Our story begins with a birthday girl. Catherine Wilhelmine Bangert was born on May 4, 1865, so today would be her 160th birthday. Wilhelmine was the daughter of Wilhelm and Catherine (Eichmeier) Bangert. Our German Family Tree added a bunch of Bangert records fairly recently after the records for Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim were indexed and included. After all, the GFT says that Wilhelmine was the 9th of 10 Bangert children in her family. The Bangert’s were one of the early families to show up in that congregation’s church books. Wilhelmine’s baptism record from those books is displayed below.

I found it to be a challenge to pick which first name to use for Wilhlemine. It is almost an even battle in documents for her to be called either Wilhelmine (or a form of it) and Catherine. I settled on Wilhelmine, but even her gravestone has Catherine. Having said that, she is for some unknown reason called Amelia when she shows up in the 1870 census. She was 5 years old, and her father was a farmer in the Union Township of Bollinger County.

Next, we find Wilhelmine in the 1880 census as a teenager. Her father had died in 1878, so her mother was the head of the household in this census entry. A few older sons were working the farm. This time, they are found living in the Whitewater Township of Bollinger County. I have now seen many instances like this one. I think the Whitewater Township was a newly established one when the 1880 census was taken, so it is likely that the Bangert’s had not moved, but new township boundaries had been established.

Now, we will take a look at the man who would become Wilhelmine’s husband. He certainly did not have a typical German Lutheran name. His name was Jefferson Davis Statler, who was born on January 26, 1863. Perhaps I am not the only one who is fascinated that the Statler’s named their son Jefferson Davis while the Civil War was being fought. The Statler surname is one that is found very early in the state of Missouri. It appears that they came from North Carolina not long after the Louisiana Purchase in the early 1800’s. Jefferson was the son of Henry and Melvina (Hartle) Statler. He is found in the 1870 census at the age of 7. His father was a farmer in the Union Township of Bollinger County. You cannot see it in the image below, but I can tell you that almost the entire census page on which this household is found is full of Statler families.

In the 1880 census, we see the same situation we found with the Bangert’s. The Statler’s were living in the Whitewater Township. Jefferson was 17 years old at the time and helping on his father’s farm.

Jefferson Statler married Wilhelmine Bangert on January 30, 1890. The church record for this event is found in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim, but that record states that this couple was married at the Bangert home.

We can also view 2 other civil records for this wedding. Here is this couple’s Missouri marriage license.

Below is a record that appears more like a marriage certificate.

Jefferson and Wilhelmine had just one child, a daughter named Wilhelmine Tabea, who was born in 1894. In the 1900 census, we find Jefferson and his two Wilhelmine’s living in the Whitewater Township. Jefferson was a farmer.

During the next decade, the Statler’s moved to Perry County. In the 1910 census, we find them living in the Cinque Hommes Township.

Next, we find the Statler’s in the 1920 census. Jefferson was still farming in the Cinque Hommes Township.

The last census entry in which we find Jefferson Statler was the one taken in 1930. We still find the trio of Statler’s making up this family. Their daughter, Wilhelmine, would be a lifelong single person. Her parents were both in their 60’s. I included a few other Statler households in the image below to demonstrate that there were other Statler’s living near today’s highlighted couple.

Jefferson Davis Statler died in November of 1939 at the age of 76. His death certificate says he died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

Wilhelmine, now a widow, and her daughter are found in the 1940 census still living among several other Statler families in the Cinque Hommes Township.

The last census the public can view is the one taken in 1950. This time, Wilhelmine, who is called Catherine in this entry, and her daughter were living in Perryville.

Wilhelmine Statler died in 1957 at the age of 92. We can view her death certificate here.

Both Jefferson and Catherine Wilhelmine Statler are buried in the Whitewater Presbyterian Cemetery in Lixville.

The wedding of Wilhelmine Bangert and Jefferson Davis Statler was likely the uniting of a German Lutheran woman and a English-speaking Presbyterian. Because this couple only had a daughter who never married, they have no Statler descendants. However, I know there are plenty of Statler’s that can be still found in Southeast Missouri.