Included in our German Family Tree are two men who were named Anton Petzoldt. One was born in 1890 and was written about in the post, A Passel of Petzoldts. The other was born in 1891, and I will tell his story today. Only one of the two Anton Petzoldt’s was a grandson of Friedrich Florian “The Face” Petzoldt, and that is the one that I will write about in this post.

Anton Heinrich Petzoldt was born on April 12, 1891, thus qualifying him to be today’s birthday boy. Anton would be celebrating his 135th birthday today. He was the son of Adolph and Alma (Engert) Petzoldt. Anton was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg. An image of his baptism record is shown here.

Anton is found in the 1900 census at the age of 9. His father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township.

Next, we find Anton as a teenager in the 1910 census. He was helping his father on his farm near New Wells. I can also tell you that this Petzoldt family’s census entry was on the same page as others who I have previously described as living in the “Koenig-Koch-Haertling Neighborhood”. This fact will become important later in this story.

Anton would get married during the next decade, so we will now look at the woman who would become his first wife. Her name was Augusta Maria Anna Clementz, who was born on March 30, 1898. Augusta was the daughter of Wilhelm and Maria (Klaus) Clementz. She was baptized at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pocahontas, so I am unable to display an actual image of her baptism record. Augusta is found in the 1900 census at the age of 2. Her father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township. Her family lived near the town of Leemon.

When the 1910 census was taken, Augusta was 12 years old. She would get confirmed at St. John’s, Pocahontas 3 years later in 1913.

Anton Petzoldt married Augusta Clementz on July 30, 1916. These two were married at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. A marriage record is shown below from a binder we have for that congregation.

The Missouri marriage license shown below says they were married by Rev. Wilder, who was the pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. This form says that Augusta was from Leemon, and Anton (called Anthony) was from New Wells.

We can also view a marriage certificate for this couple.

Not long after getting married, Anton had his World War I draft registration completed. It gives him an Altenburg address, but that is because he was part of the Star Route, and his mail came out of the Altenburg Post Office. I found an Anton Petzoldt who served in the military during World War I, but it was the other Anton Petzoldt.

Our German Family Tree lists 2 children born to Anton and Augusta. Their first child was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg, and the 2nd one was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. When the 1920 census was taken, we find the Petzoldt’s with both of their children. Also included in the household were Anton’s parents. Anton was a farmer in the Shawnee Township.

I find it rather amazing that Augusta and her baby are found in the above census. First, let me point out that the census taker submitted his results for that year’s census on January 26th. Here are the facts. The son, Delmar, was born on December 24, 1919. Then, on January 5, 1920, Augusta died at the age of 21. Her death certificate below says that she had some sort of infection prior to giving birth to Delmar.

A day after Augusta died, the baby, Delmar, died on January 6, 1920. Delmar was born on Christmas Eve and died on Epiphany Day. That means he was alive for just the 12 days of Christmas. I was unable to located a death certificate for Delmar. These facts mean that when the census was submitted at the end of January, both Augusta and Delmar were dead and buried. It may have been that the census taker enumerated the Petzoldt family in the early days of January.

Augusta Petzoldt and her son, Delmar, are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in New Wells.

Anton would get married again during 1920. Let’s now take a look at the woman who would become his 2nd wife. Her name was Edna Cora Koenig, who was born on April 30, 1901. Edna was the daughter of Julius and Elizabeth (Loos) Koenig. She was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. Her baptism record is displayed below.

Edna is found in the 1910 census at the age of 8. Her father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township. Her family’s census entry for that year is found on the same page as the Petzoldt family, so Edna and Anton are found on the same page. They lived in the same neighborhood…the “Koenig-Koch-Haertling Neighborhood”.

Edna is found as a single woman in the 1920 census. She was 18 years old and still living with her parents.

On June 27, 1920, Anton Petzoldt married Edna Koenig. One might expect these two to get married at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells where they were both members, but that is not where they got married. These two made a trip across the Mississippi River, probably by a ferry, and were married at Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob, Illinois. I think I know why. The pastor at Christ, Jacob at that time was Rev. Gustav Herman Haertling, who not only grew up in the Koenig-Koch-Haertling Neighborhood, but also had married Edna’s older sister, Louise Koenig. I think these two traveled across the river to be married by a special friend and relative. The G.H.H. initials at the bottom of the church record below are those of Pastor Haertling, and the Louise Haertling who was a witness was Edna’s sister and the pastor’s wife.

There are 9 children listed in our GFT that were born to Anton and Edna. All of them were baptized at Immanuel, New Wells. In the 1930 census, the Petzoldt’s had 6 children in their household. The oldest, Viola, was the daughter of Anton’s first wife.

A plat map atlas was produced for Cape Girardeau County in 1930. We find the Anton Petzoldt farm located not far from New Wells.

In the 1940 census, we find 9 children in the Petzoldt household. Their ages ranged from 19 years old to 9 months years old.

Anton had a World War II draft card completed when America entered that war.

The last census we can view is the one taken in 1950. Anton was still farming at the age of 59. His household was down to 4 remaining children.

Anton Petzoldt died in 1969 at the age of 78. His death certificate below says he died at the Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau.

At some point in time, Anton and Edna must have become members of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville because that is where we find their church death records.

Edna Petzoldt had this photo taken at some point later in her life.

Edna Petzoldt died in 1996 at the age of 95. Anton and Edna Petzoldt are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville.

This story about Anton Petzoldt has some interesting aspects. One that I have not mentioned is the fact that he was baptized at Immanuel, Altenburg, had almost all his children baptized at Immanuel, New Wells, and is buried at Immanuel, Perryville. He and his family have records in 3 different Immanuel’s in this area. Yet, he was married twice, and despite the fact that one of his wives was also from Immanuel, New Wells, neither of his weddings took place at Immanuel.