As we begin the year 2024, I have to adjust some of my search priorities. Some of the special years I will searchin 2024 are 1824 (200 years ago), 1849 (175 years), 1874 (150 years), and 1899 (125 years). Today, I found the character for this post who was born in 1899. I am guessing that a lot … More Walter and Lydia – Illinois and Indiana Engert’s
I am sharing an old post today for a few reasons. One is that I am tired. We just completed two days of hosting people who chose to be a part of this year’s Christmas Country Church Tour. About 1000 people made a tour through our museum to view our Christmas exhibit. Secondly, I discovered that today would be … More A Jacob Preacher’s 180th Birthday
A baby girl was born in Wittenberg 125 years ago. Her name was Olida Sarah Lungwitz. She was born on December 9, 1898, the daughter of Paul and Mary (Boehme) Lungwitz. Olida was born before St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was established in Wittenberg in 1903, so her baptism record is found in the books of … More Wittenberg Postmistress and Boatman
St. John’s Lutheran Church in Ruma, Illinois is celebrating their 175th anniversary this year. It is not often that a story on this blog takes us to that little church in Randolph County, Illinois. Today will be one of those posts. The baptism record for today’s birthday girl is likely to be found in the … More A Rathjen-Rowold Romance
Back in May of 2020, a post was written about Otto Friedrich Weber, who was born on October 27, 1891. That post was titled, Otto and Ida – Ridge Webers. That Otto Weber was baptized and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altenburg. Today, you will read the story of another Otto Weber. What makes today’s … More A Second Otto Weber and His Deniza
Born in Illinois. Baptized in Missouri. Died in Illinois. That is part of the story of Henry Stueve, today’s birthday boy. Henry John Stueve was born on November 27, 1893, so today marks his 130th birthday. Henry was the son of Peter and Mary (Engert) Stueve. Peter and Mary’s lives began in Perry County, and … More Henry and Goldia – Degognia Stueve’s
I have written a bunch of stories involving people with the name, Stueve. The number of posts written about a surname that has a slightly different name, Stueven, is considerably smaller. I did a search on this blog for posts that included the name, Stueve, and stopped counting the number of results after getting to … More Stueven’s in Jacob
Today’s story is a blend between a Brandes and a Bronnenkant. The highlighted couple would be celebrating their 130th wedding anniversary today. I will begin with the Brandes groom. Gustav Friedrich Wilhelm Brandes was born on August 2, 1861, the son of Heinrich and Amalie (Leskiehn) Brandes. Gustav was the firstborn child in this Brandes … More Brandes’s Bronnenkant Bride
The birthday girl for today’s post is Wilhelmine Magdalena Arbeiter, who was born on October 10, 1896. Almost all of her life, she went by the name of Minnie, and even has that name engraved on her tombstone. Minnie was the daughter of Henry and Caroline (Rowold) Arbeiter. She was born in the Fountain Bluff … More Clarence and Minnie – The Goldstein’s
Today’s birthday girl gets into our German Family Tree, not because she was baptized in a local Lutheran church, but because she married a Lutheran man who was. You will eventually learn about her, but I am going to begin this post by looking at the man who became her husband. Joseph Emanuel Brunkhorst was … More Joseph Brunkhorst – Storyteller and Historian
