Should you decide on a hot summer day to take a walk under the shady trees at Woodland Cemetery, you will find, among many others, a gray, granite stone that states simply "Mother" and "Father" on its eastern side and "Knaup" on its western side.
Three words seem an inadequate tribute to two lifetimes of joys and tribulations, but of course their real tribute is in the lasting contributions they made to Jefferson City.
Both German immigrants, Johann Fredrick Knaup and Margaret Blochberger met and married in Central Missouri some time in the 1850s. They became prominent citizens of the community.
Mr. Knaup, known as "Fred," was a contractor and the owner of the City Hotel, which once stood on the northwest corner of High and Madison streets, the current site of Central Trust Bank. In the flowery language of the Victorians, the hotel was noted as "luxurious and commodious."
Having been successful in business, Fred Knaup built a state-of-the-art mansion for himself and his family at the corner of Main and Adams streets. The mansion was designed by Knaup's brother-in-law, Fredrick Binder (rhymes with "fender"). A newspaper account at the time describes it as "by far the most costliest and best appointed house in the city." The house boasted hot and cold running water, was reputed to have the city's first indoor bathtub, and even one electric light!
This residence was also one of only a few private homes featured in Suden's Souvenir of Jefferson City, Missouri, published in 1891. Unfortunately, this impressive edifice was destroyed by fire in 1940. Now, its lot provides parking for library patrons.
Margaret Knaup is believed to have given birth to at least nine children, seven of whom lie close to her in Woodland Cemetery. Five children lived to adulthood, though the oldest son, Charlie, succumbed to typhoid as a young man of 27, surviving his mother by only a year.
He left a grieving widow and baby girl, Ruth. The latter died only a few years later and was interred with her father, next to her grandmother.
Of the four remaining children, Fredrick Jr. went on to become a publisher in St. Louis. Daughter Eda married Edward Schwartz, also a contractor, and they raised eight children in a home on East McCarty Street across from the former Simonsen 9th Grade Center. The remaining three Knaup sisters - Mary, Frieda and Emma - lived out their days together at 109 Jackson St.
The Knaups were of the German Reformed faith and as such were strong believers in education.
Both Emma and her sister, Eda, attended Lindenwood College, St. Charles, while Mary, the eldest, completed her education at Christian College (now Columbia College), Columbia. When the City Hotel opened, Mary became the manager.
In addition to his professional life, Fred Knaup was one of our forefathers who worked to establish our public library, and he served on both the City Council and school board.
Fred and Margaret Knaup were congregants of the Central Evangelical Church, now the Central United Church of Christ. Their daughters, including Eda Schwartz and her family, became faithful members of First Presbyterian Church. Emma Knaup's obituary said she attended Sunday school with more than 15 years of perfect attendance. The baptismal font at First Presbyterian bears the names of the three sisters.
In 1900, Margaret Knaup, the matriarch of the family, became critically ill. Needing surgery and with no local hospital yet available, she boarded a train for St. Louis. Surgical complications arose, and a telegram was sent to the family, including Margaret's sister, Mrs. Katherine Binder, and her husband, Fred. With her family at her side, she passed away in St. Louis.
Fredrick Knaup lived 12 more years before he, too, was laid to rest in Woodland Cemetery. There, he lies with so many of his contemporaries, the great movers and shakers of 19th century Cole County.
Of Fredrick Knaup's architectural legacy, we are left with at least two buildings - one which houses Paddy Malone's, and the other, a stately home at 109 Jackson St.
The next time you visit Paddy's for a Guinness, look to the right of the doorway and you will see a cornerstone bearing his name.
Fortunately, the home at 109 Jackson St. withstood the recent tornado. One can still look up to the third floor to see the cupola designed to maximize light for Miss Emma Knaup, whose artistic works still adorn many Jefferson City homes.
There is so much to be said and admired about the early settlers of our community. Their legacy is alive and well in our government, schools and neighborhoods, a living tribute to their intelligence and perseverance, and one far more important than the words on the lovely stones under which they rest. May the same be said of us some day.
Ruthie Caplinger is a partially retired educator and the great-great-granddaughter of J. Fredrick and Margaret Knaup.