The birthday boy in today’s story has no church records included in our German Family Tree. Nor does the woman who became his bride. Both of their names are included in our GFT, but not because of any local church records being attached to their information.
John Frank Yamnitz was born on August 26, 1873, so today would be his 152nd birthday. On most documents, he was called Frank, so that is what I will use. He was the son of Charles and Margaret (Dittmar) Yamnitz. Frank shows up in the 1880 census at that age of 7. His father was a farmer in the Union Township of Bollinger County, Missouri.
We are not able to see Frank in the 1890 census, and he got married prior to 1900, so we will now take a look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Sarah Jane Halbrook, who was born on February 4, 1876. She is mostly called Jane on documents, so that is what I will call her. Jane was the daughter of Samuel and Mary Ann (Montgomery) Halbrook. She is found in the 1880 census at the age of 4. Her father, like Frank’s father, was a farmer in the Union Township of Bollinger County.
Frank Yamnitz married Jane Halbrook on October 17, 1897. A marriage license for this couple shown below is from Madison County, Missouri, but it says the couple was actually married in Bollinger County at the bride’s residence. A justice of the peace performed the wedding ceremony.
According to Family Search and some family trees on Ancestry.com, this Yamnitz couple had 6 children. When the 1900 census was taken, there were 2 young daughters in their household, along with 2 teenage youngsters who were helping with the farming and housework. The girl was Julia Halbrook, who was Jane’s younger sister. Frank was a farmer in the Union Township of Bollinger County.
Next, we find the Yamnitz’s in the 1910 census. There were 3 daughters and a son in their household.
Frank had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. He must have been one of the oldest men to complete one of those forms at the age of 45.
Frank and Jane and their family are found in the 1920 census. Their oldest daughter, Cora, had gotten married in 1919, and another daughter had been born in the previous decade, so this entry once again has 3 daughters and a son.
The last census in which we find Frank Yamnitz is the one taken in 1930. Just their youngest daughter was still living with Frank and Jane.
An atlas of plat maps for Bollinger County was produced in 1930. The J.F. Yamnitz farm was located in the northeast corner of the Union Township. There are other Yamnitz farms in that area.
Frank Yamnitz died in 1937 at the age of 63. For some unknown reason, I was unable to locate a Missouri death certificate for him. However, I did find a church record for his burial on Ancestry.com. It is found in some records for the Sedgewickville Lutheran Church. An image of that burial record is displayed below.
Jane is found as a widow in the 1940 census. She was living with her daughter, Pearl, and her husband, L.A. Fadler. They were living in Benton, Missouri.
The last census in which we find Jane was the one taken in 1950. Once again, she was living with the Fadler’s, but this time, they were back living in the Union Township of Bollinger County.
Jane Yamnitz died in 1955 at the age of 79. Her death certificate shown here says that she died at the Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville.
Frank and Jane Yamnitz are buried together in the Yount Community Cemetery in Yount. A sign found at that cemetery indicates that it had several names over the years, including Mr. Zion Lutheran Cemetery, which is indicated on the above death certificate for Jane as her place of burial.
Pictured below is the gravestone for Frank and Jane in that cemetery.
Although I found no evidence of church records in our German Family Tree for the husband and wife in this story, I did find clues that at least Frank was a Lutheran during his lifetime, and if we had the church records for Mt. Zion Lutheran Church in the Yount vicinity, they would perhaps make their way into the GFT. I have to also wonder if Mt. Zion could also be associated with the Zion Lutheran Church in Kurreville that is found in a list of early churches in the Missouri District. Below is a listing of that church’s pastors that is found in the book, Heart of Missouri.
