The last post that I wrote two days ago was about Martin Best and his wife, Alma. The post was titled, Alma, the Best Widow in Cape Girardeau. When I discovered that Martin’s older brother was born on today’s date, I could not resist telling his story in this post.

Carl Heinrich William Best was born on July 25, 1873, so today would be his 153rd birthday. Henry was the firstborn child in the Best household, and his brother, Martin, who was highlighted in the post 2 days ago, was the last child born into that family. They were both the sons of Friedrich and Friedericke (Bultmann) Best. I said in the post 2 days ago that Martin was likely born near Tilsit and Burfordville, but it appears that the Best family had moved to that area between the time Henry was born and the time that Martin was born. That is because I did manage to locate Henry’s baptism record, and he was baptized at the Arnsberg Lutheran Church near Friedheim. Not many records from that church are included in the Ancestry.com collection of Missouri Synod church books, but the one for Henry is found there.

Henry is found in the Missouri state census taken in 1876. About the only thing we can tell in this entry is that he was a young boy, and his family was living in Cape Girardeau County.

I do not know whether the Best family relocated by the time of the 1880 census because I failed to find them in that year’s enumeration. And because we cannot view the 1890 census either, I am not able to display a Federal census entry for Henry until after he was married. So, let’s take a look at the woman who would become Henry’s wife. Her name was Mathilda Louise Borgfeld, who was born on January 26, 1875. Mathilda was the daughter of Christoph and Maria (Heimburger) Borgfeld. She was born near Tilsit, so I think she may have been baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in that town, which would have been a rather new congregation. Mathilda is found in the 1880 census at the age of 5. Her father was a farmer in the Byrd Township.

Henry Best married Mathilda Borgfeld on February 25, 1900. According to their Missouri marriage license shown below, they were married by Rev. A. Wagner, who was the pastor of Immanuel, Tilsit at that time.

This pair got married just before the 1900 census was compiled because we find them as a married couple in their census entry. Included in their household was a niece and Mathilda’s mother. The niece, Sabra Zapf, was actually Selma Zapf, the daughter of Mathilda’s sister, Emma, who had died earlier in 1900. Mathilda’s father had died in 1887, so Mary Borgfeld was a widow in this entry and living with her daughter and her husband. Henry was a farmer in the Byrd Township.

According to Family Search, Henry and Mathilda had 8 children. In the 1910 census, there were 4 children in the Best household.

Henry had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. It gives him a rural Jackson address and calls him a farmer.

Next, we find the Best’s in the 1920 census. There were 7 children in their household. Two daughters were working at a shoe factory, likely in Cape Girardeau.

When we find the Best family in the 1930 census, they were living in Cape Girardeau. Henry was called a laborer on a farm. Two single children in their 20’s were part of the work force.

The last census in which we find Henry was the one taken in 1940. At the age of 66, Henry no longer is given an occupation.

Henry almost made it into the 1950 census, but he died in January of that year. He was 76 years old at the time. His death certificate below says that cancer of the stomach was his cause of death.

A short article about Henry’s death was published in the Cash Book Journal.

In the 1950 census, Mathilda was listed as a widow. She was living in Cape Girardeau with her single daughter, Edna, who was a lifelong single.

Mathilda Best died in 1960 at the age of 85. The informant on her death certificate shown here was her daughter, Edna. This document says Mathilda was born in Tilsit.

Both of the death certificates for Henry and Mathilda say that they were buried in the Cape County Memorial Park in Cape Girardeau. However, when Ancestry.com sends you to Findagrave.com, it says those sites have been removed.

Alma Best, the character in the post 2 days ago, became a widow in 1926. Mathilda Best became a widow in 1950, so that’s why I called her the “Second Best Widow” in today’s title. Alma was a widow for over 60 years. Mathilda was only a widow for 10 years. Also, Alma outlived Mathilda by over 20 years.