The surname, Harnisch, has never appeared on this blog before. And that surname never made it into Perry County. However, it is included in our German Family Tree, and it is one of the names that is listed in bold face type. When Lynn Degenhardt put together the GFT, he chose to make the original German Lutheran immigrants noticeable by listing them in bold face type. The Harnisch’s have not had a story told on this blog yet, but they were part of the Stephanite immigration that took place in 1839. The Harnisch’s, after arriving in America, was a family that made the decision to remain in St. Louis and not settle with most of the other immigrants in Perry County. I am going to write the story today about Adolph Harnisch, who was 12 years old when he made the voyage to this country.

Johann Adolph Harnisch was born on November 7, 1826 in Dresden, Germany. Adolph was the son of Gottfried and Friedericke Harnisch. I was unable to determine the maiden name of Adolph’s mother. Adolph’s parents joined the Gesellschaft, which was under the leadership of Rev. Martin Stephan. Since Rev. Stephan was the pastor of the Lutheran church in Dresden, I think it is likely that the Harnisch family were members of his congregation. When the immigrants boarded ships in November of 1838, the Harnisch’s were assigned to travel aboard the ship, Olbers. That was the same ship on which Rev. Stephan traveled. We can see the Harnisch’s on the passenger list for that ship which was compiled when the Olbers arrived in New Orleans. Two children, Johann Adolph and his younger sister, Anna Dorothea, are listed with their parents. Adolph’s father was called a shoemaker. The ditto marks, (“), if the image was extended upward would show that this family was from Dresden.

Adolph is found in one census entry prior to his marriage. He is found in the 1850 census at the age of 23. The same 4 persons that were listed on the above passenger list are included in this entry. The marking behind Adolph’s name indicates that he had the same occupation as his father…a shoemaker.

Adolph was married during the next decade, so we will now take a look at the woman who would become his bride. Her name was Johanne Christine Hagemann, who was born on April 29, 1828. According to her Family Search information, Christine was born in Hohenassel, Germany. She was the daughter of Johann and Johanna (Stanze) Hagemann. I found a bit of evidence that Christine came to this country in 1847, but I was unable to locate her in the 1850 census. I suspect that she settled in St. Louis because that is where she got married.

Adolph Harnisch married Christine Hegemann on May 28, 1854 at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis. That means today would be their 172nd wedding anniversary. The St. Louis marriage record below says that they were married by Rev. Fr. Wyneken, who was one of the pastors at Trinity at that time. Rev. Wyneken was also the 2nd president of what eventually became known as the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

There are 6 baptism records for babies born to this couple in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis. When the 1860 census was taken, this couple was listed right beneath the entry for Adolph’s parents. Adolph and Christine had 4 children by this time, but their first child had died as an infant. Both Adolph and his father were called shoemaker masters.

Next, we find the Harnisch’s in the 1870 census. There were 5 children in their household. This time, Adolph was no longer a shoemaker. He was called a private watchman.

The youngest son in this family, Charles, died in 1873. Then Christine Harnisch died in 1879 at the age of 51. We can view this St. Louis death record for her.

Adolph was a widower in the 1880 census. He was still working as a watchman. His oldest son, Henry, was a druggist.

Adolph Harnisch died in 1889 at the age of 63. We can also take a look at his St. Louis death record. Even though this is a St. Louis death record, it says that Adolph died in Dolton, Illinois which is located in the Chicago metropolitan area.

I was also able to find a Chicago, Illinois death certificate for Adolph.

I discovered that one of Adolph’s daughters, Elizabeth, had married Theodore Pfotenhauer in 1883. Their St. Louis marriage record is shown here. It says that Theodore was from Minnesota. Theodore had become a Lutheran pastor and was serving a congregation in Minnesota. Later, Rev. Pfotenhauer took a call to the Chicago area, and that is where this couple was living when Adolph Harnish died in 1889. I thought that might have been where Adolph was living when he died.

I then discovered that another Harnisch daughter, Carolina, had married Carl Noack in 1882. That St. Louis marriage record is displayed below. It says Carl was from Dolton, Illinois where he was also a Lutheran pastor. I now think Adolph was living with that couple when he died in Dolton in 1889.

The two St. Louis death records for Adolph and Christine Harnish shown above both say that they were going to be buried at the New Saxon Cemetery in St. Louis. That cemetery would later be named Concordia Cemetery. Findagrave.com has entries for both Adolph and Christine in the Concordia Cemetery, but neither one of them have gravestone photos.

As has already been demonstrated, two Harnisch daughters must have met students studying at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and eventually became pastors’ wives. I might add that there were Pfotenhauer and Noack descendants who also became Lutheran pastors. The oldest of the Harnisch sons, Henry, went on to become a physician in St. Louis. Henry’s later obituary gives evidence of his involvement in the Lutheran Hospital in St. Louis as well as the organization of Emmaus Lutheran Church in that city.

Today’s Harnisch family had quite an influence on the Lutheran communities in St. Louis and elsewhere around the country.