Back when Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim got their first called pastor, Rev. Franz Julius Biltz, one of the first baptisms to be included in that congregation’s books was one for the man who will be highlighted in today’s post. The Lutherans in Friedheim had been served by Rev. Charles Gruber from Uniontown for a number of years, but when Pastor Biltz graduated from Concordia Seminary, Altenburg in 1848 and became this church’s first called pastor, they became an official congregation and they kept their records in their own set of books. One more thing before I begin the story. The records in the Trinity, Friedheim books are actually from two places. One was the town of Dissen (which would later be called Friedheim), and the other was Sudheim (which later became known as Kurreville).

Heinrich Christoph Friedrich Kurre was born on December 23, 1848, the son of Christian and Wilhelmine (Behrens) Kurre. I do not know how this transpired, but this baby would eventually be called “John Henry” Kurre throughout much of his life. Even his gravestone is engraved with the name John H. Kurre. Although this child was born in December of 1848, he was not baptized until January of 1849. His baptism record in the Trinity, Friedheim books is found on a different page than others who were born in 1848. It is found on a page listing the early baptisms that took place in Sudheim. We can view John Henry’s baptism record below. I happen to think that someone other than Rev. Biltz wrote these records because there is different handwriting. Pastor Biltz’s handwriting was not this readable.

John Henry is found in the 1850 census at the age of 2. He is called Henry in this entry. His father was a farmer in Cape Girardeau County. Please note that he had an older sister named Matilda. She was born in 1847 and was born before the books in Friedheim began to keep records.

In the 1860 census, the Kurre’s were living in the Apple Creek Township. John Henry was 11 years old.

John Henry was still single when the 1870 census was taken. He was 21 years old and helping his father on his farm.

John Henry would get married not long after the above census was taken, so we will now take a look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Martha Jane Drum, and she is today’s birthday girl. Martha was born on August 5, 1850, so today would be her special 175th birthday. Martha was the daughter of John and Polly (Fulbright) Drum. There is an Ancestry.com family tree that calls Martha’s father, John B (Rev) Drum Sr/Judge, indicating that during his life, he was both a pastor and a judge. I located these 2 photos of Martha’s parents.

Martha was not a person who had German roots. I suspect that she was of Scots/Irish roots. Martha is found in the 1860 census at the age of 10. Her father is called a farmer in the Apple Creek Township. This entry also states that her father was born in North Carolina.

The last census in which we find Martha prior to her marriage is the one taken in 1870. She is called Jane in this entry. She was 19 years old and listed as a helper in the family.

Before I describe the marriage of John Henry and Martha, let me point out that there was already a wedding with a Kurre and a Drum that took place in 1866. John Henry’s older sister, Matilda, married Martha’s older brother, Robert. Then, on September 29, 1870, John Henry Kurre married Martha Drum. They were likely married in Martha’s church. We can view 2 civil marriage records for this couple. Here is the first one.

Another civil record is displayed here. Both of these records show that Eld. S.T. Ford officiated at the wedding. I suspect that Eld. stood for Elder and indicates that it was a church wedding.

I have to rely on other sources than our German Family Tree to determine how many children were born to this couple. I found places that said that they had 10, 11, or 12 children. Let’s just say that they had a large family.

Before we get to another census entry, we find evidence that a man named Henry Kurre became the first postmaster in a town that became known as Kurreville. I know there were several men in the Kurre family that carried the name, Henry, but I would say that it is at least possible that John Henry Kurre was the first postmaster of Kurreville. Henry became the postmaster in 1877. Another Kurre named Frederick was named the postmaster in 1887.

When the 1880 census was taken, the Kurre’s living in the Whitewater Township of Cape Girardeau County. John Henry (called J.H. in this entry) was a farmer. There were 5 children in the Kurre household.

John Henry and Martha had children all the way up to 1892, so if we could view the 1890 census, we would certainly find a very large Kurre household. However, we have to wait until the 1900 census to view this family again. They were back living in the Apple Creek Township. I find it interesting that Martha is called the farmer in this entry, and John Henry was called a farm laborer.

Martha Kurre died in 1905 at the age of 54. An article appeared in the Jackson Weekly Tribune about her death.

John Henry Kurre died in 1908 at the age of 59. He and his wife, Martha are each buried in the New Salem Cemetery in Daisy, Missouri.

Although the Kurre and Drum surnames may not be prominent ones among the Lutheran population around here, they seem to be quite well-known names in other circles. The Kurre name is found in our German Family Tree, and they are primarily found in records in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim.