Today’s post was written by our guest blogger, Fred Eggers. Once again, Fred had compiled some great resources, and you will read about yet another pastor who once occupied two different church pulpits in Perry County. Great work, Fred.

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Rudolph August Rook was born on March 14, 1889, in Postelau, Dirschau, Danzig, Westpreussen, Preussen.  He was baptized on April 11, 1889, at Sobbowitz about six miles from Postelau.  His baptism record can be found in the church records but I cannot display the actual record but a transcription is available.

I can also display a map of that area from the Map Guide to German Parish Registers that is available in the reference library at the Lutheran Heritage Center.

However, if you go to current maps, you will not find Dirschau, Danzig, Westpreussen, or Preussen. Those names all changed when that area which had been a part of the German Empire became a part of the country of Poland when it was reestablished following World War I.  This current map shows the area today.  Postelau and Sobbowitz changed slightly to Postolowo and Sobowidz, but Dirschau is now Tczew and Danzig became Gdańsk.

His father died in 1894 and in 1902, his mother Bertha and her six children came to America arriving in New York City on December 30.  We can see both a transcription of the immigration record and the passenger list.

The family settled in Michigan near where two of Bertha’s sisters and one of her brothers had previously migrated.  The 1910 census shows the family living in Sheridan Township, Huron County, Michigan.

Rudolph Rook studied for the Lutheran ministry at Concordia Seminary in Springfield, Illinois.  While there he declared his intention to become a naturalized citizen of the United States.

He graduated from the seminary in 1913 and this list from the June 10, 1913 edition of Der Lutheraner includes the members of his class and where they were called to serve.

On July 20, 1913, her married Christina C A (Anna) Gallmeyer in Adams County, Indiana.

Pastor Rook was ordained and installed at St. Martin’s Church in Usher, Kansas.  The location of this church was also sometimes called Piper, Kansas.  More recently that church merged with another nearby congregation and is a part of Risen Savior Lutheran Church in Basehor, Kansas.  I found an article on the history of that church that explains where Usher was located.  Interestingly, the land where that church was located was leased from Asmus Marxen, who was the father of Anna and Wilhelmina (Minnie) who were married to Pastor G. W. Hafner who served Concordia, Frohna, and Pastor W. F. Dommer who served Salem, Farrar.

Rudolph and Anna’s son Waldemar August Rook was born on June 13, 1914, in Usher.  Pastor Rook accepted a call to Ruth, Huron County, Michigan in 1915.  His wife, Anna, died on September 28, 1915, and is buried at Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Huron County.

On November 15, 1916, Pastor Rook married Marie Amalie Schirmhoff, who was a resident of Jersey City, New Jersey.  Some records say that she was a Practical Nurse, but I found no story on how the couple became acquainted. We have a copy of the marriage license record and a newspaper article for that event.

Their daughter, Clara Louise Rook, was born on September 5, 1917, in Ruth.  We have a family photo of the Rooks likely taken in 1919.

Pastor Rook accepted a call in 1920 to the Peace Congregation in Friedenberg, Perry County, Missouri.  There is a newspaper article that announced his arrival there.  We also have a brief excerpt from the Friedenberg Remembrances book about his time there.

In 1925, he accepted a call to Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar about seven miles away.  There was a newspaper article announcing his installation in the county paper and a photo of him that was taken about that time.

During his service at Salem, a second school building was added, and an addition was made to the church building, which was built in 1886, to accommodate more seating.  In 1934 he accepted a call to Ionia, Michigan as reported in this newspaper article.  We also have a recent photo of St. John’s Lutheran Church.

In July of 1952 he accepted a call to his final pastorate at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sarcoxie, Missouri, which is near Joplin.  This is reported in an article in a Springfield newspaper and a photo of that church.

Pastor Rudolph August Rook died on December 18, 1953, in Sarcoxie.  His obituary was published in the Perry County Republican.  His wife died in Baltimore Maryland in 1987.  They are buried in the Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson, Missouri.

You might be asking why Pastor Rook, who died on the other side of the state was buried in Jackson.  You need to remember that he was a Missouri Synod Pastor and how we see time and time again that the six degrees of separation are a lot closer in our church body.  Well, here is the connection – Pastor Rook’s sister Wilhelmina (Minna) married Reverend John Henry Strickert a 1915 graduate of the Springfield Seminary.  He served at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tilset in rural Cape Girardeau County from 1926 to 1953.  He died in Jackson in 1960 and he and Minna are also buried in the Russell Heights Cemetery.  I will also mention that Rudolph Rook’s brother, Conrad, graduated from the Springfield Seminary in 1916 and married Eleanora Gallmeyer who was a niece of Rudolph’s first wife.