February 28th was the birthday of a former pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. His name was Rev. Paul Roesener (although there are different documents that show that he had several different first and middle names), and he was born in Berlin, Germany in 1853. I am going to start with Pastor Roesener’s obituary … More Happy Birthday, Pastor Roesener
Those of you that know me, know that I am a retired teacher whose supposed expertise was in the area of mathematics. I am even teaching one Math class each day this year on an interim basis. So it is true that I did not spend much time teaching history. However, now that I am … More Tales from an Old Newspaper
Before I discuss the arrival of the Olbers in New Orleans on January 20, 1839, I want to tell a little tale of an artist who for a while lived in St. Louis. His name was Henry Lewis. After being born in England in 1819, his family came to America. Eventually, Henry became a carpenter … More Olbers in New Orleans
A Schuricht family history book includes the following paragraph which includes an account of the death of Johann Gottlob Schuricht on January 8, 1839. Based on evidence that we have at our museum, here is what I think happened. Johann Gottlob Schuricht (who appears to already be a Junior in the Schuricht family history) brought … More Buried on the Bank
The Republik was getting very near to its destination. It was now in the Gulf of Mexico headed for the port city of New Orleans. The ship had already been at sea for a little over two months. Then, six days before the end of the voyage, the first and only death on the Republik … More Buried at Sea
This past November 3rd, we posted a story about the departure of two ships from Bremerhaven, Germany. That post was titled, The Voyage Begins. The Copernicus and the Johann Georg left on that day in 1838. On New Year’s Eve, we posted the story about the arrival of the Copernicus in New Orleans. That article … More Another New Orleans Arrival
The first ship that was part of the Gesellschaft, the Copernicus, arrived in New Orleans on December 31, 1838. What they would experience there would both amaze them and disgust them. Arriving on New Year’s Eve would add to that experience. As a result of the Louisiana Purchase, the American flag would first be flown … More New Year’s Eve in New Orleans
The people that may have been gathered at the riverfront in what would eventually become Wittenberg, Missouri on Thursday, December 12th in 1839 probably did not expect the arrival of around 140 more German immigrants. A few might have been aware that another group of immigrants was supposed to arrive someday soon, but in the … More The Comeback of the Johann Georg
On November 18, 1838, the last of the ships which were part of the Gesellschaft sailed from the German port of Bremerhaven. This made a total of five ships which were carrying a total of approximately 700 people who had decided to start new lives in America. The two ships leaving on that day were … More The Olbers and Amalia Depart
November 12th was the day of departure from Bremerhaven, Germany of the Republik, a ship full of German Lutherans who were looking for a new start in America. Here are a few photos of the passenger lists as they were recorded when the ship arrived in New Orleans on January 12, 1839. The Gotthold Loeber … More The Republik Sails to the Republic
