The birthday boy for today’s tale is Carl Gottfried Schuerenberg, whose gravestone calls him Charley. He was born on December 31, 1885, so today would be his 140th birthday. Charley was the son of Gottfried and Emma (Engert) Schuerenberg. He was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg, but he was actually born across the river in Illinois. His baptism record below says that he was born in Fountain Bluff, Illinois. Most of the Schuerenberg children were baptized in Altenburg, but a few of them were baptized at Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob. I suspect that Charley’s mother, who was born and raised in Altenburg and baptized at Immanuel, influenced this family’s decision to have some children baptized at Immanuel.

Charley is found in the 1900 census at the age of 14. His father was a farmer in the Degognia Township in Jackson County, Illinois.

Charley would get married during the next decade, so we will now turn our attention to the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Mary Bell Woods, who was a Christmas baby, born on December 25, 1892. Mary was the daughter of Charles and Ella (Long) Woods. Her Family Search entry says that she was born in Bell City, Missouri which is located in Stoddard County. Mary is found in her first census entry in 1900. She was 7 years old, and her family, which consisted of just father, mother, and Mary, was living in or near Advance, Missouri, which is also located in Stoddard County. Mary’s father was a farm laborer.

Charley Schuerenberg married Mary Woods on October 23, 1909. According to the 2 civil marriage records below, they were married by a justice of the peace in Scott County. These documents also say that both Charley and Mary were from Vanduser, Missouri, which is really not that far from Bell City or Advance.

It is somewhat debatable how many children this couple had, but a later obituary for Charley says that he was survived by 7 daughters and 1 son. No children had been born to this pair yet when the 1910 census was taken. Charley was a farm hand and said to be “working out”. A 38 year-old single man named Ben Rice was also included in their small household. He was also a farm hand. They were living in the New Madrid Township in New Madrid County.

Charley had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. He is given a Kewanee address and said to be a farmer. The year of his birth on this form is incorrect. Kewanee is located near the city of New Madrid.

When the 1920 census was taken, we find that there were 2 daughters in the Schuerenberg household. Also included were Mary’s widowed father and one of her brothers. They were back living in Vanduser, and Charley was farming.

Next, we find the Schuerenberg’s in the 1930 census once again living in the New Madrid Township. There were 6 daughters in their family. Also in the household were Emma Schuerenberg, Charley’s mother, and Charles Woods, Mary’s father. Charley was still farming.

In the 1940 census, we see that 2 more children had been born during the previous decade, and one of them was their only son.

Charley had his World War II draft card completed when America entered that war. He is given a Kewanee address. I figure that Kewanee was located in the New Madrid Township.

The last census the public can view is the one taken in 1950. Charley, Mary, and 2 children were living in Big Prairie, Missouri, which is about 8 miles north of Kewanee. Charley, at the age of 64, no longer had an occupation.

For some reason, Charley had a Delayed Record of Birth produced in 1950. It gives a bit more information about his past history.

There is an Ancestry.com family tree that identifies the photo below as being one of Charley and Mary Schuerenberg.

Charley Schuerenberg died in 1956 at the age of 70. His death certificate says his residence was in Kewanee, but he died in Wyatt, Missouri, which is located near Charleston. His obituary says he died while visiting a daughter in Wyatt.

We can read his obituary below.

Mary Schuerenberg died in 1977 at the age of 84, too recently to view a death certificate. A Social Security death index says that she died in Cardwell, Missouri, which is located way down in the Missouri Bootheel.

Charley and Mary Schuerenberg are buried together in the Mounds Park Cemetery near New Madrid.

I was not able to find any future information about their only son, but it would only be through him that the Schuerenberg surname would be passed on to future generations because all the other children were daughters.