Previous posts on this blog have told about Kester couples who were members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. Today, you will read the story of a bride and her Kester groom who were born in Germany and immigrated to America and were married at Trinity, Friedheim. I will begin with the groom.

Heinrich Kester was born on June 17, 1827 in Rodheim, Germany. Henry was the son of Konrad and Elisabeth (Buss) Kester. We can take a look at his German baptism record below. At least, I think so. The image shown on Family Search includes 4 baptism records written in German handwriting that I found very difficult to read. I think I may have picked the right one for Henry, but I am not certain. Perhaps our friend in Germany, Timm Yamnitz, can confirm whether I chose the correct one.

The Kester family traveled to the United States in 1838 aboard the ship, Elise. We can see Henry in the list of his family members on this passenger list for that ship here. Henry was 10 years old when he made this voyage.

Henry would get married before I found him in an American census, so we will turn our attention to the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Catherine Wilhelmina Grossheider, who was born on June 2, 1832, thus making her today’s birthday girl. Today, she would be celebrating her 194th birthday. Wilhelmina was the daughter of Caspar and Catharina (Sewing) Grossheider. I can also display a German baptism record for her from a parish in Dissen.

The Grossheider family made the voyage to America in 1840 aboard the ship, Sophie. Wilhelmina was 8 years old at the time.

Henry Kester married Wilhelmina Grossheider on December 6, 1849 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. Trinity was organized and got its first pastor, Rev. Franz Julius Biltz, in 1848. Pastor Biltz had graduated from Concordia Seminary in Altenburg before that seminary moved to St. Louis. So, this wedding was one of the first ones to appear in that congregation’s books.

We can also view 2 other civil marriage records for this wedding. Both of them indicate Rev. Biltz as the pastor who officiated at the wedding.

This couple is found in the 1850 census before they had any children. Henry was a blacksmith in Cape Girardeau County. The Kester’s likely lived in the Apple Creek Township, but that township had not been named yet.

Henry and Wilhelmina had 5 children, all born in the 1850’s. When the 1860 census was taken, all 5 of their children were in their census entry, but I do not think the ages for the children are correct. Henry is not given no occupation, but I suspect he was still blacksmithing, possibly along with farming. I have included the households in this image of his father, Conrad, and his brother, George. It looks like these Kester families were living quite close to one another, perhaps even on the same land.

Wilhelmina Kester died in 1863 at the age of 30. Her church death record says that she died of tuberculosis. When the 1970 census was taken, we find Henry as a widower. All 5 of his children are found in this entry. Once again, Henry is called a blacksmith.

When the 1880 census was taken, just his youngest daughter, Mary, was living with Henry. Henry was called both a farmer and a blacksmith.

Henry was still living when we can view the next census in 1900. He was living by himself and called a farmer. I have included two other Kester households on the same page. They were the families of Henry’s two sons, John and George Kester, who were also farmers.

Henry Kester died in 1906 at the age of 74. Both Henry and his wife, Wilhelmina Kester, are buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Friedheim.

The surnames found in this story, Kester, Grossheider, and even Wilhelmina’s mother’s maiden name, Sewing, are all what I would refer to as “Friedheim names”. The Kester name was passed along only through Henry and Wilhelmina’s son, George, because their other son, John, only had one son, and that son only had daughters. Other Kester’s descended from Henry’s brother, who was also named George.