I am going to be telling the story a man who is today’s baptismal birthday boy. By the time you are done reading this post, you will know the story of another man who went on to become a Lutheran educator that had his beginnings in East Perry County.

August Otto Eduard Schroeter was born on May 31, 1877, the son of August and Maria (Lueders) Schroeter. Otto was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church on June 10, 1877, so today would be his 149th baptismal birthday. We can view his baptism record from Concordia’s books here.

Otto is found in the 1880 census at the age of 3. His father was a miller in Frohna.

We cannot view the 1890 census. It must have been at some point in time during that interval between 1880 and 1900 that Otto would go off to attend college to become a teacher. The closest Lutheran teacher’s college was the one in Chicago, so that is probably where Otto went. I think it is possible that Otto’s first teaching position was at Salem Lutheran School in Farrar. He would have been 21 years old when he started teaching there. Otto is found living in the Salem Township in 1900. He was a teacher, and he was living with his cousin, Albert Lueders, who was a medical doctor in Farrar.

Below is a photo of the old teacherage at Salem, Farrar. This is likely where Otto and Albert Lueders lived.

Now, we will take a look at the woman who would become Otto’s wife. Her name was Marie Boeker, who was born on September 19, 1878. Marie was the daughter of Christoph and Anna (Hilpert) Boeker. Marie was born in Prairietown, Illinois, which is located in Madison County, east of St. Louis. Marie’s mother had been born and raised in Frohna, so that connection may explain how Marie managed to become acquainted with Otto. St. Peter’s Lutheran Church is located in Prairietown, and it was established in 1855, so perhaps Marie’s baptism record is found in that congregation’s books. Marie is found in the 1880 census at the age of 1. Her father was a carpenter in Prairietown.

Marie was still single when the 1900 census was taken. She was still living with her parents in Prairietown at the age of 21.

On August 12, 1900, Otto Schroeter married Marie Boeker in Prairietown. My best guess is that this wedding took place at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Prairietown. The Illinois marriage record below says that Otto was a teacher in Farrar in 1900.

The pastor listed in the above record was Rev. Iben. A previous post was written about an Iben from that pastor’s family titled, Iben “Ahner”ed.

This couple had 5 children, one of which died as a young child. Two sons were baptized at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar. The child that died has his death record in the books of Salem, Farrar, but is buried in the Concordia Lutheran Cemetery in Frohna. According to a history of Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar, Otto taught at their school from 1898-1905. Here is a photo that was taken when he served in Farrar.

In 1905, Otto and his young family moved to Chester, Illinois where Otto became a teacher at St. John’s Lutheran School. Not long after arriving there, their third son, Walter, was born. I can display a transcription of Walter’s baptism record from the books of St. John’s. Paul Lueders, Otto’s cousin, came over from Frohna to be one of Walter’s baptism sponsors. Paul was the photographer that has been mentioned several times on this blog who had a photography studio in Frohna.

It is in Chester where we find the Schroeter family in the 1910 census. There were two sons in their family, and Otto was called a parochial school teacher.

Otto had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. By that time, the Schroeter’s had moved to Staunton, Illinois. Otto was a teacher at Zion Lutheran School in Staunton. Staunton is located quite near Prairietown, Maries hometown.

The Schroeter’s were living in Staunton when the 1920 census was taken. Another child, a daughter named Norma, was born just 2 years before this census was taken.

Another move was made during the next decade. In the 1930 census, Otto and Marie were living in Indianapolis, Indiana. Another son, Robert must have been born in Illinois before they moved to Indiana. This time, Otto was called a public school teacher. Marie’s sister, Louise Boeker, was living with them.

This photo of Otto was taken at a later time in his life.

Otto Schroeter died in 1931 at the age of 53. We can view his Indiana death certificate here. On this form, it says that Otto was the superintendent of parochial schools.

Marie is found as a widow in the 1940 census. She was living in St. Louis with 2 children. Right below her entry, you will see that of Walter Schroeter, her son, who was a teacher in a private school.

In the 1950 census, Marie was still living in St. Louis with her single daughter, Norma.

Marie Schroeter died in 1959 at the age of 80. We can view her Missouri death certificate here. She died at the Deaconess Hospital in St. Louis.

Marie’s body was taken to Indianapolis to be buried with her husband. Otto and Marie Schroeter are buried together in the Concordia Lutheran Cemetery in Indianapolis.

You may have noticed in this story that Otto’s surname was sometimes recorded as being spelled as Schroeder, not Schroeter. Even the pastor who baptized Otto, used the spelling with a “d”. However, the real important documents, and especially his gravestone, use the spelling, Schroeter. Even other baptism records for other siblings of Otto in the Concordia books use the Schroeter spelling. The pastor at Concordia in 1877 was just there for one year. Perhaps he did not have enough time there to be aware of the correct Schroeter spelling.

We can also add Otto to a long list that is getting longer of people from local Lutheran churches that went on to become Lutheran church workers. I might add that one of Otto’s sons became a Lutheran teacher, and another one became a Lutheran pastor.