The highlighted couple in today’s post, because they have 11 children listed in our German Family Tree, has been mentioned on this blog quite often. I have written about several children of this couple, but have yet to write the story of the parents. You will get that tale today. It begins with a special birthday boy.

Joachim Lohmann was born on October 15, 1850, so today would be his 175th birthday. Joachim was born in Scheeßel, Germany, the son of Joachim and Catharina (Schlesselmann) Lohmann. I am able to display Joachim’s baptism record from the parish in Scheeßel.

When Joachim was 17 years old, he came to America aboard the ship, Uhland, in 1867. We find his name on the passenger list for that ship shown here. Several others on that ship ended up settling in this area and just across the river in Jackson County, Illinois.

In the 1870 census, we find Joachim living in the John Stueve household at the age of 20. He was working on John Stueve’s farm. There is another person in this household called Henry Lueman. Joachim had a younger brother named Henry, and he would have been 14 years old in 1870, but later census entries would say that Henry came to this country in 1873 or 1874. Is this Joachim’s brother?

Joachim would get married in the next decade, so we will now turn our attention to the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Gesche Soehl, who was born on April 12, 1859 in Mittelstenahe, Germany. Gesche was the daughter of Friedrich and Maria (Stelling) Soehl. Gesche came to this country in 1874 aboard the ship, General Werder. She was 16 years old, and came by herself.

It was not long after Gesche settled in Perry County that she would get married. Joachim Lohmann married Gesche Soehl on October 28, 1875 at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar. That means that later this month, this couple would be celebrating their 150th wedding anniversary. We can view this couple’s church marriage record below.

I am also able to display 2 different civil records for this marriage. Here is the first one.

We can also take a look at this civil record.

As said before, this couple has 11 children listed in the German Family Tree. Prior to the 1880 census, two of those children were born, and they, like the rest of the children born later, were baptized at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar. In 1880, Joachim was farming in the Salem Township, which was formed during the previous decade.

Since we have to wait until the 1900 census to see another entry for this family, all but one of the Lohmann children were born by that time. Also, their oldest daughter had gotten married prior to 1900, and a few children died early. In the 1900 entry for the Lohmann’s, we find 6 children in their household. This is one of those 1900 Salem Township entries that is so difficult to read.

One more child was born in 1902. The last census in which we find Joachim and Gesche was the one taken in 1910. These two were in their 50’s, and there were 5 children still living with them.

Gesche Lohmann died in 1916 at the age of 56, almost 57. Her death certificate below says her cause of death was malarial fever and hepatitis.

An obituary for Gesche was published in the Perry County Republican.

Joachim Lohmann died in 1918 at the age of 68. Abdominal tuberculosis is given as the cause of death on his death certificate shown here.

I failed to find an obituary for Joachim. Joachim and Gesche Lohmann are each buried in the Salem Lutheran Cemetery in Farrar.

Joachim and Gesche began a Lohmann family tree back in the 1870’s. Theirs was not the only Lohmann family tree, but we know that theirs became quite a large one. Beginning with Joachim and Gesche, our German Family Tree for the Lohmann descendants takes up 16 pages. There are plenty of examples of small seeds that grow into tall trees. The Lohmann acorn grew into a giant oak tree.

Before I finish, I would like to ask a few questions that have to do with this family photo. It is said to be a photo of the Joachim and Catharina Lohmann family.

First of all, today’s birthday boy, Joachim Lohmann, was the oldest son in the Lohmann family, so I figure he must be the young man standing in the back. Also, I know that Joachim’s parents died in Germany. Was this photo taken in Germany? And was it taken because Joachim was about to leave Germany for America in 1867? That would put him at 17 years of age. This photo also makes me scratch my head, thinking that photography was in its early stages back in those days. I have to be a bit suspicious that such a nice photograph could have been taken in 1867. Perhaps someone familiar with the Lohmann family could answer some of my questions.