Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/540

 480 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST IMISSOURI Altenberg, and the pastor here was Carl Frederick Gruber. Most of the settlers of this colony were poor, and were subjected to very great hard- ships in a new country, hardships which they were not fitted to undergo. It is, how- ever, a striking commendatary upon their earnestness and piety, that in spite of the difficulties which surrounded them, from the very first, they began and carried on the work of preaching, building church houses, and even the formation of a Christian school. It was under the leadership of Rev. Carl Frederick Wilhelm Walther that the foundations for a college were laid at Altenberg. This college had only a one-story log building at first, but the school was opened and conducted within it and continued until the year 1849. Up to this time it was the sole property of the col- ouists of Perry county and was conducted by them and supported by their gifts. In this year it was transferred to the synod of the church and removed to St. Louis; it is now known as Concordia Seminary. In 1839 the college erected a parsonage and in 1841 a school house, in addition to the college. This school employed one teacher, H. F. "Winter for more than twenty-five years. In 1844 the col- ony erected a stone church, building which is still standing. Two incidents which occurred in the history of this colony disturbed the work of the church. One of these was the great attack of cholera in 1849. The pastor of the church. Rev. Mr. Loeber, remained and cared for those who were sick and those who died, until he, too. fell a victim on August 19, 1844. The other disturliing incident was a discussion over doctrinal matters which took place in 1856. The pastor of the church G. A. Sehief- erdecker, was dismissed from his post and on his refusal to vacate the parsonage, was sued by the church and compelled, by law, to give to give up the place. The Evangelical Lutheran church in Cape Girardeau dates its origin to the year 1854. In that year the church was constituted with eight members, among them being: Caspar and Louis Roth, Ernst Mantz, Charles Does- selman and Anthony Schrader. They adopted the constitution of the church on June 1, 1854, and in 1855 began the erection of the first building. It was of brick and very small. The man who was instrumental in found- ing this church, and who was its first pastor, was the Rev. A. Lehman, who was succeeded in 1856 by Ernst Harms. He was pastor of the church until August, 1859, and for the next nine years, the Rev. Mr. Riedel was in charge. During this period other churches of this denomination were organized at various places in Southeast Missouri, most of them, however, in or near Cape Girardeau. One of these was Trinity church at Dissen, in Apple Creek township. Its organization was made in the year 1848 with these members: Fred Leeving, Louis Kaiser, Edward Engel- man, Gottlieb Krause, Henry Grossheider, John Beck, Caspar Klaus and Henry Wehn- miller. The pastor of the church was F. J. Blitz. The congregation erected a log build- ing for church purposes and used it until during the Civil war. The successors of Rev. Blitz as pastor were: F. Reidel, G. Gniber. F. AV. and John H. Harmening. There was also a church organized about 1860 at Kurreville. In Randol township, Cape Girardeau county, a church was organ- ized at Hanover in 1852. They immediately erected a frame building which was used by the church for many years. The first pastor of this church was Daniel Bertling. In 1857