When I found a marriage that united a Brunkhorst with a Wichern on this date back in 1881, I immediately thought of two boat landings along the banks of the Mississippi River. These landings no longer exist, but they once were important places back when there were no bridges nearby to enable folks to cross … More Brunkhorst Weds Wichern in Jacob
John Wichern is our birthday boy today. He was born on February 13, 1893, so he would have been 127 years old today. John was the son of Henry and Louise (Leible) Wichern, the 4th of 9 children born into that family. Only 3 of the 9 were boys. I have written several stories that … More John Wichern – Machinist and Mechanic
I will discuss two quite prominent names which can be found in the history of East Perry County today. Those two names are Mahnken and Versemann. Our research library does not have family history binders for either one of these names, but a rather interesting drawing has been made of the Versemann family tree. One … More Beginning of the Mahnken-Versemann Branch
Two Engels (the German word for “angel”) were highlighted in yesterday’s story. I just so happened to run across another one for April 27th. I have become convinced that the name, Engel, was a very common one given to girls born in the Scheeβel area of Germany in the 1800’s. It’s not a name I … More The Birth of Another Angel
Many stories that are written on this blog never reach out beyond the borders of Perry County, Missouri. People are born, live, and die right here. Not so today. Get ready to be transported all over the place. It all starts on The Ridge. This story is also populated with a type of event that … More From the Ridge to the Mountains by Way of the Beach
I am once again away from Altenburg for a few days, so I am at the disadvantage of not being able to use the resources we have in our musuem’s library. I’ll have to just use online sources to find information in the meantime. As for today’s story, I think our guest blogger, Wayne Schuessler, … More Just the Two of Them
Anna Marie (Mary) Mahnken is today’s birthday girl. She was born on September 26, 1881 in Farrar, Missouri and baptized at Salem Lutheran Church. This is her baptism record. Mary’s parents were John and Mary (Versemann) Mahnken. A little over a year later, a boy by the name of Johannes (John) Friedrich Theodore Bellmann was … More Band of Brothers
One might think that a story about a man who spends all his life being a farmer might not be worthy for telling. First of all, if that was true, I would have to eliminate an awful lot of people from our list of East Perry County residents when I’m looking for subjects for this … More The Wichern’s Home on the Hill
The last child of Johann Stueve was born on this day, March 11, in 1893. Her name was Frieda Emma Maria Stueve. Her mother was Maria (Wichern) Stueve. Frieda was baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna, Missouri. One of the fascinating aspects of this family is the fact that Frieda’s father was married three … More Polish (or Palisch) Off the Stueves
Yesterday’s story about the Jolley Boys Band was a pretty uplifting type of post. Today’s is not. However, there is something similar about yesterday’s blog and today’s. In both cases, the story started with a photograph. Yesterday, a photograph showing a bunch of young men in a band clowning around just had to be used. … More Not Such a Jolly Band
