We begin today’s post with the birth of a baby boy in Wittenberg, but this story does not end there. This boy ended up living in two other states during his life. That baby boy was named Curt Treumund Harnagel, who was born on April 5, 1896. That means today would be Curt’s 130th birthday. … More Curt Harnagel – Wittenberg to Toledo to Fort Worth (and an Easter Baby)
Altenburg is a very small town. Yet, some folks around here have a term used for that the section of town you enter after you have driven past Trinity Lutheran Church and head east toward Wittenberg. It is jokingly referred to as LA (Lower Altenburg). It is somewhat of a derogatory term for this part … More Emma Niederstadt and Her St. Louis Truck Gardener
I am going to start today’s post by displaying a 1910 census entry from near Wittenberg, Missouri. It shows a Heins couple, John and Hulda (Richter) Heins, along with two teenagers, Irene and Edwin, who are called adopted children. You can also see that they were the same age, indicating that they were twins. In … More The McCourt Twins – Or the Heins Twins?
I am not a blog writer this weekend. Instead I am a volleyball spectator. Our twin granddaughters are participating in the Illinois Lutheran State Volleyball Tournament in the Edwardsville/Collinsville area. As is often the case when Grandma and I are away from Altenburg and are busy with grandchildren, I am sharing a previously written post. … More Pastor’s Wife in Ontario, Canada
In today’s post, I will eventually get around to a birthday girl, but I have decided to begin with the man who would become her husband. This man had what I would describe as a very complicated and sometimes confusing early life. I hope I get it right, because I think there are several folks … More Fred Fassel’s Friedheim Frau
My late cousin, Myrtle (Schilling) Kuehnert’s husband was called Ernst Kuehnert. Today, I will be telling the story of Ernst’s parents. Myrtle’s mother-in-law is today’s birthday girl, so I will begin with her. Lydia Concordia Boehme was born on July 16, 1888, so today would be her 137th birthday. Concordia was the daughter of Ludwig … More Myrtle’s In-Laws
Today’s main character, Charles Frentzel, lived in a variety of locations and was married to 3 different women. Charles outlived all 3 of those wives, and he himself did not make it to his 60th birthday. From what I see in the documents for Charles, I come to the conclusion that he lived a rather … More Charles Frentzel’s Tragic Life
Today you will read about a husband and wife that passed through East Perry County early in their lives before spending their later days in St. Louis. I guess you could say that it is in opposition to my own personal story which has me beginning my life in St. Louis and will likely end … More Herman and Maria – A Meyer-Rogalski Pair
A marriage that took place 170 years ago on this date that led to this couple operating a hotel in what became the bustling river town of Wittenberg, Missouri. The bride and groom had their beginnings in Germany. Let’s take a look at them. The groom, Carl Friedrich Nennert, was born on October 12, 1836 … More Nennert Hotel – Wittenberg, MO
The birthday boy for today is Reinhold Selmer Kasten, who was born on February 24, 1872. Therefore, today would be his 153rd birthday. Reinhold was the son of Carl and Juliane (Lehner) Kasten. He was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. His baptism record is displayed here. Reinhold is found in the 1880 … More Reinhold Kasten – Cape Girardeau Bookkeeper
