I rarely write a story on this blog that recognizes the anniversary of a death. I am much more likely to focus on celebratory events like birthdays and weddings. However, when I found the date of death of one of the leaders of the Stephanites who arrived in Perry County in 1839, I think it worth telling a story of a death.

I have previously written several posts about Rev. Gotthold Heinrich Loeber, the first pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. He was such an instumental character in the drama that took place in the early years of this settlement and the establishment of what became known as the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. A few years ago, I wrote a post acknowledging a special birthday for Rev. Loeber titled, Happy 225th Birthday, Pastor Loeber, telling the story of the beginning of this man’s life. Today, you will read this post about the end of his earthly life. Rev. G.H. Loeber died on August 19, 1849, making today the 175th anniversary of his death. He was just 52 years old when he died, and although we do not have a church death record for him, there are indications in other writings that Pastor Loeber died of diseases like typhoid and cholera.

Just this past July 29th, I wrote the story of Gotthilf Poppitz who was born on that day in 1849. I speculated in that post that his baptism was likely one of the last baptisms conducted by Rev. Loeber. Yesterday, I went to the museum to actually find out who was the last baby to be baptized by Pastor Loeber, and when it took place. I now know the answer. His last baptism was the one for Martha Holschen, who was born on July 30th and baptized on August 2nd. Her baptism record is displayed below. A translation found in our German Family Tree says that this baptism took place at home.

Under Martha’s baptism record, there are some words written in a different handwriting that mention Rev. G.H. Loeber. I am not able to decipher those words, but perhaps one of our readers can help us know what it says.

The next baptism record in Trinity’s books was the one for Martha Saalfeld, who was born on January 12, 1850. That record is written in another handwriting style. However, I think that baptism must have been conducted by another local pastor. I don’t think Trinity’s next pastor, Rev. Georg Schieferdecker had arrived on the scene yet. Plus, I have gotten to know Rev. Schieferdecker’s style of penmanship, and this is not his.

Apparently, no one placed a death record for G.H.Loeber into the Trinity Lutheran church books, but when we look at the death records for that congregation, we find another curious fact. There was only one death record placed in those books during 1849. It was the death of Traugott Mylius, one of the original immigrants, who died on February 4, 1849. That death record is displayed below.

That record happens to be at the top of a page in the church books, and the rest of that page is left blank. I think this is especially curious because back in those days, there was a lot of death going on. I might add that 1849 was likely even worse because that was the year of the famous Cholera Epidemic that was taking place up the river in St. Louis. Recently, I reposted a story about that epidemic titled, 175th Anniversary of Disastrous Epidemic. If there were deaths occurring in the Altenburg area, why did Pastor Loeber not record them when he did record baptism records all the way up to the month of his own death?

The next death record in the Trinity books after Pastor Loeber died is that for Wilhelm Kaufmann, who died on April 15, 1850. This record starts a new page in the church books. This, too, is in a different handwriting that is not Pastor Schieferdecker’s.

What about marriages? When did Pastor Loeber perform his last wedding ceremony? The answer to that question is found in the marriage record of George Weiland and Maria Estel. Those 2 were married on December 13, 1848, so Rev. Loeber did not officiate at a wedding at Trinity for almost a year before he died in August of 1849.

As for confirmations, the last class I located in the Trinity books was the class that was confirmed in 1848. A list of those confirmands is shown here. Included in that list was Pastor Loeber’s youngest son, Gotthilf. Also, I find it personally interesting because my great grandfather, Gottwerth Schmidt, was also in this class.

Let me take a moment to backtrack a little. Pastor Loeber had a sister, Christiane Loeber, who died in April of 1840, just a little over a year after the immigrants arrived here. She also died of a disease, and many claim that she probably got her disease because she was known to visit and give care to other sick people in the Altenburg community. Christiane had been granted a small parcel of land east of Trinity Lutheran Church, and after her death, the Loeber family gifted that parcel of land to the church, and it became the cemetery for Trinity. Christiane was buried on that land, but no one knows precisely where because her grave was not marked.

When Rev. Loeber died in 1849, he was buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery. We do know where he was buried because it was marked with a gravestone. At some point in time, that gravestone fell, and is now flat on the ground as shown below.

Another grave marker was placed at Rev. Loeber’s gravesite by members of the Loeber family. It gives more of a tribute to their ancestor’s life. It also includes a drawing that was made of Pastor Loeber.

Here is a clearer photo of what is written on the plaque attached to that grave marker.

Despite only living for 10 years in Altenburg, Rev. Gotthold Heinrich Loeber is well known for so many accomplishments. He was the first pastor of Trinity, Altenburg, and even allowed for his parsonage to be used as a place for Sunday worship during the 6 years before a permanent church was constructed in 1845. The town of Altenburg was given its name because that is the city in Germany where G.H. Loeber was born and baptized. He then led the congregation through the process of building that first permanent church. Along the way, he was a spiriitual leader during a time of real turmoil after their leader, Rev. Martin Stephan, was banished from their community. After the 3 young men had built the Log Cabin College and taught there, they left to take calls elsewhere. Rev. Loeber was put in a position of doing most of the teaching at that college for a while. Then, when meetings were being held throughout the Midwest to establish a new Lutheran synod in America, Pastor Loeber was right in the middle of that process. He is one of the first signers of Missouri Synod’s constitution that was agreed upon in 1846. A year later, that synod was officially established in 1847, with Pastor Loeber in attendance.

While other pastors were leaving Perry County to take calls to other places, Rev. Loeber remained to care for his flock here in Altenburg. I happen to think that in addition to him being physicallly sick at the time of his death, he was also physically and emotionally exhausted.

At the bottom oh his grave marker, it notes that Pastor Loeber’s final words were, “Lord Jesus, you have my soul.”

Well done, good and faithful servant.