Two passengers aboard ships that traveled across the Atlantic Ocean in 1838-1839 as part of the Gesellschaft were born on the Fourth of July. The first birthday they would celebrate in Perry County in 1839 would also be the 63rd birthday of America. It wouldn’t be until 1870 that the Fourth of July became an … More Born on the Fourth of July
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
Samuel Martin Tirmenstein brought his family to the United States in 1839 as part of the Gesellschaft. One of his children who also traveled aboard the Olbers was Samuel Martin Tirmenstein, Jr. Samuel, Jr. married Dorothea Doerries in 1855, and that couple began having children. When their first son was born, he was given the … More Premiere Lutheran Publisher
A Christmas song asks the question, Mary, Did You Know? I have to ask the following similar questions of Mary Bretscher. Mary, did you know whether you were born on December 31st or January 1st? Mary, did you know whether you were born in 1844 or 1845? I have to ask these questions because we … More Mary, Did You Know….Your Birthday?
One hundred sixty-four years ago, a wedding took place in Frohna, Missouri with Ernst Eduard Burkhardt as the groom and Johanna Schuessler as the bride. The wedding took place on September 6, 1855. Both the bride and the groom had come to America aboard the same ship in 1839, but they were both young children … More Ernst Eduard’s Women
Today would have been the 162nd anniversary of Paul Martin and Anna (Lange) Estel. They were married at Old Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis on June 7, 1857. We have this marriage record, although it is just an entry in an Excel worksheet. I chose to write this story for a variety of reasons. … More Estel & Lange
Christian Gottlieb Augustin was one of the original immigrants who was part of the Gesellschaft in 1839. When he arrived in America, he was just 19 years old, and he came by himself. We see him on this passenger list from the ship, Olbers. Christian joined the immigrants who came to Perry County, and he … More An Original Cartwright
I have mentioned before that I do not often look at dates of death when locating stories to tell on this blog, but today is such a case. In fact, for the individual we will look at today, the death record is all we have. We do not know a birth date, a wedding record, … More The Oldest Immigrant
I do not have much time for writing today, but I am going to attempt to complete a quick post. I will tell the story of some of the first Fischers who arrived in Perry County in 1839. Normally, I focus on a more joyful event like a birth or a wedding, but today, it … More A Few of the First Fischers
Two hundred fifteen years ago, Ferdinand Boehlau was born in Leipzig, Germany. His birthday was September 16, 1803, just a few months after the official announcement of the Louisiana Purchase. Ferdinand would end up living in a portion of that land acquisition because he became part of the Gesellschaft that arrived in Missouri in 1839. … More Lutheran Hall of Fame Sponsors
