Here in Perry County, Missouri, the forecast for next week calls for our temperatures to plummet into the single digits. That is pretty cold for these here parts. Up north, I am seeing forecasts that get down to the negative teens, which is just plain frigid. I would call it the arrival of real winter to the Midwest. The story I will share on this blog today documents the arrival of another Winter, one who has a birthday today.

I located just one tidbit of evidence that Christian Friedrich August Winter arrived in America in 1854. I also found a passenger list that shows Christian’s brothers arriving on a ship in the United States in that same year. So, I guess you could say that there was an arrival of several Winter’s in 1854, 170 years ago. Before I move on, let me say that I found family trees on Ancestry.com that connect these Winter’s with an uncle named J.F.F. Winter, who was a member of the 1839 Gesellschaft, also known as the famous Teacher Winter, the first teacher at Trinity Lutheran School in Altenburg.

Christian Friedrich August (C.F.A.) Winter was born on January 11, 1828, making today his 196th birthday. Christian was the son of Johann and Maria Catherine (Sparing) Winter. He was born in Brachstedt, Germany. His wife’s name was Christiane Caroline Friedericke Bellzig (or Pelzig), who was born on December 15, 1827. Caroliine was the daughter of Christoph and Maria Bellzig. Christian Winter married Caroline Bellzig on June 30, 1854 in Brachstedt. We can take a look at the marriage record from that German parish below. I have to display it in 2 images..

If this couple did indeed come to America in 1854, they must have left Germany shortly after their marriage. I did find a Christian Winter on a ship arriving in Amerca in 1854, but there was not a wife listed with him, plus, that ship arrived on June 26, 1854, which was prior to the Winter/Bellzig wedding in Germany. According to our German Family Tree, this pair began having children in 1857, and their 9 children were all baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. 

The Winter family is found in its first American census in 1860. This couple’s first 3 children all died before this census, so we still see them with an empty nest. Christian (here called C.F.A) was a shoemaker in the Brazeau Township.

When the Civil War broke out, Christian served time in the Union Army. He served under Captain Estel. His military record is shown here.

The 1870 census shows the Winter’s with 2 children. Christian was still a shoemaker.

The 1880 census would turn out to be the last one in which we find Christian Winter. We only see 2 children in this entry because most of the Winter children died at young ages. This time Christian is called a shoemaker/farmer. Perhaps he realized that Altenburg had too many shoemakers. I know that I have written a previous post about the number of shoemakers who settled in Perry County titled, Too Many Shoemakers…..Not Enough Feet.

Christian Winter died in 1889 at the age of 61. His church death record says he died of dyssentery. He also died at the time when Perry County kept death records. We can take a look at Christian’s in 2 images. This record also says he was a shoemaker. A few other Perry County names are on this document. The doctor who is listed on the form was Dr. John Neumueller, and the undertaker was Charles Boehme. Both of them were sons of original immigrants.

Caroline was still living when the 1900 census was taken. She was a 72 year-old widow. It looks like she was living by herself, but her entry is right below that of her son, Ferdinand’s, household. 

The last census in which we find Caroline was the one taken in 1910. She was living with a grandson named Julius Winter. One of her neighbors was Benjamin Hemmann, a teacher at Trinity Lutheran School, who likely lived in that congregation’s teacherage. So, Caroline probably lived near that church and school. 

Caroline Winter died on Christmas Eve in 1914 at the age of 87. We can take a look at her death certificate below. The grandson, Julius Winter, was listed as the informant.

Both Christian and Caroline Winter are buried in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Altenburg. There must be a story behind why these Winter’s transferred their membership from Trinity to Immanuel, but I do not know it.

An enlarged photo of Christian’s gravestone gives us confirmation of his date of birth, January 11, 1828.

Yes, we still have winters, some of them more severe than others, in Perry County. And yes, we still have Winter’s in Perry County, the ones who carry that surname.