Two previous posts, Hometown Preacher, and Another Mahnken Marries an Eckert, have told the stories of an Eckert from St. Clair County in Illinois marrying a Mahnken from Perry County in Missouri. There is one Eckert/Mahnken wedding story that has yet to be written, and it happens to be the first one. You will read that story today. We will begin with today’s birthday boy.

Peter Heinrich Eckert was born on July 28, 1889, so today would be his 137th birthday. Peter was the son of Herman and Regina (Schneider) Eckert. Peter was born in or near the town of Marissa, Illinois. There was a nearby church, St. John Lutheran Church, in Baldwin, Illinois. I think Peter’s baptism record may be found in that church’s books. Just yesterday, I wrote the story of William Poehner, born in 1891 in Perry County, who, as a child, lived in or near Marissa, Illinois. Peter is found in the 1900 census at the age of 9, although I think he was at least 10. William Poehner is found among the same census pages for Marissa at about the same age, so I think it is very possible that William and Peter knew one another when they were boys, especially if they attended the same church.

I think a map that shows Marissa, Baldwin, and Farrar would be helpful in telling this story.

I failed to locate Peter in the 1910 census, but I do know that he was not living with his parents in Marissa. My best guess is that he was living and working in St. Louis. Since Peter got married after the 1910 census, we will now look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Anna Irma Mahnken, who was born on April 15, 1889 in Germany. Anna was the daughter of Johann and Maria (Heitmann) Mahnken. Anna came to America in October of 1889 as a baby aboard the ship, Lahn. Anna can be found on the passenger list for that ship shown here.

In the 1900 census for the Salem Township (the pages that are often difficult to read), we find Anna (called Irma) at the age of 11. Her father was a farmer.

The first church record we find for Anna in this country was her confirmation record. She was confirmed at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar in 1902. We can take a look at Anna’s confirmation record below.

Anna was still living with her parents when the 1910 census was taken. She was 21 years old at the time. That was the time when Anna’s younger brother, Fred, was a student at college. He was attending Concordia Seminary studying to become a Lutheran pastor, and later on, Fred married Peter Eckert’s sister, Alvina.

If Anna would have done what a lot of young ladies did in those days and went to St. Louis to find work, that may explain how Anna and Peter Eckert may have met. On August 9, 1913, Peter Eckert married Anna Mahnken at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar. We can view this couple’s church marriage record here. I find it interesting that Fred Mahnken and Alvina Eckert were witnesses for this wedding. Since these two would later get married, perhaps this wedding was where these two became acquainted.

The Missouri marriage license for this pair is displayed below. Both the above record and this license say that Peter was from St. Louis.

Peter had his World War I draft registration completed in 1917. It gives him a Menfro address and says he was a farmer for himself. It also says that he had a wife and child. This document says Peter was born in Lenzburg, Illinois, which is another place you see on the previous map.

According to our German Family Tree, the Eckert’s had 2 children, and both of them were baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Point Rest. In the 1920 census, Peter and Anna had both of their children, and Peter was farming in the Bois Brule Township.

Next, we find the Eckert’s in the 1930 census with the same 4 occupants in their household.

Anna Eckert died on the last day of 1930, December 31st. She was only 41 years old when she died. Her death certificate below says her cause of death was cancer of the uterus.

Anna is buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Point Rest, which is actually located on a hill near Menfro. The Mississippi River bottoms where Trinity Lutheran Church was located was not a good place to locate a cemetery.

At some point after his wife’s death, Peter made his way to St. Louis. That is where we find Peter in the 1940 census. He and his son, Walter, were hired men on the William Kermeier farm.

Peter had his World War II draft card completed when America entered that war. This document says Peter was born in Marissa, Illinois.

The last census we can view is the one taken in 1950. Peter was a resident at a St. Louis hotel and working as a maintenance mechanic at an asbestos shingle factory.

Peter’s daughter, Ella, was married twice. Her first husband was Loren Muench who died in 1969. Ella and Loren lived in Baldwin, Illinois, and I suspect at some point in time, Peter moved to that area to be close to his daughter. Her second husband was Paul Erdmann, and Ella went to live in Red Bud, Illinois. I have to wonder if Paul Erdmann can be found in our friend, Clayton Erdmann’s, family tree.

Peter Eckert died in 1974 at the age of 85. Peter’s Social Security death index says that his last place of residence was Baldwin, Illinois.

Peter Eckert is buried in the St. John Lutheran Cemetery in Baldwin.

Since the marriage of Peter Eckert and Anna Mahnken was the first of the weddings between members of these two families, I figure that their wedding in Farrar led to the other two that involved a Farrar Mahnken and a Marissa Eckert.

I went down another rabbit hole for this story. I know of a business known as the Eckert’s Farm, and it has a history of operating near where Peter Eckert originated. Here is part of the business’s history that can be found online.

However, I was unable to connect Peter’s Eckert family to the one described in the history above. Maybe one of our readers could tell us if Peter Eckert is connected to the family that runs the Eckert’s Farm business.