One of the characters in today’s story is a pastor’s kid. Many times, the children of pastors just “pass through” an area when their father is a minister of the local church. Those children are often born somewhere else and then future records show them living elsewhere later in their lives. To a certain extent, that is true of today’s birthday girl, who was the daughter of one of the pastors at Trinity Lutheran Church, Altenburg in bygone years. In her case, she at least spent more time in Altenburg after her father took a call to a different congregation.

Elisabeth Roesener was born on October 22, 1881, thus making today her 145th birthday. Elisabeth was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. You will be seeing a few documents that support this place of birth. One is the image below of an 1886 city directory from New Orleans which includes Elisabeth’s father, Rev. Paul Roesner. It says that he was the pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in New Orleans in that year. Elisabeth would have been about 5 years old at that time.

Here is a present-day photo of that church, which has been in existence since 1847.

Elizabeth’s mother was Mary Roesener, who had the maiden name of Miller. Most likely, Pastor Roesener’s next call was to Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. He arrived in Altenburg in 1889 and served this congregation until 1901. While he was here, we find that Elisabeth was confirmed at Trinity. She was confirmed in 1895. Her confirmation record is pictured here. It confirms her date of birth.

Elisabeth is found in the 1900 census at the age of 19. Her father was called a clergyman. You can see that it indicates that Elisabeth was born in Louisiana.

Elisabeth would get married not long after that census was taken, so now we will take a look at the man who would become her husband. His name was Albert Hellmuth, who was born on September 2, 1879. He was born in Germany. His parents were Frederick and Auguste (Gruene) Hellmuth. According to a later census entry, Albert came to America in 1880 when he was just a youngster. A record found in our German Family Tree says that Albert was also confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. He was confirmed two years before Elisabeth in 1893. We can view his confirmation record below.

Albert is found in the 1900 census, but he was not living in Altenburg. He was living in the household of Fred Gruene, who was a relative, and he was working as a blacksmith in St. Louis.

Albert Hellmuth married Elisabeth Roesener on May 17, 1904. At first, I was really puzzled why this couple was married in the Bronx in New York City, but then I understood when I located Elizabeth’s father living in the Bronx in a 1905 New York census. He had left Altenburg in 1901, and apparently took a call to a Lutheran church in the Bronx. I am able to display a transcription of Elisabeth’s New York marriage record. I could also show a similar transcription for Albert, but I chose not to. I have to think that there would be a church marriage record for this couple in the books of the Lutheran congregation where Elisabeth’s father was serving.

What is a bit surprising is that Albert and Elisabeth ended up back in Altenburg after they got married even though Elisabeth’s father was no longer there, and, as far as I know, Albert’s parents were no longer living. There are 6 children listed in our German Family Tree for this couple, one of which was stillborn, and another that died as an infant. The ones who were baptized have their baptism records in the books of Trinity, Altenburg. In the 1910 census, we find the Hellmuth’s with just one child, and Albert was a farmer in the Brazeau Township. There was a man named Alfred Meinz in their household who was a farm laborer.

Before Albert had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918, the Hellmuth’s had moved to the city of Mokena, Illinois, which is not that far from Chicago. He is called a harness maker.

In the 1920 census, the Hellmuth household is found living in Mokena, and Albert was still a harness maker. The last of 4 children in this entry was born in Illinois.

Next, we find the Hellmuth’s in the 1930 census. There were 6 children in their family, the last two born in the previous decade in Illinois. This time, Albert is called an upholsterer for the steam railroad.

I located a baptism record for the son named Kurt who is seen in the above entry. He was born and baptized in 1921. That record is found in the books of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Frankfort, Illinois, which is very near Mokena. Immanuel is a congregation that was established in 1850, although it did not become part of the Missouri Synod until 1916.

The 1940 census shows that only 3 children were still living with their parents. Albert had the same occupation.

Albert had a World War II draft card completed. It says that Albert’s employer was the Chicago, Rock Island, Pacific Railroad.

The last census the public can view is the one taken in 1950. Albert was still working at the same job in Mokena. The Hellmuth’s daughter, Lillian, had married Joseph Heim. Their young family was living with Albert and Elisabeth.

The only photo I found for today’s couple was this one of Elisabeth, who is called Grandmother Hellmuth on this photograph.

Elisabeth Hellmuth died in 1963 at the age of 82; Albert Hellmuth died a year later in 1964 at the age of 84. Albert and Elisabeth are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Mokena.

Today’s birthday girl managed to be members of 3 different churches during her life. All of them were ones that were established a very long time ago when the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod was in its early years of existence.