Stephen A Guntermann was born in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky on 13 September 1889, according to Ancestry.com.
In 1900, Stephen lived at 1214 Baxter(?) Ave. with his mother, brother, sister, and a boarder, according to the 1900 Census.
His mother was Elizabeth Guntermann, she was born April of 1853 and was a 47 year old widow at this time. She mothered 7 children, but only 4 of them were living. Elizabeth was born in Kentucky. Her parents were both born in Germany. Elizabeth freely owned the house they were living in.
Stephen’s brother was Peter Guntermann. He was born April of 1882 and was 18 years old. He, Elizabeth, and the siblings were all born in Kentucky. His dad was born in Germany.
His sister, Bertha Guntermann, was born May 1886, she was 14 years old. Stephen was 11 years old at the time.
Henery Allison was a boarder living with them at the time. He was 24 years old, born December 1875. He and his parents were born in Kentucky. Henery was a medical doctor.
Marriage
Stephen married Lela Marie Maurer in Clark County, Indiana on 20 October 1909, according to Ancestry.com. Indiana, Marriage Collection, 1800-1941 confirms Stephen married Lela Maurer on 20 October 1909.
Stephen was drafted into World War 1 on 4 June 1917. At the time, he was married to Lela Marie Maurer with two children under 12 years old, Mary Katherine and Raymond Edward Guntermann.
Stephen was 28 years old when he was drafted and he had been a Shell Worker with Whitaker-Glessner(?) Co. in Portsmouth, Ohio.
He had a Medium build with brown hair and brown eyes, according to the U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918.
According to Ohio Soldiers in WWI, 1917-1918, Stephen enlisted on 29 May 1918 into the United States Marine Corps at age 29. Comments: Parris Island Summary Court 29 May 1918; Navy Yard Washington DC 17 July 1918; Barracks Detachment Quantico VA 18 October 1918; Navy Yard Washington DC 29 October 1918; Naval Prison Portsmouth NH 6 December 1918. Discharge 2 April 1919. General Court Martial File No 118960.
In 1930, Stephen was staying at a lodge on N. Clark St. in Chicago City, Illinois. He was 41 years old and divorced at the time. He was listed as an Optician in the Optical industry and was a veteran of World War I.
In 1940, Stephen lived at 450 Fisher Lodge in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. He was 51 years old at the time and still worked as an Optician. He had worked 30 weeks in 1939 and his income was $900.
Stephen seemed to move around a bit in 1942. He had two WWII Draft Registration cards. On the first one, he lists his age as 53. He crossed out his address of 538 Baxter Ave, Louisville, Kentucky and changed it to 712 N. Illinois St., Marion, Indiana. He lists Fox Optical as his employer and his brother, Dr. Peter Guntermann, as his next of kin.
On the second draft registration card, Stephen is listed as 54 years old. His address is listed as Central Optical Co., 6th & Sycamore, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Death
Stephen died in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky on 14 June 1950, according to Ancestry.com. This is confirmed by the Kentucky Death Index, 1911-2000.
According to Kentucky, Death Records, 1852-1953, Stephen died of Pulmonary Tuberculosis. His parents were listed as Peter Guntermann and Elizabeth Jansing. He was 60 years old when he passed.
Stephen’s obituary lists his death date as 14 June 1950 at 5:15pm. His daughter is listed as Mrs. Stephen Gathof. His son was listed as Raymond E. Guntermann. His sister was Bertha of New York and his brother was Dr. Peter Guntermann. He had 4 grandchildren. He was buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.
His Find A Grave record shows his middle initial is A. It also says his birth year is 1888. Information on Find A Grave may be inaccurate as it is entered by people that go out and take photos of the graves, so I’m not changing these facts back just yet.
It also says he married Lela on 3 March 1920 in Clark, Indiana. But their marriage record says they married 20 October 1909. Did they re-marry? He was divorced by 1930 according to the Census. Are we dealing with two different Stephens?
I’m just not sure at this point. I do notice that, even on the Find A Grave information, there are two different spellings of the last name. I know it is common for the spelling to have changed over time back in those days. I’m just not sure if that’s the case or if we’re confusing two different families with similar facts. More research will hopefully clarify.
If you have any information on Stephen Gunterman or his family, I would love to learn what you know. If you’d like to share, please drop a few lines in the comments and let me know.
For now, take care and hug your loved ones!
~Kris
