As director, I try to consistently express my thankfulness for all of the people and efforts required to keep this incredible site moving forward. However, sometimes I’m so busy being “present” in the moment that I forget to reflect on the gifts that are showered upon us on a typical day at the Lutheran Heritage … More With a Grateful Heart
On June 12 in 1881, Rev. J.F. Koestering had the privilege of uniting Gottlieb Samuel Meyr and Anna Sarah Haecker in marriage at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. Sarah’s father was one of the original immigrants, coming to America aboard the Olbers. Gottlieb’s family immigrated to America from Austria in 1853. Both Gottlieb and Sarah … More An Austrian Carpenter Marries a Local Girl
Today, June 10th, is Christiane Friedericke (Reiz) Buenger’s birthday. I usually refer to her as Mama Buenger, and she is a main character in my book, “Mama Buenger: Mother of a Synod”. She was born in 1788 so she would have been 228 years old today. She was married to Jakob Friedrich Buenger in Germany … More Happy Birthday, Mama Buenger
We had a wonderful morning with our new friends from St. John’s Lutheran School, Arnold. What an impressive group of young people, faculty, parents, and pastor. It always gives me hope about the future of our country when I meet these great groups of young people. The students were “present,” engaged, and enjoyed a little … More St. John’s Lutheran School, Arnold
Today is the birthday of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (except that was not its original name). First of all, let me say that Perry County is not where the Missouri Synod started. In fact, you could argue that many folks in Perry County fought against the formation of a synod, and there are no churches … More Keepers and Tellers
Today’s post from me is personal. If you look at the same photo above that was in a previous blog post, you will see that two days after the death of Johann Christoph Weber, a young girl, Eve Magdalene Schmidt, died on March 31, 1839. Eva was the two year old daughter of George Joachim … More It Took Commitment
On March 29, 1839, Johann Christoph Weber died at the young age of 44 and was buried in St. Louis, Missouri. He had brought his wife and six children to America as part of the 1838-1839 immigration. They had traveled aboard the Republic to New Orleans and then were transported up the Mississippi River on … More He Almost Made It
If you attend a worship service at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg, you will see another item which came over on the ships in 1838-1839. That item is shown in the photo above. It is a wooden crucifix, and it still adorns the altar at this church. Once again we will use some words written … More Good Friday Image
Today is Maundy Thursday, a day to remember the institution of the Lord’s Supper. We thought it would be a good day to highlight a very precious artifact which was part of the 1838-1839 immigration. That artifact would be the Communion Chalice that is property of Trinity Lutheran Church here in Altenburg. Following are some … More A Sacramental Artifact
The research crew at Lutheran Heritage Center & Museum recently identified a new answer to the above question. According to an old article found in the Perryville paper, Gottwerth Schmidt who died on April 14, 1926, was the last of the original immigrants to die. He also happens to be my great grandfather. We have … More Which of the Original Immigrants Was the Last to Die?
