I am going to tie today’s story of a baby born in Frohna on this day to the construction of the replica of the Log Cabin College which is found on the campus of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. In addition, I will speculate how today’s main character may have contributed in some small way to the Concordia Historical Institute establishing the Saxon Lutheran Memorial in Frohna in 1962.
Gottfried Adolph Bergt was born on October 18, 1879, so today would be his 144th birthday. Gottfried was the son of Julius and Emma (Noennig) Bergt. That qualifies Gottfried to be a grandson of Christian Adolph Bergt, whose farm would later become the site of the Saxon Lutheran Memorial. Gottfried was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. We can take a look at an image of his baptism record from that congregation’s books.
Gottfried was the firstborn child in his family. He was the only child in this family when the 1880 census was taken. He is listed as being 7/12 (or 7 months) old in that year’s census entry. Gottfried’s father was a farmer in the Brazeau Township.
In the 1900 census, Gottfried was 20 years old and helping on his father’s farm.
Gottfried would get married before the next census, so we will now take a look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Emma Theresia Mueller, who was born on January 25, 1883. Emma was the daughter of Joseph and Anna (Petzoldt) Mueller. That qualifies Emma to be a part of the clan that we call the “Frohna Mueller’s”. Like her future husband, Emma was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. Her baptism record is displayed below.
The only census in which we find Emma as being unmarried is the one taken in 1900. Her father had died in 1889, so we find her widowed mother as the head of the household in 1900. Anna would marry Charles Lueders in 1902, so for a few years, Emma likely lived with her stepfather and mother in Frohna. Emma was 17 years old in this entry.
Gottfried Bergt married Emma Mueller on May 14, 1905 at Concordia, Frohna. The church record for that wedding is pictured here.
We can also take a look at the Missouri marriage license for this couple.
Our German Family Tree lists 5 children born to this pair. Not all of them lived to adulthood. The 1910 census shows just their firstborn son, Arnold. Arnold would die as a youngster during the next decade, so this is the only census entry in which he is found. Right above Gottfried’s family is the entry for his parents. His father is called a retired farmer, and Gottfried is doing the farming.
The 1915 plat maps for Perry County show the Julius Bergt farm located north of Frohna and east of Brazeau. If you look real close, you will see the name, G.A. Bergt listed inside the red box.
In 1918, Gottfried had his World War I draft registration completed. Gottfried is called a farmer, and it indicates that he owned the farm by that time.
Gottfried changed occupations before the 1920 census was taken. In that year’s entry, he is called a partner in a hardware business. There were 3 sons in the Bergt family.
It is my understanding that the hardware store in Frohna was once located in the building shown below, which also included the post office. The first photo is an old one taken a long time ago. The middle photo shows you what it looks like today. The photo on the right displays it alongside the building that once housed the Lueders Store.
The Bergt’s are found still living in Frohna when the 1930 census was taken. This time the census entry states that Gottfried was the proprietor of the hardware store.
During the next decade, the Bergt’s relocated to St. Louis. It says Gottfried was a janitor at a private school. Based on the next two documents that I will show, this must have been Concordia Seminary, which had relocated its campus to Clayton in the 1920’s. Right below Gottfried’s entry is that of Emma Bergt, his mother.
Gottfried had his World War II draft card completed in 1942. It does not describe his work as a janitor, but it does say that his place of employment was Concordia Seminary.
The last census we can view is the one taken in 1950. Gottfried and Emma had an empty nest, and Gottfried was called a custodian at a seminary.
Gottfried Bergt died in 1955 at the age of 75. Pancreatic cancer is given as the cause of his death.
Emma Bergt died in 1962 at the age of 79. A type of cancer is also given as her cause of death.
The bodies of both Gottfried and Emma Bergt were brought back to Frohna to be buried at the Concordia Lutheran Cemetery.
Now that you know the story of Gottfried and Emma Bergt, I am going to attempt to tie this tale to the construction of the Log Cabin Replica that is found on the campus of Concordia Seminary in Clayton. First of all, I have written another post telling the story about how another Perry County character assisted in the building of that replica. The post was titled, The Replica. That post mentioned that a man named Edward Baese was a gardener at Concordia Seminary at the time when the replica was built in 1938. Edward Baese was married to Clara Grebing, whose father, Jacob Grebing, had provided the logs to be used in the construction of the replica. I think Gottfried Bergt was a custodian at Concordia Seminary at the same time and must have known the gardener and his wife from Perry County. Perhaps Gottfried was another person who may have been involved in the planning of the replica.
Now, let me say a few things about the establishment of the Saxon Lutheran Memorial in Frohna. In 1961, The Concordia Historical Institute bought the farm that had once belonged to Christian Adolph Bergt, Gottfried’s grandfather. A short history of the Saxon Lutheran Memorial is found on Wikipedia at this link,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxon_Lutheran_Memorial_(Frohna,_Missouri).
That entry on Wikipedia now needs an update because not too long ago, the LCMS decide to sell this property, and a group of local investors here in Perry County bought it. That group is making efforts to keep this important historic site running. That includes making repairs and improvements on that property. Just this week, a project was begun. The original Twyman-Bergt cabin has been in need of repairs for a while now. Saxon Lutheran Memorial has hired some professionals with experience with old log cabins to restore this building. That project began this past Monday, two days after SLM’s annual Fall Festival. I took a trip this morning to take a few photos showing the progress of that project. At this point, the two roofs of the cabins have been removed.
Jennie Williamson, who along with her husband and family are now residents and ambassadors at Saxon Lutheran Memorial, made this video describing this restoration project. You can view it by clicking on the link below.
I think a few folks might be a little concerned about seeing such an important historic building looking like it is being torn down. Let me set your hearts at ease by showing evidence that Dr. C.F.W. Walther is personally overseeing this project.
