The birthday boy for today’s post is Johann Kester, who was born on October 11, 1850. That means today would be his special 175th birthday. Johann was the son of Heinrich and Wilhelmine (Grossheider) Kester. Johann was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim. An image of his baptism record from that congregation’s records is … More Johann and Elvina – More Friedheim Kester’s
On today’s date back in 1885, a baby boy was born in Shawneetown, Missouri. Ferdinand Ernst Martin Rudert would call September 29, 1885 his date of birth. That means today would be his 140th birthday. Martin was the son of Ernst and Ernestine (Schneider) Rudert. The Lutheran Church in Shawneetown had not yet been established … More Martin and Lena – Shawneetown Rudert’s
The birthday boy for today is Charles Frederick William Schmidt, who was born on September 27, 1890. That means today would be his 135th birthday. Charles was the son of Frederick and Carolina (Kiepe) Schmidt. This Schmidt clan has no connection to my Schmidt’s. Charles was baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown. An image … More Charley Schmidt and His Sauer Wife
It is a rare occasion when I use a confirmation record as a starting point for a story, but that is the case today. That confirmation record was noticeable because it did not happen at the normal time in a person’s life. Most Lutheran youngsters get confirmed when they are about 14 years old. Today’s … More Fred Weltecke – Jackson Justice of the Peace
Today, you will be reading the story of another person who was part of the large Engelhart family that lived in the Pocahontas area. That surname is made up of two words, engel and hart. Engel is the German word for “angel”. The word, hart, from what I could determine, could have two different meanings. … More Bertha Engelhart – A Single Hardy Angel Among Many
One lonely church record found in the books of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg leads us to today’s couple. That confirmation record was for a young girl who would eventually marry a very prominent character in the history of Jackson, Missouri. I will begin with the bride in today’s couple. Regina Fredericke Rehkopf was born … More Jacob Kneibert – Jackson Pioneer
I wrote a story about a Kasten yesterday, and I found another one for today. The birthday boy for this post is Ludwig Wilhelm Kasten, who was born on February 25, 1895. That makes today his 130th birthday. Louis was the son of Rudolph and Augusta (Bingenheimer) Kasten and baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in … More Louis Kasten – Jackson Brick Maker
In the Christian Church Year, the Sunday closest to September 29th is called St. Michael’s Sunday. That day recognizes the work of the Biblical archangel, Michael. This year, September 29th is actually on a Sunday. Now that you know that, I have to ask this question. What are the chances that I find a story … More Ida Finds Her Angel Man
The bride in today’s couple is the only one who has a baptism record that we find in a local congregation’s books and is included in our German Family Tree. I am going to begin with her in this post despite the fact that she was born about 9 years after her future husband. Esther … More Shanghai Sailor
I will eventually get around to today’s birthday boy, but I choose to begin with a girl named Louise Frey, who was born on August 20, 1882. According to her later death certificate, Louise was born in Hermann, Missouri. She was the daughter of Philip and Sophie (Bauer) Frey. By the time we can view … More Louise’s Final Danz
