It did not take me long to find a story for today. I almost always check first to see if someone was born on the day’s date 200 years ago. The one I found for today is also located in the early part of the alphabet, so it showed up almost immediately when I did a search for November 25, 1825.

John George Boxdorfer was born on November 25, 1825, the son of Karl and Eva (Schops) Boxdorfer. This person was hardly ever called just John or George, but either John George or John G. I will use John George. He was reportedly born in Weidnitz, Germany. I am not aware of when John George came to this country, but in 1855, he became a naturalized citizen in Perry County.

I was unsuccessful at finding John George in the 1860 census, and he got married toward the end of that year, so we will now look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Wilhelmine Christine Hesse, who was born on March 3, 1825, so she would have celebrated her bicentennial birthday last spring. She was born in Germany, but I am not sure who her parents were. The 1910 census says that Christine came to America in 1854, but I was also unsuccessful at finding her in the 1860 census.

John George Boxdorfer married Christine Hesse on December 26, 1860 at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg. We are not able to view records from that congregation’s books because they were burned in a fire. However, in the 2 civil records for this wedding shown below, it says the pastor who performed the weddings was Rev. Theodore Gruber, who was the pastor of that congregation in 1860.

Not long after his marriage, John George served in the military during the Civil War. His military record is pictured here.

Our German Family Tree lists 4 children born to this couple, but Family Search lists 5. When the 1870 census was taken, we find the Boxdorfer’s with 4 children. John George was a farmer in the Cinque Hommes Township.

Next, we find the Boxdorfer’s living in the Central Township with all 5 of their children. John George was still farming.

John George did not live long enough to make it into the 1900 census. He died in 1895 at the age of 69. His death record is found in the books of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville.

Christine Boxdorfer is found as a widow in the 1900 census. Christine was called the farmer, but she was living with 2 of her sons who were called farm laborers.

The last census in which we find Christine is the one taken in 1910. She was living in Perryville with her single son, Henry, who was called a laborer doing general work.

Christine Boxdorfer died in 1915 at the age of 90. Her death certificate shown below does not give us any help at identifying her parents names. Her son, Henry Boxdorfer, was the informant on this document.

An obituary for Christine was published in the Perry County Republican. I have to display it in two clickable images. It mentions that she had been married in Germany prior to coming to America.

One thing surprised me in this story. Both of the surnames, Boxdorfer and Hesse, are ones which can be found often in our German Family Tree, indicating that they were German Lutheran names. I expected both John George and Christine to be buried in a Lutheran cemetery. John George is indeed buried in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville, but Christine is buried in the St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery in Perryville.

Before I close, let me show a few images of John George and Christine Boxdorfer.

Happy Bicentennial Birthday, John George Boxdorfer.