Our birthday boy for today’s post was born in Altenburg, but spent most of his life in Chicago. During my teaching career, and possibly still to this day, the children of educators in Lutheran schools were referred to as “teacher’s kids”. Today’s birthday boy was a teacher’s kid.

Johannes Emanuel Abraham was born on July 2, 1875, so today would be his special 150th birthday. John, as he was called most of his life, was the firstborn child of Albert and Louise (Mesenbrink) Abraham. A previous post on this blog told the story of John’s parents. It was titled, Teacher Abraham. I am away from Altenburg for a while, so I didn’t think I would be able to access the baptism record for John from the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg, but I had included it already in the story about his parents, so I am able to display that record again today. One of his sponsors was Gott… Schmidt. I think there is a possibility that was my great grandfather, Gottwerth Schmidt.

John is found in the 1880 census at the age of 4. His father is called a school teacher who was living in Altenburg.

Teacher Abraham served the congregation in Altenburg from 1873-1883. I suspect that when the Abraham’s moved to Chicago in 1883, Teacher Abraham may have been a teacher at First Immanuel Lutheran Church in that city. That congregation was the second oldest Lutheran church in Chicago, and other church workers with origins in the 1839 German immigration served that congregation, such as Teacher Theodore Ernst Buenger and Rev. J.A.F.W. Mueller.

I figure that Teacher Abraham was at First Immanuel Lutheran School because I located John’s confirmation record in Ancestry.com’s Missouri Synod collection in the books of that church. I think it mistakenly says he was born on June 2nd, not July 2nd. His confirmation took place in 1889.

Since John got married prior to us seeing him in another census, we will now take a look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Emma L. Kubbernuss, who was born on September 25, 1877 in Three Oaks, Michigan. Emma was the daughter of Joachim and Louise (Koch) Kubbernuss. Three Oaks is located around the bend in the Lake Michigan coastline in the southwestern corner of Michigan. So, it is not really that far from Chicago. I failed to find the Kubbernuss family in the 1880 census, but in 1884, Emma’s father completed his naturalized citizen papers in Chicago. Then, in 1891, we find that Emma, like her future husband, was confirmed at First Immanuel Lutheran Church.

I found this amazing paragraph including some statistics for First Immanuel in 1893.

John Abraham married Emma Kubbernuss on August 16, 1899 at First Immanuel, Chicago. I also located this church marriage record for this couple in that congregation’s books.

The newlywed Abraham couple is found living with John’s parents when the 1900 census was taken. John is called a salesman, and his father was still teaching.

Before I move on, let me tell another story. In 1908, the Chicago Cubs were playing in the World Series. The church sanctuary of First Immanuel was located across the street from the stadium where the games were being played (prior to the building of Wrigley Field). It is reported that some members of that congregation would climb in the steeple to watch the games. I suppose it is possible that either John or Emma, or both of them, may have watched a game or two from up there.

When the 1910 census was taken, the Abraham couple still had no children, but according to my reckoning, Emma was pregnant when this enumeration was submitted in April of that year. John is called a clerk for a cork manufacturing company.

According to an Illinois death record, a female child (unnamed) was born and died on June 8, 1910.

John had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. He was given a Forest Park, Illinois address, and his employer was the Chicago Cork Works.

A daughter named Lois was born in 1916, so in the 1920 census, we find a trio of Abraham’s in their household. John still had the same job.

In the 1930 census, we find John’s household listed right underneath the household of his parents. John was still employed by a cork company.

Emma Abraham died in 1932 at the age of 54. An Illinois record of her death is shown below.

John is found as a widower when the 1940 census was taken. He was a lodger in a Drechsler household and still worked for the cork factory.

John Abraham died in 1947 at the age of 71. He died in Los Angeles, California. A California death index lists John’s death information. I believe that John’s daughter, Lois, was living in California at that time.

John and Emma Abraham are buried in the Concordia Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois. A large Abraham stone lists the grave sites of several members of the Abraham family, including John’s parents.

Now you know that the teacher’s kid born in Altenburg became a cork clerk in Chicago. Meanwhile, I am spending some time with our teacher’s kid who now is a Lutheran teacher in the Chicago area. She has 3 teacher’s kids who I figure can be called teacher’s grandkids.