The story I tell today comes from two entirely different directions. It begins in Jacob, Illinois, meanders through Perry County for a short time, and moves up to St. Louis. A spouse’s life begins in Tennesseee, makes its way to Vancouver, Washington, and that life, too, ends up in St. Louis where these two individuals … More Steamboat Mate’s Daughter to Submarine Chaser’s Wife
Henry and Wilhelmine (Naeser) Schmidt (no relation to me) had a dozen children according to our German Family Tree, and two of them became Lutheran ministers. The two pastors spent most of their careers in the state of Missouri. Those two preachers will be the subjects of today’s saga. This may take a while. I’m … More A Pair of Preacher Schmidts
Yesterday, I wrote about a native from East Perry County who went off to school to learn a profession only to return back to his home to serve that community. I have a similar story today. This time it is not a doctor, but a preacher. This story has its differences. One big one is … More Hometown Preacher
The life story I will tell today highlights a Hopfer. Martin Hopfer was born on June 30, 1866. He was the son of Gottfried and Catherine (Schaefer) Hopfer. Yesterday’s character, Adolph Schaefer, would have called Martin’s mother, Aunt Catherine. So Martin and Adolph would have been cousins. Although I could find no direct connection in … More Martin Hopfer D.D.S.
Back in the days right before the turn of the 20th century, a boy was born in Pocahontas, Missouri, just south of the Apple Creek in north Cape Girardeau County. Ferdinand Friedrick (Fred) Schirmer was born on May 24, 1896. He was the son of Wilhelm and Anna Marie (Putz) Schirmer. Fred was baptized and … More Apple Creek to Dry Creek
No, even though it is Christmas Eve, this post will not be about where the baby Jesus was born. That question was answered long ago. A prophet in the Old Testament said Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem. And when the Magi came to Jerusalem asking where the new baby King was born, the … More Where Was the Baby Born?
Today’s story had too many little interesting tidbits in it that couldn’t be ignored. It’s a story I just had to write. It all started with the birth of Claus Heinrich Brueckner on August 22, 1878. Actually, it also starts with the birth of Katharina Brueckner on the same date. These two were twins. Their … More Brueckner Twins – Strassburg Sisters
Selma Gemeinhardt must have been a pretty amazing woman. During her life, she gave birth to 14 children. Two of them died as infants. Her home in Wittenberg must have been quite the active place, with the likelihood of having a dozen children all living in that house at the same time. She gave birth … More Selma’s Last
Hugo Palisch’s birthday on January 7, 1892 will be the gateway for discussing some of the early developments in the history of the telephone. First, let me tell you a little bit about Hugo. After being born in Frohna, Hugo was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church. His parents were Charles and Lydia (Engelmann) Palisch. In … More The Advent of the Phone
Today’s story was inspired by a post that was placed on Facebook recently. That post was made by our friends at the Perry County Historical Society in Perryville. They posted a letter that was printed in the Perry County Republican on May 8, 1919 that was from Otto Gerler to his father in Altenburg. Before … More Life in a Hard Hat
