Today was the wedding day for Oswald and Gustav. That may seem quite unusual, but for some reason not known to me, Augusta Pfeiffer became known as Gustav, a name almost exclusively associated with men. A family history on Ancestry.com refers to Augusta as “Gustav”. Today would have been the 123rd anniversary for Augusta and … More Oswald and Gustav Haertling
Today’s birthday girl is Emma Ruehling. She was born on May 30, 1869 in Altenburg, Missouri. Her parents were Frederick and Martha (Goethe) Ruehling. She was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. Her parents were one of the last couples married in Trinity’s old church, and Emma was one of the first children to … More Emma Takes Over a Family
I was first attracted to a Brandes/Franke wedding because it took place on this day 125 years ago. As it turned out, this marriage only lasted 12 years. The story certainly contains some tragic deaths, but it is also one of those stories where the extended family pitched in to provide care for children who … More A Uniontown Family Copes with Tragedy
Over the years, I have witnessed a few special weddings in which either the bride or the groom was married by a pastor who was also part of the family. A wedding that took place on this day back in 1908 was such a marriage ceremony. I am going to begin by describing the beginnings … More Arno and Ida Tie the Knot
Our story today starts with a birthday on April 4, 1885. The birthday girl was Magdalena (Lena) Grosse of Altenburg. She was the daughter of John and Lina (Petzoldt) Grosse. She was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Here is her baptism record in two images. The John Grosse house was located in Altenburg where … More Art and Lena’s Assorted Children
Lina Koenig was born on January 15, 1887 in New Wells, Missouri. She is today’s birthday girl. Her parents were Edward Wilhelm and Juliana (Reuschel) Koenig. We have these photos of Lina’s parents. Lina was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. Below is her baptism record. When Lina was 19 years old, she … More Kaempfe-Koenig and the Farm near Frohna
Thirty years ago, I woke up on a New Year’s Day, remembering that the night before I had asked my wife to marry me. I was a 38 year old bachelor at the time. I guess you could say that I needed a woman, and Sandi was the woman for me. I cannot help but … More When a Man Needs a Woman
Ella Lydia Koenig was born on December 11, 1892, so today would have been her 126th birthday. Her parents were Emanuel and Clara (Weinhold) Koenig. She was the sister of John Koenig, whose story was written in the post shown below. A Koenig-Lorenz Couple Lydia was baptized at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar, Missouri. This … More Siegmund and Lydia – The Oswalds from Stringtown
We enter the month of December today. We enter the season of Advent and approach Christmas. I think it is only right that today’s story leads us to a marriage in which both the father of the groom and the father of the bride were named Immanuel. However, it was the birth of the groom … More A Koenig-Lorenz Couple
I am once again away from Altenburg for a few days, so I am at the disadvantage of not being able to use the resources we have in our musuem’s library. I’ll have to just use online sources to find information in the meantime. As for today’s story, I think our guest blogger, Wayne Schuessler, … More Just the Two of Them
