by Denise Hellwege, Director
Several of my recent posts have highlighted how some of the items in our collection have arrived through seemingly chance encounters — a phone call, an email, a visit, even a message on Facebook. While we’re not in the habit of letting objects leave the museum, we are always happy to freely share information. More often than not, that means providing genealogical details to individuals who come to us in search of their family histories.
Sometimes, however, the information we share ends up in print.
Such was the case with an encounter that began nearly two years ago. In September 2023, Benjamin Kolodziej visited the museum in search of information about Teacher Ferdinand Winter. He was conducting research for a book on the history of sacred music in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, titled Portraits in American Lutheran Sacred Music: 1847–1947.
Earlier this year, I received the following excerpt in an email from him:
“This book covers thirteen historical leaders in Missouri Synod sacred music, with the first chapter covering C.F.W. Walther, the Saxon immigrants/immigration, and Teacher Ferdinand Winter—the first teacher at Trinity, Altenburg, and also the first Kantor in the Missouri Synod (or rather, in the pre-Missouri Synod). I have written what I believe will be his first modern biography, and I have concentrated on his work as a sacred musician, as he is well-known as a teacher elsewhere. (Of course, I’m in debt to Warren Schmidt’s blog entries relative to Winter, too.) The point of my book was to write about some early Missouri Synod musicians who have been mostly forgotten but deserve to be remembered, and I’m afraid that is probably largely the case for Winter, sadly.”
Not only do we get a mention in the book, but the museum also receives a generous shout-out in Benjamin’s recent interview on KFUO. You can listen to that conversation here:
KFUO Interview: Portraits in American Lutheran Sacred Music, Ep. 1 – Ferdinand Winter
Since he did such a great job of promoting us, I figure I’ll return the favor. If you’re interested, you can purchase his book here: https://www.cph.org/portraits-in-american-lutheran-sacred-music.
Encounters like these are a reminder of the lasting impact local history can have beyond our community. We’re always honored to assist researchers in uncovering stories that deserve to be told—and it’s especially meaningful when that work reaches a wider audience. If you’re researching your family history, a local figure, or a specific aspect of our region’s past, don’t hesitate to reach out. You never know where a simple inquiry might lead.
