The only way the title of this post can be understood is if someone had the surname, Born. And that is indeed the case today. That man named Born is today’s birthday boy. He has a baptism record in our German Family Tree, and that is why he qualifies to have his story told on this blog. However, this birthday boy did not spend much time in Perry County.

Johann Heinrich Oskar Born was born (in more ways than one) on December 4, 1880, so today would be his 145th birthday. Later, we would find that he would go by the name Oscar, so I will use that name with that spelling. Oscar was the son of Henry and Sophia (Schaupert) Born. He was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. We can view an image of his baptism record from Immanuel’s books here.

All together, there were 4 Born children who were born in Perryville and baptized at Immanuel. The last one to be baptized in Missouri was born in 1886. Four more children were born in Chester, Illinois, starting with a child born in 1889. If we could view the 1890 census, we would find the Born’s living in Chester, but that year’s census was destroyed by fire. The first census in which we find Oscar was the one taken in 1900. At the age of 19, he was called a laborer for the railroad. His father was a cooper, and a younger brother was called a fisherman.

Oscar was still single and living with his parents when the 1910 census was taken. He and his father were both coopers in Chester.

Oscar got married not long after the above census was taken, so we will now take a look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Emma Kuntz, who was born on September 13, 1889. Emma was the daughter of Johann and Katharina (Gnaegy) Kuntz. Since her parents had been married in Chester, it is likely that Emma was born in that city. She is found in the 1900 census at the age of 10. Emma’s father was a laborer at an elevator in Chester. It appears that Emma was an only child.

Next, we find Emma in the 1910 census at the age of 18, although I figure she was a bit older.

Oscar Born married Emma Kunz on August 23, 1911 in Chester. Although I was unable to locate any Illinois civil marriage records for this event, I did locate the church record for this wedding in the binder we have in our research library for St. John’s Lutheran Church in Chester.

Oscar and Emma had just one child, a son named Clarence born in 1913. Then, in 1918, Oscar had his World War I draft registration completed. He is given a Chester address and was called a merchant for himself.

In the 1920 census, the trio of Born’s was living in Chester, and Oscar was said to have a retail grocery with his own store.

The 1930 census indicates that Oscar was still operating a grocery store.

The last census in which we find Oscar was the one taken in 1940. Oscar was called a storekeeper, and his 26 year-old son, Clarence, was called a store clerk for a grocery store. I have to think that Oscar and his son were both working at the same store.

Oscar had his World War II draft card completed in 1942, even though he was already 61 years old. His address is given as being found on Water Street, which runs right along the banks of the Mississippi River.

Oscar Born died in 1949 at the age of 68. In the 1950 census, we find Emma as a widow. She was living with her son, Clarence, and neither one of them was given an occupation. I found no evidence that Clarence ever married.

Emma Born died in 1983 at the age of 93. Oscar and Emma are buried together in the Evergreen Cemetery in Chester.

Oscar Born spent less than 10 years in Perry County, Missouri. Most of his life was spent just across the river in Illinois. Back when Oscar was young, folks wanting to go to Chester from Perryville would have to take a ferry across the river. When Oscar was in his 60’s, a new bridge was constructed across the river from Perry County to Chester. It was completed in 1942. Based on his address on Water Street, I figure that the Born’s were able to observe the construction of that bridge. For a lot of years, drivers had to pay a toll to cross the river. The toll booth was located on the Illinois side of the river. I remember crossing that bridge as a child and having to stop to pay the toll. Here are a few photos of the Chester Bridge Toll Booth.

Nowadays, drivers no longer have to pay a toll to cross the Chester Bridge. I often say that drivers now have to say a prayer in order to cross the river on the Chester Bridge. Thankfully, a new bridge is under construction to replace the old bridge. A man named Neal Adams has been doing an outstanding job of documenting this construction on his Facebook page. Neal can be compared to the life of Oscar Born. Neal once lived in Perryville and went to high school there, but now lives in Chester. I hope he does not mind me using one of his photos to display the new construction. It is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2026.