People who have become familiar with the story of the German Lutheran immigration to America in 1838-1839, which was led by Rev. Martin Stephan, are probably familiar with the name of Louise Guenther. Rev. Stephan was exiled from the Perry County colony in May of 1839, partly as a result of sexual impropriety. The main … More The Miscreant Maid Marries
I am writing a different type of story today. Usually I make an attempt to give you a person’s life history from cradle to grave. I cannot do that today. I cannot even come close. The main character in today’s story was in the United States for only two years, after which he and his … More Mourning Marbach Matron
The original Kaempfe family arrived aboard the Johann Georg as part of the Gesellschaft in 1839. I wrote a post about the early years in Perry County for the Kaempfe’s that was titled, Prof. Godfather. These Kaempfe’s eventually had a farm in Millstadt, Illinois, and one of their sons, Traugott, moved back to Perry County, … More Kaempfe’s Carriage
I have already written a few posts that have included Bernhardt Palisch. Just this past week, I wrote the story, Lichtenegger in Altenburg, which told of one of his daughters marrying a Lichtenegger. That is not the only story on this blog which has mentioned Bernhardt as the father of a story character. Another story … More Two Wives – Two Dozen Children
I live in the area that was originally named Dresden when the Gesellschaft arrived on the scene in Perry County in 1839. Gerard Fiehler jokingly calls me the Mayor of Dresden. That means nothing since there is no such place anymore. However, there was a time when there was such a place. The map below … More Adolph of Dresden
Our story today starts with a birthday on April 4, 1885. The birthday girl was Magdalena (Lena) Grosse of Altenburg. She was the daughter of John and Lina (Petzoldt) Grosse. She was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Here is her baptism record in two images. The John Grosse house was located in Altenburg where … More Art and Lena’s Assorted Children
An sad, but interesting, death took place on this date in 1851 in Altenburg, Missouri. This event caused me to do quite a bit of thinking and searching, and the end result is that this post will take quite a few side trips. The death involved a very young boy by the name of Elias … More Elias Estel’s Early End
May 30th and May 31st are infamous days in the history of the German immigration to Perry County which took place in 1838-1839. These are the days when the leader of the Gesellschaft, Rev. Martin Stephan, was found guilty of several charges and then sent into exile in Illinois. It is a story that is … More Exiled to the Devil’s Bake Oven
Johann Gottlieb and Johanna Christiana Palisch came to America with six children in 1839. In addition, Johanna was quite pregnant with her seventh child when she sailed on the Johann Georg. That child, Martin Stephan Palisch, who was named after the leader of the immigration, was born on April 3, 1839 in St. Louis, only … More Palisch #10
Some folks might think of December 9th as the day on which Charlie Brown’s Christmas first aired in 1965. I prefer to think that the first airing of Charlie Brown’s Christmas took place on the 126th anniversary of the opening of the Log Cabin College in Altenburg in 1839. That makes today the 178th anniversary … More Happy Birthday, Concordia Seminary
