Today’s post will tell the story of a couple that got to know one another while living in or near Wittenberg, then later getting married and living their remaining lives in Cape Girardeau. We will begin by looking at today’s birthday girl.

Louise Lydia Fassel was born on September 21, 1896, thus making today her 130th birthday. Louise was the daughter of Charles and Pauline (Winter) Fassel. Louise was likely born in Wittenberg, but it was prior to when St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was established there in 1903. It may also be likely that Louise was actually baptized at the church/school building that existed in Wittenberg where worship services were conducted mostly by pastors from Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. Her baptism record is found in the books of Trinity. We can view Louise’s baptism record here.

I expected to find the Fassel’s living in Wittenberg when the 1900 census was taken, but apparently this family moved to the Jackson area for a short while. Louise was 3 years old in her 1900 census entry. Her father was a cooper in the Byrd Township where Jackson was located.

We find the Fassel family back living in Wittenberg when the 1910 census was taken. Louise was 13 years old, and her father was a driver for a livery stable in Wittenberg. When I researched for my Wittenberg books, I found out that some Lueders brothers operated a general store with a livery stable next to it in that town. Charles Fassel was likely driving for the Lueders livery stable.

Louise also got confirmed in 1910. Her confirmation record is found in the books of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wittenberg. We can look at that record below.

In the 1920 census, we find Louise still living in Wittenberg. She was in her 20’s, and this time, her father was called a cooper who had a cooper shop. This census entry is the first one in which we see her called Lulu. I will mostly use that name in this post now.

Now, we will turn our attention to the man who would become Lulu’s husband. His name was Albert Martin Holschen, who was born on December 9, 1903. That means he was about 7 years younger than Lulu. Albert was the son of Charles and Emma (Lorenz) Holschen. Normally when I see the surname, Holschen, I expect to see the baptism record in the books of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg. However, Albert’s baptism record is found in the books of Trinity, Altenburg. That is probably because his mother was a Trinity member, and the wedding of Albert’s parents took place at that church. We can view Albert’s baptism record here.

Albert is found in the 1910 census at the age of 6. His father was a farmer in the Brazeau Township.

Albert was also confirmed at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wittenberg. He was part of the confirmation class of 1917. His confirmation record is shown below.

When the 1920 census was taken, Albert was not living with his parents. He was living in the household of his uncle, Theodore Holschen and his wife. Albert and another young man, Martin Kunze, were helping on Theodore’s farm. Theodore’s mother (also Albert’s grandmother) was also included in this household. However, Amelia actually died on December 29th of the previous year. I wonder if the census taker started early in gathering his data.

I am only speculating, but I think both Albert and Louise may have moved to Cape Girardeau in the 1920’s to find work. Albert Holschen married Lulu Fassel on April 3, 1926 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. We can view this transcription of his marriage record from that congregation’s books.

We can also take a look at 2 civil marriage documents for this wedding.

The Holschen couple is found in the 1930 census with no children. Albert was called a lumber man at a lumber mill.

Albert and Lulu had their only child in 1931, a girl named Marvalyn. Then, in the 1940 census, we find the Holschen’s living with Lulu’s mother, Pauline, a 68 year-old widow. Albert was called a planer at a saw mill.

Albert had his World War II draft card completed when America entered that war. He is given a Cape Girardeau address, and we see that his employer was the Leming Lumber Company.

This photo of the Leming Lumber Company appeared in another post about a man who worked at this lumber yard. That man’s name happened to be Winter, Louise’s mother’s maiden name.

At some point prior to the 1950 census, Albert and Louise got a divorce. We find them both still living in Cape Girardeau in the 1950 census, but they had different entries. Here is the one for Albert. He was living in the Frank York household as a boarder, and he was called a laborer for building construction.

Louise was the head of a household made up of her daughter, her mother, and her single sister, Wilma, in the 1950 census. Louise was a cook at a Catholic college.

Albert Holschen died in 1965 at the age of 61. His death certificate indicates that he died of several causes relating to heart issues.

I can display a transcription of Albert’s obituary that was published in the Southeast Missourian. It says he was fishing when he died.

Albert is buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery in St. Louis. That is where his mother is buried.

Louise Holschen died in 1996 at the age of 99, about a month before she would have turned 100. Louise is buried in the Cape County Memorial Cemetery in Cape Girardeau.

My father was born in 1913 and spent his childhood as a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wittenberg. I have to think that he attended church on many occasions when Albert and Lulu also would have been sitting in the pews there. Of course that would have been when each of them was still single.