Heinrich R. "Henry" Kempker was born on Friday, January 10, 1851 in Braunshweig, Stadtkreis Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany. He was the son of Elizabeth "Liese" (Rehmann) and Albert Kempker.

On Sunday, May 23, 1886 Henry married Emma Klauser at St. James Lutheran Church, 1341 Mays Landing Road, Folsom Borough, Buena Vista Township, Atlantic County, NJ. Emma was born in February of 1860.

They had 7 children:

  1. Albert C. Kempker

  2. Christie C. Kempker

  3. Male child (5 May 1887-6 May 1887)

  4. Emma Kempker (April 1888-)

  5. Annie M. Kempker (1890-12 May 1891)

  6. Elisabet Kempker (24 Jul 1891-15 Jan 1895)

  7. Francis Xavier Kempker, Sr (9 September 1893-)

Henry emigrated from Germany with his family on the SS Louise Marie which landed in Philadelphia on May 16, 1851. On the ships list, he was shown as R. Diedr Kempker.

In the 1880 census, the family was listed as living at 524 Second St., Ward 11, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA. Also living there at the time were Henry's first cousins, Emma Doerfel, Agnes I. Doerfel, Amelia Doerfel, Clara Doerfel, Edward Doerfel and Louis Doerfel. Henry was listed as employed as a bartender.

On January 18, 1894, Henry died at the age of 43. Emma passed away on February 22, 1916 at the age of 56. Henry was buried at Zions Reformed Lutheran Church cemetery on Mays Landing Road in Folsom Borough, Buena Vista Township, NJ while Emma was laid to rest at Greenmount Cemetery 4301 N. Front Street in Philadelphia.    

Prior to her death in 1916, Emma and some of her children lived with Klauser family relatives in Philadelphia.

In the Rehmann Family many events since the mid-19th century have occurred at two churches located at 1341 Mays Landing Road in Folsom, New Jersey. (Some sources list the address being in Hammonton, NJ.) There can be some confusion since names of these churches are spelled in slightly different ways depending on the date or the document.

Starting in 1848, the original church was established as St Jacobus Lutheran Church to serve the local German immigrants. It was located on a 12 acre plot of land which included a cemetery.

In 1853, conflicts over theological issues caused a split in the congregation. The land was divided into two six acre sites and one was used to construct what is now St James Lutheran Church, originally St James Evangelical Church. Charles Rehmann (1826-1892) was on the St. James committee. A second facility called Zion Evangelical & Reformed Church was founded at that time. It is sometimes listed as Zion's or Zions.

About 1998 around the 150th anniversary of the original church, the two congregations reunited into St James Lutheran Church. The cemetery is often referred to by either name, St. James or Zion.