I am republishing an old story today because I do not have time to write. Today is the 98th anniversary of the deadliest tornado in American history, and that tornado went through Perry County. The centennial anniversary of that tragic event will take place in 2 years. =========================================== Ninety-one years ago, on March 18, 1925, … More The Deadliest Tornado
Today’s tale will be yet another one in which one of the main characters is a grandchild of J.G. Hemmann, one of the most prolific fathers in the early history of German Lutherans in Perry County. Heinrich Louis Hemman was born on December 14, 1887, the son of Julius and Gesche (Hesse) Hemmann. Perhaps you … More Hemman Returns for Herring
The surnames of Pfau, Blanken, and Wedig have previously led me to Wentzville, Missouri. Today we add the surnames of Koenig and Stelling to this list. In previous posts, we have mentioned the Koenig Lutheran Cemetery in Wentzville. The fact that these names which are connected to Perry County are also connected to this area … More Tornado Casualty Dies with Baby in Arms
Sally Gustin sent me this post a few days ago. Most of the words in this story are not Sally’s. She shares with us her uncle’s first-hand account of the Tri-State Tornado which, as the name describes, caused death and destruction over three states…..Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. They are the memories of an eye witness … More Fatal Funnel in Fountain Bluff
While looking for an event that took place on July 1 in our German Family Tree, I ran across a simple phrase that led me to an event that took place on a different day. It turned out to be one of those stories that I just felt I had to tell. It is a … More Just Waiting for a Streetcar
In 1925, a seven month old baby flew through the air. No, she didn’t have wings. She wasn’t in a plane. She flew through the air because a tornado tore her away from her mother’s arms and she went flying. Thankfully, this little child survived. Today was the birthday of that baby’s mother. Julia Knoll … More A Baby Flies
***Today’s blog post was written by Fred Eggers, one of the valuable members of our museum’s research crew. Fred is our local expert on the Farrar area, and he shares some of that knowledge in this post. Thanks, Fred. March 18, 1925 will always be remembered as the date of the Tri-State Tornado. A search … More A Tornado Tale of Two Towns
The Ides of March (March 15th) in 1938 was a wild day up and down the Mississippi River Valley in Missouri and Illinois. There were several tornado outbreaks, some of them deadly. Altenburg did not escape without damage. A tornado also roared through Altenburg on that crazy day and caused some devastation, but no loss … More Ides of March Tornado Outbreak
A Correction: Today’s post will be quite different than normal. First of all, after hearing from some people that know a whole lot more than I do about the history of Perry County, I have to correct a piece of information that was in yesterday’s blog. I mistakenly identified the Stueve farm on the map … More A Correction and a Collection
Here is our birthday girl for today. Her name was Louise Wilhelmina Kaempfe, and she was born on February 8, 1866. She is just a starting point for a story that involves several other members of the Kaempfe family. In 1885, she married Claus Stueve, Jr. We will get back to her. Louise’s younger brother, … More Kaempfe Tragedy….and a Tornado Too
