Tombstone Tuesday–Justina R.M. (Pflueger) Sauer

Justina R.M. (Pflueger) Sauer, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Justina Rosine Magdalena (Pflueger) Sauer, located in row 11 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

SAUER
Hier Ruhet in Gott
Justina R.M.
Ehefr. Von H. Sauer
Geb. Den 12, Dez. 1889
Gest. Den 12, Marz 1918
Alter 28 J. 3 M.

SAUER. Here rests in God Justin R.M., wife of H. Sauer, born on 12 December 1889, died on 12 March 1918, aged 28 years, 3 months.

Justine “Justina“  Rosine Magdalena Pflueger was born 12 December 1889 in Willshire Township, the daughter of Abraham and Elisabeth (Hofmann) Pflueger. She was baptized at home on 22 December 1889, with Rosine Schumm, Magdalena Geier, and Magdalena Geissler as her sponsors.  

In 1900, 10 year-old Justina Pflueger lived with her parents and siblings in Van Wert County: Abraham Pflueger, 48; Elizabeth, 43; Ferdinand, 15; Henry, 12; Justina, 10; Martha, 7; Willie, 4; and Louis, 1. Her father was a farmer and Justina attended school. [1]  

Justina Pflueger married Henry Sauer in Zion Schumm’s parsonage on 26 December 1907. They were married by Rev. C.W. Giese and the church records indicate that both the bride and the groom were from Zion Schumm’s parish. Henry Sauer (1884-1948) was the son of John and Anna C. (Meisinger) Sauer.

In 1910 the Henry Sauer family lived in Monroe Township, Allen County, Indiana: Henry, 26; Justine RM, 20; Esther AE, 2; and Paul EJ, 8 months. This enumeration indicates that Henry was born in Germany and immigrated in 1890. [2] 

Justina (Pflueger) Sauer died in Van Wert County, Ohio, on 12 March 1918, at the age of 28 years and 3 months. She was buried on the 13th. She left behind her husband, 5 underage children, her father, 4 brothers, and 2 sisters. She was buried on the 14th in Zion Schumm’s cemetery. [3]

Justina suffered with LaGrippe [influenza] for 7 days before the disease took her life. She died during the 1918-19 Influenza Pandemic and may have been a victim of the Spanish Flu which took millions of lives during that time.  

Justina’s husband Henry never remarried and he died in 1948. Henry is buried in row 3 of Zion Schumm’s cemetery.

Henry and Justina (Pflueger) Sauer had the following children:
Esther (1908-1994), never married
Paul A. John (1909-1988), married Clara Alena Stump
Reinhold Ferdinand (1911-1993), married Helen M. Fritzinger
Herman Edgar (1913-1986), married Dorothy Alice Featherer
Lena Paula Emelia (1916-2013), married Russell E. Fleming

[1] 1900 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 97, p.9, dwelling 183, family 197, Abraham Pflueger; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1900usfedcen/ : viewed 8 Sep 2019.)

[2] 1910 U.S. Census, Monroe Allen, Indiana, ED 17, p.2B, dwelling & family 21, Henry Sauer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1910uscenindex/ : viewed 2 Sep 2019). 

[3] “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” Willshire Twp, Van Wert, Justina Sauer, 12 Mar 1918; database with images, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9PJ1-3218?i=213&cc=1307272&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AX8VN-Y24 : viewed 8 Sep 2019). 

 

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