Joe Gerhardt – Cape Girardeau Building Contractor

I will begin with a lonely baptism record found in our German Family Tree. It is the only record found in our GFT for today’s birthday boy. Joseph Rudolph Gerhardt was born on January 28, 1900, thus making today his 125th birthday. Joseph was the son of Julius and Anna (Heintz) Gerhardt. He was baptized … More Joe Gerhardt – Cape Girardeau Building Contractor

White Pearl Maker

Karl Oswald Gerhardt was born on July 31, 1869, the final child of Julius and Amalie (Leine) Gerhardt. If he was still alive today, he would be celebrating his 153rd birthday. Oswald’s baptism record can be found in the books of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg. An image of that record is displayed below. Oswald … More White Pearl Maker

Herman the Brewer

I will begin today with an admission that there is some dispute about the birthdate of today’s main character. Our German Family Tree states that Herman Ludwig was born on January 22, 1859. However, his later death certificate not only states that his birthday took place on January 21st, but it also says he was … More Herman the Brewer

George Gerhardt – From Blacksmith to Selling Refrigerators

Today’s post once again sent me off on some more tangential research (down some extra rabbit holes).  This time, I was off on a journey to learn the history of refrigeration and tractor trailers.  I had actually done some of this research a while back on refrigeration when I was writing my Wittenberg ’03 book.  … More George Gerhardt – From Blacksmith to Selling Refrigerators