Today’s Wehmueller birthday boy will take us on a trip away from his birthplace. He is not the first one in his family to take us elsewhere. Not long ago, his sister married a man who ran a hardware store in Staunton, Illinois. Another sister married a man named Henry Ponti, who took her to live in St. Louis for much of her life.

Ludwig Friedrich Wehmueller was born on October 21, 1865, so today would be his 161st birthday. Ludwig, or Louis, as he was mostly called during his life, was the son of Henry and Wilhelmine (Stollen) Wehmueller. He was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. We can look at his baptism record below.

Louis is found in the 1870 census at the age of 4. His father was a farmer in the Apple Creek Township.

Next, we find Louis in the 1880 census as a teenager. Henry Ponti, a grandson of Henry Wehmueller, thus making him a nephew of Louis, was included in the household. Louis’s sister, Mary had married Henry Ponti, and that couple had named their first son, Henry. That is the 5 year-old in this entry. The Ponti’s were living in St. Louis at that time, so I do not know why one of their sons was living with his grandparents.

Louis would get married before we can view another census, so we will now take a look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Mary Barbara Amelia Ochs, who was born on March 2, 1868. Mary was the daughter of Conrad and Magdalena (Springer) Ochs. She was born in Darmstaedt, Illinois. Although her parents were from Perry County originally, they had moved to Illinois prior to Mary’s birth. That is where we find Mary in the 1870 census at the age of 3. Her father was a cooper.

The Ochs family did not remain in Illinois. When the 1880 census was taken, they were back in Perry County. Mary was 13 years old and living in the Bois Brule Township where her father was called a miller.

Louis Wehmueller married Mary Ochs on February 8, 1891 at Cross Congregation Church near Longtown. We can take a look at their church marriage record below. It says that Louis was from Cape Girardeau County.

The Missouri marriage license for this couple is pictured below.

Our German Family Tree lists 9 children born to this Wehmueller couple. The first 7 were baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim, and the last 2 were baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Point Rest. When the 1900 census was taken, the Wehmueller’s had 5 children, and Louis was a farmer in the Apple Creek Township.

The Wehmueller family made a move during the next decade. By the time of the 1910 census, they were living in the Bois Brule Township. All 9 of their children are found in this entry. Louis was still farming.

I am just guessing that the photograph below was taken around this time in the lives of Louis and Mary.

Another move was made by the Wehmueller’s before the 1920 census was taken. In that year’s entry, we find them living in the Central Township. According to the neighbors found on this census page, the Wehmueller’s were then living quite near the city of Perryville. Three daughters were still living with their parents, and Louis was still farming.

Yet another move was made by the Wehmueller’s after this. By the time of the 1930 census, they were living in St. Louis. The same 3 single daughters were still living in their household. All 3 of these sisters would get married later, but at this point, they were still single. Louis is no longer given an occupation. The 3 daughters were all called seamstresses making dresses.

In the 1940 census, we find Louis and Mary with just one daughter left in their household. Their daughter, Ada, was a dressmaker at a garment factory. Louis and Mary, both in their 70’s, had no occupations.

The two photos below were taken later in the lives of Louis and Mary. One is of the both of them, and the other is one of just Mary.

Louis Wehmueller died in 1945 at the age of 79. His death certificate says he died of a stroke at the Pine Crest Home for the Aged in the St. Louis area.

Mary Wehmueller is found as a widow when the 1950 census was taken. This time, there were 2 daughters, Ada and Stella, living with their mother. Ada would get married soon after this census was taken. This entry says Stella had never been married, but I found evidence that she had been married, and her husband had died in 1950.

Mary Wehmueller died in 1956 at the age of 87. Her death certificate says that she had a fall at home, and she had a fractured hip. That contributed to her death not long after at the Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis.

Louis and Mary Wehmueller are buried together in the Our Redeemer Cemetery in St. Louis.

I chose this story because I thought that Louis was born on October 21, 1866 because that is what our German Family Tree says. It turned out that there is a typo in our GFT, and Louis was actually born in 1865. It is not hard to understand that there are typos in our GFT because that document is more than 5000 pages long. Typing fingers make mistakes. I wonder how many typos have made their way into the blog posts that I have written over the years. If there aren’t any, then I have to credit my high school typing teacher at Lutheran High School North in St. Louis, Mrs. Pickens.