Saxon Immigration Collection

The Saxon Immigration Collection contains an accumulation of materials created in conjunction with the planning and execution of the emigration of approximately 700 German Lutherans from the Kingdom Saxony in Germany to Perry County, Missouri. Other items in the collection include court documents brought along from Germany and material gathered by Dr. Walter Forster in research for his dissertation and book, Zion on the Mississippi. The collection has been arranged into six series: Pre-Emigration, Emigration, Post-Emigration, Centennial, Correspondence, and Financial Records.

The Pre-Emigration series is arranged in alphabetical order by topic. It contains transcribed court documents of Martin Stephan, with accusations dating back as far as 1811. In 1961 Pastor Kurt Spillner of Dresden, Germany, collected these documents. They are “new” to the Saxon Immigration picture, as they were not available when Dr. Walter Forster used this collection in his research. The Spillner collection may duplicate some of the transcriptions found in the Pastor Stephan Investiture Files (f.14, 15, 16).

The Pre-Emigration series also contains court records dated 1820-1835, known as the Hanewinkel notes. These documents were transcribed by a Mr. Hanewinkel for Dr. W.H.T. Dau. (It is not known whether Dr. Dau used these transcriptions in any published writings. Note: Hanewinkel was the transcriber only and has no historical significance for the collection).

Furthermore, there is a history of the Langenchursdorf parish, where Otto Hermann Walther was his father’s vicar prior to the emigration, and C.F.W. Walther’s call document to Bräunsdorf. There is also a variety of “emigration codes” and court transcripts of an accusation against Pastor E.G.W. Keyl dated 1836. The 1836 investiture of Pastor Stephan consists of handwritten documents, which appear to be copies of the court documents and not the originals, since the word “Abschrift” (copy) is shown on almost every sheet.

The Emigration series is arranged in alphabetical order by subject. It consists of passenger lists filed by the name of the ship on which the emigrant(s) sailed, freight and insurance papers, lists of belongings of various people and a diary by T. J. Brohm written during the voyage on the Olbers (the same ship on which Pastor Stephan traveled). Brohm’s is possibly the best account of the sea journey available. It also contains an original copy of songs written by Otto Hermann Walther during the voyage.

The Post-Emigration series is arranged in alphabetical order by subject. It holds all material generated after the arrival of the emigration group in New Orleans in 1839 until the end of the 19th century. The series contains all the papers leading up to the deposition of Pastor Stephan in 1839 and his confession and lawsuit in 1841. File #43 contains the original and copies of the “Deposition of Martin Stephan,” the translation of which can be found in Forster’s Zion on the Mississippi (p. 418). This document marked the separation of Stephan from the Emigration Society; it also contains a complete list of the possessions he was permitted to keep plus an additional $100.00. It was signed on 30 May 1839.

Preliminary plans to establish Trinity Lutheran Church (of St. Louis?) are in this series. There is a blueprint of the church’s plan, a draft of the first bylaws, and the vestry of the Christus Kirche (Episcopal) where the emigrants worshipped until their own sanctuary was built. It contains call documents for pastors Johann Friedrich Buenger, Otto Hermann Walther and C. F. W. Walther.

The Centennial series is arranged in alphabetical order. It combines the research done by Dr. Walter Forster for his book Zion on the Mississippi and bulletins and publications issued for the 100th anniversary of the Saxon Immigration.

The Correspondence series is the most voluminous part of this collection. It is arranged in chronological order. A large part of the correspondence consists of handwritten file copies; they are not the originals. In some cases, as many as three letters, all in the same handwriting, are found on the front and back of one sheet of paper but contain different signatures and dates; they represent copies of separate pieces of correspondence. A portion of the correspondence contains applications of prospective emigration participants. This series holds all dated and undated documents other than financial records and those clearly identified as court documents.

A note for the researcher: Although the collection includes typewritten transcriptions of the some of the correspondence and/or court papers, their quality varies considerably. They should not be relied on as totally accurate. The Institute hopes to provide new transcriptions of these documents as resources permit.

In 2012 Pastor Joachim Escher of Reinsberg (Saxony), Germany, transcribed some of the correspondence into German typescript. The transcriptions are formatted line for line to compare with the originals and are filed with the originals.

The Financial Records series is arranged in chronological order with specific types of records appearing in alphabetical order at the end of the series. It contains all invoices as well as accounting ledgers from 1838 to 1853. Expenses incurred by either passengers or freight that could be linked to a specific ship are filed under the vessel’s name. Several “Sub-Reparations Lists” are available in this collection. These are detailed financial lists quantifying the exact amount of money allotted for certain expenses to a certain passenger traveling on a certain ship, i.e. Olbers.