The character I found in our German Family Tree for today’s tale is Katharine Louise Ludwig. Louise was born on November 8, 1860. She was the daughter of Casper and Catherine (Schreiner) Ludwig. Below is a photo of Louise’s parents.

I have no evidence of where Louise was baptized. In the 1870 census, we find the Casper Ludwig family living in the Apple Creek Township, but for some reason, Louise is not listed in their household. I think the census taker just missed her. She would have been about 10 years old at that time. Casper was a brewer.

In 1876, a Missouri state census was taken, and we find Louise living in the Apple Creek Township.

When the 1880 census was taken, Louise was 20 years old and still living with her parents. Her father and her older brother, Herman, were both brewers in Appleton.

The Appleton Brewery is seen in the photo below.

Now, we will turn our attention to the man who would become Louise’s husband. His name was Alexander Logan Wilson, who was born on January 30, 1860. Alexander was the son of Alexander and Susan (Young) Wilson. Alexander is found as an infant in the 1860 census. His family was living near Bremen, Illinois. Alexander’s father was a farmer.

When the 1870 census was taken, the Wilson’s were said to be living near Blair, Illinois, which is very near Bremen in Randolph County. Alexander was 10 years old at the time.

Alexander was still living with his parents when the 1880 census was taken. Alexander and some other brothers were called farmers, along with their father.

According to a later document, Alexander graduated from medical school in St. Louis in 1884. I suspect, but do not know for sure, that Alexander may have become a doctor somewhere in the Apple Creek Township, possibly Old Appleton.

Alexander Wilson married Louise Ludwig on November 12, 1885 at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown. That means today would be the 140th anniversary for this pair. We can view this couple’s church marriage record here. It is this document that gets Louise into our German Family Tree. It says that Alexander was living in Appleton, but was a native of Sparta, Illinois.

I am also able to display 2 other civil marriage records for this event. Here is the Missouri marriage license.

Here is a document that looks more like a certificate.

According to entries on Family Search, this couple had 4 children between 1886 and 1891. If we could view the 1890 census, we could find both Alexander and Louise in a census entry together. However, because Louise died in 1891, we never see this pair in a census. Louise was just 31 years old when she died. I was not able to locate where Louise was buried.

Alexander Wilson married again in 1893. His second wife was Emma Lang, who was born on January 1, 1868. Emma was the daughter of William and Mary (Schultz) Wilson. I am not going to go into detail about her life, other than to tell you that she was born and raised in the Apple Creek Township. Alexander and Emma was married on February 15, 1893 at Zion Methodist Church in Appleton. The Missouri marriage license for this couple is displayed below.

We never see this Wilson couple in a Missouri census. By the time of the 1900 census, they were living in Tulare, California. They must have moved to California prior to 1896 because that is where this pair’s only child was born in 1896. Alexander is called a physician. Three children from Alexander’s first marriage are also found in this entry.

Dr. Alexander Wilson died in 1905 at the age of 45. A collection of records of Deceased American Physicians includes one for Alexander.

Emma Wilson did not die until 1945, but I do not know where she is buried. Dr. Alexander Wilson is buried in the Tulare Cemetery in Tulare.

The lives of Alexander and Louise Wilson were very short, despite the fact that Alexander was a doctor.