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):
- Gottfried Back
- Peter Back
- Philip Back
- John G. Blumenroedher
- J.H. Boller
- Jacob Dauer
- George Debusmann
- Johann Fickel
- Wilhelm Gemmer
- George Goller
- Sophia Hain
- Erhard Hirlinger
- J.E. Hoflaender
- J.J. Holzmueller
- Otto Koehnike (Köhnike)
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- Johannes Lotz
- Friedrich Metz
- Johann Mittameier
- Jacob Neef
- David Rau
- Friedericke Reinhart
- Adam Sandrok
- Jacob Seibel
- Lorenz Nicolai (L.N.) Schmidt
- Philip H. Stahl
- Adam Stegner
- Ernest Stegner
- Paul Stegner
- George Vollrath
- Johann Wettle (pastor and secretary)
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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.