One hundred thirty-five years ago, a set of twin boys was born in Altenburg, Missouri. Their story, along with their mother and siblings, will take us on quite a trip, and also connect with another old post with an unexplained mystery. Ernst Rudolph and Johannes Friedrich Winter were born on July 2, 1885, the sons … More Winters on Route 66
I get to tell the tale involving a brand new surname for this blog today. That name is Gerstacker. Today’s birthday girl is Emma Gerstacker, the daughter of Johann George and Eva (Bergmann) Gerstacker. She was born on June 29, 1882 and baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville, Missouri. On Ancestry.com, many of the … More Menfro Moldenhauer’s
In the early years of the German Lutheran immigration, Rev. C.F.W. Walther married Emilie Buenger. We will discover another Emilie today that married a Walther, making her another Emilie Walther. If you follow this blog regularly, you are probably already aware of the fact that there were some famous Walther’s who were pastors in the … More Another Emilie Walther
The saga you will be told today begins with a girl’s birthday on this date in St. Louis, Missouri, but it certainly does not end there. The girl’s name was Anna Marie Schuricht. She was born on June 15, 1856, the daughter of Johann Fuerchtegott and Anna Susanna (Tirmenstein) Schuricht. The story of Anna Marie’s … More Kinder’s Freund (Children’s Friend)
A wedding took place on this day 121 years ago at Zion Lutheran Church in Pocahontas, Missouri. The groom was August Bendel; the bride was Emma Kranawetter. Their story is yet another case in which the people involved began living in Missouri, but spent most of their lives in Illinois. August Bendel was born on … More Bendel the Burier
Benjamin Hopfer and Emma Vogel were married on this date 114 years ago. Although Emma lived to the ripe, old age of 92, her husband, Ole’ Ben Hopfer, oulived her, making it into three-digit territory. We will take a look at this couple today. Benjamin Hopfer was born on November 10, 1882, the son of … More Ole’ Ben Hopfer
I am going to use today’s post to point out a big change that has taken place within the schools of America, including our Lutheran schools. I will begin by using some common words often used to initiate stories. “Once upon a time,…” Once upon a time, America’s classrooms were full of men teachers. In … More Men Teachers
When I found a marriage that united a Brunkhorst with a Wichern on this date back in 1881, I immediately thought of two boat landings along the banks of the Mississippi River. These landings no longer exist, but they once were important places back when there were no bridges nearby to enable folks to cross … More Brunkhorst Weds Wichern in Jacob
You might call today’s post a continuation of yesterday’s. I will tell you the tale of Arthur Estel’s younger brother, Walter. I found this story quite easily. I started my search in the German Family Tree where I left off yesterday, looking for a life event that took place on April 12th. The search took … More Brother Walter – The Station Agent
The post, The Estels Go East, was published back in 2017. It told the tale of Paul and Mathilda (Schneier) Estel. Today, I will tell the story of their eldest son, Arthur Estel. In a photo taken when Paul and Mathilda celebrated their 50th anniversary, we see Arthur standing in the back row on the … More Arthur and Caroline from Jacob
