Back during the first year of this blog, a post was written about today’s birthday boy. That post was titled, A Minnesota Connection to the Saxon Immigration. Since today is a very special birthday for this character, I decided to revisit that old post.

Ernst Moritz Buerger was born on February 17, 1806 in Arnsfeld, Germany. That makes today his 220th birthday. Ernst was the son of Rev. Christian and Johanna (Bruhms) Buerger. His first wife was named Johanna Schreiber, who was born in Germany in 1811. I am not able to identify the names of her parents. Ernst and Johanna were married in 1833 while each was still living in Germany. This couple had 3 children prior to joining the Gesellschaft which left for America in 1838, but one of those children had died before they left. Ernst was one of the pastors who were the spiritual leaders of that immigration society. He and his family came to the United States aboard the ship, Copernicus. We can view their names on that ship’s passenger list below. Two sons are listed on this form.

Once in Perry County in May of 1839, Rev. Buerger became the pastor of the Seelitz community. We find the Buerger family in the 1840 census for Perry County. It displays the 4 characters that were passengers on the Copernicus.

However, the early years in Perry County were quite traumatic. In October of 1840, a third child was born to the Buerger’s, and that child died on the same day. Just a matter of weeks later, the mother, Johanna, also died. Not only that, several other members of Pastor Buerger’s Seelitz congregation also died during those early years. Not long after the Altenburg debate in the spring of 1841, Rev.Buerger decided to take his remaining family back to Germany. However, on his way, when he was in Buffalo, New York, he was convinced to become the pastor of a church there.

It was also not long after his arrival in Buffalo that Ernst got married again. His second wife was Ernestine Salome Meissner, who was born on November 23, 1815 in Germany. According to Ernst Moritz’s Family Search entry, this couple had 10 children. When the 1850 census was taken, there were 8 children in their household, two from Ernst’s first marriage, and the rest from his second. Ernst was called an Evangelical Lutheran clergyman.

An 1855 New York state census shows that the Buerger’s were still living in Buffalo. Seven children were listed in this entry. Ernst was called a minister. Their oldest son, Paul, was called a farmer.

In 1858, Pastor Buerger moved his family to Washington, D.C. The 1860 census lists 6 children in the Buerger household. Ernst was called a clergyman in our nation’s capital.

Pastor Buerger served his congregation in Washington, D.C. throughout all the years of the Civil War. It must have been a very challenging time to be located in such a strategic place during wartime. Then, in 1869, Rev. Buerger took a call to Minnesota. In the 1870 census, we find the Buerger family living in Hart, Minnesota. In the occupation column, the census taker crossed out what looks like “Minnesota” and did not replace it. I am sure it should have said that he was still a pastor. Only 2 teenage children were still living with their parents.

Ernestine Buerger died in 1872 at the age of 54. One of their daughters, Dorothy, had also died in 1871. Ernestine and Dorothy are buried together in the Hart Lutheran Cemetery.

In 1874 or thereabouts, Ernst married Zeraphene Schwabhaeuser. Pastor Buerger retired from the ministry in 1879, and when the 1880 census was taken, we find him living in Rushford, Minnesota. Ernst and his wife, called Sarah in this entry, had an empty nest. Once again, Ernst is called a minister of the Gospel.

At some point during his life, Rev. Buerger had this photo taken.

Rev. Ernst Moritz Buerger died in 1890 at the age of 84. He is buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Rushford.

Another marker is found there that gives a description of his pastoral ministry.

It looks as if Rev. Buerger almost gave up being a pastor back in 1840 and 1841, but somehow he made it past his discouragement and possible depression to continue serving the Lutheran church throughout his life.