This blog has included stories about Gottfried Schmidt, Gotthilf Schmidt, and Gottwerth Schmidt (my great grandfather). So, when I saw the name Gottlob Schmidt pop up as a potential character for a blog post, I thought that I had likely already told his story. However, that is not the case. I will attempt to tell … More A Member of the Paitzdorf Kramer/Schmidt Bunch
The biography you will read today eventually gets around to a wedding that took place on April 5th. Most stories end with an undertaker being involved. This one will involve a man who did the work of an undertaker while he was alive. I have written a previous post that mention today’s couple, but it … More The Undertaker’s Anniversary
Two hundred years ago, Justine Christiane Augusta Mueller was born in Paitzdorf, Germany. Justine was born on June 4, 1823, the daughter of Gottfried Heinrich and Maria (Rothe) Mueller. This Mueller family decided to become members of the Gesellschaft in the late 1830’s, an immigration society with plans to settle in the United States. Justine’s … More Member of Mueller/Mueller Marriage’s Momentous Milestone
Today’s birthday girl begins her life in Germany, comes to America and settles for a while in Perry County, but ends up spending most of her life in Prairie City, Missouri. Before I get to the actual story, let me tell you that, if you want some great background information about how and why Perry … More One of the Bracher/Stueve Couples in Prairie City
Last year in March, I wrote the story of Justine Goethe’s 200th birthday, Justine’s Bicentennial Jubilee. There were 4 Goethe girls in that family, with Justine being the oldest. The time has come now to celebrate the 200th birthday of the second-born child in that family. Regina Goethe was born on December 9, 1822 in … More Regina’s Bicentennial Jubilee
You will be reading a tale today that involves a man and a woman who were part of the Stephanite immigration that took place in 1838-1839. These two would get married on this day 175 years ago. I will begin with the groom. I cannot give you an exact date for the birth of Johann … More The Pastor’s Daughter and the Shoemaker
I am going to begin this post today by explaining the process that I use to discover a story to write. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you already know that I usually tell the tale of someone who has a birthday or wedding anniversary happening on the day that I write … More Baptism Triplets
In today’s story, you will read about how one of the original immigrants who was part of the Gruber Group in 1839 married a girl who was the child of one of the first Perry County Lutheran marriages. I will then follow one branch of this couple’s family tree all the way out to California … More Lutheran Teacher’s Perry County Parents
It is not often that I get to write a story about people that were born as early as the two who are discussed in today’s post. They were each born after the turn of the 19th century in Germany. These two were then part of the original immigration that arrived in America in 1839 … More Two Centuries + Two Decades Old
One of the original immigrants arriving as part of the Gesellschaft in 1839 was Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Koch. I find his story to be interesting because he was a teacher. I suppose I am partial to teacher tales. As I proceed to tell this story, you will discover that it begs some interesting questions. They … More John Koch – Teacher and Organist
