The birthday girl for today is Netta Wilhelmina Dora Tuschhoff, who was born on October 27, 1886. Today would be her 140th birthday. Dora was the daughter of Charles and Louise (Schoenebeck) Tuschhoff. I did not think I would find out where Dora was baptized. However, we find some evidence that the Charles and Louise’s family were members of the Arnsberg Lutheran Church. A photo of Dora’s parents is found in the Arnsberg binder we have in our research library.

Also in that binder is this photo of 4 of this couple’s children. Dora was the next child born into this Tuschhoff family after the youngest child in this photo, so I thought it was possible that Dora was baptized at the Arnsberg church.

However, I discovered that Dora was baptized at the St. John’s United Church of Christ in Fruitland. That may have been the time when the Arnsberg church closed, and it was probably still true that St. John’s in Fruitland was a Lutheran church (not Missouri Synod). When the Arnsberg church closed, several members transfered to Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim while others became members of St. John’s in Fruitland. The Tuschhoff’s became members of St. John’s. Below is a transcription of Dora’s baptism record from St. John’s. Dora was one of those girls who got her other names, Nettie and Wilhelmina, from the names of her female sponsors.

Dora would also get confirmed at St. John’s United Church of Christ. She was the only confirmand in the 1899 class.

We cannot see Dora in a census entry until the 1900 census was taken. In that year’s entry, she was already a teenager. Her father was a farmer in the Shawnee Township.

Next, we find Dora in the 1910 census at the age of 24. She was still single. Dora’s father had died in 1909, so her mother was the head of the household, and she was called the farm manager. One son was working on the farm, along with a hired hand named August Meyr.

Now, we will take a look at the man who would become Dora’s husband. His name was Edwin Gustav Ludwig, who was born on October 8, 1890. Edwin was the son of Gustav and Minnie (Schmidt) Ludwig. I thought that Edwin might have been baptized at St. John’s United Church of Christ near Fruitland, and it was while looking for his baptism record that I found that of Dora. However, I did not locate one for Edwin. Therefore, I do not know where he was baptized.

Edwin is found in the 1900 census at the age of 9. His father was a farmer in the Apple Creek Township.

When the 1910 census was taken, Edwin was 19 years old and helping his father on his farm, along with several of his brothers.

Edwin Ludwig married Dora Tuschhoff on December 4, 1913. According to this couple’s civil marriage records shown below, they were married by a justice of the peace. It just so happens that the justice of the peace was John Putz, whose story has been told on this blog. He was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pocahontas, and you will soon discover that this bride and groom would become members of that congregation after their marriage.

Edwin had his World War I draft registration completed in 1917. It says that he was a farmer with a wife and one child.

Edwin and Dora would have 3 children, and they were baptized at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pocahontas. Two of those children were born prior to the 1920 census. Edwin was a farmer in the Shawnee Township. Included in the Ludwig household was Dora’s mother, Louise Tuschhoff.

One more child was born in the 1920’s. In the 1930 census, we see the Ludwig’s with all 3 of their children. Dora’s mother was still living with them.

The Ludwig’s are found in the 1940 census with just their two sons. Both of those sons were helping Edwin on his farm. Their daughter, Linda, had married Olaf Petzoldt in 1936.

The last census we can view is the one taken in 1950. In that entry, there was just their son, Joseph, still living with Edwin and Dora.

Edwin Ludwig died in 1963 at the age of 73. According to his death certificate below, he died of a variety of heart problems at the Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau.

Dora Ludwig died in 1970 at the age of 83. Her death certificate also indicates she died from heart problems.

Edwin and Dora Ludwig are buried together in the St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery in Pocahontas.

The Ludwig and Tuschhoff names are ones found in several blog posts, and they have quite a few records in our German Family Tree. However, the Ludwig groom and the Tuschhoff bride in today’s story do not have much information about them in our German Family Tree. That must be due to them being members of other churches in their younger years that do not have their records included in the GFT. Later, after this couple got married, we find their children in our GFT because their parents became members of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pocahontas.