I am excited to write today’s story. It is a story that not only briefly touches my family tree, but it is also one the enters my neighborhood. When I bought my uncle’s property and moved to Altenburg 14 years ago, I became a neighbor of Elvira Weber, her son, Butch, and her daughter, Betty, … More Weber’s in My Neighborhood
You will be reading the story of Henry Ziegler today. You will discover that, although he did not have a typical East Perry County surname, both of his wives did. You will also likely be amazed at some of the differences between his two wives. Let’s start with Henry. John Henry Ziegler was born on … More Henry Ziegler and His Two Wives
In a previous post, Double Stepmother – Never a Birth Mother, the story was told of a woman who was the stepmother of William Schuessler. William was briefly mentioned in that post. Today, I will spend some time focusing on William, who is today’s birthday boy. William is the grandfather of one of our museum’s docents, … More William and Mathilda – The Schuessler’s
Barbara Marie Rodewald was born on May 24, 1867, so she is today’s birthday girl and she would be celebrating her 155th birthday. Barbara was the firstborn child of Edward and Christiana (Sandler) Rodewald. She was baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg, so we cannot view an image of her baptism record. Barbara is … More Albert and Barbara – To Texas and Back
Let me set the scene for today’s story. Back in the 1880’s, some Perry County residents moved across the Mississippi River to form a new congregation in Jacob, Illinois that was named Christ Lutheran Church. Several other immigrants settled in that area and joined that congregation, but there always was a close connection between the … More Another Farrar-Jacob Duo
Today’s main character is not only today’s birthday girl, celebrating her 130th birthday, but she also died on her 77th birthday. Her name is Adeline “Lena” Elizabeth Boxdorfer, born on April 9, 1892. Lena was the daughter of Albert and Barbara (Rodewald) Boxdorfer and baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. We can take a … More Lena Died on Her Birthday
No! No! This post will not detail any changes made in the official doctrine or practices in the Lutheran Church. When all is said and done, the Lutheran church will retain its reputation for being reluctant to change. Instead, this story will document a married pair that may just set a record for having church … More Lutheran Church Changes
Christine Rodewald was born on December 24, 1847, the daughter of Peter and Regina (Klemp) Rodewald. Our German Family Tree lists Christine as the 4th child born into this Rodewald family, but some Ancestry.com family trees claim there were additional children that were older than Christine. As near as I can tell, this Rodewald family … More We Celebrate the Birth of Christ-ine
I think the Bogenpohl surname has only shown up a few times on this blog. Even when it did, that name was not one that was a major part of the story. That will change today, because the main character in this post is a Bogenpohl. Martin Bogenpohl was born on September 30, 1886, the … More Martin, Anna, and Clara
It is going to be a busy morning. A bus tour of 45 people from Arnold, Missouri is coming for a tour at our museum. They will arrive when the local annual Vacation Bible School is taking place at Trinity Lutheran Church here in Altenburg. We have to make several unusual accommodations to make this … More A Cemetery Stumper Solution
