Today’s birthday boy is Heinrich Joseph Schlimpert, who was born on February 2, 1866. That makes today Joseph’s 160th birthday. He was the son of Johann Traugott and Johanna Rosine (Schuricht) Schlimpert. Joseph was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg, and we can look at his baptism record below.

Before I move on with Joseph’s story, let me give you a bit of previous history about his parents. Joseph’s father was one of the Stephanite immigrants who arrived on the ship, Copernicus, back in 1839. Shortly after arriving in Perry County, he married Maria Poppitz, another passenger on the ship, Copernicus. That couple had a farm in the Seelitz community and had several children prior to Maria’s death in 1860. Then, Johann Traugott married Johanna Schuricht. Actually, he married Johanna Schubarth because prior to becoming Mrs. Schlimpert, Johanna, another Copernicus passenger, was married to Friedrich Schubarth. Friedrich came to this country in 1840 aboard a different ship. Several children were born to that couple prior to Friedrich’s death in 1858. Then the two widowers, Johann Traugott Schlimpert and Johanna Schubarth got married in 1865. Joseph Schlimpert was the first of two children born to that couple.

Joseph is found in the 1870 census, but I think the census taker was very wrong about his age. I think he wrote down 14 instead of the correct age of 4 for Joseph. His father was a farmer in the Brazeau Township. Gottfried and Adolph, who are listed as teenagers in this entry, look like they are Schlimpert’s, but they were actually Schubarth’s. Joseph and Magdalena were children of Johann Traugott and Johanna.

Next, we find Joseph in the 1880 census at the age of 14. Once again, we see the same characters that were seen in the 1870 census, and once again, Gottfried and Adolph look like Schlimpert’s. I know that neither one of these two changed their names because each of them are buried as Schubarth’s.

Joseph’s father died in 1890, so when we are able to view the next census in 1900, Joseph was living with his mother, who this time is called Rosina. Joseph was farming on the land on which he had been born and raised. At the age of 34, he was still single.

Joseph’s mother died in 1905. In the 1910 census, two single half-brothers made up the household. One was Joseph, and the other, Fritz Schubarth, was the Gottfried Schubarth listed in previous census entries.

Gottfried Schubarth never married, but Joseph did. He was 49 years old before he found a bride. Her name was Bertha Magdalene Kranawetter, who was born on June 27, 1887. That makes Bertha about 22 years younger than Joseph. Bertha was the daughter of Joseph and Ernstine (Ruehling) Kranawetter. She was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. Her baptism record from that congregation’s books is shown here.

The first census we can view including Bertha was the one taken in 1900. She was 12 years old, and her father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township.

Next, we find Bertha in the 1910 census at the age of 22. She was still living in the Shawnee Township, but she was not living with her parents. She was a servant in the household of Theodore Saupe.

I think Bertha made her way across the Mississippi River to the live in or near Jacob, Illinois not long after the above census was taken. There were a few of Bertha’s siblings who made their way to that area, and we find church records for Kranawetter’s in the books of Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob. Not only that, but we also know that some Schlimpert’s had made their way to that vicinity also. On May 2, 1915, Joseph Schlimpert married Bertha Kranawetter at Christ, Jacob. We can view this couple’s church marriage record below.

Bertha’s brother, Benjamin, is listed as a witness to this wedding. He himself would get married at that church 2 years later. I think it is possible that Bertha went to Jacob to live with Benjamin to help him with housekeeping.

Joseph brought his bride back to Perry County to live on his farm. In the same year as his wedding, Perry County had plat maps produced. We find the Joseph Schlimpert farm located in the Seelitz community between Altenburg and Wittenberg.

The Schlimpert’s had 3 children, all of whom were girls and baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. When the 1920 census was taken, there were 2 children in their household. Joseph was farming.

I think the census taker failed to find the Joseph Schlimpert family when the 1930 census was taken. I find this somewhat puzzling because the census taker that year was Walter Gemeinhardt, a Wittenberg resident, who should have been familiar with the Schlimpert’s. I located the page on which are found the neighbors of Joseph Schlimpert, but he and his family are not listed there.

Joseph Schlimpert died in 1933 at the age of 66. His death certificate below says he died of bladder cancer. The informant on this document was my uncle, Oscar Schlimpert, one of his neighbors.

An short article about Joseph’s death was printed in the Perry County Republican.

Bertha Schlimpert is found in the 1940 census as a widow. She is found living with Rudolph Kranawetter and his wife in the Brazeau Township. Rudolph was the son of Bertha’s brother, Joseph Kranawetter, Jr. Based on the others found on this census page, it looks like Rudolph had taken over the Joseph Schlimpert farm after he died.

The last census the public is allowed to view is the one taken in 1950. Bertha was living with her daughter, Agatha, who had married Walter Kutscher and had 3 children by this time. The Kutscher’s and Bertha were living in the Appe Creek Township.

Bertha Schlimpert died in 1969 at the age of 82. Her death certificate pictured here says that she died at St. Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau.

Both Joseph and Bertha Schlimpert are buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Altenburg.

I asked my cousin’s wife, Mary Schlimpert, if she had a photo of Joseph Schlimpert. She sent me a photo she has which is noted on the back as being Joseph Schlimpert. But Mary and now me do not think it is a photo of today’s Joseph. Other evidence points to the photo she has as being Joseph’s half-brother, Martin Joseph Schlimpert, who was the son of Johann Traugott and Maria Rosine Poppitz. Although we were unsuccessful at producing a photo of Joseph, I appreciate the help that I got from Mary.