Today’s couple brought back memories of watching the old Batman TV show. When Batman and Robin would fight the henchmen of their enemies like the Penguin and the Joker, exclamations would show up on the screen to describe the sounds of the fight. The bride in today’s story was a Zapf, and the groom was a Popp. If I was doing a video podcast of today’s post, I would insert those two names on the screen.
Today’s birthday girl was a Zapf. Ella Emelia Zapf was born on October 19, 1875, so today would be her 150th birthday. ZAPF! Ella was the daughter of Michael and Christina (Klugshertz) Zapf. She was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. Here is Ella’s baptism record. All of the records from Trinity, Cape Girardeau that I will include in this post are transcriptions, not original images.
In the 1880 census, we find Ella at the age of 4. Her father was a cigar maker in Cape Girardeau.
In 1891, Ella was confirmed at Trinity, Cape Girardeau. Here is that confirmation record.
Ella would get married in 1900, but not until after that year’s census was taken. She was a 24 year-old seamstress in the Zapf census entry shown below.
Now, we will take a look at the Popp husband. George Conrad Carl Popp was born on March 4, 1873. George was the son of John and Margaret (Gerstacker) Popp. Like Ella, he was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. I almost did not find his baptism record because his surname had been transcribed as Bobb, not Popp.
George is found in the 1880 census living in Cape Girardeau with his parents. He is called 8 years old, but I figure he was only 7. His father was a teamster.
In the 1900 census, George was 27 years old and working with his father on his farm in Cape Girardeau. Also included in this entry was Bertha Ochs and her husband. Bertha was George’s sister, and she had married Theodore Ochs. Theodore was a clerk for a hardware business.
George Popp married Ella Zapf on October 18, 1900, just one day before Ella’s 25th birthday. They were married at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. Below is their church marriage record.
I am also able to display 2 other civil records for this couple. For some reason, Ella is called Ida Zapf on both of these documents.
George and Ella had 2 children, a girl and a boy, both whom were baptized at Trinity, Cape Girardeau. In the 1910 census, we find the Popp’s with both of their young children. George was the manager of a sash and door factory.
George had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. It gives him a rural Cape Girardeau address and says he was farming.
The 1920 census shows the Popp’s with both of their children who were teenagers. George was a farmer.
That census would be the last one in which we find George. He died in 1923 at the age of 50. His death certificate below says he died of tuberculosis.
Ella is found as a widow in the 1930 census. Both of her children were living with her, but her daughter, Alma, had married Carl Junghaus, and that couple had a child listed in this household as well. Also included in this entry was Ella’s widowed mother.
The 1940 census shows a trio of folks in the census entry including Ella Popp. Her daughter, Alma, was a public school teacher, and her son, Charles, was 12 years old.
The last census we can view is the one taken in 1950. Ella was in her 70’s, and her daughter, Alma, was called a high school home economics teacher.
Ella Popp died in 1958 at the age of 83. Her death certificate can be viewed here.
George and Ella Popp are buried together in the Lorimer Cemetery in Cape Girardeau.
When Ella was confirmed, she was given the confirmation verse from Isaiah 41:10 which says,
When the Popp/Zapf couple faced their enemy, Satan, throughout their lives, they did not have Batman and Robin to come to their aid. They had a much mightier “good guy”, so they knew that they need not fear.