You will read the story of a man named Charles Sommer today. His life turned out to be relatively short, but his second wife lived quite a few decades after his death as a widow.

Carl “Charles” Ferdinand Sommer was born on September 15, 1862, the son of Ferdinand and Anna (Bienlein) Sommer. Charles was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. We can take a look at his baptism record from that congregation’s books below.

Charles is found in the 1870 census at the age of 8. He is called Ferdinand in this entry. He had a younger brother who was named Charles. By that time, the Sommer household could be found living in Perryville where Charles’s father was called a laborer.

During the next decade, the Sommer family relocated to the Apple Creek Township. Charles was confirmed at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown in 1876. The 1880 census entry for the Sommer’s is pictured here. Charles (once again called Ferdinand) was working on his father’s farm in the Apple Creek Township.

Charles would get married twice. Let’s take a look at his first wife. Her name was Josephine Margaret Degger. I was not able to determine Josephine’s date of birth, but she must have been born in about 1865. She was the daughter of Joseph and Franciska (Mertz) Degger. Josephine is found in the 1870 census at the age of 5. Her father was a wagon maker in the Cinque Hommes Township.

Next, we find Josephine in the 1880 census as a teenager. This time, her father was called a farmer.

Charles Sommer married Josephine Degger on June 15, 1886. This couple’s Missouri marriage license shown here says that they were married at St. Mary’s Seminary Church in Perryville.

Charles and Josephine had 3 children according to Charles’s later obituary, but it appears that only one of them lived to adulthood. Then Josephine died in 1890 at the age of 24. Her Perry County death record below says that she died of pneumonia. It says she was buried at the German Catholic cemetery, which I figure was Mount Hope Cemetery in Perryville, but she has no entry for that cemetery on Findagrave.com.

Charles would get married again, so let’s take a look now at his second wife. Her name was Mary Gertrude Layton, who was born on October 27, 1868. She was the daughter of Louis and Rosella (Tucker) Layton. Gertrude (called Mary in this entry) was 1 year old when the 1870 census was taken. Her father was a farmer in the St. Mary’s Township.

In the 1880 census, Gertrude was 11 years old. It’s a bit tough to determine which child she is in this entry because there are 4 different daughters called Mary, each with a different middle initial.

Charles Sommer married Gertrude Layton on August 17, 1891, so today would be this couple’s 134th wedding anniversary. This pair’s Missouri marriage license below says that they were also married by a Catholic priest in Perryville. This document says that both Charles and Gertrude lived in Perryville.

Charles and Gertrude had 4 children, all of which were likely baptized at a Catholic parish. Not all of them lived to adulthood. In the 1900 census, we find the Sommer household with 3 children. Gertrude is called Jettie in this entry. Charles was a saloon keeper in Perryville.

Charles Sommer died in 1909 at the age of 46. His death record is found in the books of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. He is buried in that church’s cemetery, but he has no gravestone photo on Findagrave.com.

An obituary for Charles was printed in the Perry County Republican.

Gertrude is found as a widow when the 1910 census was taken. Gertrude had moved her family to St. Louis. Three of her four children were working in a variety of types of factories. Gertrude was just 41 years old, but she never married again.

In the 1920 census, the Sommer’s were still living in St. Louis. Two of Gertrude’s daughters, and her new son-in-law, Ferdinand Schuth, were all working at a shoe factory. Ferdinand Schuth had married Margaret Sommer in 1913, and this pair had already blessed Gertrude with 2 grandchildren by this time.

Gertrude and other family members are found in the 1930 census living in Litchfield, Illinois. Another daughter, Stella, had married Hugo Rodegast in 1921. Hugo was the head of this household. Hugo, along with one of Gertrude’s single daughters, Marie, were working at a shoe factory in Litchfield.

In the 1940 census, we find the Rodegast household that still included Gertrude and her daughter, Marie. Hugo was now called a foreman at a shoe plant. Hugo’s children were now teenagers.

The last census we can view in 1950 shows Gertrude, at the age of 81, still living with Hugo and Stella Rodegast. Hugo was called a leather supervisor at the shoe factory.

It looks like the Rodegast’s, along with Gertrude, moved back to St. Louis during the 1950’s. Gertrude died in St. Louis in 1956 at the age of 87. Her daughter, Stella, is the informant on her Missouri death certificate, and both Gertrude and Stella Rodegast are given the same address on this form.

Gertrude’s body was brought back to Perryville where she was buried at the Mount Hope Catholic Cemetery.

Gertrude was just 40 years old when her husband died. She would spend more years than that being a widow. She was a widow for about 47 years. She also spent a lot of years sending some of her children and their spouses off to work at a shoe factory.