For a variety of reasons, today’s post may end up to be a relatively short one. The biggest reason is that today’s main character was a life-long single person. Most posts have two main characters, a husband and a wife, so there are automatically two sets of documents like baptism and census records and usually includes more than one document for a marriage. This story focuses on just one person, and that person would be celebrating a special birthday today.

Saara Maria Martha Mueller was born on June 29, 1875, so she would be celebrating her 150th birthday today. On her baptism record, it looks to me like her first name was spelled, Saara. I do not know if there was a German variation for the name, Sarah, with that spelling. I have never seen it before. I will use the spelling of her name as Sarah because that is what is inscribed on her gravestone. Sarah was the daughter of William and Maria (Noennig) Mueller. That means she qualifies to be included in the clan we refer to as the “Frohna Mueller’s”. Sarah was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna, and we can view her baptism record below.

Sarah is found in the 1880 census at the age of 5. Her father was an engineer in the Brazeau Township. An engineer in those days was someone in charge of the machinery for a business. I happen to think William Mueller probably worked at the biggest business in Frohna, the Frohna Flour Mill, operating and maintaining the motors that made that business function.

Another reason this post will be shorter is because we cannot view the census entry for 1890. A fire destroyed all the nation’s 1890 census records. So, the next census entry in which we can see Sarah is the one taken in 1900. She was already 24 years old and still living with her parents. There were 3 Mueller children in their 20’s who were still single. Sarah is called a house girl.

There is a bit of a puzzle in the above census entry. Included in the household was a girl by the name of Freida Kieninger who was born in March of 1892. Frieda is also called a daughter, but I do not think that was the case. There was a girl with that name whose parents were John and Amalia (Mueller) Kieninger. Amalia was the sister of Sarah’s father. In the 1900 census for the Kieninger’s, there was an 8 year-old who was born in March of 1892 called Retta in that family’s entry. Were there 2 Frieda Kieninger’s? Was Freida Kieninger listed in two different census entries? An if so, why was she living with the Mueller family in Frohna?

In the 1910 census, Sarah was the only child still living with William and Maria Mueller. Sarah was 34 years old and called a servant for a private family.

Next, we find Sarah in the 1920 census when she was 45 years old. She is given no occupation, but since her parents were both in their 70’s, I figure that Sarah was serving in the position of a German Tante, a single woman who helped care for other members of a family, either those who were elderly or the children of other family members.

A 1915 plat map that has Sarah’s father as a property owner, displays the Mueller land located very near Frohna. Nearby was the Frohna Mill and the Frohna creamery. Sarah also lived close enough to Concordia Lutheran Church to be able to walk to church on Sunday.

Both of Sarah’s parents died in the 1920’s, so when the 1930 census was taken, we find Sarah living by herself.

As it turns out, the above census would be the last one in which we find Sarah. She died in February of 1940, right prior to another census being compiled. So, there is another document I am unable to include in this story. Sarah was 64 years old when she died. Her death certificate says she died of pneumonia. Her occupation is listed as house work.

An obituary for Sarah was published in the Perry County Republican. I am a bit surprised that the obituary she was about 70 years old when she was only 64.

Sarah is buried in the Concordia Lutheran Cemetery in Frohna.

Sarah likely spent quite a few years being an important contributor to the well-being of her mother and father, especially later in their lives. After her parents died, I wonder if there were any folks who looked after her well-being as she became older and lived alone. I know that Scripture says plenty about Christians taking care of widows and orphans. Perhaps we should also include life-long single people who are living by themselves, especially when they become elderly, in the list of people we care about and care for.