John V. Bohnert and
Sarah H. Bohnert
Paternal Grandparents
JOHN VINCENT BOHNERT was born on June 19, 1899, in Union Township, Perry County Missouri, the youngest child of William Bohnert and Maria (Mary) Elizabeth Leible.
John's parents, William and Mary Elizabeth, were the first generation in the Bohnert family to be born in America. His Great Grandparents, Lucas and Elizabeth Hurst Bohnert, both came from Renchen, Baden. William and Mary were half first cousins.
According to the 1890 census, John's family lived in Union Township, Perry County, Missouri. At the time, he was one and a half years old. Including himself, there were eight children listed as living in the household. His father, William, was a farmer who owned his own home.
The Bohnert family was still living and farming in Union Township in 1910. John's older brothers, William Ignaz, Henry August and Joseph Lucas were helping their father on the farm while John was listed as having attended school within the year.
John Vincent Bohnert
June 19, 1899 - March 4, 1971
and
Sarah Helen Bohnert
February 2, 1899 - December 19, 1997
Children of William Bohnert and
Maria Elizabeth Leible Bohnert
Ida Helena Bohnert
• March 2, 1876 - April 5, 1876
• died at 1 month of age
• baptized by Widow Helena Trapp
Maria Martha Bohnert
• Jan. 16, 1878 - May 11, 1880
• died at 2 years of age
Maria Theresia Bohnert
• Oct. 18, 1879 - Sept. 18, 1965
• Married in John Schneier
• died at 85 years of age
Agnes Barbara Bohnert
• Dec. 2, 1881 - Oct. 15, 1927
• married William Hennemann
• died at 46 years of age
William Ignaz Bohnert
• March 27, 1884 - April 21, 1974
• married Rosalia Wucher
• died at 90 years of age
Anna Elizabeth Bohnert
• Jan. 20, 1886 - Nov. 16, 1928
• married John Francis Ponder
• died at 42 years of age
Henry August Bohnert
• April 6, 1889 - Nov. 9, 1955
• married Mary Eathel Welker
• died at 66 years of age
Joseph Lucas Bohnert
• March 1, 1891 - Feb. 3, 1916
• married Ida Isabella Wucher
• died of Typhoid Fever
• died at 25 years of age
Clara Agatha Bohnert
• Feb. 4, 1893 - July 29, 1940
• married Roman W. Ponder
• died at 47 years of age
Adella Isabella Bohnert
• March 26, 1895-March 6, 1977
• married Louis William Anselm
• died at 82 years of age
John Vincent Bohnert
• June 19, 1899 - March 4, 1971
• married Sarah Helen Bohnert
• died at 71 years of age
On July 31, 1912, when John was only 13 years old, his mother, Mary Elizabeth Leible Bohnert, died, leaving him with his father, five older sisters, and three older brothers. His father never remarried.
John Vincent Bohnert
approx.10 - 12 years old
When he was 16 years old, John and his older brother, Joseph (8 years older than John), were afflicted with typhoid. From a notation in the Perry County Republican newspaper, John's condition had been improving but his brother's condition was uncertain at that time.
Perry County Republican
January 27, 1916
Sadly, one week later, his brother, Joseph Bohnert, succumbed to typhoid. The newspaper article mentioned that Joseph's wife and two children had been suffering with the affliction for five months. We do not know if other members of the Bohnert family also suffered from the disease. It is possible that John had been living or staying with his brother at the time that he contracted typhoid.
Perry County Republican
February 10, 1916
Perry County Republican
November 29, 1917
In 1918, John Vincent was living in Charleston, Mississippi County, Missouri, and working as a farm laborer for his uncle, Henry Leible. He had registered for the World War I draft on September 12, 1918. John was unmarried at the time, listing his father, William Bohnert, Sr., from Uniontown, as his nearest family member. His older brother, Henry, had also registered but claimed marital exemption. His other brother, William Ignatius, registered but there is, as yet, no evidence located to indicate that he served. John's older brother, Joseph, had died prior to the draft (1916).
Although John Vincent registered for the draft, due to his family obligations, he would have been classified as Class IV - Exempt Due to Extreme Hardship - which included married registrants with a dependent spouse and/or dependent children with insufficient family income if drafted. The 1930 census specifically notes that he did not serve in the U.S. military.
John Vincent Bohnert
World War I Draft Registration
John Vincent Bohnert
World War 2 Draft Registration
Sarah Helen Bohnert was born on February 2, 1899. She grew up in Union Township, Perry County, Missouri, where her father, Anton, worked in a flour mill owned by his older brother. Sarah came from a large family. In addition to her parents, Anton and Rosalia (Rosa), it included the following:
Children of Anton Bohnert and
Rosalia Catharina Leible Bohnert
Henry Anton Bohnert
• Nov. 13, 1882 - Jan. 7, 1885
• died at 2.5 years of age
• named for his father, Anton
Wilhelmina Barbara "Minnie" Bohnert
• April 18, 1884 - May, 1968
• married William L. Wood
• died at 83 years of age
Juliana Theresa Bohnert
• March 10, 1886 - Feb. 7, 1937
• married Joseph Renner
• died at 51 years of age
Leo Anton Bohnert
• Jan. 22, 1888 - Aug. 23, 1909
• died at 20 years of age
• named for his father, Anton
Ida Rosalia Bohnert
• Feb. 14, 1890 - March 25, 1985
• married William Francis Kirn
• named for her mother, Rosalia
• died at 95 years of age
Emma Helena Bohnert
• March 5, 1892 - April 26, 1894
• died at 2 years of age
• named for grandmother, Helena
Johanna Barbara Bohnert
• July 15, 1894 - May 2, 1984
• married Bernard Kohlfeld
• died at 89 years of age
Rosalia Elizabeth Bohnert
• May 30, 1897 - May 6, 1987
• married James Norman Bugg
• named for her mother, Rosalia
• died at 89 years of age
Sarah Helen Bohnert
• Feb. 2, 1899 - Dec. 19, 1997
• married John Vincent Bohnert
• named for grandmother, Helena
• died at 98 years of age
Vincent Otto "Doc" Bohnert
• March 25, 1902 - Aug.13, 1957
• married Agnes Lena Penny
• died at 55 years of age
Frederick Alfred Bohnert
• Dec. 23, 1903 - May 9, 1981
• never married
• died at 77 years of age
Luke Bohnert
• June 17, 1906 - March 27, 1958
• divorced Susanna Renner
• married Lillian Pearl Jones
• died at 51 years of age
Edwin Joseph Bohnert
• Aug. 1, 1909 - Nov. 1, 1977
• never married
• died at 67 years of age
On July 16, 1919, John Vincent Bohnert married Sarah Helen Bohnert in Chester, Randolph County, Illinois. The marriage, conducted at St. Mary's Catholic Church, was witnessed by Vince Bohnert and Ida Kirn (brother and sister of the bride).
Sarah and John were double half-first cousins. Their fathers, William and Anton Bohnert, were half brothers and their mothers, Maria (Mary) Elizabeth Leible and Rosalia Catharina Leible, were half sisters.
John Vincent Bohnert and
Sarah Helen Bohnert Marriage Certificate
As documented in the 1920 Federal Census, the family rented a house in Uniontown Township at Uniontown and Apple Creek Road. John Vincent was working as a carpenter. They had a young daughter, Trula Marie, who was approximately 9 months old (b. April 30, 1919).
Sarah recalled a time when the family was living in a "little two room house" in Uniontown. Her husband, John, had left for work and she was alone with "the little ones sleeping in the back room." Upon answering her door, she found two men dressed in "convict clothes" who asked for food. She was frightened because she was alone and had small children in the house, but felt that she needed to feed them. She gave them food, they ate, and then left. She never heard about what had happened to them. She also recalled that frequently "tramps" would come to the door and she would go to the basement and bring up cans of food for them. In her words, "I thought you needed to feed everybody."
By 1930, the family had moved to Perryville. Their first house was near the Willow Pond and later the family moved to Zeno Street. John Vincent was a wage earner, his job being a "Tack Puller" at the Shoe Factory. Many other families who lived nearby were also employed by the International Shoe Factory. At this time, the family had increased to five children (Trula, Melbourne, Robert, James and Lora [sic]. By 1935 they had moved to 317 Coina Street (later to become Edgemont Boulevard), the house they would live in for the rest of their lives. Together, Sarah and John Bohnert had eight children. They included the following:
Children of John Vincent Bohnert and
Sarah Helen Bohnert
Trula Marie Bohnert
• April 30, 1919 - May 21, 2001
• married Wallace Huber
• died at 82 years of age
Melbourne John Bohnert
• Sept. 26, 1920 - Sept. 6, 2010
• married Loretta R. Tackaberry
• named for his father, John
• died at 89 years of age
Robert William Bohnert
• Sept. 6, 1922 - Feb. 16, 1952
• married Sylvia Schumer
• named for grandfather,
William
• died at 29 years of age
James Joseph Bohnert
• Oct. 31, 1925 - March 5, 2020
• married Rose Anna Gibbar
• died at 94 years of age
Laura Sarah (Sis) Bohnert
• Oct. 1, 1927 - July 31, 2021
• married Ronald Bert
• died at 93 years of age
• named for her mother, Sarah
Dorothy Rose (Dot) Bohnert
• Oct. 24, 1930 - July 17, 2023
• married Robert Otte
• named for grandmother, Rose
• died at 92 years of age
Harry Anton Bohnert
• May 24, 1933 - Jan. 13, 1938
• died at 4 of diphtheria
• named for grandfather, Anton
Linus Paul Bohnert
• May 22, 1938 - April 27, 1993
• married Patricia A. Renner
• died at 54 years of age
This photo is believed to be an early picture of some of the Bohnert children. It would have been taken in approximately 1931. Not included in this photograph are Melbourne, the eldest son, and Harry and Linny, the two youngest sons, who were not yet born.
Front (left to right)
Laura (Sis) Bohnert, James J. Bohnert, Unknown Girl
Back (left to right)
Trula Bohnert, Dorothy (Dot Bohnert), Robert Bohnert, Unknown Girl
In 1938, tragedy struck when their youngest child, Harry Anton (named after his maternal grandfather, Anton) contracted diphtheria.
After five days of struggling with his illness, Dr. Oscar A. Carron, M.D. of Perryville performed a tracheotomy on the small boy. Unfortunately, he did not survive.
Harry Anton was 4 years, 7 months and 19 days old when he died. His death occurred on January 13, 1938 at approximately 2:00 a.m. Due to the highly contagious nature of the disease, the other children were not allowed to be present in the home, nor were they allowed to attend school.
Our father, James, recalled that they had to burn all of Harry's clothing. There was no formal funeral. A private, family service was held in the home conducted by the Rev. E. J. Furlong. Harry Anton was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Perryville, Missouri, on the same day as his death.
At the time of his death, Sarah was expecting another child. She would often reminisce about how she and Harry were the only two in the family with blue eyes. After he passed, she would pray that God would give her another little boy with blue eyes like Harry.
Four months later, on May 22, 1838, Sarah gave birth to a blue-eyed boy she named Linus Paul Bohnert. Her prayers had been answered.
News Clipping from
January, 1938
News Clipping from 1963
Harry Anton Bohnert and
Dorothy "Dot" Bohnert
This is currently the only known photo of Harry Anton Bohnert. Judging from the age of the child in the photo, it was possibly taken shortly before he passed away.
In 1940, the Federal Census showed that the Bohnerts owned their own home at 317 Coina Street which was valued at either $14.00 or $1400.00 (Although the census taker very clearly wrote $14.00, our father, James Bohnert, recalled that his father, John, paid $600 for the house so it would seem that $1400.00 amount would be a more reasonable assessment).
Children living at home in 1940 included Melbourne (19), Robert (17), James J. (14), Lora (12), Dorothy (9) and Linus (1). Melbourne was working full time as a "helper" at a Soda Factory and Robert was working with his father at the International Shoe Factory, which was located just a few blocks from their home.
Coina Street (pronounced Coh-EE-na), shown here in the bottom left corner (in pink) on a 1915 plat map of Perryville, was part of a residential area labeled Kiesler's Addition. The street was named after Coina Shelby, the daughter of a wealthy resident of the town. It is mislabeled on the census as "Corina."
By the time of the draft for World War II (1940), John Vincent was ineligible due to age (41). The initial draft registration was for men between 21-36. Later, the draft was expanded to include men from 18-37. John did register for the "Old Man's Draft" when he was 42 years old (see above).
Plat Map of Perryville, Missouri - 1915
Two of John and Sarah's children served in World War II; Robert served in the Marines and James served in the Navy. Their eldest son, Melbourne, was exempt (IV-F) due to a medical condition-a heart murmur. Both sons survived the war. See "Military" for more information about Robert and James' service in World War II.
On February, 16, 1952, their son, Robert William Bohnert, was killed in a tragic accident in Joppa, Illinois. While working on a construction job, a plank he was standing on broke in half, causing him to fall 30' to his death. He was 29 years old.
Postcard from Pvt. Robert Bohnert in WWII
At the time of his death, Robert was married to Sylvia Marie Schumer Bohnert and had three children, Gary, Dale and Rebecca. Their first child, Margaret Star Bohnert (called "Twinkle") had died in infancy. Sylvia, his wife, was pregnant at the time with their son, William (Bill) Bohnert.
Sarah and John lived together at 317 Edgemont until John had a heart attack and died on Thursday, March 4, 1971. Sarah continued to live in the home and spent her time playing Bingo, at which she was incredibly lucky, and going to the Senior Citizens' Center. She enjoyed antiques and often spoke about antique dealers coming to her house to buy things from her.
Although she never remarried, she had 'man friends' (in her words) that she enjoyed spending time with. She would often say "They were lonely, and I was lonely" and "I like them...but I like them to go home at 9 o'clock."
In the late 1980s, Sarah moved to Perry County Nursing Home where she died on December 19, 1997. At the time of her death she was 98 years old. Both she and John are buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Perryville, Missouri.
Links to Additional John and Sarah Bohnert Information