Today’s title is a mouthful in the German language. Auswanderungs-Gesellschaft is a German term that gets translated as “emigration society” in English. I have often used the scaled-down version of this term, Gesellschaft, in several posts when describing the basic group that consisted of the immigrants, their leadership, and the way they were governed and … More Auswanderungs-Gesellschaft
An event took place on this day that had a great impact on the immigrants here in Perry County, but also had results which are evidenced today throughout the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. And that event occurred here in Altenburg (although I still argue that it took place in Dresden, Missouri and should be called the … More The Altenburg Debate: Who Won?
A fascinating story took place on April 9th in East Perry County, and the characters in the story had absolutely nothing to do with the Lutheran immigration. However, its timing came awfully close to corresponding with the arrival of the German Lutherans into Perry County. It took place in 1839. According to Zion on the … More Mississippi Marriage Misfortune: Tragedy at Tower Rock
There seems to be some dispute about when the steamboat Clyde arrived in St. Louis with the immigrants that had voyaged across the Atlantic aboard the Johann Georg. However, an article in a St. Louis newspaper said that the Clyde had arrived on January 24, 1839, so that is the date that is agreeable to … More And Then There Were Two
Those of you that know me, know that I am a retired teacher whose supposed expertise was in the area of mathematics. I am even teaching one Math class each day this year on an interim basis. So it is true that I did not spend much time teaching history. However, now that I am … More Tales from an Old Newspaper
Today, we will be telling a story about some folks that became part of the Gesellschaft for just a short time. One of them ended up as the founder of a multinational company which still exists today. That company is the Timken Company, a business that manufactures and sells bearings around the world. Jacob Timken, … More Reducing Friction
On November 18, 1838, the last of the ships which were part of the Gesellschaft sailed from the German port of Bremerhaven. This made a total of five ships which were carrying a total of approximately 700 people who had decided to start new lives in America. The two ships leaving on that day were … More The Olbers and Amalia Depart
For passengers aboard the Copernicus and the Johann Georg, November 3rd in 1838 must have been a day of apprehension and excitement. For many of these folks, the preparation for the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States had been going on for quite some time. It was finally the day for them … More The Voyage Begins
