. Since Henry would have been about 9 years old at the time, he must have lived in Ohio for a while. He had a sister who was born there in 1863.

When we get close to the 1870’s, I lost track of Henry for a while. I failed to find him in the 1870 census. I did find a Henry Frederking living in Hamel, Illinois and working as a farmer. He was the right age, but it says he was born in Germany.

I know that Henry’s father moved to Goodfarm, Illinois in the late 1870’s, but Henry was no longer living with his family in the 1880 census. The next record I found for Henry was this note found in the books of Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob, Illinois. It says he was released from membership in 1878, which was also one of the first years of that congregation’s existence.

I also failed to find Henry in the 1880 census. Now, we are going to look at the woman who would become Henry’s bride. Her name was Emilie Appolonia Beck, who was born on October 24, 1860. An amazing fact is that Henry’s half-brother, Andreas Frederking, who was born and baptized in New Wells, had the exact same birthday as Emilie. Emilie was the daughter of Friedrich and Maria (Ludwig) Beck. She was baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown. We can take a look at her baptism record here.

Emilie’s father died before the 1870 census, and her mother also remarried. Her second husband was Zacharias Wunderlich. In the 1870 census entry, we find Emilie at the age of 9, but it looks as if she has the surname, Wunderlich. The Wunderlich’s were living in the Shawnee Township where Emilie’s stepfather was a farmer.

Emilie is found in the 1880 census at the age of 20 still living in the Shawnee Township.

I have unanswered questions about how Henry managed to get acquainted with Emilie when the fact is that he left New Wells when he and Emilie were children who did not even live close to one another. Then, in the late 1870’s or 1880, these two managed to find one another. The best guess I have is that they both moved to St. Louis and found one another there. That is where these two would get married.

Henry Frederking married Emilie Beck on February 27, 1881 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Louis. Our GFT says this couple was married on that day in 1880, and if so, today would be their 145th wedding anniversary, but the church record for this wedding shown below states that they were married in 1881, so it would only be their 144th anniversary. Rev. J.F. Buenger was still the pastor at that congregation in 1881.

Henry and Emilie would have 2 children, and both of them were baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells where his father was once the pastor. At some point between 1884 and 1900, Henry and Emilie moved their family to Kansas. In the 1900 census, the Frederking’s were living in Russell County, Kansas in the Fairview Township. This was located near the small town of Lucas. Their 2 children were teenagers, and Henry was a farmer.

The town of Lucas was just down the road from another Kansas town that has appeared on this blog many times, Sylvan Grove, as is seen in the map below.

In the next census taken in 1910, we find this couple still living in the same location and Henry still farming. Just their son, Theodore was still living with them.

When the 1920 census was taken, we find Henry and Emilie living in Sylvan Grove. Henry no longer had an occupation.

The 1930 census would be the last one in which we find today’s couple. Once again, we find them living in Sylvan Grove.

Henry Frederking died in 1931 at the age of 77; Emilie Frederking died in 1937 at the age of 76. These two are buried in the Bethlehem Lutheran Cemetery in Sylvan Grove. There is a family stone with two individual gravestones along with it.

I run across stories like this on occasion which not only has some holes in it, but also has some other unanswered questions. Not only that, but we find the surname, Wunderlich, showing up from two different directions. I found this tale rather fascinating for another reason. I know many people from this area ended up near Sylvan Grove, Kansas, but I did not expect one of them to be the child of a pastor from around here who would end up being a farmer there.