A lonely confirmation record listed in our German Family Tree leads me to tell the story of yet another Lutheran pastor who spent some of his early years in Perry County. This man was also one of those Lutheran pastors who followed in his father’s footsteps. His father was the pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar for quite a few years. There is a slight problem with this man’s record in the German Family Tree, however. The GFT says this man was born in 1886, which would make today his 140th birthday, but that is not the case. I think the GFT is mistaken.
Walter Christopher Krueger was born on January 31, 1888, so today would be his 138th birthday. He was born in Petersburg, Michigan, the son of John and Ella (Plass) Krueger. Even before finding Walter in a census entry, the photo below was taken of Walter and two of his siblings when they were very young. From left to right, we see Anna, John, and Walter Krueger. This photo has been colorized.
When the 1900 census was taken, Walter was 12 years old, and his father was a minister in Petersburg.
Later during 1900, Walter’s father took a call to become the pastor at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar. A list of early pastors shown here indicates that Rev. John Krueger served Salem from 1900-1924.
Walter Krueger was part of his father’s first confirmation class after he arrived in Farrar. Walter was confirmed in the spring of 1901. We can view his confirmation record below. His name is spelled as Walther in this image, but the remainder of his life, he was called Walter.
Walter is never found in a Perry County census entry. When the 1910 census was taken, we find him living in St. Louis where he was a student at Concordia Seminary, studying to become a Lutheran pastor at the age of 22.
After graduating from Concordia Seminary, Walter’s first call as a Lutheran pastor was to Christ Lutheran Church in Gordonville, so he was not far from where his father was still a minister in Farrar. We can see in this list of early pastors at that congregation that Walter was the pastor at that church from 1912-1924.
We will now look at the woman who would become Walter’s first wife. Her name was Lydia Bertha Lorberg, who was born on August 6, 1891. Lydia was the daughter of Frederick and Mary (Fassold) Lorberg. I am not sure where Lydia’s baptism took place. In the 1900 census, Lydia was 9 years old, and her father was a farmer in the Hubble Township of Cape Girardeau. This census entry is quite difficult to read.
Next, Lydia is found in the 1910 census as a teenager. She was the only child still living with her parents.
Walter Krueger married Lydia Lorberg on May 28, 1913 at Christ Lutheran Church in Gordonville. The church record for this event is displayed here. You can see that Walter’s father, Rev. John Krueger, from Salem, Farrar was the pastor who performed the wedding ceremony.
The Missouri marriage license for this couple can also be viewed.
I am able to display a wedding photograph for Walter and Lydia.
In 1917, Walter had his World War I draft registration completed. It says he was a clergyman at Christ Lutheran Church in Gordonville. This is another document that gives 1888 as his year of birth.
No children resulted from this marriage, and it did not last long. Lydia Krueger died in 1918 at the age of 27. Her death certificate below says that she died of pneumonia.
Lydia is buried in the Christ Lutheran Cemetery in Gordonville.
In the 1920 census, Walter is called a widower, and he was living by himself in Gordonville.
Later in 1920, Pastor Krueger married again. His second wife was Flora Anna Malinda Schoen, who was born on July 1, 1900. Flora was the daughter of Dr. Ernest and Louise (Gratz) Schoen. Flora was baptized at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pocahontas, so I am unable to display an actual image of her baptism record. She is found in the 1910 census at the age of 9. Her father was a physician in Gordonville.
In the 1920 census, Flora was the only child still living with her parents in Gordonville at the age of 19. She was called a bookkeeper for a garage.
Rev. Walter Krueger married Flora Schoen on July 11, 1920 at Christ Lutheran Church in Gordonville. Once again, Walter’s father was the pastor who performed the wedding ceremony. We can look at their church marriage record below.
The marriage license for this couple is pictured here.
Walter and Flora had 3 children. The oldest one died very early. As shown earlier, Rev. Krueger left Gordonville in 1924. He took a call to First Lutheran Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. In a 1927 city directory for Knoxville, we find Walter and Flora, and Walter is called the pastor of First Lutheran Church.
When the 1930 census was taken, we find the Krueger’s living in Knoxville. There were still no children in their household, and Walter was called a minister.
The Krueger’s were still living in Knoxville when the 1940 census was taken. They had two young children in their household at this time.
It was when the Krueger’s were living in Knoxville that this photo of Walter and Flora was taken.
During the next decade, the Krueger family made a move. They would still be living in Tennessee, but when the 1950 census was taken, we find them living in Memphis. Walter was called an institutional chaplain in this entry.
Flora Krueger died in Memphis in 1964 at the age of 64. Her Tennessee death certificate can be viewed here.
Rev. Walter Krueger died a year later in 1965. He was 77 years old at the time of his death. We can also take a look at his Tennessee death certificate.
I located this obituary for Walter.
Both Walter and Flora Krueger are buried in the Cape County Memorial Park in Cape Girardeau. Walter’s death certificate and his gravestone also give evidence that he was not born in 1886, but in 1888.
I surely have run into plenty of characters lately who were either Lutheran pastors or married Lutheran pastors. The list of full-time church workers that came out of the Perry County area is certainly a long one, and as I continue writing for this blog, I find more to add to the list.