Tombstone Tuesday–Anna K. (Meisinger) Sauer

Anna K (Meisinger) Sauer, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Anna K. (Meisinger) Sauer, located in row 9 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Anna K.
Wife of
John Sauer
July 23, 1855
July 12, 1935
Ps. 119, v. 111

Anna Katharina Meisinger was born in Germany on 23 July 1855, according to the records of Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Ohio.

Anna Meisinger married Johannes Sauer in Germany about 1875. They lived in Hainstadt, Odenwald, Germany, where some, if not all, of their ten children were born. The Sauer family immigrated to the United States about 1895. [1]

Anna, her husband Johannes and their 9 children were enumerated in the 1900 U.S. Census, residing in Willshire Township, Van Wert County: John Sauer, 47; Anna C, 45; Leonard, 24; Eva, 22; Anna C, 20; John Jr, 18; Henry, 16; Mary, 14; Aaron, 13; Phillip, 9; and Ludwig, 6. One of their ten children had died by this time. Both Johannes and his wife were naturalized and Johannes was a farmer. [1]

Anna’s husband Johannes died about two months after that census was taken. He passed away on 27 August 1900, at the age of 50, leaving Anna with nine children at home, although several of the children had reached the age of adulthood. Johannes is buried in row 7 of Zion Schumm’s cemetery.

In 1910, widow Anna Sauer, age 54, lived with 3 of her children on the family farm in Willshire Township: Philip, 18; Louis, 16; and Mary, 24. [2]

In 1930, Anna Sauer, age 74, lived with her daughter Mary (Sauer) Schumm and her family on the Sauer family farm. Mary Sauer had married William Schumm in 1917 and Mary’s obituary mentions that she had lived 73 of her 89 years on the family farm. [3] The William Schumm household in 1930: William Schumm, 46, head; Mary [Sauer] Schumm, 44; Elsie Schumm, 11; Irma Schumm, 10; Milton Schumm, 8; and Anna K Sauer, 74. This enumeration indicates that Anna is the mother-in-law and a widow. Anna and Mary were born in Germany. [4]  

Anna K. Sauer died of cancer on 12 July 1935 at the home of her daughter Mary, near Schumm. She was 79 years, 11 months, and 19 days old. Her death certificate does not give the names of her parents. She was buried on the 14th. [5] Her obituary:

MRS. ANNA SAUER, OF SCHUMM, DIES FRIDAY
Funeral services for Mrs. Anna Sauer, nee Meisinger, aged 79, who died Friday at the home of her daughter, Mrs. William J. Schumm, of Schumm, were held Sunday afternoon at the Schumm Zion Lutheran church with the pastor Rev. A. Moeller, officiating. Burial was made in the church cemetery. S.S. Buchanan & Sons were the morticians.

Mrs. Sauer’s death followed an extended illness of old age and complications. She had been ailing since last fall and had been bedfast for the past two months.

She was born in Germany on July 23, 1855 and came to this country in 1895, locating at Schumm, Ohio. She was united in marriage to John Sauer who preceded her in death in 1900.

Surviving are the following sons and daughters: Leonard Sauer and Mrs. Anna Myer, Dayton, Ohio; Phil and Henry Sauer, of Adams county; John Sauer of Ossian, Ind; Louis Sauer and Mrs. Eva Peifer of Fort Wayne; Adam Sauer of Springfield, Ohio; and Mrs. W.J. Schumm, Schumm. One brother, Adam Meisinger of Peking, Illinois, 26 grandchildren and six great grandchildren also survive. [6]

Johannes and Anna Katharina (Meisinger) Sauer had the following children: [7]
Leonard (1876-1944), married Minnie Margaret Hofferberth
Eva (1877-1956), married Nicholas Pfeifer
Anna Katharine (1879-1964), married John Maier
John Jr (1881-1967), married Bertha Ann Roehm
Henry (1884-1948), married Justine Rosina Magdalena Pflueger
Marie “Mary” S (1886-1975), married William Jacob Schumm
Adam (1888-1962, married Carrie Leisure
Philip (1892-1985), married Minna Katherine Weinmann
Louis (1894-1978), married Alma Wolke

[1] 1900 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 98, p.13, dwelling 246, family 252, John Sauer; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1900usfedcen/ : viewed 2 Sep 2019).

[2] 1910 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 114, p.6A, dwelling 117, family 118, Annie Saners; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1910uscenindex/ : viewed 30 Sep 2019).

[3] FindAGrave.com, memorial no. 34047005, Mary (Sauer) Schumm, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Ohio.

[4] 1930 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 24, p.4A, dwelling 74, family 76, William Schumm; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1930usfedcen/ : viewed 30 Sep 2019).

[5] “Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001,” Willshire Township, Van Wert, Anna Katherine Sauer, 12 Jul 1935; database with images, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9PFF-S98P?i=1941&cc=1307272&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AX6WD-S7B : viewed 30 Sep 2019).

[6] The Willshire Herald, Willshire, Ohio, 18 July 1935, transcription on FindAGrave.com, memorial no. 34047075, Anna Katharina Meisinger Sauer, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio.

[7] John Sauer family, 1900 census; and FindAGrave.com, memorial no. 34047030, Johannes Sauer, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio.

2 comments

  1. Karen,
    My former boss/mentor, Donald E. Schmidt, was married to Kathern Sauer from Schumm, OH. Just curious if you by chance ran across her name.
    Thanks,

    1. No, I don’t recall seeing her name but I did look into it and do see how she is connected to the Sauers from Schumm. She is the daughter of Louis and Alma (Wolke) Sauer. Louis Sauer’s parents were Johannes and Anna Katharine (Meisinger) Sauer. I recently wrote Tombstone Tuesdays about both Johannes and his wife Anna Katharine. Mystery solved. Thanks for writing!

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