I am not in Altenburg anymore…at least for a while. I decided to do my blog writing this morning as I look over the Lake of the Ozarks. It is rather peaceful, just like in Altneburg, but with a different view.

Today’s birthday boy is Henry Christian Tuschhoff, who was born on July 2, 1846. That would make today Henry’s 180th birthday. Henry was the son of Christian and Phillipine (Richter) Tuschhoff. Before I move on, let me say that Henry’s surname is sometimes spelled with two “h’s” and sometimes with only one. I will use the double “h” spelling. Henry was born in the vicinity of Friedheim, but in 1846, that congregation had not been officially established yet. I am not able to display Henry’s baptism record. Later, the Tuschhoff’s became members of the Arnsberg Lutheran Church down the road from Friedheim, and I figure that Henry spent some of his childhood attending that church. Here is some information about the Tuschhoff family that is found n an Arnsberg binder we have at our museum. It gives Henry’s birth date as January 2, 1848, but I think that is incorrect.

I also failed to find this Tuschhoff family in the 1850 census, so the first census in which I located Henry was the one taken in 1860. Henry was 13 years old, and his father was a farmer n the Apple Creek Township.

Next, we find Henry in the 1870 census at the age of 23. He is called a farm hand, likely working on his father’s farm.

Henry would get married during the next decade, so we will now take a look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Bertine Elizabeth Gieseke, who was born on January 1, 1854. Bertina was the daughter of William and Caroline (Seelhorst) Gieseke. I am also unaware of any baptism information for her. I also failed to locate Bertina in the 1860 census, so the only census entry I can display for Bertina prior to her marriage is from the 1870 census. She was 14 years old, and it is interesting that her father was called a farm hand in the Charles Tuschhoff household in the Apple Creek Township.

Henry Tuschhoff married Bertina Gieseke on March 28, 1875. According to the 2 civil marriage records shown below, this pair was married by a justice of the peace in Cape Girardeau County.

According to our German Family Tree, this couple had 3 children, and all of them were said to be born in Arnsberg and later confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. When the 1880 census was taken, we find the Tuschhoff’s with 2 daughters. Henry was a farmer in the Apple Creek Township.

A son was born to Henry and Bertina in 1881, but we cannot view the 1890 census. When the 1900 census was taken, we find the Tuschhoff’s with just that son in their household. By then, their 2 daughters had gotten married. Their son, Albert, was helping Henry with the farming.

I think the plat map shown below was produced in 1901. We can find the Henry Tuschhoff farm among other Tuschhoff properties located not far from Arnsberg (the black arrow) and Friedheim.

In the 1910 census, Henry and Bertina had an empty nest. At the age of 62, Henry was still farming.

Henry Tuschhoff died in 1914 at the age of 68. His death certificate says he died of spinal sclerosis.

Bertina is found in three more censuses after her husband’s death. That is not a fact that you often see. In the 1920 census, Bertina was a widow living with just one 13 year-old granddaughter, the daughter of her son, Albert. Bertina is called a farmer. I did not display it, but right above this entry, you find the household of Bertina’s daughter, Cora, who had married August Kromann.

In the 1930 census, Bertina was living with the Herman Dickmann family. Herman was Bertina’s grandson. There were also some great grandchildren in this household. Heman was doing highway construction work.

Finally, Bertina is once again found living with the Dickmann’s in the 1940 census when she was 85 years old.

Bertina Tuschhoff died in 1948 at the age of 94. We can view her death certificate here.

Henry and Bertina Tuschhoff are each buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery iin Friedheim. Since they died more than 30 years apart from one another, you can see that the styles of their gravestones are quite different. You might also notice that Henry’s stone uses a double “h”, while Bertina’s uses just one. Also, the only picture I saw of either of the Tuschhoff’s in this family was the photo on Bertina’s gravestone.

As it turns out for Bertina, she got to spend a lot of time during her later years living with a grandchild and great grandchildren. Speaking on behalf of the grandma that lives with me, I know that she must have enjoyed spending that time with them.