I have been inside Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim, which had its cornerstone laid in 1857. The pews are not that long. So, when a man becomes the father of 19 children who are found in our German Family Tree, most of which have baptism records in the Trinity, Friedheim’s books, that family must have occupied several of those pews on a typical Sunday morning service for a lot of years. You will be reading the story of that very fruitful man today.

Louis Frederick Klaus was born on March 27, 1849, the son of Caspar and Catherine (Wehmueller) Klaus. Louis was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. We can take a look at his baptism record below. His surname is spelled Claus on this record.

Louis is found in the 1850 census at the age of 1. He is called Henry L. in this entry. His father was a farmer in Cape Girardeau County. Although this census does not describe the location as the Apple Creek Township, that is where I think this Klaus family was living.

In the 1860 census, Louis was 12 years old. This time, the entry comes from the Apple Creek Township.

Louis was still single when the 1870 census was taken. He is called 20 years old, and was a farm hand on his father’s land.

Louis would get married not long after the 1870 census was taken, so we will now look at the woman who would become his first wife. Her name was Wilhelmina Bertha Dickmann, who was born on April 7, 1853. Bertha was the daughter of Heinrich and Henrietta (Tuschhoff) Dickmann. I do not know where Bertha’s baptism record is found. Her mother died when Bertha was quite young. In the 1860 census, there is no wife in the Dickmann household. Bertha is called Elizabeth in this entry, and her father was a farmer in the Apple Creek Township.

Bertha’s father married Maria Schmidt in 1865. Once again, Bertha is identified with a different name when the 1870 census was taken. She is called Barbara, and she was a teenager.

Louis Klaus married Bertha Dickmann on May 11, 1871, thus making today this couple’s 155th wedding anniversary. These two were married at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. The church marriage record for this wedding is displayed here.

I am also able to show 2 other civil marriage records from Cape Girardeau County.

Our German Family Tree lists 10 children born to this couple. In the 1880 census, there were 3 children in the Klaus household. Louis was a farmer in the Apple Creek Township.

A lot happened in the Klaus family in the 1880’s. Several more children were born to Louis and Bertha. Then, after the last one was born in 1888, several months later, Bertha died during that year at the age of 35. Her church death record states that she died from a fever. Then, Louis got married again. Let’s take a look at the woman who became Louis’s second wife.

Henrietta Maria Friedericka Oehl was born on July 4, 1869. That means she was 20 years younger than Louis. Friedericka was the daughter of Johann and Johannette (Pohlmann) Oehl. She was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. We can take a look at Friedericka’s baptism record below.

Friedericka is found in the 1870 census at the age of 1. Her father was a farmer in the Union Township in Bollinger County.

Next, we find Friedericka in the 1880 census at the age of 10. Her mother had died earlier that year. This time, the census says that the Oehl’s were living in the Whitewater Township in Bollinger County. That does not necessarily mean that they had moved. A new township had been formed.

Louis Klaus married Friedericka Oehl on August 24, 1889. This marriage also took place at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. The church record for this event is pictured here.

Below is a civil marriage record for this occasion.

Even though all his census entries describe Louis as a farmer, we find evidence that he operated a store in Friedheim also. In 1894, Louis was appointed as the postmaster for the town of Friedheim.

Our German Family Tree says that there were 9 additional children born to this couple. In the 1900 census, we see a Klaus household with 9 children, some from Louis’s first wife, and the rest from his second one.

At some point in time, this image of Louis and Friedericka was created. This image was included in a recent post about Louise Klaus, who was a daughter of Louis’s by his first marriage. Louise is seen in the above census at the age of 13.

In the 1910 census, we find another very large Klaus household, this time with 11 children.

One more child was born in 1911, but that child died in 1912. In the 1920 census, there were just 4 children still living with Louis and Friedericka. Louis was still farming in the Apple Creek Township at the age of 70.

Louis Klaus died in 1923 at the age of 73, almost 74. His death certificate says he died of influenza.

An obituary for Louis was published in a local newspaper. You can see that it says that he engaged in a mercantile business in Friedheim.

Friedericka is found as a widow when the 1930 census was taken. Her son, Alvin, had married Lydia Dickmann, and Friedericka was living with their family.

Finally, we find Friedericka in the 1940 census at the age of 70. She was still living with her son, Alvin’s, family.

Friedericka Klaus died in 1941 at the age of 71. We can view her death certificate.

We can read Friedericka’s obituary here.

Louis and his two wives are buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Friedheim.

When God told man to be fruitful and multiply, Louis took that task seriously, being the father of 19 children. Assuming that Louis was one who faithfully brought his family to church on Sundays, he, his wives, and his offspring must have taken up plenty of room in the Trinity, Friedheim sanctuary.