Julius Gotthilf Poppitz had quite an unusual childhood. His mother died before he was even 3 years old. Right after he turned 3, he got a new stepmother. When he was about 7 years old, his stepmother died. At the age of 8, he got his second stepmother. Then when he was just 9, his … More Gotthilf Poppitz – St. Louis Furniture Dealer
The name, Carl or Charles Boehme, is another one of those names that shows up in several places in our German Family Tree. I have previously written stories that have included this name. You will read another such story today. The highlighted Charles Boehme in today’s post happens to be celebrating his 150th birthday. Carl … More Charlie and Susie – Altenburg Playmates?
Today’s tale begins on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, but ends up on the Illinois side. Several stories told on this blog have followed that path, but almost all of them have ended up in Jackson County around Jacob, Illinois. Today, the highlighted couple will spend their lives in Chester, which is located … More Welge – Furniture Dealer in Chester
One of the first things you can see upon entering our museum in Altenburg is the piece of furniture pictured below. On the back, you would find the stamped words, “G.A.O. Altenburg MO”. This piece of furniture was either made or sold by Gustav Adolph Oehlert, who is today’s birthday boy. Gustav’s story was told … More Altenburg Furniture Store
John Preusser was born on December 22, 1883 in Altenburg, Missouri. Although being born and raised in a small town, he spent most of his life in the big city of St. Louis. Today, I will attempt to tell you what I have found out about his life. John’s parents were August and Friedrike (Winter) … More Watch Your Step
Benjamin Friedrich Haenichen, one of the original immigrants (only his name is spelled Haenigen in Zion on the Mississippi), married Friedericke Sophie Hoeschel (another one of the original immigrants) on July 17, 1842 in someone’s home in Altenburg. Both Friedrich and Sophie came to America alone. Here is their marriage record from the Trinity, Altenburg … More Undertaking a Furniture Business
In 1895, a publication called A Modern Eden included this advertisement for the Neubeck Store in Altenburg. Today I tell the story of George Neubeck who was born on April 29, 1836 in Bavaria and is now buried in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Altenburg. According to his biography in Goodspeed’s History of Southeast Missouri, … More Dealer and Healer in Downtown Altenburg
This past week our museum received a donation from Kathy Miesner of a beautiful piece of furniture. One of the things that makes this piece of furniture unique is the fact that on the back side it is stamped with “G.A.O. Altenburg MO”. That means that this item was either made or sold by the … More Often in a Coffin
