FootnotesFALL-WINTER 2008

HistoricalCONCORDIA HISTORICAL INSTITUTE

VOLUME 54 ISSUES 3 & 4

2008 Award Recipients Concordia Historical Institute recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution in the area of AmericanLutheran history through writing, research, and preservation of resources. The award recipients for 2008 are listed in theappropriate categories.

Servant of His Savior: A Biography ofHeinrich Christoph Boettcher (1846-1919)by Rev. Theodore Kohlmeier, SanMarcos, Texas; Werner Krause,Webster Groves, Missouri; Rev.William Staab, Somerset, WisconsinThis book is a significant contribu-tion to the understanding of pastoralministry, church life, and the growthof the Lutheran church in the upperMidwest during the nineteenth andearly twentieth centuries.

“What Was Going On Over There? The Missouri Synod'sStruggle to Understand Pre-War Nazi Germany as Seen inTwo Popular Publications” (Concordia Historical InstituteQuarterly, Vol. 80, #2, summer 2007)by Rev. John Hellwege, St. Louis, MissouriThis article presents a practical summary of what the leadingMissouri Synod journalists understood was occurring inNazi Germany during the years leading up to World War II,particularly the views of Professors Martin S. Sommer,Theodore Graebner, Ludwig Fuerbringer, and JohnTheodore Mueller. The subject matter is of significantimportance to the Missouri Synod since it was founded byGerman immigrants and the bulk of the pre-war member-ship of the Synod was still of German heritage. It was alsoimportant to obtain reliable information to the extent possi-ble to avoid the problems that arose during WWI whenMissouri Synod members were falsely accused of being anti-patriotic merely by virtue of their speaking in the Germanlanguage.

A Seminary in Crisisby Paul A. ZimmermanTraverse City, MichiganThrough solid research, outlining factsand events, and providing insider com-ments, the author has recreated the cir-cumstances and climate of controversyand faith that formed a dichotomywhich tore and strengthened church andfamily in the 1970s.

Independent Immigrants: A Settlement ofHanoverian Germans in Western Missouriby Robert W. FrizzellMaryville, MissouriBringing pioneer life and achievementsto light, the author conveys an in-depthstudy of Hanoverian Germans whomade western Missouri their new land,with all the hopes and dreams imagina-ble. We stand with those pioneers inthis gripping saga.

The Augustana Evangelical LutheranChurch in Printby Virginia P. FollstadWhitewater, Wisconsin

Major Publications Non-Print Media

Store Per: A Norwegian-American PaulBunyan of the Prairieby Nathan Harstad, Mankato,Minnesota; Ben Rubenking, Mankato,Minnesota

picture of rural life in Norway and then in Iowa in the nine-teenth century, plus many illustrative details of the entireemigration. Thus the program is not limited to the story ofStore Per, but serves as a microcosm of the nativeNorwegian rural culture both in Norway and among theNorwegian immigrants in rural America. The program alsois sprinkled with delightful segments of Norwegian folkmusic played on stringed instruments.

Journal Articles

An extremely valuable reference toolfor Swedish-American Lutheran histo-ry and culture, this work identifiesover 300 periodicals published by theAugustana Evangelical LutheranChurch and related institutions.

“The ‘Unknown’ Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg” (LutheranQuarterly, Vol. 21, #1, spring 2007)by Dr. Wolfgang Splitter, Spokane, WashingtonThis article raises intriguing questions about many unknownsides of Muhlenberg despite the wealth of publications thathave dealt with him and suggests fascinating topics toexplore and sources to pursue in future research.

This DVD has excellent cinematogra-phy and gives the viewer a real-life

FALL-WINTER 2008 HISTORICAL FOOTNOTESPage 2

“The Life and Work of Fritz Otto Reuter” (WELS HistoricalInstitute Journal, Vol. 25, #1, April 2007)by Dr. Mark E. Braun, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; WilliamBraun, Milwaukee, Wisconsin“The Life and Work of Fritz Otto Reuter” is neatly packagedand tied with a gold ribbon as a gift to the reader. Whenopened, Reuter's great accomplishments, tempered by hishuman qualities, are there to enjoy.

“No Rest for the Lutherans” (Lutheran Forum, Vol. 41, #3, fall2007)by Richard O. Johnson, Delhi, New YorkThis article sheds light on how confessional Lutheran theol-ogy was debated and applied in America to the lesser-knownissue of the observance of the Sabbath.

“John Philipp Koehler and the Exegetical Task” (LutheranSynod Quarterly, Vol. 47, #1, March 2007)by Peter M. Prange, Mankato, MinnesotaThis article provides not only an important contribution tothe research of theological trends in early twentieth-centuryAmerican Lutheranism, but also, through Koehler's articula-tion of the hermeneutical method, important principles to beapplied to present and future theological discussions.

“History of the Seminary Chorus: 75 Years Singing NewSongs to the Lord” (WELS Historical Institute Journal, Vol. 25,#1, April 2007)by James P. Tiefel, Milwaukee, WisconsinThe author goes far beyond relating the factual evolvementof the “Seminary Chorus;” fed by his choices, he puts heartinto the telling. He cannot conceal the twinkle in his eye ashis pen speaks.

Award Recipients (continued from page one)

The Stones Will Shout: Celebrating100 Years of God's GraceSt. Paul's Lutheran Church,Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, CanadaTranslations, graphs, documentscopied, pictures nicely placed inthe history text, and two pages ofcurrent members’ signatures allproduce a very interesting congre-gational history.

Tried by FireLutheran Church and School ofMessiah, Grand Junction, ColoradoHere is a new standard in congregation-al DVD histories. Superb quality andhigh interest grab the viewer, who feelsakin to the congregation with its multi-tude of challenges and successes. Theuse of history is at its best, brought tothe screen in this wonderful production!

St. John's Evangelical LutheranChurchNapa, CaliforniaThis hardcover book is verycomplete in every way and is arole model for producing a con-gregational history. This historyis easy to read, with picturesillustrating every subject.

Serving the Lord Jesus for 125YearsSt. Peter's Evangelical LutheranChurch, Cornelius, OregonThis well-written and veryinformative history of the resultsof the initial work of missionaryRev. E. Doering from Illinois in1881 is a tremendous addition toour Synod's history. This bookis a fine example of how to writean inclusive church history.

100 Years of Faith, Hope and LoveChrist Lutheran Church, Chili,WisconsinOne Hundred Years of Faith, Hopeand Love has covered all of thefacets of the work and worship-ing of this congregation. Thisbooklet is very well organizedand therefore an excellent toolfor future research.

Congregational Histories

Lutherland: A Dream Fulfilled andMemories . . . History of Lutherland -Pocono Crest, 1926-1982by Ted Suttmeier, Pocono Pines,PennsylvaniaAn insightful history of a facilitythat was intricately woven into thespiritual, social, and cultural fabricof life for many twentieth-centuryLutherans.

Institutional Histories

HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES FALL-WINTER 2008 Page 3

Membership Meeting and View of Progress on the New Museum

Some sixty-five members and friends ofConcordia Historical Institute gathered at theLCMS International Center on November 13, 2008,for a special dessert reception, membership meet-ing, and preview of the Concordia HistoricalInstitute Museum under construction there. Afterwelcoming remarks by David Fiedler, director ofgeneral services for the LCMS, and Larry Lumpe,president of the CHI Board of Governors, InterimDirector Marvin Huggins reported on the work ofthe Institute during 2008.

Although the energy and efforts of most of theCHI staff during the year were devoted to gather-ing artifacts, researching the stories that make upthe history of the Synod to be told in the museum,and drafting the text for labels that will tell thestory of God’s work among His people in thechurch, the Institute’s other services and activitiesalso continued. New mobile compact shelving sys-tems were installed on the lower level of theInstitute’s main facilities on the ConcordiaSeminary campus in Clayton. This sorely neededstorage provides additional space for over 6,600cubic feet of archival records and museum arti-facts. Installation was completed in February 2008,and the space has been put to good use to alleviatecrowding in the other stack areas.

New materials continued to be received for theInstitute collection, and examples such as a 1580edition of the Book of Concord published inTübingen and a 1526 commentary on the Psalmsby Johannes Bugenhagen were exhibited for theguests in attendance. Other resources discoveredin the collection during the process of researchingsynodical history for the museum project were

Guests arriving for the reception at the LCMS International Center Membership Manager Kristanya Zittlow serves dessert.

L-R: Larry Lumpe - Marvin Huggins - David Fiedler

Board members Scott Meyer, Cameron MacKenzie, and Larry Rast

FALL-WINTER 2008 HISTORICAL FOOTNOTESPage 4

noted. Of particular interest is a series of diaries from the CivilWar period that were kept by Pastor Franz Julius Biltz ofConcordia, Missouri. Diary entries document the frightfulexperiences of the German settlers in the area of Missouriknown as “Little Dixie,” including the kidnapping of PastorBiltz and the killing of several settlers by the Southern-sympa-thizing “Bushwackers” who populated the surroundingcounties. The diaries have been part of the Institute’s collec-tion for many years, but their true nature was only discoveredlast year. We plan to share more about these fascinating dis-coveries in our next issue.

A core activity of the Institute that continued during 2008even as we focused our energies on the museum project wasour reference services. We receive a steady stream of inquiriesand requests from people seeking information on families,congregations, or topics of special interest. Genealogists areregular users of our congregational records on microfilm,either through personal research in our reading room or byinterlibrary loan. We had several researchers spend a numberof days with us, including scholars from Germany studyinghospitals started by German immigrants in the nineteenthcentury, faculty members from Concordia University Systemschools, and a teacher working on a history of missions inChina.

One of the ways in which we seek to stimulate historicalresearch is through our awards program. Although we didnot hold our traditional banquet in 2008, our AwardsCommittee did select another outstanding group to receiveawards of commendation. The recipients received their certifi-cates, and we have listed their work in this issue. Another areaof CHI’s responsibility involves providing guidelines to con-gregations, districts, and other agencies for preserving theirrecords and developing their archives. We regularly receive

their historical records. We have recently revised and updat-ed our service bulletins on this and made them available onour web site. We also provide guidance to congregations thatare disbanding so that their important records can be trans-ferred to CHI and preserved.

2008 was an extremely busy and eventful year for theInstitute. We sought to continue to provide on-going essentialservices in the areas of collecting and preserving records, pro-viding reference services, and advising agencies on the careof their records. But the museum project was at the center ofour attention.

Membership Meeting (continued from page three)

Reference Assistant Laura Marrs in front of the replica of the Castle Church doors in Wittenberg

The Reformation RoomA replica of the Hualco, on which "Old Lutheran" immigrants

bound for Wisconsin came to America

HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES FALL-WINTER 2008 Page 5

Membership Meeting (continued from page four)

Donald Currie of Mission Enablers reacts to the exhibit.

Todd Zittlow, researcher and text writer for the Immigration and Nineteenth Centuryrooms, discusses an artifact with a guest.

Board member Cameron MacKenzie and CHI Accessioner Bonnie Schmidt envision the exhibits to come.

Guests in the future Missions Room

Threading a spinning wheel in the Immigration Room

After the membership meeting,members and guests had the oppor-tunity to view the museum area tosee what had been installed to thatpoint. They were able to get an ideaof the nature and quality of theexhibits and also to see some of theartifacts that will eventually beplaced into the permanent exhibit inall five rooms.We anticipate that the museum proj-ect will be completed this summerwith a service of dedication to beheld on July 26.

FALL-WINTER 2008 HISTORICAL FOOTNOTESPage 6

her publications, and yet very few of his many works have beentranslated into English. Moreover, our histories do not elevatehim to the level of a hero as they do for C. F. W. Walther. Inmany ways, Wilhelm Löhe, who profoundly shaped theMissouri Synod, has largely been forgotten.

One reason for this was that he never set foot on American soiland was not a big player in our midst, though he did muchbehind the scenes. But the other reason is that, by manyaccounts, his story with the Missouri Synod does not have a veryhappy ending. In 1853 Löhe broke ties with the Missouri Synod,and those who were loyal to him left the Synod to found theIowa Synod. Less than a decade earlier, men whom he hadtrained as missionaries and emergency helpers and had sent tothe States fulfilled their sworn obligation to Löhe when they metin Cleveland to plan for a truly Lutheran synod. The committeethey formed later met with C. F. W. Walther and the SaxonLutherans in Missouri with the hope of uniting. When theGerman Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, andOther States convened in 1847, men sent by Löhe made up themajority of its pastors. So what happened?The reasons for Löhe's break with Missouri are complicated, but

at the center was a dispute over the teaching of the church andthe office of the ministry. The men whom Löhe sent had agreedto instructions (original copies of which are archived atConcordia Historical Institute) that should they form a synod, itwould be organized around bishops to guard the pastors fromthe whims of the congregations. It is no surprise, then, thatshortly after the formation of the Missouri Synod, Löhe criticizedits constitution as too democratic. Löhe no stranger to conflicthimself was embroiled in a struggle with territorial churches inGermany, and soon found himself in the middle of an older dis-pute between the Buffalo and Missouri Synods over church and

200th Anniversary of Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe

The year 2008marked the celebra-tion of the 200thanniversary of thebirth of JohannKonrad WilhelmLöhe. The LutheranService Book listsJanuary 2 as a com-memoration of thispastor who spentmost of his life andministry in the smallfarming village ofN e u e n d e t t e l s a u ,Bavaria. A fewother vestiges of thelegacy of thischurchman may befound in theMissouri Synod and

ministry. In 1851 C. F. W. Walther himself traveled toGermany and visited with Löhe. Although they did not cometo complete agreement, Walther left optimistic. Concordia Historical Institute’s archives hold a number of let-

ters written by Löhe during this period. In one letter writtento Gottlieb Schaller, who later became a professor at ConcordiaSeminary, St. Louis, Löhe encourages Schaller to remain in theMissouri Synod and expresses his hope for a reconciliationbetween the Missouri and Buffolo synods. This reconciliationwas never accomplished. After his break with Missouri, Löheslipped further into the background of the American scene.

However Löhe's story still lives on. His concern for thechurch’s worship, her confessions, and missions continues toimpact the church in America.

by Shawn Barnett

Instructions for themen sent by Löheto America

A letter to Gottlieb Schaller dated 3 March 1852Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe.

Page 7HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES FALL-WINTER 2008

Historical Footnotes is a quarterly publication of Concordia Historical Institute (CHI). The Institute is the Department of Archives andHistory of The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and is a not-for-profit corporation registered in the State of Missouri.

Editor: Marvin A. Huggins. Associate Editor: Patrice Russo. Copy Editors: Marvin A. Huggins, Bonnie Schmidt.

For additional information about the Institute and its services call 314.505.7900 or consult its Web site: http://www.lutheranhistory.orgFor historical or research questions call 314.505.7935 or send a message to: reference@lutheranhistory.org

In Memory of

Rev. Herman Am End by Dr. and Mrs. Scott M. HyslopErich J. Bergt (grandson of Rev. Adolf W. Bergt) by Mrs.

Ellen GanzerCarla Brewster by Miss Norma G. KramerLola E. Dobyns by Mr. Frank D. DobynsErwin W. Gellerman by Mrs. Lois M. GellermanMilton E. Grebing by Mrs. Dorene GrebingRev. George Theodore H. Gotsch by Mr. Kenneth GotschDr. Jerzy Hauptmann by Dr. Joseph B. WilsonRev. Fred Heidbrink by Rev. Charles AufdenkampeRev. Robert Hobus by Mrs. Natalie WehrmanVictor H. Hoemann by Ms. Maria M. HoemannGilbert W. Kasten by Mrs. Marguerite KastenElizabeth (Betty) Krause by Laclede Oaks Manor Residents

AssociationElizabeth (Betty) Krause by Mr. Rex L. BeckerElizabeth (Betty) Krause by Mrs. Ethelda A. BertramElizabeth (Betty) Krause by Mrs. Ruth Proft DannehlElizabeth (Betty) Krause by Miss Norma G. KramerElizabeth (Betty) Krause by Ms. Viola KrauseElizabeth (Betty) Krause by Mrs. Dorothy C. MartensElizabeth (Betty) Krause by Mr. and Mrs. Gerald D. RappElizabeth (Betty) Krause by Ms. Constance SeddonElizabeth (Betty) Krause by Rev. and Mrs. William E. StaabPastor Emerson Leckband by Mr. Eugene R. MorrisAnita Loeber by Ms. Tekla LoeberMartin W. Neumann by Mrs. Geraldine V. Neumann

The chaplains exhibit will remain at theInstitute through 2009. Come and visitus on the campus of ConcordiaSeminary.

We apologize for this latecombined issue. Our staffhas been heavily involvedwith the development ofthe new CHI Museum atthe International Center.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of ordination of Rev. David B. Joeckel by Rev. David B. Joeckel

In commemoration of Great-Grandfather Rev. Albert Trapp and his commitment of faith and determination to come to America and attend Springfield Seminary by Ms. Nanette M. Dettmer

In honor of the 45th anniversary of ordination of Rev. Sigfried Kunz by Mr. and Mrs. Harvey W. Wilkening, Jr.

In appreciation of a presentation given by Patrice Russo for the Concordia Historical Institute Auxiliary

In honor of Rev. Bill Wangelin by Mrs. Wilma E. Wangelin

In Honor & Commemoration

Theodor Heinrich Nippert by Mr. Gerald NippertRev. and Mrs. M. A. Pfotenhauer by Mrs. Lucia TemplerHarry W. Rettke by Mr. Wayne RettkeRev. Robert Paul Rosenberg by Mr. and Mrs. Gary Lee

BeardRev. P. Ronald Schmidt by Mrs. Clara V. MooreRalph Schneider by Mrs. Lola R. StenkeWilliam H. Seboldt Jr. by Mrs. Natalie WehrmanErwin Stresemann by Dr. and Mrs. FrickensherGladys Suelflow-Krause by Mr. Kurt D. AdamsGladys Suelflow-Krause by Mrs. Lois M. MeierRev. Darrel F. Thulmann by Ms. Judith M. WiechmanRev. Dr. George F. Wollenburg by Rev. and Mrs. Eugene

Juergensen

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FALL-WINTER 2008

The dismantled carriage ofC. F. W. Walther is preparedfor transfer to the LCMSInternational Center whereit will be a significant part ofthe Nineteenth CenturyRoom in the new CHIMuseum. Given to Waltherby the Saint Louis congrega-tion about 1875, it is thelargest Institute artifact andhad been housed in ourmain facility since 1952.