Yesterday’s tale took us to Kansas. We aren’t in Kansas anymore today. Instead, we will be headed to Texas. It all begins in Friedheim.

Eva Charlotte Rehkopf was born on October 12, 1857, although we find some conflicting evidence about the year in which she was born. Eva was the daughter of Henry and Wilhelmina (Braukmeir) Rehkopf. Eva was the last child born in her family. Her father had several children with his first wife, and more to his second wife, who was Eva’s mother. She was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. Even though she was born in October, she was not baptized until 2 days before Christmas in 1858. We can view her baptism record from that congregation’s books here.

Eva is found in the 1860 census at the age of 1. She is called Lotta in this entry. Her father was a farmer in the Union Township of Bollinger County.

I failed to find Eva in the 1870 census. I think the fact that her father had died in 1865 added to the difficulty of locating her. She would get married prior to the 1880 census (in fact she got married twice before 1880), so we will now look at the man who would become her first husband. It will not take long to look at him because I did not find much. His name was Leonhard Schneider. I do not know a birthday for him, nor am I sure of his parents’ names. I did find a Leonhart Snider in the 1860 census living in the Cinque Hommes Township of Perry County who would have been about the right age. If this is the correct person, then he was the son of Jacob and Barbara Schneider.

I also was unsuccessful at finding Leonhard in the 1870 census. Then, on June 8, 1874, Leonhard Schneider married Eva Rehkopf at Hanover Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. We can view 2 different civil marriage records for this event. You can see that Rev. C. Kretzmann was the pastor who officiated at this wedding. It also says that Leonhard was just 17 1/2 years old, and Eva was just 15 1/2 years old at the time of this wedding. It also informs us that Leonhard was born in Perry County and Eva in Bollinger County.

A second record gives much of the same information.

The most likely thing that happened not long after this wedding was that Leonhard died. I have no proof of that. What we do know is that Eva would get married again in 1876. Her second husband was William Meier, who was born on February 21, 1853. He was the son of Andreas and Johanna (Boes) Meier. We find William in the 1860 census at the age of 7. His father was a farmer in the Hubble Township.

Next, we find William in the 1870 census as a teenager. He was the only child still living with his parents.

On May 30, 1876, William Meier married Eva Schneider. According to the marriage record below, they were married by a justice of the peace.

Here is a second record for that wedding.

This marriage, too, did not last long. Prior to the 1880 census, William had died in 1879. In that year’s census, Eva, called Effie, was the head of the household which included 2 children, her in-laws, her mother and a farm hand.

Eva would get married a third time. Her last husband was named Conrad Koechig, who was born on August 12, 1859, the son of John and Elizabeth (Hille) Koechig. That means Conrad and Eve celebrated their birthdays on the same day. In the 1860 census, Conrad was just 9 months old, and his father was a farmer in the Cape Girardeau Township.

When the 1870 census was taken, Conrad was 11 years old and found in the same location.

Conrad was still single when the 1880 census was taken. He was not living with his parents. He was a servant for Henry Busche, a farmer in the Cape Girardeau Township.

Conrad Koechig married Eva Meier on December 14, 1880. That means today would be this couple’s 145th wedding anniversary. We can take a look at a couple of civil marriage records for this pair. I have to conclude that if the pastor’s name was Rev. Fr. (Reverand Father) Delveau, this wedding likely took place at a Catholic parish.

Here is another record for this wedding.

Conrad and Eva had 5 children. It would be helpful if we could view the 1890 census to see where this family was living. By the time of the 1900 census, we find the Koechig’s living in Stoddard County near the town of Advance. Conrad was a farmer.

It would also be helpful if I could have found the 1910 census for the Koechig’s. In the 1920 census, we find them living near Waco, Texas. Conrad and Eva were both in their 60’s with no occupations. Right below their entry, you will find their son, Albert Koechig, and his family. Albert was farming.

The last census in which we find Conrad and Eva is the one taken in 1930. Once again, we find them living near Waco and still living near their son, Albert, and his family.

Conrad Koechig died in 1936 at the age of 77. His son, Albert, was the informant on his Texas death certificate shown below.

At some point later in her life, Eva had this photo taken.

Eva Koechig died in 1939 at the age of 76. Her death certificate says she was born on October 12, 1863, not 1857. Her age is based on an 1863 year of birth. If she was born in 1857, her age at death would be 82 years. Albert is also the informant on this document.

Conrad and Eva Koechig are buried together in the Robinson Cemetery, which is found in the Waco area. Eva’s year of birth on her gravestone is also 1863. I think that is wrong.

Eva Rehkopf ended up having three husbands who led her from her birth near Friedheim to a farm near Cape Girardeau to a farm near Advance to Waco, Texas. Among the names that are already included in our collection of surnames for this blog like Rehkopf, Schneider, and Meier, we also get to a name that is a new one. I had to create a new folder for Koechig.