Ida Emma Barbara Bergmann is today’s birthday girl. She was born on November 2, 1895, thus making today her 130th birthday. Ida was the daughter of John and Mary (Muench) Bergmann. She was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. An image of her baptism record from that congregation’s books is pictured here.

Ida and her family are found in the 1900 census living near Perryville. Ida was 4 years old, and her father was a farmer in the Central Township. She was the last child born into this Bergmann family.

That would be the only census entry in which we find Ida living in Perry County. When she was confirmed in 1908, her confirmation record can be found in the books of Zion Lutheran Church in St. Louis. I am only showing you a small portion of her confirmation class. There were 40 confirmands in her class. She is listed as #18.

In the 1910 census, the Bergmann’s are found living in St. Louis. Her father was a night watchman at a mercantile house. Ida and two others in this household were called shoemakers at a shoe factory.

I think the photo shown below was taken prior to Ida getting married. She is shown with Nelda Kloepper, who was the sister of the man that Ida would marry. I do not think this photo was taken in St. Louis.

Let’s now take a look at the man who would become Ida’s husband. His name was Adolph Ferdinand Kloepper, who was born on April 30, 1894. Adolph was the son of Henry and Mathilda (Lucht) Kloepper. He was born in Baldwin, Illinois and is found living there when the 1900 census was taken. Adolph was 5 years old, and his father was a farmer.

We have a photo of Adolph which was taken even before the above census was taken. He is being held by his mother in this picture taken outside the Kloepper home in Baldwin.

Here are two more photos of Adolph when he was rather young. Adolph is on the left in the first photo.

When the 1910 census was taken, Adolph was still living in Baldwin. He was 16 years old and helping his father on his farm.

I think Adolph moved to St. Louis after the above census was taken. It probably was in St. Louis that Adolph met Ida. Adolph Kloepper married Ida Bergmann on June 10, 1916 at Zion Lutheran Church in St. Louis. I was able to locate the church marriage record for this couple that is shown here.

We can also take a look at this St. Louis marriage record. This document says that both Ida and Adolph were living in St. Louis when they were married.

I did not find a wedding photo for this couple, but I did find one that was taken at their wedding reception.

Adolph and Ida had just one child, a son named Orlin, who was born in 1917. That child was baptized at Zion, St. Louis. That year, 1917, was also the year that Adolph had his World War I draft registration completed. This form says Adolph had a wife and one child. He was called an auto mechanic at Bilgere & Kavanaugh which was located at 2816 N. Grand.

This photo of Adolph and Ida must have been taken at an early time in their marriage.

The Kloepper’s are found in the 1920 census living in St. Louis with their son. Adolph is called a machinist at an automobile company.

Next, we find the Kloepper trio in the 1930 census. Adolph had the same occupation. I have also included the household below the Kloepper’s. That was the Michael Bilgere family. Michael and Adolph were living at 3518 University Avenue. Adolph’s address is given as 3518 A and Michael as 3518 B. I’m thinking one family lived on the first floor and the other on the second.

Take a look at this map showing the address where Adolph Kloepper and Michael Bilgere lived. There is no house there now, but the large rectangle on Grand Blvd. was the location for what was once known as Bilgere Chevrolet. The block across Grand Blvd. is empty now, but at one time it was the location for Sportsman’s Park, which was later named Busch Stadium. It was the first place where the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team played.

Here is an old photo of Sportsman’s Park with the Bilgere Chevrolet building highlighted with yellow. The house right behind that building would have been where the Kloepper’s and the Bilgere’s lived.

A rather interesting fact is that Michael Bilgere was also born and raised in Baldwin, Illinios, and that connection was likely what brought these two men together in the auto business in St. Louis.

The photo below of Adolph Kloepper shows him sitting next to that house with a few puppies on his lap.

The Kloepper’s and Bilgere’s were still living at the same location when the 1940 census was taken. Adolph was called a used car salesman.

Here is another photo of Adolph and Ida at a later time in their lives. I do not think this picture was taken in their home near Bilgere Chevrolet.

Adolph and Ida are found in the 1950 census living on San Francisco Street in St. Louis, which is found farther north in that city. Adolph was still working for Bilgere Chevrolet as a truck driver, but in 1949, Michael Bilgere had died.

A photo was taken of Adolph and his Kloepper siblings later in his life. The caption will guide you to which one is Adolph.

Adolph Kloepper died in 1961 at the age of 66. His death certificate below says he and Ida were living in Bellefontaine Neighbors, which is found in North St. Louis, not that far from where I grew up.

Ida Kloepper died in 1975 at the age of 80. Perhaps next year, one could view her death certificate. I found a death record for her in the books of Grace Chapel Lutheran which can be found in Bellefontaine Neighbors. Adolph and Ida Kloepper are buried together in the New Bethlehem Cemetery in St. Louis.

This story brought back some childhood memories for me, not because I knew the Kloepper’s. Probably the first organized sports team that I played for was a baseball team sponsored by Bilgere Chevrolet. I located this photo of that team standing in front of the Bilgere Chevrolet buiding. In case you’re wondering, I am the only player in the photo who is wearing glasses. And right to the left of me is my brother, Dennis Schmidt. I am sure that the man standing in the back wearing a tie was a representative of Bilgere Chevrolet.

I feel the urge to tell you a few more baseball stories. When my dad would take us to baseball games back in those days, the Cardinals were still playing baseball at Sportsman’s Park. I vividly remember one game when my boyhood hero, Stan “The Man” Musial hit a home run over the pavilion in right field onto Grand Boulevard. I suppose it is possible that the ball may have hit the Bilgere Chevrolet building.

On another occasion, I experienced a rather rare and historic home run at that ball park. One of the greatest home run hitters of all time was Hank Aaron, who at the time was playing for the Milwaukee Braves. The Cardinals were playing the Braves, and Larry Jackson was pitching for the Cards. Hank Aaron had struck out three times on Larry Jackson slow curve balls. Then, when he came up to bat for the 4th time, he was waiting for one of those outside slow curves. He got one, reached out, and belted it to the opposite field over the pavilion and onto Grand Boulevard. He rounded the bases, but when he stepped on home plate, the umpire, Jocko Conlon, put up his fist and called him out for stepping across the plate. So, Hank Aaron, who is credited with 755 home runs, could have had 756. Not long ago, I ran across this story in a book written by a famous sportswriter. Perhaps my memory is not as bad as I sometimes think.