After researching the characters in today’s post, I realized that there were plenty of husbands and wives and marriages, but not many children. It is likely that there are not that many descendants that came out of all the people mentioned in this story. If you look at all the surnames in today’s title, and if you are a regular reader of this blog, you would probably conclude that is the Grebing name that led me into our German Family Tree. You would be correct. However, I will not begin with the Grebing.

The story will begin with the birth of a girl named Mollie Seabaugh, who was born on August 19, 1889. Mollie was the daughter of Francis Marion and Lavina (Grable) Seabaugh. I was unable to locate baptism records for several characters in today’s tale, and Mollie is one of them. She is found in the 1900 census at the age of 12, although I think she was only 10 or 11. Her father was a farmer in the Lorance Township in Bollinger County. That township is where the city of Marble Hill is located.

In the 1910 census, Mollie was 20 years old and still living with her parents.

Mollie would get married in 1911, so let’s take a look at the man who would become her first husband. His name was Francis Marion Mungle. I find it fascinating that Mollie, whose father was named Francis Marion would find a husband named Francis Marion. Marion was born on June 25, 1892, so he was about 3 years younger than Mollie. Marion was the son of Isaac and Barbara (Bollinger) Mungle. He is found in the 1900 census at the age of 8. His father was a farmer in the German Township in Bollinger County. One of the Mungle daughters had married a Limbaugh, and their young family is included in this household.

Next, we find Marion in the 1910 census when he was 18 years old. This time, his family is found living in the Lorance Township.

Marion Mungle married Mollie Seabaugh on October 26, 1911. Their marriage license below indicates that they were married by a justice of the peace in Bollinger County. Both Marion and Mollie were said to be from Scopus, a small populated area north of Marble Hill.

This Mungle couple had just one child, a son named Ora Francis Mungle, born in 1912. Marion had his World War I draft registration completed in 1917. He is given a Marble Hill address and was said to be a farmer. He had a wife and one child.

In the 1920 census, the Mungle’s were living in the Lorance Township with one child. Marion’s widowed father, Isaac Mungle, was living with them.

Marion’s life came to a tragic end later in 1920. He was just 28 years when he died of multiple injuries from having a tree fall on him.

This article was printed in a local newspaper about his death.

Marion is buried in the Mount Zion Cemetery in Scopus, but Findagrave.com has no gravestone photo for him.

Mollie would get married again in 1925, so let’s take a look at the man who would become her second husband. His name was Bennett James Crites, who was born on November 1 1898. Bennett is our birthday boy. Today would be his 128th birthday. Bennett was the son of George and Barbara (Hahs) Crites. He is found in the 1900 census at the age of 1. His family was living in the household of his grandparents, Daniel and Polly Crites. Bennett’s father was a farmer in the Apple Creek Township.

In the 1910 census, Bennett was 11 years old, and this time his Crites family was living in the Whitewater Township in Bollinger County. Bennett was one of 7 children in this household.

When America got involved in World War I, Bennett served some time in the military. I did not find a draft registrtion for him, so I think he might have enlisted before those forms were completed. Below, we see a record of Bennett’s military service. It indicates that he was sent overseas for a while.

When the 1920 census was taken, Bennett was still single and living with his parents. He and a few of his brothers were helping their father on his farm.

Bennett Crites married Mollie Mungle in 1925. The only marriage record I located for this event is this application for a license to marry, which was completed at the end of May in 1925.

No additional children were born to this couple. In the 1930 census, we find Bennet and Mollie living in Cape Girardeau. There is a son named Ray in this entry, but I think that was Ora Mungle, the son born to Mollie and Marion. Bennett was a packer at the cement plant, and Ray (Ora) was also working at that plant. Mollie’s mother was also included in this household.

The 1940 census shows Bennett and Mollie with an empty nest. Bennett continued to work for the cement plant.

Mollie Crites died of tuberculosis in 1943 at the age of 53. We can view her death certificate below.

Mollie is buried in the Lessley Ridge Cemetery in Huskey, Missouri. Huskey is another small populated area near Marble Hill.

Bennett would get married again, so we now need to take a look at what led up to his marriage to Ruth Grebing.

Now, we finally get to a person who has some church records in our German Family Tree. Ruth Eleonore Grebing was born on April 24, 1908. Ruth was the daughter of Martin and Emma (Richter) Grebing. She was baptized at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wittenberg. Her baptism record is pictured here. One of her sponsors, Rufus Schneider, was the teacher at St. Paul’s Lutheran School.

Ruth is found in the 1910 census at the age of 2. Her father was a mail carrier, taking mail to rural areas near Wittenberg.

When the 1920 census was taken, Ruth was 11 years old. This time, her father was working at the swing factory in Wittenberg.

Ruth would get married prior to the next census, so let’s take a look at the man who would become her first husband. His name was Anton William Gustav Heise, who was born on February 10, 1904. Anton was the son of Robert and Rosina (Heuer) Heise. Anton is found in the 1910 census at the age of 5. His father was a farmer in the Randol Township in Cape Girardeau County.

Anton was a teenager when the 1920 census was taken. His family was still living not far from Cape Girardeau.

Ruth’s Grebing family is found living in Cape Girardeau when the 1930 census was taken, so I think Ruth likely moved to that city, and it was there that she got to know Anton. Anton Heise married Ruth Grebing on April 23, 1927. This couple’s marriage license below says that both Anton (Tony) and Ruth were from Cape Girardeau. These two were married at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau.

It looks as if this couple had 2 children. A boy named Leroy Heise was born in 1928. In the 1930 census, we find the trio of Anton, Ruth, and Leroy in the Heise household. Anton was working at the shoe factory in Cape Girardeau.

In the 1940 census, there were 2 children in the Heise household. This family was back to living in the Randol Township, and Anton was back to farming.

Anton Heise died in 1941 at the age of 38. His cause of death was a brain tumor according to the form shown below. He died at the Barnes Hospital in St. Louis.

Now we get back to Bennett Crites. He married the widow, Ruth Heise, on the last day of 1943, December 31st.

It looks like another daughter named Phylis was born to this couple. In the 1950 census, we find Geraldine Heise, called a stepdaughter, and Phylis Crites, a 3 year-old daughter. Bennett was still working at the cement plant.

Bennett Crites died in 1994 at the age of 95; Ruth Crites died in 1998 at the age of 89. Ruth Crites, along with both of her husbands are buried in the Hanover Lutheran Cemetery in Cape Girardeau. They are actually buried right next to each other as seen in the last photo.

The first character in this post to be born entered this world in 1889. The last person in this post to be buried died in 1998. So this story which included 5 different charcters spanned 109 years That’s the kind of thing I don’t get to say very often about posts that I have written.