I had to add a few new surname folders to our collection for today’s post, one short one and one long one. The long name is not even found once in our German Family Tree. Today’s birthday boy had the name, Rapp, and there is just one person by the name, Rapp, to be found in the “R” section of our German Family Tree. I will begin with him today.

Joseph G. Rapp was born on November 28, 1875, which means that he would be celebrating his special 150th birthday today. Joseph was the son of Paul and Sophia (Rasche) Rapp. I am not able to share any baptism information for Joseph. He is found in his first census entry in 1880 at the age of 5. Joseph was the only child in the Rapp family at the time.

Joseph’s first marriage would take place not long before the 1900 census was taken, so we will now look at the woman who would become Joseph’s first bride. Her name was Anna Dora Magdaline Dambach, who was born on April 7, 1878. Anna was the daughter of Henry and Wilhelmine (Jaeger) Dambach. Anna’s parents have a marriage record in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim, but none of that couple’s children have their baptism records in our German Family Tree. I suspect that the Dambach children may have been baptized at the Arnsberg Lutheran Church, but since I am not in Altenburg, I cannot look in the Arnsberg binder that we have to find evidence. Anna is found in the 1880 census at the age of 2. Her father was a farmer in the Apple Creek Township.

Joseph Rapp married Anna Dambach on January 29, 1899. According to the Missouri marriage license below, they were married by a minister in Jackson, Missouri. I suspect that this wedding took place at St. John’s Lutheran Church outside Fruitland. That congregation was not a Missouri Synod church, and would later become named the St. John’s United Church of Christ. We have a binder in our museum for that congregation, and I might find this marriage record in that binder. I may have to check that out when I get back home.

We can also view this couple’s marriage certificate.

I am able to display this pair’s wedding photo.

When the 1900 census was taken, we find these two newlyweds living in the Apple Creek Township where Joseph was a farmer.

Joseph and Anna had 2 children in the early 1900’s, but then in 1903, Anna died at the age of 25, leaving Joseph as a widower. Anna is buried in the Oak Ridge Cemetery, but she has no gravestone photo on Findagrave.com.

Joseph would get married again prior to the 1910 census. Let’s take a look at his second bride. Her name was Bertha Wolfenkoehler, who was born on July 8, 1879. Bertha was the daughter of Wilhelm and Caroline (Heider) Wolfenkoehler. I found evidence that Bertha’s family were members of St. John;s Lutheran Church in Fruitland, so perhaps that is where she was baptized.

Bertha was very young when the 1880 census was taken. Her father was a farmer in the Apple Creek Township.

The only other census entry we can view with Bertha still being a single person was in the census taken in 1900. She was still living with her parents at the age of 20.

Joseph Rapp married Bertha Wolfenkoehler on January 10, 1907. The Missouri marriage record shown here says the pastor who performed the wedding was serving at St. John’s church in Jackson. I conclude that was the congregation near Fruitland.

We can also take a look at this marriage certificate for that occasion.

I cannot display a wedding photo of this pair, but I did find this picture of Bertha. I am not sure if she had gotten married yet when this picture was taken.

Joseph and Bertha had 2 more children but not until after the 1910 census was taken. In the 1910 census, we find just the 2 children born to Joseph’s first wife. Joseph was called a merchant at a retail grocery.

In 1911, Bertha Rapp died at the age of 32. In her case, we are able to view her death certificate. Such death certificates had been kept starting in 1910. It says Bertha died of a circulatory failure.

Bertha Rapp is buried in the St. John’s United Church of Christ Cemetery near Fruitland.

In a biography of Joseph Rapp’s life, we find this paragraph about a combination grocery store and blacksmith shop operated by Joseph and his brother-in-law, Henry Wolfenkoehler.

In 1918, Joseph had his World War I draft registration completed. It gives him a rural Jackson address.

When the 1920 census was taken, we find the Rapp and Wolfenkoehler households listed right next to each other. Joseph was a widower and called a merchant with his own store. Henry Wolfenkoehler was called a blacksmith with his own shop.

I figure the photograph shown here was taken at about this time. It includes Joseph, along with his 4 children, and his mother. All of these characters are in the 1920 census entry.

Joseph would get married one more time. His third wife was Alma Magdalene Koenig, who was born on March 24, 1886. Alma was the daughter of Julius and Elizabeth (Loos) Koenig. Alma was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, but I am not able to display her baptism record today. Alma is found in the 1900 census as a teenager. Her father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township. I can tell you that on the same census page, you also find Koch and Haertling households, so Alma grew up in the Koch, Koenig, and Haertling Neighborhood that I have mentioned several times in previous posts.

Alma would have her first wedding during the next decade. Her first husband was Heinrich Gottlieb Mangels, who was born on September 10, 1882, the son of Gerhardt and Martha (von Glahn) Mangels. Henry had been baptized at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar. I am going to skip ahead to his marriage. Henry Mangels married Alma Koening on November 9, 1905. They were married at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells and had 5 children, all of which were baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. Then in 1923, Henry Mangels died at the age of 41. We can view his death certificate here.

Henry Mangels is buried in the Concordia Lutheran Cemetery in Frohna.

Joseph Rapp married Alma Mangels on March 15, 1928 at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. We can view this couple’s Missouri marriage license below.

The Rapp’s are found in the 1930 census living in Jackson, Missouri where Joseph was a life insurance agent. Just one of the Mangel’s daughters, Ruby, was living with Joseph and Alma.

The last census in which we find Joseph was the one taken in 1940. This time Joseph was called a salesman of retail clothing. Alma was a practical nurse for a private home.

I located two different photos taken of Joseph Rapp. One shows him at a younger age, and the other must have been taken later in his life.

Joseph Rapp died in 1941 at the age of 65. We can view his death certificate below.

Joseph Rapp is buried in the Jackson Cemetery in Jackson.

Alma is found as a widow in the 1950 census. She was living with her daughter, Ruby, who had married Loren Abbott. Alma was a cook at a cafe. Loren was a grocery clerk, and Ruby worked at the shoe factory.

Alma Rapp died in 1970 at the age of 84. Her death certificate says she died at the Deal Nursing Home in Jackson.

Alma Rapp is buried in the Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson.

I found one fact in this story rather unusual. There were 5 characters highlighted in this tale. When all was said and done, these 5 individuals were buried in 5 different cemeteries. That is not something I write about every day.