The bride and groom in today’s tale both have their beginnings in Southern Illinois, not far from Perry County. However, each of them have a bit of connection to Perry County as well. However, most of their lives were spent in St. Louis. We begin with the birthday girl.
Anna Sophia Mathilda Stueven was born on March 15, 1886, so today would be her 140th birthday. Mathilda was the daughter of Henry and Anna (Hollmann) Stueven. Although most of her mother’s life was spent in Illinois, she spent a few of her younger days in Altenburg in Perry County, Missouri. Mathilda was baptized at Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob, Illinois. Her baptism record from that congregation’s books is displayed here in 2 images.
Mathilda is found in the 1900 census at the age of 14. She is called Ottillie in this entry. Her father was a farmer in the Fountain Bluff Township. Mathilda had been confirmed at Christ, Jacob the year before this census in 1899.
Since Mathilda would get married during the next decade, we will now take a look at the man who would become her husband. His name was Wilhelm Heinrich Hartenberger, who was born on August 27, 1880 in Chester, Illinois. William was the son of Johannes and Margaretha (Wirth) Hartenberger. Like was the case with Mathilda, William’s mother spent her early days in Perry County. William was baptized at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Chester. In a binder we have in our research library for that congregation’s history, we find transcribed church records. Here is the baptism record for William that is found in that binder…