Let me set the scene for today’s story. Back in the 1880’s, some Perry County residents moved across the Mississippi River to form a new congregation in Jacob, Illinois that was named Christ Lutheran Church. Several other immigrants settled in that area and joined that congregation, but there always was a close connection between the … More Another Farrar-Jacob Duo
My grandmother’s name was Bertha Schmidt. I have discovered several Bertha Schmidt’s while researching for this blog. Some of them, like my grandmother, became a Bertha Schmidt by marrying a Schmidt. Others, like a character in today’s story, were born as Bertha Schmidt. I will eventually include her in this story, but I will begin … More Ben and Bertha
Today’s tale begins in Perry County, but the setting changes rather quickly. Most of today’s setting is the Fountain Bluff Township of Jackson County, Illinois, just across the Mississippi River. The birthday girl is Frieda Emma Darnstaedt, who was born on March 5, 1898. Frieda’s parents were Martin and Bertha (Haacke) Darnstaedt. Frieda was one … More Zerbst – Darnstaedt – Rowold
I think most of you would recognize from the title that today’s tale will take place in Illinois. The story begins with the birth of a baby girl in Jacob, Illinois 130 years ago. Sophia Maria Johanna Arbeiter was born on February 7, 1892, the daughter of Henry and Caroline (Rowold) Arbeiter. Several other previous … More From Jacob to Prairie du Rocher to Red Bud
Back in 2017, I published a post titled, Cheyenne Schubarths. That post told the story of Adolph Schubarth spending the last few years of his life in Cheyenne County, Nebraska in a place near the city of Potter. We at the museum sometimes refer to this area of Nebraska as a Perry County suburb because … More More Cheyenne Schubarths
Altenburg and Frohna, Missouri recently had a Christmas lighting contest called, Light Up the Towns. I discovered a birthday boy today that led me to a Light Up the Town story. The birthday boy was instrumental in bringing electricity to the town of Altenburg. George Ludwig (or Louis) Schweizer was born on January 2, 1895, … More Lights On in Altenburg
Johannes Heinrich Claus Kistenmacher was born on December 12, 1869, so he is today’s birthday boy. A marriage record from Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob, Illinois says John was born in Wilhelmsburg, Hanover, Germany. That church record also states that John was the son of Heinrich and Maria (Schlichting) Kistenmacher. Our German Family Tree lists … More Boxmaker’s Wives and Kids
One surname that hopped across the Mississippi River to be found in the vicinity of Jacob, Illinois was Moeckel. You will read about another Perry County name that ends up in Jacob today. That was the surname, Lungwitz. There are only 3 gravesites in the Christ Lutheran Cemetery, the two that were today’s Lungwitz-Moeckel couple … More A Lungwitz-Moeckel Marriage in Jacob
The starting point for today’s story is a wedding that took place on this day in 1894. This may not seem significant, but today is the first day of a new church liturgical year. It is also the beginning of the season of Advent. Things have changed over the years, but the liturgical color for … More Martin or Martha
I am going to write a story about Gustav Wagner today. This is not the first time that I have written about a man named Gustav Wagner. Today’s Gustav was the grandson of the man I have written about before. That Gustav Wagner had married Theresa Palisch, and those two ran what was once called … More Gustav and Frieda
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