30 Founding Members

Founding Members of the German Evangelical Church



The German Evangelical Church in Boonville was organized in August 1853, with its first Constitution dated and adopted on the 1st of January 1855. The 30 names signed to this Constitution as its 'original' or 'founding' members are (presented in alphabetical order by last name):

  1. Gottfried Back
  2. Peter Back
  3. Philip Back
  4. John G. Blumenroedher
  5. J.H. Boller
  6. Jacob Dauer
  7. George Debusmann
  8. Johann Fickel
  9. Wilhelm Gemmer
  10. George Goller
  11. Sophia Hain
  12. Erhard Hirlinger
  13. J.E. Hoflaender
  14. J.J. Holzmueller
  15. Otto Koehnike (Köhnike)
 
  1. Johannes Lotz
  2. Friedrich Metz
  3. Johann Mittameier
  4. Jacob Neef
  5. David Rau
  6. Friedericke Reinhart
  7. Adam Sandrok
  8. Jacob Seibel
  9. Lorenz Nicolai (L.N.) Schmidt
  10. Philip H. Stahl
  11. Adam Stegner
  12. Ernest Stegner
  13. Paul Stegner
  14. George Vollrath
  15. Johann Wettle (pastor and secretary)

These 30 names are from the church's 1953 publication A Century of Faith: 1853-1953, but have been revised where the original 1855 Constitution in the Kirchenbuch, and other contemporary documents, gave different spellings or more complete names [as with L.N. Schmidt and Otto Koehnke, giving the forms/spellings used in the 1953 publication]. The list differs somewhat from the 1853 History of Howard and Cooper Counties Missouri by the 'National Historical Company' and the 1919 History of Cooper County Missouri by W.F. Johnson, which omit pastor Wettle but include the names of William Haas, Jacob Thauer (sic, Dauer), St. Weber, and St. Wheeler.

William Haas and St. Wheeler were indeed present in January 1855, as they, along with J.H. Boller and George Vollrath, were elected as the first four trustees of the church.

Both Johnson's history and church records credit the erection of the first church building in 1854 as being due to the "energy and labor" (as well as the financing) of George Vollrath.



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Page Last Updated 15 September 2016