Members of the Gesellschaft gathered in Bremerhaven, Germany in November of 1838 and began to get their baggage placed on 5 different ships. Those ships would depart in the coming days and set sail for the United States. Today’s post will focus on two of those passengers, both of which ended up aboard the ship, Copernicus, which was also the first ship to arrive in America. I located this painting of the Copernicus which was supposedly produced in 1835.

Before I move on, let me say that a history of the Schuricht family includes this interesting story about how the members of their family ended up on the ships that they boarded. According to this story, the Schuricht’s were supposed to be passengers on the ship, Amalia, but their baggage had been placed on another ship. As a result, some Schuricht’s ended up on the Copernicus and others on the Olbers. The Amalia is the ship that was lost at sea with all it passengers perishing. I suppose you could says that if that snafu had not happened, I would not be writing this story today.

There are 4 pages of the passenger list for this ship, Copernicus, that were recorded when it landed in New Orleans. The ship arrived in the port of New Orleans on New Year’s Eve in 1838, but the passenger list was not compiled until January 2, 1839. On the top of the third page we find some passengers that includes the two main characters in today’s story. Those two are highlighted in yellow.

There are 3 passengers with the surname of Lorenz and 3 passengers with the surname. of Schuricht. The Lorenz’s were from Kolkau, and the Schuricht’s were from Wallbach. There is a similarity here. The 3 Lorenz’s were siblings, and so were the Schuricht’s. I will also add that the Lorenz’s, when they are found in the passenger list in the book, Zion on the Mississippi, it says they were from Lunzenau, not Kolkau. Those two towns are located about only 7 miles from each other, as displayed on the map below. You can also see that these towns were not far from Altenburg, Germany.

The town of Wallbach, however, was about 130 miles away to the east from where the Lorenz siblings lived. With that great a distance between these two families, I think it is unlikely that they knew one another prior to their voyage to America. Since the two highlighted characters on the above passenger list would get married about a year after their arrival, I happen to think that these two became acquainted with one another on board the Copernicus, and a romance began.

Johanna Rosina Maria Lorenz was born on February 3, 1813, so she is today’s birthday girl. She would be 212 years old today. The only parent I can identify is her father, who was Johann Gottlob Lorenz, who remained in Germany. After their arrival, the son named Johann Gottfried settled in Perry County, but the 2 sisters remained in St. Louis. I think Rosina may have stayed in St. Louis because of her new relationship with the man she would marry. Let’s take a look at him now.

Friedrich Wilhelm Schuricht was also born in early February. His date of birth was February 6, 1815, so he was two years younger than Rosina, and he will have his 210th birthday in a few days from now. Friedrich, who was sometimes called Frederick and sometimes F.W., was the son of Johann Gottlob and Anna Rosina (Schanze) Schuricht. I am able to display photos of both of F.W.’s parents. The Schuricht parents and several other Schuricht siblings came to America aboard the ship, Olbers, and the Schuricht’s all remained in St. Louis after their arrival.

Freidrich Schuricht married Rosina Lorenz on August 30, 1840 in St. Louis. This couple’s marriage record is found in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis. That congregation had yet to build a church sanctuary, so they may have been married at the Christ Episcopal Church where this congregation worshiped during those early years. The pastor who married them was Rev. Otto Herman Walther, C.F.W.’s brother. Below is an Excel spreadsheet entry that I can show you for this couple’s marriage record. This is where we find Rosina’s father’s name.

We can also take a look at a St. Louis marriage record for this pair.

Our German Family Tree only lists one child born to this couple, a daughter named Maria, who was born in 1841. However, when we find the Schuricht’s in the 1850 census, it looks as if they have 2 children. A second child, named Charles, was included in their household. That child was the son of Ehregott and Maria (Kraft) Schuricht, but Ehregott died in 1849 during the Cholera Epidemic. There is some debate about when Charles’s mother died, but we have evidence here that the Schuricht/Lorenz couple had this young child living with them in 1850. F.W. was a druggist in this entry. He was called a weaver on the earlier passenger list, but he must have learned a new profession after coming to this country.

I will tell you that the boy, Charles, would be found as a student in the 1860 census, and would go on to become a Lutheran pastor.

The Schuricht’s are found in the 1860 census with just their daughter, Maria. Included in their household was an older woman by the name of Barbara Lochner. Barbara was the mother of Friedrich Lochner, a Lutheran pastor who was involved in the establishment of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in 1847. By this time, Rev. Lochner was a pastor in Milwaukee. Barbara’s story was told in the post, Mama Lochner.

Next, we find the Schuricht’s in the 1870 census. Their daughter, Maria, had married George Berg in 1860, so she is no longer living with her parents. Included in the Schuricht household this time was Emilie Steinmeyer, who was called a domestic servant. Also included in this entry was a 14 year-old boy named Gotthilf Lorenz. Gotthilf was the son of Rosina”s brother who lived in Perry County. His mother had died in 1865, and that may have contributed to him being found living with his aunt in St. Louis. This entry says F.W. was keeping an apothecary.

Rosina Schuricht died in 1878 at the age of 65. I found this St. Louis death record for her. It says Rosina had a disease of the heart. It also says that she would be buried in the New Saxon Cemetery in St. Louis. That cemetery was also named Concordia Cemetery.

We find a death record for Rosina in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis.

Friedrich Wilhelm is found in the 1880 census as a widower. There were two others living with him. First, there was a 29 year-old servant named Mary Lorenz. I think this was the daughter of Rosina’s brother in Perry County, except she was born in 1848, making her 42 years old at that time. There is evidence that Mary Lorenz had been married to Henry Doberenz, but in 1880, Henry was getting married again, so I think Mary and Henry broke off their marriage and Mary went to live with F.W. Schuricht in St. Louis. You can see on this entry that Mary was born in Perry County, Missouri. Also in this household was a 17 year-old young man named George Berg. That was F.W.’s grandson, also named after his son-in-law. George was an apprentice druggist, learning the trade from his grandfather.

I was unable to locate a photo of Rosina, but I did find this one of F.W. later in his life.

Friedrich Wilhelm Schuricht died in 1890 at the age of 75. We can take a look at a St. Louis death record for him below. It says he was to be buried in the St. Peter & Paul Cemetery, but I think that is wrong.

F.W.’s death record is found in the Trinity, St. Louis books.

Friedrich Wilhelm Schuricht is buried in the Concordia Cemetery in St. Louis. Rosina is likely buried there too, but Findagrave.com has no gravestone photo for her. Below is the gravestone for F.W.

Today, you read another story about a couple of original members of the Gesellschaft who ended up getting married in America. I like to think that the story of the courtship of F.W. and Rosina Schuricht began aboard the ship, Copernicus.