Today’s birthday boy was not born in Southeast Missouri, but he eventually spent quite a few years living in Friedheim. While in that location, he served as the pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church. So, he himself was not baptized there, but he baptized many babies while serving that congregation.

John Herman Deye was born on June 11, 1885, so today would be his 140th birthday. John was the son of John and Catherine (Gellermann) Deye. He was born in Bethalto, Illinois. Likely, he was baptized at Zion Lutheran Church in Bethalto, a congregation that had been established in 1859. John is found in the 1900 census at the age of 15. His father was a farmer.

During the next decade, John became a Lutheran pastor, so he probably attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. I think his first call as a pastor was to be a missionary in Canada. The immigration document shown below says that he arrived in Canada in 1909. He must have still been single when he first lived in Canada. The document below is called a Certificate of Registration of American Citizen.

Now, we will take some time to look at the woman who would become John’s bride. Her name was Meta Sophia Iben, who was born on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1885. Meta was the daughter of Ulfert and Christiana (Jung) Iben. The US/Canada document shown above says that Meta was born in Harvester, Missouri, which is located in St. Charles County, not far from St. Louis. Zion Lutheran Church in Harvester was established in 1884, and her father was the first called pastor to that congregation. However, when Meta is found in her first census in 1900, the Iben family is found living across the Mississippi River in Worden, Illinois, which is also only about 12 miles away from Bethalto. Meta’s father was called a minister. He was likely the pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Worden. Meta was 14 years old at the time. There were also 2 younger children in the family with different surnames that were called “charges”. They were probably foster children.

Meta is found in the 1910 census still living in Worden. She was 24 years old and still single.

I was unable to find any documentation for the marriage of John and Meta, but that event must have taken place not long after the above census was compiled. In a Canadian census taken in 1911, we find John and Meta living in Regina, Saskatchewan as a married couple.

Two children were born to this pair, and both of them were born while they were living in Canada, one in 1911 and one in 1912. Those two were born in Balgonie, a town just outside Regina. I believe the Deye’s returned to the United States in around 1915. When John had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918, he had an Okawville address, and it said he was a minister in Covington, Illinois. I figure that he was the pastor of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Covington. I guess I find it a bit humorous that the condition listed on this form that may have disqualified him from military service was a bald head.

The Deye’s are found living in Covington when the 1920 census was taken. John is called a Lutheran minister. Their 2 children are found in this entry.

In 1925, Rev. Deye took a call to Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. We find him and his family living in Friedheim when the 1930 census was taken. A teacher named Edward Peitsch was included in their household.

In 1938, Trinity, Friedheim celebrated their 90th anniversary, and the article below was published in the Southeast Missourian.

Here is the photo in that article of Rev. John Deye that is enlarged.

The Deye’s were still in Friedheim when the 1940 census was taken. They no longer had any of their children living with them, but Meta’s mother was.

Rev. Deye had his World War II draft card completed when the United States entered that war. He is still given a Friedheim address.

Pastor Deye left Trinity, Friedheim in 1947. When the 1950 census was taken, the Deye’s had an empty nest, and they were living in the Grover Township of Johnson County in Missouri. John was still a minister, this time at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Knob Noster. He served that congregation until 1951.

I found evidence of the Deye’s being found in both the states of Minnesota and Michigan later in their lives. I believe this is because their son, Elfin, was a pastor in Minnesota, and their daughter and her husband were living in Michigan. Rev. John Deye died in 1962 at the age of 77. A Minnesota death index says he died in Winona.

Meta Deye died in 1967 at the age of 82. I was unable to determine where Meta died, but I suspect it was in Michigan. John and Meta Deye are buried together in the Glen Eden Memorial Park in Livonia, Michigan.

There were two pastors named Deye who served churches in our area. There was also a Rev. Renke Deye who served St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wittenberg from 1923-1947. Today’s birthday boy served Trinity, Friedheim from 1925-1947. That means they both served local churches at about the same time and for about the same number of years. I discovered while researching this story that these two pastors were brothers. Rev. Renke Deye was the pastor who confirmed my father in Wittenberg. I may get the opportunity to tell his story on this blog someday.