Today’s story begins in St. Louis, but ends up in Bollinger County, and the highlighted couple is buried in Friedheim. We will begin with the birthday girl.

Marie Louise Mathilde Moeller was born on June 9, 1860, thus making today her 165th birthday. Mathilda was the daughter of Christian and Louise (Sewing) Moeller. She was born in St. Louis and baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church. That means she was baptized by Rev. J.F. Buenger, one of the builders of the Log Cabin College in Altenburg. An image of her baptism record from that congregation’s books is pictured here.

Mathilda was likely born too late in 1860 to be found in that year’s census. I found her in the 1870 census still living in St. Louis. She is called Mary in this entry, and all the other names correspond to ones that were part of her family. Her father was a retail grocer.

Mathilda’s mother was a Sewing. Her mother’s father was living in the Apple Creek Township in Cape Girardeau County when the 1870 census was taken. I think her Sewing family connections in the Friedheim area was the reason that Mathilda’s Moeller family moved to this area prior to the 1880 census. We find the Moeller’s also living in the Apple Creek Township in that year’s entry. Mathilda was 20 years old, and her father was called a carpenter and farmer.

Mathilda would get married later that year, so we will now look at the man who would become her husband. His name was Friedrich Ferdinand Bangert, who was born on October 29, 1860. His name alternated between being called Friedrich (or Frederick) and Ferdinand in documents throughout his life. I will use Frederick because that is what is inscribed on his tombstone. He was the son of Wilhelm and Catherine (Eichmeier) Bangert. Frederick was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. We can view his baptism record below.

In the 1870 census, we find Frederick at the age of 9. His father was a farmer in the Union Township of Bollinger County.

When the 1880 census was taken, Frederick was 20 years old and working on his family farm. His father had died in 1878, so Frederick’s widowed mother was the head of the household. This time, they were living in the Whitewater Township of Bollinger County. I do not think this meant that this family had moved. I think township borders had been changed.

Frederick Bangert married Mathilda Moeller on November 25, 1880 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. We can take a look at this couple’s church marriage record below.

We can also view this civil record of their wedding. Rev. Voigt included 4 weddings on this form, the last one being the one for Frederick and Mathilda.

According to our German Family Tree, this pair had 4 children. All of them were boys, and all of them were baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. Since Frederick was the oldest of the Bangert sons, and his father had recently died, I suspect that Frederick took over his father’s farm in the Whitewater Township. We are not able to view a census entry including this Bangert family until the one taken in 1900. They were living in the Whitewater Township where Frederick was farming. We see all 4 sons in this entry.

Next, we find the Bangert’s in the 1910 census. Just 2 sons remained in their household.

The 1920 census shows one more additional member of the family, a daughter-in-law named Lena. It appears that she was the wife of Robert Bangert because he is called “married” in this entry.

The Bangert’s are found in the 1930 census when Frederick and Mathilda were in their 60’s. Robert’s family was living with them, and they had 4 children by then. Frederick and Robert were farming together.

Plat maps were produced for Bollinger County in 1930. We find the F.F. Bangert farm right next to the small town of Lixville. You can see a few other Bangert farms in this image. Lixville is located not far from Friedheim, which is located in Cape Girardeau County.

Frederick and Mathilda are next found in the 1940 census. Frederick, at the age of 79, was still farming with his son, Robert.

Frederick almost made it into the 1950 census. He died in January of 1950 at the age of 89. We can view his death certificate below.

An obituary for Frederick was published in the Perry County Sun.

Mathilda Bangert is found in the 1950 census as a widow. She was still living with her son, Robert, and his family.

Mathilda Bangert died in 1955 at the age of 95. Her death certificate can also be viewed.

Mathilda’s obituary was printed in the Perry County Republican.

Frederick and Mathilda Bangert are each buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Friedheim.

I went to the ball park in Altenburg last evening (mainly to eat fried fish), and I was able to watch several innings of a fast-pitch softball game. One of the teams was from Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. I did not hear any players being announced who had the names of Bangert or Sewing, but I would guess that church’s team has had quite a few players over the many years of that softball league’s existence with those surnames.