Today’s birthday girl was born in Ohio. She would eventually spend most of her life in Nebraska. However, in between, she would spend 15 years of her early childhood and teenage years in Perry County. You will be reading her story today.

Mathilde Emilie Bergt was born on May 30, 1859, so today would be her 167th birthday. Emilie was the daughter of Adolph William and Gottlieben Frederica (Rauss) Bergt. Emilie’s father came to America as part of the Gesellschaft in 1839 and settled in Perry County. Adolph’s interesting story was told in the post, 1852 – An Eventful Year for Hugo. That post told about Adolph’s decision to become a Lutheran pastor, and by the time of Emilie’s birth in 1859, he was the pastor of St. James Lutheran Church in Archbold, Ohio. That congregation had been established in 1846, even prior to the formation of the Missouri Synod. I cannot view records from that congregation, but I am almost certain that Emilie’s baptism record would be found there. Emilie is found in the 1860 census at the age of 1. The 8 year-old in this entry was Hugo Rauss, who was a nephew of Emilie’s mother whose parents had died.

When Emilie was about 5 years old, her father took a call to become the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown. Back then, Uniontown was still called Paitzdorf. Pastor Bergt would serve that congregation from 1864 until 1879. We find the Bergt’s living in the Cinque Hommes Township when the 1870 census was taken. Emilie was 11 years old, and her father was called a Lutheran minister. Hugo, who was actually Hugo Rauss, was a 19 year-old farmer, and Emilie’s older brother, Adolph, was working with him.

Emilie was confirmed at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown in 1873. We find her in this list of her confirmation class in that congregation’s books.

Two important things happened in 1879. First of all, Rev. Bergt took a call to a congregation in Tecumseh, Nebraska. Secondly, Emilie Bergt got married. So, we will now take a quick look at the man who would become Emilie’s husband. His name was Herman Emil Pfeifer, and about the only indication about his date of birth is that he was born in November of 1853 in Germany. I was also not able to determine the name of Emil’s parents. Different later census entries say that Emil came to America in the later 1870’s, although I cannot determine for sure where he settled when he got to this country. On his Findagrave.com site, it documents Emil coming to America in 1878. Since he got married in 1879, we do not find Emil in an American census prior to his marriage.

Emil Pfeifer married Emilie Bergt on October 29, 1879. According to the two civil marriage records below, this wedding took place in Cape Girardeau County and was performed by a justice of the peace. These records indicate that both Emil and Emilie were from Perry County.

This couple must have moved to Tecumseh, Nebraska not long after getting married. That is where we find them living when the 1880 census was taken. There was one baby in the family, and Emil was a blacksmith in Tecumseh. A young man was also included in the household who was also called a blacksmith.

Family Search lists 5 children born to Emil and Emilie. All but one of them were born prior to the next census we can view in 1900. All of their children at this time were sons. Emil was still blacksmithing in Tecumseh.

Next, we find the Pfeifer’s in the 1910 census. Their only girl was born in 1901.

Emil and Emilie are found in the 1920 census with just their daughter, Helen, living with them. Emil continued to be a blacksmith.

The last census in which we find Emil and Emilie was the one taken in 1930. This time Emil was called a merchant for an implement company. Their single son, Alfred, was back living with his parents and was a carpenter.

The photo below of Emil and Emilie was taken later in their lives. Perhaps it was taken on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary in 1929.

Emilie Pfeifer died in 1932 at the age of 72. We can read her obituary below.

Emil Pfeifer died in 1934 at the age of 80. We can also read his obituary.

Emil and Emilie Pfeifer both have entries on Findagrave.com for the Tecumseh Cemetery, but neither one has a gravestone photo. One of the facts in this story that I find rather puzzling is that the daughter of a Lutheran pastor in Perry County made the decision to get married by a justice of the peace in Cape Girardeau County. I know her father may have already moved to Nebraska, but I have to think that one of the other local Lutheran pastors could have been called on to marry this couple. There must have been a reason for this, but I do not know what it was.