Two brothers, both shoemakers, were part of the Gesellschaft that came to America in 1838-1839. They were the Richter brothers from Kolkau, Germany. They came to America aboard the Copernicus. Here we see these two brothers shown on the passenger list of that ship.
You can find Kolkau on the map below. It is one of the red arrows.
You can see it is near the village of Seelitz (another red arrow). One of the settlements in Perry County was named after Seelitz, and Rev. Ernst Moritz Buerger was the first pastor ofthe Seelitz congregation in Perry County. Rev. Buerger’s father was the pastor in Seelitz, Germany for many years, and his son was his assistant pastor for a while. In the early 1830’s, Rev. Ernst Moritz Buerger took a call to the church in Lunzenau, which is another red arrow on the map. All of these villages were in the same general vicinity in Germany.
Many of the passengers on the Copernicus settled in the Seelitz community in Perry County, including the two Richter brothers. The Richters were the first owners of lots #8 and #22 in Seelitz as can be seen on this list found in Zion on the Mississippi.
Here is the portion of the map of property ownership in the area which was named Colony Seelitz.
These two Richter brothers were not in Perry County very long. In 1843, they sold their land to Johann Gotthold Darnstaedt and moved to St. Louis where they became members of Old Trinity Lutheran Church, which by then was Rev. C.F.W. Walther’s congregation.
On January 14, 1844, Johann Christlieb Richter married Louise Espenscheid in St. Louis. Here is their marriage record.
If you look carefully, you will see that Rev. C.F.W. Walther was the pastor for that wedding. Then later in 1844, on this date, October 26th, they had their first child, Ernst Traugott Richter. It is his story we tell today.
Meanwhile, in 1841, Rev. Buerger took what was left of his family (his wife had died) and was on his way back to Germany along with Adolph Marbach’s family. However, on their way to New York, they stopped in Buffalo, New York where a group of Lutherans managed to talk Rev. Buerger into being their pastor. A few years later, he remarried. His next wife was Ernestine Salome Meissner, and she blessed his with several more children.
On May 22, 1850, a daughter was born to the Buergers in Buffalo, New York, by the name of Maria Magdalena. In 1860, Rev. Buerger was the pastor of a congregation in Washington, D.C. The Buergers were in our nation’s capital during the very tempestuous times of the Civil War.
Now we see where a Richter and a Buerger manage to get together again. In 1868, Ernst Traugott Richter married Maria Magdalena Buerger. They were married in our nation’s capital. I cannot see the original record, but I can find this notation on Ancestry.com concerning this wedding.
This photo was taken in Washington, D.C. during the Civil War days.
Ernst Traugott Richter became a Lutheran pastor. The 1880 census indicates that Rev. Richter was a pastor and living in the Bonhomme Township in the St. Louis area. I am not sure which congregation he served. We do not have an 1890 census available, but by the 1900 census, Rev. Richter was a Lutheran pastor in another Washington……this time Washington, Missouri. He was still there for the 1910 census. It appears that the Richters had four children, one of which also became a minister.
In the 1920 census, the Richters were living once again in the St. Louis area in the Maplewood neighborhood. By this time, Ernst was 75 years old and had apparently retired from the ministry.
Ernst died in 1925; Maria died in 1934. They are buried together in the St. Lucas Cemetery in St. Louis.
The Richters and the Buergers started out fairly close to one another in Germany. Once in America, they started out together in Seelitz but then drifted apart. However, this marriage in our nation’s capital brought them back together again.
To add. Rev Gross was pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran at Richmond Virginia from 1856 to 1868 and then to Trinity Lutheran Buffalo Ny from 1868 to 1881.
Wonderful story. Reflects to a few names in our story of Rev Carl “Charles” Philip Gross who came from Rod an der Weil with his stepfather Georg Leitz and mother Catherina Ohilippina Gross in 1848 to New Orleans. Rev Gross was in St. Louis in 1850 at the seminary class by CW Walther. I would suppose also with Trinity church there. He was ordained at Baltimore Md in 1855 by Rev Kyle. Like Bueuger Rev Gross was listed as married in 1856 at Washington DC to miss Fredericka Louisa Augusta Westerfeld. No family found for her except some Westerfeld in DC but no connections yet. Rev Gross then became pastor of. German Lutheran church at Bethlahem Lutheran till 1868. Then went to Buffaloe NY to first Trinity Lutheran where his Augusta Gross died and several children. He married by 1870 to Miss Maria Her daughter of Rev John Her and Katherine Phalzgraff Her. Rev gross and Maria had several more children and by 1881 transfered to Fort Wayne indiana to be pastor there I believe St. John’s and publish and help with the seminary and school with Rev Sohn from Baltimore Md. Rev Her of Ohio and Baltimore retired in 1882 to Fort Wayne also and passed there in 1902. All families to Concordia Cem Fort Wayne. My question is the list of members at Trinity Lutheran in st louis in 1850 and why the marriages in Washington DC register do not show a church ceremony and pastor and witnesses. Certainly these marriages took place at a church especially since the pastors were being married. I am going to assume that Carl Charles Philip Gross and Georg leitz and Ohilippina Gross Leitz were in the Trinity congregation of CW Walther but need to find a list if it exists. The Leitz stayed in St. Louis till about 1860 and moved across the river to Illinois. As connected the Missouri synod was to the NE US were marriages as church ceremonies recorded to the synod office in thr NE Buffalo or Baltimore. Rev John Her who came in 1852 as a Methodist pastor to 4 groups in Ohio finally found the Mo Synod and became a pastor in NY and MD through that. Not sure how to traverse any possible records. Although German records of Trinity Lutheran in Buffalo did finally reveal several records for Rev Gross of which we were so grateful to find especially since he was pastor there for over 10 years. In closing I appreciate all your research and history of the families. Keep writing. I have re read Zion on the Mississippi and what it reveled to do many family histories. Thank you.