Back when Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim got their first called pastor, Rev. Franz Julius Biltz, one of the first baptisms to be included in that congregation’s books was one for the man who will be highlighted in today’s post. The Lutherans in Friedheim had been served by Rev. Charles Gruber from Uniontown for a … More John Henry Kurre Finds a Drum
I really intended to write a new story for the blog today, but it did not take me long to determine that today was going to be one for me to share an old story. I always start my search for a new story by checking to see if anyone would be celebrating their 200th … More Biltz’s Bicentennial Birthday
A wedding took place in or near Friedheim on this date 175 years ago, and I will attempt to tell the story of that bride and groom today. The marriage record for this couple is found in the books of Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. Since that congregation’s first called pastor, Rev. Franz Julius Biltz, … More Minnie Haupt Finds Her Braunschweiger Maintz
The story you will read today does not have a typical beginning point. Usually I locate a baptism or marriage record and use it to highlight someone’s birthday or anniversary. Every once in a while, I will highlight a day of death. Today is quite different, and quite possibly will be the only one of … More Gun Shot Wound at Wyse Fork Battlefield
The gravestone shown below can be found in the Concordia Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri. I know when I first saw this gravestone, I concluded that it was for the married couple made up of Adolph and Marie Biltz. That is not the case. This is one of those tombstones that marks the graves of … More Two Stories from a St. Louis Gravestone
Contrary to the past two posts on this blog, today’s main character was born and baptized elsewhere and later found his way into our German Family Tree. Then, after spending time at several locations, made his way back to his hometown to be buried. When I find someone who enters this area to stay for … More Pocahontas Pastor from Concordia, MO
Yesterday, I was going to write a blog post even though I knew I had two museum meetings in the afternoon. Then, yesterday morning, Altenburg and its surrounding area lost power, making it impossible to write that post. Long story, short…you are going to read yesterday’s story today. Here we go. A young woman and … More A Voelker-Biltz-Lindner Trio – Add a Boehme
Today’s post begins behind my barn and ends in Los Angeles. Back when I retired from teaching and moved to Altenburg, I was asked to look into what happened to the 11 members of the first class of the Log Cabin College that was built behind my barn. That research resulted in the publication of … More So Much Romance Behind My Barn
A birthday took place on this day 175 years ago that I consider very special. Perhaps it is because there is a chapter in my book Mama Buenger: Mother of a Synod that tells the tale of this child’s baptism. Perhaps it is because this child was likely named after one of the Buenger children … More Liddy’s Namesake
I rarely do a story that originates with the date of a baptism, but that will be the case today. This baptism was one of the first to occur in the German Lutheran settlement in East Perry County, Missouri. This baptism piqued my interest for a couple of reasons, one being the fact that this … More A Baptism on Paar in Perry
