Yes, we have a birthday girl for today’s post. It’s even a very special birthday. In the last post that I wrote two days ago, that story told about a man who married 2 women who were named Louise. Just by chance, today’s birthday girl is also named Louise. However, I think the real interesting theme to be found in this story is the fact that a man who apparently had no early presence in the realm of the German Family Tree managed to get married twice, and both of his wives did have such a presence in our GFT. Yet, both of his marriages took place in St. Louis, so this man is not listed as the husband of either of the women he married that are found in our GFT. I am going to begin with the husband and eventually get around to the birthday girl.

Christian Wilhelm Lux was born on May 8, 1873. There is evidence that Christian was born in the Alsace-Lorraine region in Germany, and I was unable to determine the names of his parents. On future census entries, 2 entries said Christian came to this country in 1890, and 1 said he arrived in 1880. Regardless of which one was right, Christian is not found in an American census prior to his first marriage.

Let’s now take a look at the woman who would become Christian’s first wife. Her name was Anna Margaretha Tiedemann, who was born on June 28, 1879. Anna was the daughter of Herman and Margaretha (Luehrs) Tiedemann. She was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. Her baptism record is displayed here.

Anna is found in the 1880 census at the age of 11/12. Her father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township.

Since we are unable to view the 1890 census, the above entry is the only one we can see for Anna prior to her marriage. My best guess is that Anna, at some point in the 1890’s, moved to St. Louis to find work and met Christian.

Christian Lux married Anna Tiedemann on August 23, 1899 at Emmaus Lutheran Church in St. Louis. The church record for this wedding can be found in the Missouri Synod collection of records on Ancestry.com, but not in our GFT. An image of that record is found below. You will realize its importance later, but you can see that one of the attendants at this wedding was a woman named Louise Roth.

We can also view this St. Louis marriage record for this occasion.

This Lux couple had 3 children, all of which were baptized at Emmaus Lutheran Church in St. Louis. In the 1900 census, they had yet to have any children. Christian was a bartender in St. Louis.

The above census entry would be the only one in which we find Christian and Anna because Anna died in 1908 at the age of 28. I was unable to find a death record for her. I also was unable to determine where she was buried.

Christian Lux got married again, so now it’s time to look at today’s birthday girl. Her name was Louise Susanna Roth, who was born on August 9, 1875. That means today would be her 150th birthday. Louise was the daughter of Christian and Magdalena (Landgraf) Roth. She was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. Her baptism record is shown here.

Louise is found in the 1880 census at the age of 4. Her father was a farmer in the Union Township.

In the 1900 census, Louise was still living in Perry County, but not with her parents. She was doing housework in the Charles Knox household in the Union Township. If Louise was in St. Louis in 1899 for the Lux/Tiedemann wedding, then she must have returned to Perry County for this census.

Once again, I suspect that Louise may have moved back to St. Louis to find work after the above census was taken. Christian Lux married Louise Roth on May 4, 1909 at Emmaus Lutheran Church in St. Louis. The church marriage record for this event is shown here.

We can also view this St. Louis marriage record for this pair. If you look at the two St. Louis marriage records for Christian, you will see that Rev. Richard Kretzschmar performed both of his weddings.

Christian and Louise had 3 more children, and this time, these children were baptized at St. Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis. In the 1910 census, there were 4 sons in the Lux household. Three of the children were from Christian’s first marriage, and the youngest was born to Louise. Christian was still a bartender at a saloon in St. Louis.

Christian had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. It says he was a bartender at a tavern at 622 S. Broadway, which these days would be found in the shadow of Busch Stadium.

In the 1920 census, the Lux household included 5 sons and a daughter. Christian still had the same occupation.

The last census in which we find Christian is the one taken in 1930. This time, it says Christian was a laborer in a box factory. There were 3 children in their household.

Christian Lux died in 1933 at the age of 59…almost 60. His death certificate gives us no help on identifying his parents.

Louise is found as a widow in the 1940 census. She had no occupation. In her household were 2 single sons and her daughter, Ruth, who had married James Giesler. That young couple had a few children also included in this entry.

The last census we can view for Louise is the one taken in 1950. One of her sons was living with her, but the census taker did not give his name. It should have said Waldemar because he would have been 36 years old at the time. Neither Louise or Waldemar had occupations.

Louise Lux died in 1952 at the age of 76. Her death certificate says that she died at the Lutheran Hospital in St. Louis.

Both Christian and Louise’s death certificates say they were to be buried in the Concordia Cemetery in St. Louis, but neither one of them has grave sites listed on Concordia’s Findagrave.com page.

Christian Lux did make it into our German Family Tree because he was a baptism sponsor for a Tiedemann child. So, it looks like he made it down to this area during his lifetime, but only after he was married to his first wife. I can understand how he became acquainted to Anna from New Wells if she was working in St. Louis. And we have a clue from his first marriage record that he knew his second wife when she was likely in St. Louis at the time. I consider it evidence that young ladies often not only moved to St. Louis to find work, but also became members of Lutheran churches there. Lutheran churches must have been great places for these Lutheran ladies to find spouses. That may have happened twice with Christian and his lady Lux’s.