I do not have a new surname in today’s post. I have a new first name. That name is Pancratius. I did a search in our German Family Tree for this unusual name and discovered that it only occurs within the Muench family. There are sites online that indicate this name means “all powerful”. Pancratius … More P Is for Pancratius
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
Before I get too far into today’s story, let me say that once again, I had to create a new folder for another surname because of this tale. Actually, the surname has shown up briefly in one previous post, but that one did not contain any images for this new surname. That surname was Wiebener, … More Married and Buried in Alva, Oklahoma
Not long ago, I published a post, Mehner Merchants, that told the story of Henry Mehner. Today, you will read the story of Henry’s parents. His father, often called Fritz Mehner, is today’s birthday boy, so I will begin with him. Friedrich August Mehner was born on April 19, 1843 in the Saxony region of … More Fritz and Elise Mehner
Walter Hacker would have been celebrating his 133rd birthday today. Walter Andrew Hacker was born on November 23, 1887, the son of Christopher and Adele (Schmidt) Hacker. Walter was baptized at Peace Lutheran Church in Friedenberg, Missouri. The records for that congregation were destroyed in a fire, so we cannot view his baptism record. When … More Longtown Hacker Household
Clara Thieret is today’s birthday girl. While looking into her story, I ran into a few interesting connections. One was that her grandmother’s surname was Lang. If you go another generation back, you find that her great great grandmother was Barbara Katherine Schmeuszer, who was the daughter of Count Schmeuszer. I found this paragraph in … More Great Great Great Granddaughter of Count Schmeuszer
Fritz was a fairly common nickname around here for someone with the given name Friedrich or Frederick. Today, you will read the story of a man called Fritz, who is also the birthday boy. Since documents differ on whether Fritz was from France or from Germany, I will discuss whether he was Fritz from Germany … More Fritz from France, the Perryville Painter
When I was a boy and my family would travel to Perry County to visit my relatives, we would travel down Highway 61 and pass through the village of Longtown. I remember asking why they called it Longtown because it certainly wasn’t long after entering Longtown that you were then leaving it. It is a … More Some Funke Longtown Beginnings
