Today’s tale has its beginnings in the books of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg. However, a baptism record is the only church record I will be able to display in this post. It is also the only time we find a document from Perry County. Even the baptism probably did not take place in Perry County. Most of the story takes place in the Shawnee Township in northern Cape Girardeau County, and the Lutheran in this tale marries a Presbyterian woman. That means the subsequent church records for the people in this post would be found in Presbyterian church books for which we have no access.

I will begin with a Lutheran boy that was born in 1859. August Herman Litzelfelner was born on February 2, 1859. August was the son of Andrew and Eva (Meyr) Litzelfelner. Photos of his parents are shown here.

Andrew and Eva both came to America from their home country of Austria in 1853, but aboard different ships. Then, in 1855, they got married and started to raise a family. They settled in the Shawnee Township where there had yet to be a Lutheran church established. Lutheran pastors from Altenburg came to that township to conduct worship services and perform official acts like baptisms. The first Litzelfelner baby, a boy named Joseph, was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg in 1857. The pastor at Trinity was Rev. Georg Schieferdecker, but later in 1857, he was expelled from that congregation, and he started Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg. So, even though the first 2 Litzelfelner babies were baptized at 2 different Lutheran churches in Altenburg, they were baptized by the same pastor. It is likely that August was baptized at his home in the Shawnee Township. His baptism record from the books of Immanuel, Altenburg is pictured below.

August is found in the 1860 census at the age of 2, although I think he was only 1. His father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township.

Next, we find August in the 1870 census when he was 12. Several more children had been added to this Litzelfelner family. Beginning in 1866, a few of those children were baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. Then I believe this family had become involved in establishing another Lutheran church located between New Wells and Pocahontas that was called New Jerusalem.

The last census entry in which we find August prior to his marriage was the one taken in 1880. He was still living with his parents and helping his father on his farm.

Now, we will take a look at the woman who would become August’s bride. Her name was Willie Minerva Hansel, who was born on November 27, 1866. Willie was the daughter of William and Margaret (Statler) Hansel. She was likely baptized at Apple Creek Presbyterian Church near Pocahontas, a congregation that had been established in 1821. Even before Willie can be found in a census entry, her father died in 1868. In the 1870 census, Willie was 3 years old. A 21 year-old man, Robert Garner, along with Willie’s older brother, John, who was 16 years old, were doing the farming.

Willie’s mother married again in 1873. Her second husband was William Stevenson, who had previously been married to Nancy Torrence, who had died in 1861. In the 1880 census, we see Willie at the age of 12 and called a stepdaughter in this Stevenson household.

August Litzelfelner married Willie Hansel on June 14, 1885, so today would be this couple’s 140th wedding anniversary. This wedding took place at Apple Creek Presbyterinan Church. Their Missouri marriage license is displayed here.

We can also view this document that looks more like a marriage certificate.

I believe this couple had 7 children, and they were likely baptized at Apple Creek Presbyterian Church. Not all of them lived to adulthood. In the 1900 census, the Litzelfelner household included 5 children and one of August’s brothers. August was a farmer in the Shawnee Township.

Willie Litzelfelner died in 1907 at the age of 40. She died before Missouri began keeping death certificates. An obituary published in the Cash Book Journal says she died of pneumonia.

When the 1910 census was taken, we discover that August had moved his family into Jackson, Missouri. If I read it correctly, it says August had his “own income” and the following column says “attend store”, but it is crossed out. Five children were still living with their father.

The last census in which we find August is the one taken in 1920. It says he was a “starter” at a dairy. Two daughters were in his household, along with a young man, Richard Kain, who was caring for cows.

A short biography for August Litzelfelner is found in Goodspeed’s History of Southeast Missouri. It gives a few more details for his life that cannot be found in the documents I have shown.

August Litzelfelner died on the 4th of July in 1929 at the age of 70. His death certificate says he died of chronic hepatitis.

August and Willie Litzelfelner are buried together in the Apple Creek Cemetery in Pocahontas, which is located right next to Apple Creek Presbyterian Church.

There are a few names from the Pocahontas area that are rather lengthy, like Litzelfelner and Reisenbichler. In each of those cases, there have been folks who have shortened those names to Reis and Litz. I understand that there are quite a few folks in Jackson with that surname. I know there is a Litz Park in that city that may have been named after one of them.