Arthur Heinrich Dickmann is today’s birthday boy, being born on April 13, 1895. That means today would be his 131st birthday. Arthur was the son of Carl and Maria (Dambach) Dickmann. Arthur was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. An image of his baptism record from that congregation’s books can be seen below.

Arthur is found in the 1900 census at the age of 5. His father was a farmer in the Apple Creek Township. The Dickmann household was rather large, and Arthur was just one of two boys in the family.

Next, we find Arthur in the 1910 census as a teenager. Arthur’s older brother had gotten married, so Arthur was the only remaining son in the family. You will see that he is the only one called a farm laborer in this household.

Arthur’s father died in 1912, so he then became the only male in the Dickmann family. In 1917, Arthur had his World War I draft registration completed. He is given a Friedheim address. This form says Arthur’s employer was his mother, and he was farming. I found no evidence that Arthur was called into military service during that war. If he was, it would have been a terrible hardship on this family full of women.

Arthur would get married not long after completing the above document, so we will now look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Hulda Rose Springer, who was born on February 11, 1895. She was not the only one born on that day because she had a twin sister, Alma Elizabeth Springer. The twins were the children of George and Maria (Angermann) Springner. These twins had their baptism records in the books of Peace Lutheran Church in Friedheim, but those records were destroyed in a fire. I think it is likely that these twins were baptized in the Springer home located near Longtown, based on another document that I will display. The twins are found at the age of 5 in the 1900 census. Their father was a farmer in the Union Township. This was another family that had mostly daughters. You will see only one son among the 6 children in the Springer household.

Hulda and Alma were confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church in Longtown in 1908. In the right hand column on their records shown here, it says where they were baptized. It indicates they were baptized in Longtown, but Zion, Longtown had yet to be established.

Hulda’s father died in 1905, so when the 1910 census was taken, her mother was a widow and the head of her household. It was an entry that included only females, and none of them had an occupation.

I find it puzzling that the only son in this family, Louis, who was 18 years old at the time, was not living with his mother and sisters and working on their farm, but was called a hired man working on the Charles Rauh farm.

Arthur Dickmann married Hulda Springer on February 5, 1918 in St. Louis. On the St. Louis marriage record shown here, you will see that they were married by Rev. Kretschmar, who was the pastor at Emmaus Lutheran Church in that city.

An article was published in the Perry County Sun about this wedding.

Our German Family Tree says that this Dickmann couple had 5 children. One of them died in childhood. The first 2 were baptized at Trinity, Friedheim, and the remaining 3 were baptized at Zion, Longtown. In the 1920 census, Arthur and Hulda had one child, and they were living with Arthur’s mother in the Apple Creek Township. Arthur and his mother were called farmers. Hulda is not listed in this entry next to her husband, but she is called a daughter-in-law.

The Dickmann’s made a move prior to the next census. I think they may have moved from the Dickmann farm near Friedheim to the Springer farm near Longtown. Hulda’s mother had died in 1924. There were 3 sons in the Dickmann family, and Arthur was farming in the Union Township.

One more child was born in 1934. In the 1940 census, there were 4 children in their household. Arthur was farming in the Central Township this time.

The last census the public can view, the one taken in 1950, shows the Dickmann’s with one remaining child. Arthur was called a bottom brusher at the shoe factory in Perryville.

Arthur Dickmann died in 1964 at the age of 69. His death certificate says she died of a massive pulmonary embolism.

We can read Arthur’s obituary below.

Hulda Dickmann died in 1977 at the age of 82. In a few years, we may be able to view her death certificate, but not now. We can read her obituary below.

Arthur and Hulda Dickmann are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville.

In two different locations, I found photos of Alma (Springer) Hanning (on the left) and Hulda (Springer) Dickmann (on the right).

I will let you determine if you think they were identical twins or not.

One more thing. Yesterday, I received some photos that pertained to the story I wrote about the Anton Petzoldt family. I have added them to the bottom of yesterday’s post if you would like to take a look.