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The Salem Lutheran congregation was founded on May 16, 1859 by eleven young men who had settled in the area around what is now Farrar, Perry County, Missouri during the prior five years. Julius Kirmse was one of the founding members.
Salem Lutheran Church at Farrar celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding in 2009. (See Farrar Congregation Observes 150th Anniversary). During the preparation for this anniversary celebration, Fred Eggers researched the founding members and their families. His findings are summarized below.
A Brief Summary of the Known History of Salem’s Eleven Founders and Their Wives
by Fred M. Eggers, Farrar, Missouri – Revised March 29, 2016
- Julius Saupe was born March 3, 1830. He and Justine Dietze immigrated from Kriebitzsch, Saxe-Altenburg to New York City in 1853, where they were married shortly after their arrival. Immigration records show that they likely traveled with Julius Kirmse on the Ship Kosmos that arrived in New York on 22 April 1853. Justine was born on March 22, 1829. They purchased 120 acres of land in the Farrar area in October of 1854 and an additional 40 acres in April of 1855. They sold all of that land to Peter Stueve in 1870 and moved to Cape Girardeau County. This land is now owned by the Hilmer Stueve family. In 1878 they purchased land near Shawneetown which remains in the Saupe family today. Julius died on October 31, 1907 and was buried at Immanuel Cemetery in New Wells. Justine died on March 22, 1913 and was buried in the Trinity Cemetery in Shawneetown.
- August Lorenz was born in Rochtite near Stein, Saxony on August 30, 1829. He immigrated in 1839 with his parents along with the Rev. Carl F. Gruber group that founded the Paitzdorf Congregation (now Grace, Uniontown). He married Justine Franke on May 4, 1854 at Grace. She was born on July 7, 1837 and had immigrated in 1850 with her father and siblings from Bergkirchen, which was in the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe. They purchased 160 acres of land in the Farrar area in March of 1855. The majority of this land remains in the Lorenz family today owned by Elvira, Terry and Carol Lorenz, Linda and Rodney Miesner, and Bob and Nancy Mantz. August died on August 6, 1910 and Justine died on March 29, 1910. They were buried next to each other in the Salem cemetery.
- Heinrich Bachmann was born on May 2, 1829 in Rueckersdorf, Saxe-Altenburg. It is uncertain when he immigrated but it may have been in September of 1852. He was in Paitzdorf in May of 1853 when he was a sponsor at the baptism of a cousin. In November of 1855 he purchased 120 acres of land in the Farrar area, which is now owned by his descendents in the Vernon Bachmann family. He married Ernestine Koenig on April 6, 1856 at Paitzdorf. She was born on May 29, 1838 in Korbussen, Saxe-Altenburg. She was a sister to founders Friedrich and Hermann Koenig and had immigrated with her parents, her brother Hermann, and a sister in 1854. Heinrich died on April 22, 1887 and Ernestine died on August 15, 1906. They were both buried in the Salem cemetery.
- Friedrich Koenig was born on December 20, 1833 in Korbussen, Saxe-Altenburg. He immigrated in 1853 with a group of at least ten people that appear in the records of Grace, Paitzdorf including his brother Hermann and fellow founder Christian Magwitz. He purchased 200 acres of land in the Farrar area in 1857, then sold or traded 60 of these acres to his brother Hermann. One 40 acre tract of this property is now owned by Dale Stueve and the remainder is owned by Steve and Ellen Frye. He married Marie Hecht on June 17, 1861 at Grace. She was born on December 23, 1841 at Paitzdorf (Uniontown). Her parents had immigrated with Rev. Gruber in 1839. Friedrich died on August 24, 1921 and Marie died on January 26, 1920. They were both buried in the Salem cemetery.
- Hermann Koenig was born on July 2, 1836 in Korbussen, Saxe-Altenburg. He immigrated in 1853 with his brother Friedrich and fellow founder Christian Magwitz, although the passenger list shows Valentin, which was one of Hermann’s middle names. He may have returned to Germany and returned with his parents and two sisters in 1854. He purchased 40 acres of land in the Farrar area in 1856, then traded or sold this in 1857 to his brother Friedrich for 60 acres. This land is now owned by Steve and Ellen Frye. He married Maria Jacob on May 15, 1862 at Grace. She was born June 30, 1842 at Paitzdorf. Her parents had immigrated with Rev. Gruber in 1839. Hermann died on April 4, 1920 and Maria died on October 26, 1897. They were both buried in the Salem cemetery.
- Christian Magwitz was born in July of 1826 in Korbussen, Saxe-Altenburg. He immigrated in 1853 on the Ship Ella with a group of at least ten people that appear in the records of Grace, Paitzdorf including fellow founder Friedrich Koenig and probably Hermann Koenig. He married Caroline Hanna Amalie Hornemann on August 10, 1854 at Paitzdorf. She was a sister to the wife of Friedrich Bernhard Mueller. They immigrated with their parents and another sister on the Brig Weser arriving in New Orleans on December 29, 1836. The family likely lived in the Sudheim (later Kurreville) settlement in Cape Girardeau County but very little else has been found in the records about them. They had come to America from Sudheim area in Hanover, possibly from the village of Hardenberg. In 1857 he and Mueller purchased 200 acres in the Farrar area and divided it into two equal parcels. Most of the land Magwitz purchased is now owned by Edward Lohmann family and William Holt. Caroline died on June 15, 1913 and was buried in the Salem cemetery. No record has been found for Christian’s death or burial but it probably occurred in 1891. The deeds to transfer property among his children were executed in December 1891 and he is listed as deceased and his children as heirs.
- Friedrich Bernhard Mueller was born on July 27, 1828 in Eisenberg, Saxony, which was the home town of Rev. Loeber of the Saxon Immigration to Perry County. His family history says that he immigrated in 1848. On April 17, 1850 he married Johanna Hornemann Flamme who was a widow and a sister of Caroline Magwitz. They immigrated with their parents and another sister on the Brig Weser arriving in New Orleans on December 29, 1836. The family likely lived in the Sudheim (later Kurreville) settlement in Cape Girardeau County but very little else has been found in the records about them. They had come to America from Sudheim area in Hanover, possibly from the village of Hardenberg. Her first husband was Wilhem Flamme, a blacksmith in Wittenberg, who had immigrate with Rev. Gruber’s group. In the 1850 United States census Mueller was living near Altenburg. In 1857 he and Christian Magwitz purchased 200 acres in the Farrar area and divided it into two equal parcels. The Mueller family later moved to twenty miles south of St. Louis, then to the Red Bud, Illinois area, and still later to Chester, Illinois. He sold his 100 acres in 1872 to Peter Schmidt, although in 1874 Christian Magwitz purchased 60 acres of this land. Most of the land that Mueller purchased is now owned by the David Stueve and the Edward Lohmann families. Bernhard died November 29, 1899 and Johanna on April 10, 1917. Both funerals were at St. John’s in Chester and they were both buried in Evergreen Cemetery.
- Friedrich Boehme was born in Auerswalde, Saxony on November 17, 1830. He originally immigrated through New York in 1853, but returned to Saxony to pay his way out of military service. He returned to America in 1856 and lived in several other locations before locating permanently in Perry County in 1858 when he purchased 80 acres in the Farrar area and through later purchases increased his holdings to over 600 acres. Most of this land is now owned by the Erwin Kassel family and the Armin Koenig family. He married Caroline Eichhorn on December 2, 1862 at Grace. Caroline was born on March 22, 1829 in Koestritz, Saxe-Altenburg and immigrated with her parents and sisters in 1854. They settled in the Paitzdorf area. Friedrich died on December 29, 1899 and was buried in the Salem cemetery. Caroline died on May 24, 1920 in Dubuque, Iowa and was buried there.
- Zacharias Mehlhorn was born in May of 1830. He may have been born in Paitzdorf, Saxe-Altenburg based on a book with land ownership records for that town. He immigrated in 1855 according to the 1900 US census and purchased 180 acres in the Farrar area in 1857. He married Ida Hergert on February 15, 1858 at Trinity in Altenburg. Ida had emigrated with her sisters and a brother-in-law from Zwickau, Saxony. They were parents to a son, Hermann Immanuel, who was born on January 15, 1861 and was baptized at Salem but died on July 8 of that year and was buried at Trinity in Altenburg. No record of Ida’s death and burial has been found, but since her son was buried in Altenburg it may be that she had died and the son was living with his grandparents or other relatives there. Mehlhorn sold his farm in 1879 to Hermann Eggers. Most of this land is now owned by Willard and Arleen Lohmann. After he sold his farm Zacharias moved to a cabin on the Julius Kirmse farm where he lived until his death on May 18, 1902. He was buried in the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church (also known as Hager) Cemetery southwest of Crosstown.
- Julius Kirmse was born on February 6, 1835 in Fichtenhainichen, Saxe-Altenburg. He immigrated in 1853 and spent some time in Buffalo, New York before coming to Perry County in around 1855. Immigration records show that he likely traveled with Julius Saupe and Justine Dietze on the Ship Kosmos that arrived in New York on 22 April 1853. In 1859 he purchased 40 acres of land in the Farrar area in 1865 and later purchased additional adjacent land. This land is now owned by his descendants, the Helen Kirmse Hacker family. On November 20, 1866 he was married to Barbara Kraus by Rev. Besel who was serving the Frankenberg, Perryville, and Salem congregations at that time. Barbara had immigrated in 1862. She and her sisters and their husbands settled in the Friedenberg and Longtown area. Julius died December 12, 1915 and Barbara died on February 20, 1920. Both were buried in the Salem Cemetery.
- Heinrich Brandes was born on July 24, 1827 in Winzlar in the Kingdom of Hanover. He and Amelia Leskiehn immigrated in 1859 and were married at Grace on July 24, 1859. Amelia was born in 1832. There is little record of Amelia’s family and her maiden name is sometimes recorded as Soekin. They purchased 120 acres of land in the Farrar area later in 1859. In 1860 they sold 40 of those acres and in 1864 sold the remaining 80 acres. Later in 1864 they purchased 80 acres, excepting one acre for a cemetery, in the Uniontown area. This land has remained in the Brandes family and is now owned by descendents Henry and Jane Brandes Myers. Heinrich Brandes died April 26, 1902 and Amelia died on January 26, 1915. They are both buried in the Grace, Uniontown Cemetery.
Maps
To illustrate the relative location of the founding members to the Salem Lutheran Church at Farrar, Missouri, Fred prepared the following map of the land owned by the founders in 1859.
The Salem Lutheran Church, Farrar, Missouri is located at the right hand side of the Zacharis Mehlhorn property highlighted in red. The numbers in the blocks are section (1 mile by 1 mile) numbers relate to the following landowners map.
Fred Eggers highlighted the same properties owned by the founders in 1859 on a current landowners map (2003) below:
The Julius Kirmse’s property is now owned and farmed by his granddaughter, Helen (Kirmse) Hacker, as is indicated in the above landowners map.
Satellite Maps
Below is a current (2016) Google Earth map showing the Salem Lutheran Church property relative to the village of Farrar, Missouri.
Supposedly Julius Kirmse walked to church when he first came to Perry County. As shown below, it is about an hour walk from Julius’s farmhouse (Pcr 340) to the Salem Lutheran Church.
Ties to Paitzdorf
Several of the founders of Salem Lutheran had ties to the Lutheran congregation at Paitzdorf (now Grace Lutheran Church, Uniontown). Family lore has that Julius Kirmse attended church services at Paitzdorf as early as 1855. As can be seen from the following Google map, the distance from Farrar to Uniontown is about seven miles. In today’s concept of distance, that is only about a 10 minute drive by automobile, but it was and still is about a 3 1/2 hour walk from Julius Kirmse’s farmhouse and about 2 1/2 hour walk from Farrar, Missouri.