When I began doing research about early characters in Perry County Lutheran history after I retired, I discovered how often that Lutheran pastors who would find their wives in the families of other Lutheran pastors. So often, I found Lutheran pastors who married the daughter of another Lutheran pastor. Then, as Lutheran teachers became trained, we also find Lutheran teachers (who were just male for a long time), would marry the daughters of Lutheran pastors. Later, as females became Lutheran teachers, we find lots of examples of Lutheran teachers marrying Lutheran teachers. I was a Lutheran teacher, and I married a Lutheran teacher. Today, you will read the story of a daughter of a Lutheran pastor who married the son of another Lutheran pastor. Add to that the fact that her husband also was a Lutheran pastor.

We begin with today’s birthday girl. Anna Maria Ida Demetrio was born on January 26, 1886, which means today would be her 140th birthday. Ida was the daughter of Rev. Charles and Emma (Kruse) Demetrio. Rev. Demetrio was the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville from 1869-1886. Here are photos of Ida’s parents.

That means Ida was born during the same year that her father took a call to another congregation. Ida was baptized at her father’s church. Her baptism record is displayed below.

Later in 1886, the Demetrio’s moved to Emma, Missouri where Rev. Demetrio became the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church. In a previous post about the Demetrio’s, The Emmas from Emma, it was mentioned that the town of Emma was named after the Demetrio’s arrived, and the town was named after another daughter who was named Emma. We find the Demetrio household living in the Freedom Township of Lafayette County when the 1900 census was taken. Another nearby city was Concordia, Missouri, which was also located in the same township. Ida was 14 years old, and her father was called a minister.

Ida would get married during the next decade, so we will now look at the man who would become her husband. His name was Martin Otto Mueller, who was born on June 10, 1881. Martin was the son of Rev. August William (A.W.) and Johanna (Pfeiffer) Mueller. After discovering a Mueller marrying a Pfeiffer, both fairly common names in or German Family Tree, I had to wonder if these two had roots in our area, but that is not the case. Martin’s father was the pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Beaufort, Missouri, a village located near Washington, Missouri. He served that congregation from 1879-1911. I am sure that Martin was baptized at his father’s church, but I am unable to display that baptism record. I am also unable to display Martin in a 1900 census, although I do know he was not included in his parents’ household. I suspected that he may have been a student at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis studying to be a Lutheran pastor, but I located the list of students in the 1900 census and did not find Martin.

Martin Mueller married Ida Demetrio on June 3, 1908. I will display 2 different civil marriage records for this couple. Both of the documents say that Martin Mueller was from Spokane, Washington. My best guess is that Martin was a pastor in Spokane. Both documents also say that the pastor who performed the wedding was not Ida’s father, Rev. Demetrio nor Martin’s father, Rev. A.W.Mueller. The pastor was Henry Koeppel, who was a professor at St. Paul’s Lutheran College just down the road in Concordia, Missouri. Maybe the two pastors preferred to be father of the groom and father of the bride at the wedding instead of the pastor performing the ceremony.

Evidence indicates that Rev. Martin and Ida had 2 children, a boy named Martin and a girl named Esther. In the 1910 census, we find the Mueller’s living in Twin Falls, Idaho. A new Lutheran church had been established in Twin Falls in 1909 named Immanuel Lutheran Church. Perhaps Rev. Mueller was their first pastor. The Mueller’s had yet to have their first child.

Martin had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. This form gives him a Montgomery City, Missouri address. It also says he was a minister at a Lutheran congregation. Rev. Mueller was the pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Wellsville from 1913-1920. Wellsville is not far from Montgomery City.

When the 1920 census was taken, the Mueller’s were living near Wellsville and still had an empty nest. Martin was called a minister.

Rev. Mueller took a call to Salem Lutheran Church in Forest Green, Missouri in 1920, and he spent the rest of his ministry there. When the 1930 census was taken, we find them with their two children. Their son was born in Wellsville right before his father took the call to Forest Green. By the way, Martin, Jr. also became a Lutheran pastor, but no, he did not marry a pastor’s daughter.

When the 1940 census was enumerated, we still find the Mueller’s living in Forest Green.

After Rev. Mueller retired from the ministry in 1949, he and Ida moved to Kansas City. We find them in the 1950 census living there. Their daughter, Esther, had married Gerald Singleton, and that young couple was living with the Mueller’s. Martin is not given an occupation.

Not long after the above census was taken, Ida Mueller died at the age of 64 in 1950. Pneumonia and leukemia are listed as causes of death on her death certificate.

Rev. Martin Mueller died in 1953 at the age of 72. His death certificate includes a stroke in the causes of death.

Both Rev. Martin and Ida Mueller are buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Kansas City.

The past three posts on this blog have highlighted the lives of Lutheran pastors. Here in Perry County, we have some important pastor news. First of all, in two weeks, Rev. Charles Johnson will be installed as the pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg and Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. Also, just yesterday, it was announced that Rev. Daniel Larsen has accepted the call to become the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown and Zion Lutheran Church in Longtown. A lot of Lutherans around here are excited to once again have pastors at their congregations.