Today’s birthday girl was reportedly born in Rochlitz, Germany and came to America as a young child. Her name was Amalie Pauline Mehner, who was born on May 5, 1853. Amalie was the daughter of Johann and Juliana (Lindner) Mehner. The Mehner family traveled to America in 1855 aboard the ship, Emma Lincoln. The Mehner family is found on the passenger list for that ship shown below. Amalie was 1 1/2 years old.

Amalie’s mother was pregnant when she was on that ship. The ship arrived in New Orleans in November, and a son was born on December 26th of that year. That child was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim the next January. The Mehner’s are found in the 1860 census living in the Cinque Hommes Township. Amalie was 7 years old at the time, and her father was a farmer.

When the 1870 census was taken, Amalie was a teenager. Her father had died in 1870 just prior to when the census taker came to record this household. Amalie’s brother, Frederick, was the head of the Mehner household, which included Amalie’s mother and her younger brother. Frederick was farming.

Amalie was still single when she is found in the 1880 census. Her mother had died in 1876, so she was no longer alive when this census was taken. Amalie was living with her brother, Ernst, who was that son who was born right after the Mehner’s arrived in the United States. Ernst was working on a farm, and Amalie was keeping house. Amalie is called 23 years old in this entry, but she was 27 years old at the time.

Now, we need to look at the early life of the man who would become Amalie’s husband. His name was John Joseph Sauer, who was born on October 6, 1858, which means he was 5 years younger than Amalie. Joseph was the son of Anton and Paulina (Schott) Sauer. My best guess is that Joseph’s baptism record is found in the books of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Apple Creek. I was unsuccessful in finding the Sauer family in 1860 census, so the first census I am able to display that includes Joseph is the one taken in 1870. Joseph was 12 years old. His father had died in 1865, so he was living with his grandfather, who was also named Anton Sauer. His mother was still living at this time, but I do not know where she was living. There was another Joseph Sauer, 21 years old, listed in this entry. It could have been a cousin who I found in this family tree, but that cousin is found in a different household in Ste. Genevieve County in the 1870 census.

Joseph is found in the 1880 census at the age of 21. He was working on the James Bauderdistle (which is how Ancestry.com spells his name) farm in the Cinque Hommes Township.

Joseph Sauer married Amalie Mehner on January 31, 1881 in Cape Girardeau County. Both of the civil marriage records shown here indicate that they were married by a justice of the peace. They were likely not married in a church because it was the joining of a Catholic and a Lutheran. Joseph is called Anthony Sauer on these documents, and I have no idea why.

Joseph and Amalie had 4 children, one who died as a child. The photo of the Joseph Sauer family shown below has a caption indicating that it was taken about 1895. The oldest child had already died in 1886.

In the 1900 census, we find the family members that are displayed in the above photograph. Joseph was a farmer in the Cinque Hommes Township.

The last census in which we find Joseph was the one taken in 1910. We find the same family members once again in this entry.

Joseph Sauer died in 1912 at the age of 53. His death certificate below gives pneumonia as his cause of death.

Even though Joseph had died, when the 1915 plat maps were produced, we find a parcel of land in that atlas with his name on it. You can see that his farm was located not far from Biehle.

Amalie is found as a widow in the 1920 census. Her son, Fritz, was the head of the household, and also living in this household was Amalie’s daughter, Martha. Fritz was doing the farming.

I located another photograph of Amalie Sauer.

Amalie Sauer died in 1926 at the age of 73. Her name is given as Amanda on her death certificate below. It also says she died in the Apple Creek Township, which is not where she lived during her life.

This Sauer couple is one of those who are found buried in different cemeteries. This indicates that Joseph remained a Catholic throughout his life, and Amalie remained a Lutheran during her life. Joseph is buried in the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Apple Creek. Amalie is buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Friedheim.

I have already written a story about Martha Sauer, one of Joseph and Amalie’s children. If you want to read it, you can find it at this link…Charley Schmidt and His Sauer Wife.