If I have learned something about the Groh Family Tree over the years, it is the fact that the branches of that tree are very widespread. If I want my readers to let loose with a big “Groh-n”, I would say that their family tree has “Groh-n” quite large. As for me personally, I know local folks who are part of that tree. A Groh family recently moved to Altenburg from Vermont. I was also on the same teaching staff with a woman who was part of that tree during my time in Memphis, Tennessee. Yet another one who lives in Colorado has been a speaker at our immigration conferences. I have also written several posts about Groh’s in Alva, Oklahoma. And, as a result of researching this story, I now know that another Groh descendant intersected with my life when I was a student at Concordia Teachers College in Seward, Nebraska.

The story begins with the birth of a baby girl in Jacob, Illinois. Philippine Bertha Groh was born on August 16, 1895, meaning that today would be her 130th birthday. Philippine was the daughter of Ernest and Anna (Schuessler) Groh. Below is a photo of Philippine’s parents taken on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary.

Philippine’s parents were both born and raised in Perry County. Then, in 1888, Ernest became a voting member of Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob. He then married Anna in 1890, and that couple had 8 children, who were all baptized at the church in Jacob. Philippine’s baptism record is displayed below in 2 images.

Philippine is found in the 1900 census at the age of 4. Her father was a wagon maker in the Fountain Bluff Township. Philippine was one of 3 daughters in the family at that time.

I was not able to locate Philippine in the 1910 census. I do know that she was not living with her parents at that time. During her younger years, she and two of her sisters, Agnes and Susanna, had this photograph taken at a studio in Murphysboro. Philippine is on the left.

In 1920, the 3 sisters shown in the above photograph made up a household of their own in St. Louis. Philippine was a milliner, and her 2 sisters were waitresses.

Philippine would get married during the next decade, so we will now look at the man who would become her husband. His name was Erich Frederick William Helge, who was born on February 17, 1892. Erich was the son of Henry and Minna (Thias) Helge. I found Erich’s confirmation record and his father’s confirmation record in the books of Zion Lutheran Church in St. Louis, but Erich’s baptism record is not found there, nor could I find it elsewhere. Erich is found in the 1900 census at the age of 8. His father was a salesman for a dry goods company in St. Louis.

In the 1910 census, we find Erich at the age of 18. He and his father were called clerks at a mercantile house.

Erich Helge was married to a woman named Nora Blanche Schulte prior to marrying Philippine Groh. Let’s take a quick look at her. Nora was born on April 18, 1897. She was the daughter of John and Anna Schulte. When she is found in the 1900 census, she was said to be 4 years old. Her father was a farmer in Canaan, Missouri, which is found in Gasconade County near the city of Owensville.

In 1910, Nora was still living in the same location and was the only child still living with her parents.

On July 25, 1914, Erich Helge married Nora Schulte in St. Louis. Here is the Missouri marriage license for this pair. It says they were married at a Methodist church.

Erich and Nora had one child, a son named Everett born in 1915. That child was baptized at Zion Lutheran Church in St. Louis.

Erich had his World War I draft registration completed in 1917. This document says Erich was a clerk employed by the Federal Pure Water Company. He had a wife and a child.

In the 1920 census, we find neither Nora nor Everett living with Erich. Erich was living with his parents in St. Louis. Although he is listed as being married in this entry, it may not have been the case. I found evidence that Nora would later get married again and died in 1940. The son, Everett, remained with his mother along the way.

Erich Helge married Philippine Groh on November 23, 1927. This couple was married in Murphysboro, Illinois. The marriage certificate shown below says they were married by a justice of the peace. This document says that both Erich and Philippine were from St. Louis.

Erich and Philippine had 2 children, a boy named Erich and a girl named Joy. We find the Helge’s in the 1930 census with their son, Erich, Jr. Erich, Sr. was called a florist.

The 1940 census shows the Helge couple with both of their children. Erich is called a checker for a meat packing company.

Erich had his World War II draft card completed in 1942.

I should have been able to locate the Helge’s in the 1950 census, but I failed to do so. Philippine Helge died in 1958 at the age of 62. Her death certificate says that she died at the Lutheran Hospital in St. Louis.

Erich Helge died in 1969 at the age of 77. I was not able to find a Missouri death certificate, but I did find evidence that he had an obituary printed in a Grand Rapids, Michigan newspaper.

Both Erich and Philippine Helge have entries on Findagrave.com for the Laurel Hills Cemetery in St. Louis, but neither one of them have gravestone photos. I know that cemetery is not well photographed because my maternal grandparents are also buried there and have no gravestone photos.

Now, I need to tell you how this Helge/Groh couple’s family crossed paths with me. As soon as I saw the name, Erich Helge, as the groom in this story, I had to wonder right away if he was related to the man I knew as Erich Helge. When I attended Concordia Teachers College in Seward, Nebraska, the Dean of Students had that name. Sure enough, the Erich Helge, Jr. mentioned in this post was indeed the man I got to know in Seward. I found a few photos of that Erich Helge taken over the years. Dr. Erich Helge was a professor of education and director of student teaching at Seward in 1962, a dean of students when I was there, and later became the headmaster at St. Paul’s Lutheran High School in Concordia, Missouri.

I also found Dr. Helge’s yearbook photo from 1952 when he graduated from Concordia Teachers College in River Forest, Illinois. I found this photo especially interesting because right below Dr. Helge’s photo was the photo of Charles Hoger. Mr. Hoger was my biology teacher at Lutheran Central High School in St. Louis, and later he was my biology professor at Concordia, Seward.

That led me down another rabbit hole. I just had to look for other people I may have known from that RF ’52 graduating class. I found Paul Wesche, Ralph Bickel, and Bill Wendling, all men I knew during my time as a teacher in Florida. I found Carl Schalk, a very well-known Lutheran musician. Also in that class was Edgar Roth, a Perry County native, who in his retirement from the teaching profession often brought students to our museum for tours. Not only that, I found two more professors that I had at Seward. There was Dr. Gil Daenzer, who was my physics professor, and Marjorie Meier, who gave it her best effort, but failed, to teach me how to play the piano. It certainly was a wonderful trip down memory lane for me. I have great respect for all of those people.