The birthday boy for today is Johann Heinrich Friedrich Sticht, who was born on February 23rd. You will discover as you read that there are documents that will say that Henry was born in 1875, and others that say he was born in 1876. So, he is either 151 or 150 years old today. Henry was the son of Johann and Maria (Tietje) Sticht. He was baptized at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar. His baptism record is one of the documents that says he was born in 1875. Here is that baptism record.

Henry is found in the 1880 census at the age of 4. His father was a farmer in the Salem Township.

I am not going to show it, but when Henry got confirmed at Salem, Farrar in 1890, his confirmation record says he was born on February 23, 1876. The next census we can view is the one taken in 1900. Both of Henry’s parents died in 1900. His father died in April, and his mother died in September. The census taker must have done his work in between those two deaths because we find Henry’s mother in the 1900 census entry, but not his father. Henry was 24 years old at the time. Henry is called a farmer, and his brother Herman, was a farm laborer. His mother was called a landlady. A sister named Anna was also in the entry. You probably cannot read her name in the second image below.

Henry is found in the 1910 census living by himself. Right below Henry’s entry, you will see his brother, Herman, who was also living by himself and still single. Both were in their 30’s, and both were farmers.

In the plat map atlas that was produced in 1915, we find both of the Henry and Herman Sticht farms located near Farrar and Crosstown. Their land was also adjacent to one another.

Henry had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. This is another document that gives 1875 as the year of Henry’s birth. He is called a farmer in Seventy-Six, Missouri.

Henry was still single when the 1920 census was taken. He was 44 years old and still farming by himself.

Now, we will take a look at the woman who would become Henry’s bride. Her name was Bertha Rose Fornkahl, who was born on January 20, 1894. That means she was about 17 or 18 years younger than Henry. Bertha was the daughter of August and Marie (Frank) Fornkahl. She was born in or near Egypt Mills. Bertha is found in the 1900 census at the age of 6. Her father was a farmer in the Randol Township of Cape Girardeau County, which is where Egypt Mills is located.

Next, we find Bertha in the 1910 census as a teenager.

Bertha was still single when the 1920 census was taken. Her mother had died in 1917, so her father was now a widower. Just Bertha and another single daughter were living with him.

The mystery in this story is how a farmer from Farrar in Perry County became acquainted with a farmer’s daughter from Cape Girardeau County. Maybe one of our readers knows how. Henry Sticht married Bertha Fornkahl on August 31, 1922. According to the Missouri marriage license below, this couple was married by Rev. Kretzmann, who was the pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Egypt Mills.

A wedding photograph of this pair is displayed below.

Henry took his bride back to his farm in Perry County, and this couple began having children. Our German Family Tree lists 6 children born between 1923 and 1933. There were 5 children listed in the Sticht household in the 1930 census. The Sticht’s were living in the Salem Township.

Henry moved his family during the next decade to the Randol Township. Perhaps he was able to farm the land where Bertha was born and raised. In the 1940 census, all 6 of the Sticht children were included in their household. An older son was helping Henry with the farming.

Henry Sticht died in 1942 at the age of 66. I find it interesting that it was Dr. G.B. Schulz, a doctor that has had his story told on this blog, signed Henry’s death certificate below. This document says that Henry was born in 1876.

Bertha is found in the 1950 census as a widow. She was living with 4 of her sons. Her son, Arnold, was called the farmer, and 2 younger sons and Bertha were called farm helpers. One son was working in construction.

Bertha Sticht died in 1953 at the age of 59, just a few days away from her 60th birthday. We can also view her death certificate.

Henry and Bertha Sticht are buried together in the Thompson Cemetery in Egypt Mills. Henry’s gravestone is another place where we see his birth date as February 23, 1876. Their gravestone is one of those that has their wedding photo on it.

Because we have several different sources saying that Henry was born in 1875 or 1876, I will leave it up to your judgment which year of birth is the correct one. Either way, Henry was 46 or 47 years old when he got married. And yet, he was able to be the father of 6 children, the last one born when he was well into his 50’s.