I started looking for a story to write today by looking for an event that took place not only on October 30th, but on October 30, 1867. I did that because I wanted to find an event that took place the day before Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg was going to dedicate their new church. … More Silent Partner
Today I will attempt to tell the tale of a family of Brunkhorsts who hailed from across the river in Jackson County, Illinois and were members of Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob for a while. It is a story which involves several Johann Brunkhorsts, and I was confused for a short time. I hope I … More JW
While I was looking for a birthday, a death or an anniversary that happened on this day in the past, I really had several stories from which to choose. However, one of them is a story that I just cannot resist, even though it may be the one with which I am the least familiar. … More 2 Bergmanns + 2 Hoehns = Valentine’s Anniversary
We are in the midst of our International Immigration Conference at the Lutheran Heritage Center & Museum, so I do not have much time to devote to blog writing. This will be a quick one which will not contain a lot of visual material. One of the presentations at this year’s conference highlighted the life … More So Many Johanns and Johannes
When you look at a list titled “Additions in St. Louis” in Zion on the Mississippi, you find the name of Johann Friedrich Grünhagen. Today, I will attempt to give you a little glimpse into his life. He was not one to stay in one place, and his time in Perry County was quite short. … More An Old Lutheran’s Odyssey
Today’s blog is about another name that we don’t find anymore in the East Perry County area…….Grother. Today would have been the 145th anniversary of Johann Heinrich Ludwig Grother and Emilie Christiane Palisch. Their anniversary was September 7, 1871. The Grother name became part of the settlement in Perry County by joining the immigrant group … More Another Vanished Name
In 1839, Johann Gottlob and Justine Ernestine (Bock) Fiehler arrived in America with their three year old daughter, Ernestine. They had sailed on the Copernicus. Not long after arriving in Perry County, on June 22, Ernestine gave birth to a son, and they named the boy Johann Gotthilf Fiehler. I am no expert on these … More A Handful of Johanns
One of the tragic stories of the 1839 immigration was the recording of numerous deaths that took place in the Schlimpert family during and not long after the journey to America. There were two Schlimpert families that traveled aboard the Copernicus, and the fathers of these two families are believed to have been brothers. They … More Early Schlimpert Deaths
In October of 1866, Johann Stueve was traveling back to America after picking up Rebecka von Glahn who he planned to marry in America. They were both from the Hanover area of Germany. As you can see in the passenger list above, Rebecka is listed as a 26 year old passenger (along with a Margaretha … More Bringing Back a Bride
