Labor of love: Congregation members record history of church

A passion for genealogy has turned into a labor of love for Ruth Kasten and Sandra Fluegge, who recently printed the second volume of the history of Trinity Lutheran Church, "The Second Fifty Years."

Two years ago they, with the help of several others, printed the church's first 50 years -- a record of births, marriages, confirmations, baptisms and deaths from 1854 to 1904 titled "The First Fifty Years."

This new edition picks up from 1904 and goes to 1954. It was easier doing this edition, Kasten and Fluegge said, because they didn't need to have so much information translated from German as they did with the first volume.

In 1905, the same year electric lights replaced coal oil lamps in the church, the church voters resolved that services would be held in English twice a month, and catechism would be taught in English for children who could not understand German. By 1910, all confirmation classes were conducted in English, and in 1925 English replaced German in all services. Languages changed in the records as well.

The two women copied the records from the church office and began typing. Each typed half the records, then traded copies and proofread the half the other typed. They did additional research to account for differences in spelling of family names and variations in handwriting.

"We wanted this to be as accurate as possible," Kasten said.

The book is valuable for anyone researching a family history. It contains dates of church events from births to deaths, and names of relatives, confirmation sponsors, wedding attendants, and survivors of members who died. In addition, a brief history of the church tells about the times they lived in and quite a bit about the church members' values and traditions.

Trinity Lutheran Church started its second 50 years debt free, according to the book. A resolution dated December 1903 stated, "Whereas we shall enter the new year free of debts, be it resolved to hold a thanksgiving service on the Sunday following the New Year's meeting."

The church that began in 1854 with five charter families had grown to 500 communicant members by 1904 and 1,668 by 1954.

With electric lights and conversion to the English language in the early 1900s also came a new hot-air furnace to replace heating stoves. Sunday school began in 1910, and in the 1920s, Christian education flourished. By 1925, a new eight-grade elementary school was dedicated. Five teachers taught 233 students.

Throughout the decades that followed, Trinity Lutheran Church and School flourished and grew. The book records events through 1954, the centennial year of the church. During its first century, 1,180 people were baptized; 1,124 were confirmed; 1,668 were members; and 168 men were in the Voters' Assembly.

Fluegge and Kasten have now recorded almost all the names of families from the first century. Some infants who died were buried without being named; on the death records for some of those children, only the father's name was listed as survivor. Some listed the father's name "and wife." In some instances, when a married woman died, her given name remains a mystery. Those women's deaths were recorded as, for instance, "Mrs. Louis Suedekum, died of pneumonia; survived by husband, 2 daughters, parents, 1 sister; age 42 years, 6 months, 18 days."

"That's the style they used then," Fluegge said.

It's possible that only family members know the first name of Mrs. Suedekum and other married women of that era.

While they were putting the records together, Kasten and Fluegge learned more about their own families and in-laws. Kasten has been a member for 25 years, and Fluegge was confirmed and married in the church.

"I had been answering genealogy questions on the church for years, and finally one day I said I need to incorporate it into a book and sell it," Kasten said.

The book sells for $40, and all profits go to the church. Fluegge and Kasten receive nothing from the sale.

"We did it out of the love of doing it," Fluegge said. "Once you get started you don't want to quit."

They're taking a little break now before tackling the next installment to bring the records up to the present. They also have requests from other families to help research genealogies.

"We have a waiting list," Kasten said.

Anyone who wants a copy of the book can call Trinity Lutheran Church at 335-8224.

lredeffer@semisourian.com

335-6611, extension 160