A marriage that took place 170 years ago on this date that led to this couple operating a hotel in what became the bustling river town of Wittenberg, Missouri. The bride and groom had their beginnings in Germany. Let’s take a look at them.

The groom, Carl Friedrich Nennert, was born on October 12, 1836 in the Saxony region of Germany. I can only tell you that his father’s name was Gottlob or Gottlieb. I cannot tell the exact location of his birth. I will use the name Frederick for him because that is the name you see on most documents. The bride, Amalia Christine Johanna Naeser, was born on November 12, 1836. A transcription of Amalie’s German baptism record below says that occasion took place in Loitzsch, Zeitz, Freistaat Sachsen, Deutschland. I may need some help from our friend in Germany, Timm Yamnitz, in identifying exactly where that is because I found a few options when I looked on an internet maps website. This document says Amalie’s parents were Heinrich and Christiana (Stolze) Naeser.

Our German Family Tree presently says that Amalie’s mother was Sophie Friedel, but Family Search indicates that Amalia’s mother died in 1849, and then her father married Sophie Friedel later that year. Perhaps our German Family Tree needs to be tweaked. Henry and Sophie had a child in 1850 in Germany. Then, in 1855, another child was born in Perry County and baptized in Altenburg.

This leads me to discuss the immigration of Frederick Nennert and Amalia Naeser. I was not able to determine when either of these made the voyage to America. I consulted the immigration database that we have in our research library that was compiled by Timm Yamnitz. His database also does not indicate when the Nennert’s and Naeser’s arrived in this country. I figure if Timm could not find such documentation, I certainly will be unsuccessful. What I do know is that both of them were living in Perry County in 1855 because that is when and where this couple was married.

Frederick Nennert married Amalie Naeser on April 19, 1855. Their church record is found in the books of Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna, but it is found on a page including 3 marriage records that occurred in the 1850’s and are labeled, “Other marriages”. Perhaps the bride or groom or both were living elsewhere in the Perry County area but were married by the Frohna pastor.

We can also view a civil marriage record for this couple. You can see that it was Rev. Christoph Heinrich Loeber who performed the wedding.

Our German Family Tree lists 11 children born to this Nennert couple. All of them have their baptism records in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. However, this family must have lived across the river in Jackson County, Illinois either for a very short time or a longer time in which they came across the river to Missouri to have their children baptized. We find the Nennert’s living in Jackson County when the 1860 census was taken. I am guessing that they did not live far from the river, perhaps in the vicinity of where the later congregation was established called Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob. Frederick was a farmer. It says the two children in their household were born in Illinois, which supports the idea that the Nennert’s brought their children back to Perry County to be baptized.

Frederick served in the U.S. Army during the Civil War. His miliary record for that war is shown here. He was a 1st sergeant serving under Captain Charles Weber, who was from Wittenberg.

Probably right after the 1860 census was taken, the Nennert’s moved back across the river to live in Wittenberg, Missouri. Based on the above military record, they must have moved to Missouri prior to 1861. In 1866, a tax form indicates that Frederick was living in Wittenberg and being taxed on spirits.

In the 1870 census, we find Frederick called a hotel keeper. The Nennert household included 6 of their children along with several other folks who either were living at the hotel or working there. This time, all of the Nennert children, including the two who were said to be born in Illinois in the previous census, were born in Missouri.

Below is a photo of the Nennert Hotel in Wittenberg.

Frederick Nennert died in early 1880 at the age of 43. His death record in the Trinity books says he died of wasting away fever. In a later entry on his Veterans Schedule in 1890, it says he was crippled in his left foot. This may have contributed to his death.

Later that year, Amalie is seen as a widow and the head of the household in the 1880 census. She is said to be keeping house, but her 18 year-old daughter, Selma, was called a hotel keeper. A few sons were farming. There were also a few boarders.

Amalie, listed as Frederick’s widow, is found in the 1890 Veterans Schedule for Brazeau Township.

Amalie is found in the 1900 census with 4 children living with her. The youngest child was not actually her daughter. It was her granddaughter whose parents had died in 1899. This time, Amalie, who is called Amanda in this entry, was called the hotel keeper.

The above census entry was submitted in June of 1900, and Amalie would die in July, just a month later. She was 63 years old at the time of her death. Her death record in Trinity’s books says she died of dropsy.

Both Frederick and Amalie are buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Altenburg. Findagrave.com has an entry for Frederick, but it has no gravestone photo. Amalie does not even have an entry on Findagrave.com. So, I decided to take a quick trip to tromp through that cemetery this morning. I actually found Frederick’s gravestone, and it is pictured below. In the case of Amalie, I think she is buried in the empty space shown in the other photo.

I am hoping that Diane Anderson reads this post and decides to at least add Frederick’s gravestone photo to Findagrave.com.

The Nennert Hotel is a notable place in my books, Wittenberg ’03 and Wittenberg ’04. However, by 1903, neither of the Nennert parents were still alive, and the hotel was being operated by their daughter, Amalia.