You will be reading the story today of a couple that would be celebrating a wedding anniversary. The couple was married at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. I am going to begin by looking at today’s groom.

Friedrich Schuette was born on August 30, 1828 in Germany, the son of Johann Heinrich and Anna Maria (Dietrich) Schuette. When Friedrich was about 27 years old, he came to the United States aboard the ship, Johanne, in 1855. We see his name on that ship’s passenger list below.

Friedrich would get married before he shows up in an American census, so we will now take a look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Anna Maria Charlotte Wolfenkoehler, who was born on November 26, 1837 in Aschendorf, Germany. She was the child of Heinrich and Catharina (Menzeroff) Wolfenkoehler. Charlotte was baptized at the parish in a nearby town, Westbarthausen. Another larger city that was located not far from those towns was Dissen. The village of Friedheim was once called Dissen because many early members of that congregation came from that vicinity in Germany. Below is an image of Charlotte’s baptism record.

I do not know when Charlotte came to this country, but she was married in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri in 1859. Friedrich Schuette married Charlotte Wolfenkoehler on March 24, 1859 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. That makes today this pair’s 167th wedding anniversary. We can take a look at the church marriage record for this couple here.

I can also display 2 different civil records of this wedding from Cape Girardeau County. The first one has to be shown in 2 images because it started at the bottom of one page and was continued on the top of the next.

Friedrich and Charlotte are found in the 1860 census not long after they were married. Friedrich was a farmer in the Whitewater Township of Cape Girardeau County. Included in their household was Charlotte’s brother, William, who was helping with the farming.

I think the Schuette’s had 9 children. Their first child was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. If you look at the baptism record for their first child, Wilhelmine, you will see that there were 4 Schuette baptisms that took place on July 5, 1861. Wilhelmine had been born in 1860. The other 3 children who were baptized were all children of Friedrich’s brother, Christoph.

The next 5 Schuette children were baptized at Trinity, Friedheim, and the last few do not have baptism records listed in our German Family Tree. I will show evidence later that Friedrich served in the Civil War. Next, we find the Schuette family in the 1870 census with 5 children. From here on out, we often see Friedrich called Fritz. I will also show evidence later that Charlotte was called Lottie.

In the 1880 census, the Schuette’s were living in the same location with all 9 of their children. Their last child, Albert, had just been born prior to the visit of the census taker.

Because of his Civil War service, we find Friedrich in the Veterans Schedule that was compiled in 1890. It indicates that he served in the military during the years 1862-1865.

A later Civil War pension document also gives evidence of Fritz’s military service.

Next, we find the Schuette’s in the 1900 census. Three children were still living with their parents. I have a suspicion that after a church was established in Kurreville, Missouri around 1891 named Zion Lutheran Church, the Schuette family became members of that congregation.

Later in 1900, Friedrich Schuette died at the age of 72. Charlotte is found as a widow in the 1910 census. She was living with her son, also called Fritz, and his household.

Charlotte Schuette died in 1911 at the age of 74. She died after Missouri started recording death certificates, so we can view hers below. Notice that she is called Lottie Schuette on this form.

Both Fritz and Lottie Schuette are buried in the Kurreville Cemetery which is given a Millersville address on Findagrave.com. There are no gravestones photos for either of them on Findagrave.

I was chatting with a few locals while at breakfast this morning and asked about the surname Wolfenkoehler. I was told that there are still folks around here who carry that name. I also know that the name, Schuette, is still found in this area because an internet search identifies the Director of Utilities for the city of Jackson as a Schuette.