German Americans

L

Lippstadt Evangelical Church (Warren County, Mo.) Records, 1849-1933 (C3643)
1 roll of microfilm (3 volumes)

 Finding Aid

The marriage, baptismal, confirmation and funeral records of a German evangelical church located near Warrenton, Warren County, Missouri. Volume three also contains the rules of the congregation and list of its members. The records are written almost entirely in German script.

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Living Treasures Oral History Collection, 1983-1985 (S0456)
0.4 cubic foot, 32 folders, 112 photographs

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The St. Louis Living Treasures Project documented the life and artwork of older folk artists in the St. Louis area. The folk artists shared techniques learned from their cultures of origin in oral history interviews conducted by OASIS. The 31 artists who participated include African Americans, Native Americans, Asian immigrants, and European immigrants.

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Lock Brothers Milling Company Papers, 1861-1935 (C3630)
3 rolls of microfilm (3 folders, 14 volumes)

 Finding Aid

Daybooks, ledgers, and payroll records of a family-owned milling company in Loose Creek, Osage County, Missouri. Operations included a sawmill, winery and flour mill. Most of the mill's business was done with local German immigrant farmers and their descendants. Early records are in German shorthand script and there are some gaps.

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LOGAN Passenger List, 1833 (C1850)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The collection contains photostats of the passenger list of the ship LOGAN, arriving in New York 20 June 1833, John Atkins, master. The list gives names, ages, sex, profession, and nationality of the passengers. Many Germans listed Missouri as area of intended settlement.

LONGER THAN A LIFETIME IN MISSOURI, Gert Goebel, 1971 (C1854)
0.8 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

Elsa Nagel's 1971 English translation of Gert Goebel's LANGER ALS EIN MENSCHENLEBEN IN MISSOURI for the State Historical Society of Missouri.

Philipp Lotz Papers, 1872-1955 (C3741)
0.04 cubic feet (2 folders)

 Finding Aid

The papers contain pages from the family bible listing births and deaths of children of Philipp and Christina Lotz; obituary of Christian Lotz; miscellaneous receipts and clippings; and religious cards and literature. Most of the material is in German. The Lotz family lived in and near California and McGirk in Moniteau County, Missouri, and Kansas City.

Louisiana Central Lumber Company (Clarks, La.) Records, 1901-1956 (C3660)
72.0 cubic feet (3836 folders), 156 rolls of microfilm (268 volumes)

 Finding Aid

Records of the Louisiana Central Lumber Company and associated companies. Includes correspondence, financial records, company reports, maps, photo­graphs, and other materials related to the southern lumber industry.

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"Many Happy Memories and Anecdotes Told by Franceska Lutz Hennerich to Her Grandchild Emma Burst Hermann", LaDonna Hermann, 1989 (C1790)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Reminiscences and anecdotes of a German American family from St. Louis. Includes information about immigration, business, family life, and other topics. Photocopies of family photographs included. Part of the German Heritage Archives.

Mathematics Notebooks, no date (C0667)
0.04 cubic feet (2 folders)

 Finding Aid

Mathematical notebooks, written in German. Surveyor's notebook and one of sample problems.

Meinershagen Family Papers, 1970s-1990s (CA6124)
1.4 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

Family papers and genealogical research materials compiled by Fred H. Meinershagen of Columbia, Missouri, for a published family history entitled "The Prosperous and Diligent Blacksmith from Wersen" [Meinershagen, Begemann, Hackmann, Neiweg, and Brinkmann families]. Includes correspondence, research, family reunion notes and other materials, newspaper clippings, obituaries, photographs, color slides, negatives, and genealogical charts.

Memorial Methodist Church (St. Louis, Mo.) Records, 1844-1981 (C1071)
1.25 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

Records of the church from its beginning as the South St. Louis Mission (German Methodist) in 1844 to 1981. Includes quarterly conference reports and minutes; membership, baptism, and marriage records; church board and organization meeting minutes; Sunday School records; some financial records; and photographs.

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Karl Friedrich Meyer Diary, 1833 (C1713)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Diary of a voyage on the WESER from Tundern, Germany, to New Orleans, 11 August-16 October 1833 or 1834. Translated by Helen Evers, Lindenwood College, St. Charles, MO. Meyer recorded accounts, a list of the passengers, the crew, appearance of the coasts of Santo Domingo and Cuba.

Zwingli Meyer Collection, no date (CA6535)
0.4 cubic feet

Material concerning German Methodist congregations in Missouri collected by a German Methodist minister.

Magdalena Miesner Papers, 1869 (R0154)
0.01 cubic foot (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The Magdalena Miesner Papers contain a photocopy of a certificate of confirmation, in German, at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cole Camp, Benton County, Missouri.

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Missouri Constitution, 1865 (C2866)
1 oversize item

 Finding Aid

German edition, published by Westliche Post, 1865.

Missouri Council of Defense Papers, 1917-1919 (C2797)
13.6 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

Correspondence, bulletins, circulars, and posters.

Missouri German Heritage Corridor Oral History Project, 2018 (C4354)
0.4 cubic feet (6 folders), 9CDs

 Finding Aid

A collaborative project between the State Historical Society of Missouri and the Missouri Humanities Council, this collection emphasizes the past and present influence of German heritage in Missouri, including historic sites, past people, notable conflicts, religious influence, agriculture, music, art, and architecture. The German Heritage Corridor will focus on the counties north and south of the Missouri River, from St. Charles and St. Louis, to Chariton, Saline, and Lafayette. This corridor includes several distinct German communities, including New Melle, Herman, Dutzow, and Westphalia.

Hermann, Missouri, Board of Trustees Records, 1799, 1837-1877 (C2992)
2 rolls of microfilm

 Finding Aid

Records, in German, of the German Settlement Society of Philadelphia, which founded Hermann. Include land records with maps, bylaws, lists of stockholders, incorporation records, trustees' minutes for 1852-1877, collector and treasurer records, and an architectural drawing of the Town School, 1855.

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Perry County, Missouri, Stephan Emigration List, 1852-1853 (C1839)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

List of workers and contributions in number of days of work, October and November 1852, and August 1853, of members of the Martin Stephan emigration of German Lutherans to Perry County, MO.

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Missouri. Infantry, 17th Regiment, Volunteers, Company G, Muster-Out Roll, 1864 (C2869)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Muster-out roll of Company G, Missouri 17th Volunteer Infantry, or Western Turner Rifle Regiment; mustered 25 September 1861 and discharged 27 September 1864. OVERSIZE.

Mit Feder und Hammer! [With Feather and Hammer]: The German Experience in St. Louis Records, 1983-1989 (S0941)
4 cubic feet, 299 folders, 289 photographs

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

This collection contains mounted photographs, 4x5 negatives, thirty-five-millimeter negatives, and one 3.5 micro floppy disk pertaining to 'Mit Feder und Hammer? (With Feather and Hammer): The German Experience in St. Louis," an exhibit held in St. Louis in 1983 and the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) from 1984 to 1989.

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Justus R. Moll Collection, 1855-1952 (C4468)
2.0 cubic feet (140 folders)

 Finding Aid

Collection contains genealogy materials, correspondence, photographs, and materials related to general history. The genealogy materials relate to the Moll family, relatives of the Moll family, and other families researched by Moll.

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Siegmar Muehl Collection, 1778-1992 (C4075)
0.25 cubic feet (7 folders)

 Finding Aid

Collection of genealogical research materials compiled by Siegmar Muehl documenting the Strehly family of Hermann, Missouri, particularly focusing on Joseph Carl Strehly (1778-1860) and Maria Strehly Wolff (1822-1906), including family photographs, correspondence, a travel diary, wills, clippings, genealogical charts, and biographies.

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Friedrich Muench Obituary, 1881 (C2902)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Obituary translated by Ralph Gregory from the WESTLICHE POST of 16 December 1881. Includes a biography and eulogy of Muench.

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Eduard Muhl Letters, 1842-1848 (C3744)
0.06 cubic feet (3 folders)

 Finding Aid

The letters of a Hermann, Missouri, newspaperman to his wife as he traveled to St. Louis, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York selling subscriptions to his papers. Also included is a biographical sketch of Muhl and a translation of the letters from German to English, done by the donor.

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Nahm-Mueller Family Photographs, 1880s-1920 (C1798)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Photocopies and 35mm negatives of fifteen photographs of a Hermann, Missouri, family. Part of the German Heritage Archives.

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P

Peace Lutheran Church Records, circa 1884-1984 (R0199)
(1 roll of micofilm)

 Finding Aid

The Peace Lutheran Church, Phelps County, Missouri Records contain a microfilm copy of the records of Peace Lutheran Church at Elk Prairie in Phelps County, Missouri. Included are the constitution, membership rosters, minutes of quarterly meetings, and the centennial history of the church. Records up to 1924 are in German.

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Perry County, Missouri, Immigration List, 1839 (C1836)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

List of Lutheran emigrants who left New York and arrived in the village of Wittenburg, Perry County, MO, in 1839.

Original in the possession of the donor.

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Perry County, Missouri, Immigration List, 1839 (C1837)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

List of Lutheran emigrants who came to Perry County, MO, by way of New Orleans in 1839.

Original in the possession of the donor.

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Plassmeyer Family Papers, 1862-1987 (C4226)
4.4 cubic feet (105 folders); 2 oversize items

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The papers of an Osage County family that includes correspondence, photographs, military records, Osage County history, and genealogy records for the Plassmeyer and related families.

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Pommer Family Papers, 1831-1874 (C1852)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The Pommer Family papers contain genealogical information, documents in German, a deed for a lot in Hermann, MO, and estate papers. The material pertains primarily to Frederick William Pommer and William Henry Pommer. The latter taught music at the University of Missouri, 1907-1922.

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Randolph E. Puchta Interview, 1998 (C2521)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder), 3 audio cassettes, 3 CDs

 Finding Aid

Interview with Puchta, a resident of Hermann, MO. Puchta discusses his early life, German ancestry, wine making, local customs and leisure activities, and transportation. Of note are his descriptions of photographs from the Edward Kemper Collection at WHMC-Columbia (Accession No. 4633).

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R

William Recklein Papers, 1898-1902 (R0051)
0.03 cubic foot (3 folders)

 Finding Aid

The William Recklein Papers contain copies and originals of family photographs and correspondence. Included in the correspondence are news of family, friends, and daily life.

Fredric D. Redeker Collection, 1894-1953 (C4203)
0.4 cubic feet (8 folders)

 Finding Aid

The Fredric D. Redeker Collection contains documents from German and English speaking communities in Missouri. It includes records of minutes, correspondence, genealogical information, and a religious manuscript. Much of the correspondence, as well as the manuscript, are written in German.

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"Remembrances of a Franklin County Farmer," William Wilke, 1935 (C1293)
0.03 cubic feet (1 volume)

 Finding Aid

Memoirs of boyhood spent in vicinity of Washington, MO.

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"REPORT ON A JOURNEY TO THE WESTERN STATES OF NORTH AMERICA," Gottfried Duden, no date (C2600)
0.4 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

Elsa Nagel's English translation of Duden's work for the State Historical Society of Missouri

Friedrich Wilhelm Ritter Papers, 1839-1929, 1962 (C1779)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The Friedrich Wilhelm Ritter Papers contain photocopies of the papers of a German immigrant and the Ritter family of Shelby County, Missouri. The papers include obituaries, poetry, recipes, accounts, correspondence, naturalization documents, Ritter's will, and other papers. The collection is in German and English and is part of the German Heritage Archives.

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Rustemeyer Family Papers, 1884-1953 (C4017)
0.3 cubic feet (14 folders), 1 computer disc

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The Rustemeyer Family papers contain correspondence written to Bernard Rustemeyer by friends and family in Germany after his immigration to America in 1882.  The collection also includes newspaper clippings and photographs of the Rustemeyer, Alteköster, Stöckbrand, and Giese families, and Rustemeyer’s hometown, Körbecke, Germany.

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S

Sailer Family Papers, 1833-1939 (R1405)
0.04 cubic foot (4 folders, 25 negatives)

 Finding Aid

The Sailer Family Papers contain copies of the personal papers and photographs of the Sailer family of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. This collection includes images of the Sailer family and extended family, correspondence, newspaper articles, land records, birth records, and local history research for Cape Girardeau and Rolla, Missouri.

Heinrich Schrader Papers, 1883, 1891, 1894 (C4577)
0.02 cubic foot (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Letters, from family members in Germany, to Schrader of Rich Fountain, Osage County, Missouri, 1883-1894. Includes summary translations.

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Schrader-Holtschneider Family Papers, 1868-1959 (C3773)
0.8 cubic feet (38 folders)

 Finding Aid

The collection contains papers of the Schrader and Holtschneider families of Rich Fountain, Osage County, Missouri. They were farmers, merchants, postmasters, and county judges. Papers include correspondence, business and legal papers, post office records, and school district records.

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Adolf E. and Rebecca B. Schroeder Collection, 1550, 1800-1804, 1913-2012 (C4483)
19.0 cubic feet (458 folders), 233 audio cassettes, 28 audio discs, 41 audio tapes, 80 video cassettes, 1 CD, 2 rolls microfilm, 1 film, 8 oversize items

 Finding Aid

The papers of Adolf Schroeder, professor of German at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and his wife Rebecca, editor of the Missouri Heritage Readers, including their work with European-American oral histories and Missouri folklore and folk music.

Schubert Family Papers, 1834-1996 (C3005)
0.6 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The Schubert Family Papers contain diaries, drawings, prints, and account books related to the immigration and livelihood of family members. There are also genealogical notebooks for families of Atchison County, MO, and documents dealing with the Sociality.

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Franz Schwarzer Papers, 1840-1951 (C3484)
0.8 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

Correspondence of the Schwarzer family; factory records, catalogs, and photographs of zithers and other stringed instruments manufactured at the zither factory in Washington, MO, founded by Schwarzer in 1869.

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Art A. Schweighauser Collection, 1713-1945 (C3762)
0.35 cubic feet (9 folders, 1 volume)

 Finding Aid

The collection contains items from the Bezold family of Montgomery and Gasconade Counties in Missouri. There are many school-related items from 1879-1917. Also included are sermons in German by Reverend Niedhammer and a family history of John Jacob Meunzenmayer, who lived in Franklin County.

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Sellmeyer Family Collection, no date (CA5526)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

Addition of Sellmeyer family genealogical materials, including materials in German. Correspondence, census records, family tree, photographs, map, and miscellaneous. See also C3062.

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Sellmeyer Family Collection, 1839-1990 (C3062)
1 roll of microfilm

 Finding Aid

Deeds, wills, family trees and photographs of three 19th-century immigrant families who settled in Missouri. The Velten and Ebeling families emigrated from Germany and settled in Warren County, while the Swedish Bentleys came to settle in Howard County. Also includes probate and census records, and a "Velten Family Record" narrative.

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"Seventy-five Years in the Old and New World," Heinrich Bornstein, 1884 (C1054)
2 oversize volumes

 Finding Aid

Translated by William G. Bek from the second edition, Leipzig, 1884. Heinrich Bornstein resided in Germany and Austria, where he was a theatre director and European correspondent for American newspapers. His memoirs were written in 1879-1880, and first appeared in serial form in the Sunday supplement of ILLINOIS STAATSZEITUNG, Chicago, IL.

Wilhelm and Augustus Seyffert Papers, 1854-1905 (C2888)
0.04 cubic feet (2 folders)

 Finding Aid

The papers of Wilhelm and Augustus Seyffert contain a copy book of poems in German (vol. 1), a history of Missouri State Militia, Company E, 13th Cavalry, and an account book of Augustus Seyffert, 1869-1889 (vol. 2).