There are so many stories about Perry County natives who went on to become pastors and teachers in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. I have written plenty such stories on this blog, but apparently I have not come to the end of the list of people who fit this category. I will share the story of a Frohna boy who become a Lutheran pastor in this post. There is one little problem with writing this story today. Our German Family Tree lists the date of birth for the pastor’s wife as May 15, 1894, thus leading me to research this tale, but I now think that this lady was born on May 28, 1899, which is also noted in our GFT. There is a bizarre record in the Frohna books that says a girl was born on a different day and a different year than what appears on her gravestone. Despite this fact, I am writing the story today.

Waldemar Theodore Goehring was born on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1900, the son of Theodore and Emma (Weinhold) Goehring. That means he was the nephew of Rev. Paul Weinhold, whose story was told just a matter of days ago in the post, Pastor Weinhold – Ministry on the Prairie. Waldemar, often called W.T. in later documents, was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. An image of his baptism record is pictured here.

Waldemar was born early enough in 1900 to appear in that year’s census as a baby. He was the firstborn child in his family. Waldemar’s father was called a salesman in this entry.

Waldemar’s father was working at the F.E. Goehring & Son Store in Frohna. Theodore was the “& Son” in that business. That store was located where the West End Tavern now stands.

Next, we find Waldemar in the 1910 census. He was 10 years old and had several younger siblings.

Waldemar managed to get his name in the Perryville newspaper on several occasions. First, we find a letter he had written to the newspaper that got published in 1915. It indicates that he was attending the synodical school in Ft. Wayne, Indiana where he had begun his studies to become a Lutheran minister. Waldemar mentions his friend (and uncle), Theophil Weinhold, who also became a Lutheran pastor. His story was told in the post, Rev. “Kit” Weinhold – Youngest of the Miller Bros. Kids.

In 1918, another interesting article appeared in the Perry County Republican. It mentions Waldemar, along with Theophil and Theobald Weinhold, two Weinhold cousins. This article mentions soldier boys. By this time in 1918, Theobald had already served his time as a soldier in that war and had been discharged. Waldemar and Theophil, because of their religious studies, were not called into service.

In 1918, Waldemar had his World War I draft registration completed. It said he was a student at Concordia College in Ft. Wayne. He was 18 years old at the time.

As long as we are discussing events taking place in 1918, the photo of the Goehring family below was supposedly taken about then. The caption indicates which one is Waldemar.

In the 1920 census, Waldemar and his younger brother, Erwin, are both called students. Erwin spent most of his career as a professor at Valparaiso University. I may have to write his story someday.

Another article about Waldemar was published in 1922 which told of him temporarily serving a Lutheran congregation in Buhl, Idaho. This would have been his vicarage.

Yet another article appeared in 1922. This one gives evidence that especially after World War I, efforts were underway in German Lutheran churches to transition from German church services to those spoken in English.

Then, in 1924, this tidbit about Waldemar appeared in the same paper. That was the year of his graduation from the Semiinary.

Now, we will turn our attention to the woman who would become Waldemar’s bride. Her name was Hulda Violet Gerhardt, who was born on May 28, 1899. Violet was the daughter of Edward and Hulda (Palisch) Gerhardt. Violet was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. Her baptism record is displayed here.

Violet is found in the 1900 census at the age of 1. Her father was a farmer in the Brazeau Township.

Next, we find Violet in the 1910 census. This time, the Gerhardt family was living in the Union Township.

I am guessing that the Gerhardt’s were living near Farrar because Violet was confirmed in 1913 at Salem Lutheran Church. Here is that confirmation record. Interestingly, unlike other nearby records, Violet’s does not include her date of birth.

The confusion about Violet’s date of birth is probably due to the fact that there was another girl named Violet who was confirmed at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna at about this time, except her surname was McCann, not Gerhardt. In her record, we find a birthday of May 15, 1894. And, amazingly, right below her record is a notation that includes the date, May 28th, and that is Violet Gerhardt’s day of birth.

I failed to find Violet in the 1920 census. Nor could I locate her parents, but I do know that Violet’s Gerhardt family is found in the 1930 census living in Sylvan Grove, Kansas. I have every reason to believe that Waldemar Goehring got to know Violet Gerhardt when they each lived in East Perry County, and then Violet moved to Kansas. These two were married in Sylvan Grove on October 8, 1926. I am guessing that we would find this couple’s marriage record in the books of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Sylvan Grove.

In the 1930 census, we find the Goehring’s living in Mexico, Missouri where Waldemar is called a Lutheran minister. There were 2 daughters in their household.

Then, in a 1932 Kansas City, Kansas city directory, we find an entry for Waldemar and Violet. It says Waldemar was the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in that city. That church had been organized in 1927, so it was a relatively new congregation.

Prior to the 1940 census, the Goehring’s moved to Alma, Kansas where Waldemar was pastor of St. John Lutheran Church. There were 5 children in the Goehring family at that time.

Below is a photo of St. John Lutheran Church in Alma as it appears today.

Waldemar had his World War II draft card completed in 1942. On this form, he lists Mrs. Walter Weber from Geneva, Nebraska as the person who would always know his address. That was Waldemar’s younger sister, Ruth.

There is one more census entry we can view, the one taken in 1950. The Goehring’s were still living in Alma. Some children had left their household, and it appears that one more child had been born in the previous decade.

It looks as if Rev. W.T. Goehring returned to Perry County after his retirement from the ministry. One of the things he and his wife did when they were back in this area was to become one of the early folks who were curators of the fairly new Saxon Lutheran Memorial in Frohna.

I located a photograph of Violet Goehring that was taken later in her life.

Rev. W.T. Goehring died in 1975 at the age of 74. Violet did not die until 1991 at the age of 92. I found some evidence that Violet may have died in Arizona. Waldemar and Violet are buried together in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville. As you can see, Violet is given the birth date of May 28, 1899 on this gravestone.

The way I have it figured, Violet Goehring would be celebrating her 125th birthday later this month, not her 130th birthday today. Maybe you can reread this story later this month. As I began this post, I pointed out how many pastors and teachers have come from East Perry County. Several were mentioned in this story. Let me mention a few more that are tied to today’s post. Walter and Ruth (Goehring) Weber from Geneva, Nebraska had a son named Charles, who not only became a Lutheran pastor, but he also served for a time at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg. Also, I have been told that one of Waldemar and Violet’s daughters married a man named Bergt (another Frohna name) who was a missionary in the Far East. The Perry County list of pastors and teachers gets longer and longer.