HISTORICAL FOOTNOTES

Spring 1998, Volume 43, Number 1

(Back Issues Available)

• This Issue
  1. Cabin 'Cousins' Are Being Restored at 2 Sites
  2. Saxon Lutheran Memorial Reopens for 1998 with New Curator
  3. Work Moving Forward on Institute's Collections, Thanks to Staff & Volunteers
  4. At CHI, Staples are 'Out'
  5. CHI Seeks Trascribers of German Script
  6. Walther Envelope Presented to Ft. Wayne Sem
  7. Credit Card Payments to be Accepted Soon
  8. Memorials Given for Loved Ones
• The Archivist's Corner
  1. Preserving Your Photographs: Is Digitizing the Answer?
  2. Lutheran Historical Conference to Meet in New York City
  3. Microfilming Church Records is One of the Best Ways to Preserve Information
  4. Archives Finding Aids Now On-line; Others Coming to the 'Web' Soon

his is a tale of two cabins -- one in St. Louis, one in Frohna, one a replica, one an original, but both being restored so that visitors can see what life was like for early settlers in Missouri.

Like cousins, both have their roots in Perry County, Mo.

The St. Louis cabin, maintained by CHI, sits on the campus grounds of Concordia Seminary, as a replica of a tiny log cabin school built in 1839 in Perry County by men named Walther, Buenger, Fuerbringer and Brohm. When it is restored, visitors will be able to walk inside and feel what it must have been like to be a student there.

The school's records show its earliest students were eleven boys and girls, ages five to fifteen. Its express purpose was to prepare its students for the university.

From 1843-1849 it became a preparatory school for pastors and teachers and in the mid-1800s the college and seminary housed in the cabin became the property of the young Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod.

The seminary then left its log cabin home and was moved to St. Louis in 1849. Because of its history, the little log cabin (located today in Altenburg, Mo.) was considered to be the first Concordia Seminary.

The replica log cabin -- which was built as a movie prop for "Call of the Cross" -- was dedicated May 8, 1939, and is maintained by CHI. The years and the weather have taken their toll, so restoration was begun in late October of 1997 to make the cabin a permanent exhibit for visitors. The cabin has a new 50-year roof of fire-retardant cedar shingles. Some rafters have been replaced, and the sides and gables have been redone. All the windows have been hand-crafted to fit, using a special glass. Visitors to the cabin will not be able to see clearly through the glass, so they will not be distracted by cars and other modern-day sights outside. This will enhance the feeling of being in an old-fashioned school.

Rev. Mark Loest, assistant director for reference and museum who is overseeing the restoration, said most of the materials being used to restore the replica cabin are older than the cabin itself. Workers are using wood from old barns from southern Illinois, across the Mississippi from Perry County. Most of the funding for the restoration has been donated by a supporter of CHI.

The Fenwick Cabin

The other cabin, formerly on the Charles Grebing farm, was reassembled on the grounds of the Saxon Lutheran Memorial (SLM) in Frohna, starting in the spring of 1997. Believed to have been built in 1832 by a member of the Fenwick family, it also will be fully open to visitors once its restoration is completed this spring or early summer.

This cabin, to be known as the Fenwick cabin, is said to be one of only two or three of its size remaining in Missouri. One of its most unique features is that it is two stories tall, four rooms in all, with a two-story porch on the back, says Dorene Grebing, from whose farm it was moved. Before it was disassembled and then rebuilt at the SLM, it had spent the last 80 years "storing junk" from the Grebing farm, she said. But the "treasures" found inside it included an original mantle from one of two stone fireplaces. The fireplaces, removed years ago when stoves came in vogue, have been rebuilt of limestone. Mrs. Grebing said the stones that were used to build a cellar under a lean-to on the cabin are believed to be the same stones that were used to build the original dual fireplaces.

Another discovery was a log in the upper level, with "1797" carved into it. Core drillings of the many logs that make up the cabin have shown the logs for the lower level were felled in 1832 and the upper story logs in 1838. But one historian has suggested that the "1797" log could have come from another older cabin.

Yet another special feature of the Fenwick cabin is the "dogtrot," a hallway or breezeway in the center of the lower floor of the cabin, that also leads to the upper level. Workers also discovered each of the rafters in the building bore a Roman numeral, indicating the rafters were probably shaped on the ground and then numbered so they would be properly placed once lifted.

In addition to the task of reassembling the logs and replacing those too rotted to be used, workers have given the Fenwick cabin a new split-shingled roof and replaced all the outer doors and windows. Each door had a transom with four movable panes of glass to provide ventilation. A few of the original shingles were found under a newer tin roof, which Mrs. Grebing said was put on after a tornado 20 or 25 years ago tore off most the shingles.

Work on the floors and the upper bedroom is on-going, with inch-thick tongue-and-groove yellow poplar being put down as the new floor. About one-third of the original flooring will be left untouched on the upper level for visitors to view.

The Fenwick cabin will also be refurbished with chairs, beds and other furniture. In time, if funds allow, the kitchen which was added to the original cabin could be rebuilt, using blueprints, says Mrs. Grebing.

The Fenwick cabin is one of the many buildings that can be visited at the SLM, which was dedicated to the Saxon Lutheran immigrants who settled in Perry County.

axon Lutheran Memorial of Frohna reopened for the 1998 season on Tuesday, March 10, with the arrival of the SLM's new curator, the Rev. James Marten.

Rev. Marten's appointment was announced Feb. 2. Rev. Daniel Preus, director of Concordia Historical Institute which owns and operates the Saxon Lutheran Memorial, said Rev. Marten most recently resided in Denver, Colorado, but was raised on a farm. He has been looking forward to returning to country life and also putting to use his background in church history.

This was the first winter the SLM has closed. Following a decision by the SLM Board, the memorial will be closed during the months of December, January and February each year.

SLM has been open as an historic site since 1964 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. The complex consists of 30 acres with three log-cabin frame houses, a log barn and smaller log structures believed to have been slave quarters prior to the Saxons' arrival in 1839, plus a country store museum, visitors center, outdoor museum of farm equipment and machine shed.

SLM hours of operation are now 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

New this year is an admission fee of $2 for guided tours (children 12 and under admitted free). Tour groups are asked to make advance arrangements by writing to Saxon Lutheran Memorial, Frohna MO 63748, or by calling (573) 824-5404.

By Kristina Gray Perez
Project Archivist

HI is pleased to announce that the finding aid for the Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther Papers, 1827-1887, is completed and is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.chi.lcms.org.

Thanks to the valuable assistance of three of CHI's volunteers, Cookie Brauer, Barbara Huggins and Bernice Malec, the staples have been removed from the subject files in the LCMS. Board of Directors Records, c.1878-present. They continue to remove staples from the LCMS. Executive Offices Records that are currently being processed. The volunteers also helped update the preliminary inventories available in the public reading room which serve as the only point of access to many of CHI's collections. Brigitte Conkling, archives assistant, is currently arranging and describing the papers of the first missionary to China, Rev. Edward L. Arndt. She gains valuable assistance from Rev. Arndt's son, Dr. Edward J. Arndt.

Archival Record Keeping

Internal organization has been the focus of work in the archives since the new year arrived. A large number of the collections at CHI have brief descriptions that consist of only lists of folder titles (also called preliminary inventories) located in each box of the collection. No arrangement or consolidation has been undertaken with these collections. Student assistant Mary Laesch and seminarian Kevin Tiaden have been working to complete CHI's preliminary inventories that can be used as we continue to arrange and describe the LCMS records.

The preliminary inventories that exist at CHI are part of the accession records. Accession records are a vital component for an archives and manuscripts repository. Accessioning is the process of identifying and recording donor information about materials as they arrive at CHI. People who are information professionals consider this process the most basic step in establishing intellectual control over a repository's holdings. In other words, the institution keeps a record of the various collections it holds (titles), the types of materials found within each collection (a basic inventory), when the collections arrived, and from whom the collections were received. CHI's part-time accessioner, Mrs. Bonnie Schmidt, records this information for all materials donated to CHI. This includes archival collections, museum artifacts, and books for the library.

Complete accession records assist archives staff as we arrange and describe collections. First, it is vital that we know from where the records came or who created/collected them. This is called provenance and is the most fundamental concept in archival arrangement and description.

However, during arrangement the most consulted component of the accession record is the list of files that appear in each box of a donation. This is especially true of the LCMS records since these are transferred to CHI periodically from the various administrative departments, boards, and committees. Quite often sets of minutes, agenda, subject files or reports appear in a number of different boxes from numerous donations sent to CHI through the years. This makes arranging a large collection more difficult as we attempt to place like materials together into series. The accession inventories that are either created here, or that are forwarded with the collection by the donor, are invaluable in identifying where like materials are located and where possible duplications exist.

Accession inventories are valuable for researchers and for members of the reference staff as well. Since most of CHI's collections have not been arranged and described according to archival standards, these lists offer the only access to the collections without physically opening each box and searching through its contents. In certain cases an accession record is all that is needed to offer adequate access to a collection.

For example, donors (offices and individuals) often send letters which offer a description of the contents of the collection, provide useful background information on the office or person who created the collection, and include an inventory which is as beneficial for their own records as it is to the repository's records.

Therefore, the more complete the accession records, the easier the process of arrangement and description becomes.

hy does CHI remove staples from documents? Most staples and paper clips rust and CHI wants to eliminate any chemical processes taking place around the documents, even corrosion. This also stains the paper.

Whenever staples and paper clips are removed from documents, notes are made on which papers were previously attached. This saves a step when the documents are photocopied for reference purposes.

Finally, removing these fasteners saves space. Staples and paper clips are usually in the upper right corner of papers. A stack of papers fastened together this way takes up more room than if the staples/clips are removed. Sometimes removing fasteners can free up about one-forth of a document-protecting storage box.

oncordia Historical Institute is seeking volunteers who might be able to assist the Institute with transcribing old German handwritten documents.

If this is your special gift, please contact Rev. Marvin Huggins, associate director for archives and library, by calling (314) 505-7920, by writing the Institute at 801 DeMun Ave., St. Louis MO 63105, or by sending an email message to him at: chi@trucom.com.

oncordia Historical Institute had a special presence at the 1998 Symposia held in January at Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne.

CHI's Melanchthon exhibit, which had been featured in the CHI Museum throughout the 1997 anniversary year, was transported to Ft. Wayne for the Symposia where it could be viewed by the over 600 pastors and laymen who attended the lectures.

At a special banquet on Thursday evening, CHI Director Rev. Daniel Preus and CHI Museum Curator Rev. Mark Loest presented a special gift to CTS President Dr. Dean Wenthe -- an envelope which is part of the C.F.W. Walther legacy. The envelope, which CHI had framed along with a charcoal drawing of Walther, had been received by him in January of 1887 on the occasion of his 50th anniversary in the holy ministry and contained greetings from the students of Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne.

Rev. Loest said the specially framed envelope was given to the seminary as "a token of friendship and a reminder of the relationship between CHI and the Ft. Wayne seminary."

CHI has additional framed Walther envelopes available as a thank you gift for anyone who donates $200 or more to CHI's efforts to restore C.F.W. Walther's desks, currently in storage at CHI. Each Walther envelope is custom matted and framed in solid cherry with certification testifying to the authenticity of the envelope and a description of the Walther Desk Project on the back. For more information, contact Rev. Loest at CHI at (314) 505-7930.

oncordia Historical Institute soon will be able to offer the convenience of purchasing merchandise, services and memberships by credit card for the first time in history.

As a result of Board approval in February, applications for handling credit payments have been made. Both Visa and MasterCard will be accepted, with the possibility of other cards to be determined.

CHI office manager Mary Jo Mulder said she expects the Institute will be ready to accept credit card payments by early summer.

The Institute currently accepts payment only by cash, check or money order. CHI has received an increasing number of requests to pay by credit and is happy to offer this convenience, she said.

he following memorials were received recently in honor of friends and loved ones. They will be added to the CHI Book of Memories:

• Ms. Judith V. Bassett (daughter of Rev. Dr. Edwin Weber), given by Mr. & Mrs. Wallace A. Kern;
• Mr. Erich J. C. Bergt, given by Mrs. Erich J. C. Bergt;
• Dr. George J. Beto, given by Mr. Dan R. Beto;
• Mr. Earl Borchers, given by Rev. & Mrs. William A. Dressen;
• Mr. Wesley L. Fassold, given by Martin & Charles Oswald Families;
• Professor Walter O. Forster, given by Scott, Eunice, and William S. Meyer;
• Mr. James Carl Frederickson, given by Mr. & Mrs. Harold Grovender;
• Mr. Matt A. Halli, given by Mr. & Mrs. Harold Grovender;
• Dr. William A. Kramer, given by (daughter) Mrs. Arlene M. Behmer; Mr. & Mrs. Werner R. Krause; Mr. & Mrs. Richard F. W. Preusser; Mr. & Mrs. Raymond G. Kuecker; Mr. & Mrs. Scott J. Meyer; Miss Norma Kramer; Dr. Gerhardt Kramer; Mrs. Margaret K. Schwarz; Capt. Ruth Moeller, USN (Ret.); Mr. & Mrs. Milton W. Schmidt; Rev. & Mrs. Dale Griffin; Mr. & Mrs. Fred Schroeder; Dorothy Weinhold; Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Huey; (niece) Ethel Longmire; Mr. & Mrs. Philip H. Lochhaas; Mr. & Mrs. Allen Wicks.
• Miss Anita P. Loeber, given by Mr. & Mrs. Norman Loeber;
• Rev. Dr. Herman A. Mayer, given by Peace Lutheran Men's Club of St. Louis;
• Ms. Blondina Firnhaber Pinns, given by Mr. & Mrs. Harold Kulow;
• Dr. Milton Rudi, given by Mr. Donley D. Matthias;
• Dr. Julius A. Walther, given by Marie T. Bergmann.

To give a memorial gift, please write CHI at 801 DeMun Ave., St. Louis MO 63105.

e at CHI regularly receive questions about the best ways to preserve photographs. Recently, scanning and digitizing photographic images has been touted as the answer to the problem of preserving these valuable historical documents. The advent of the digital camera brings another dimension to the discussion, since with these devices the image is not stored on physical film or standard photographic prints.

Digitizing images is an excellent way to store and distribute images widely and in compact form. Hundreds of images can be stored on a single compact disk, and copies can be readily viewed, printed and distributed around the world on the Internet.

Archivists have been discussing the value of digitizing images at great length. At this time the consensus is that this is not a solution for long-term or permanent storage of photographic images. It is not even a matter of the longevity of the physical disks on which the images are stored. The problem is the rapid obsolescence of the computer hardware and software needed to retrieve, view and print digital images.

It is anticipated that tremendous costs will be involved, not only in the initial phase of scanning and storing the images, but also in the need to convert the images every few years into the next generation of file formats, hardware configurations and operating systems. Until some universal standards can be developed that would allow each new generation of technology to read or convert the old file formats, the cost is prohibitive for most individuals or organizations.

Thus we are left with storing photographic prints in acid-free containers, in the dark, free of dirt, dust and air pollutants, and in a controlled temperature and humidity environment as the best means of preserving them for the indefinite future.

-MAH

he 1998 biennial meeting of the Lutheran Historical Conference will be held 29-31 October at Wagner College, New York City. The conference will explore the nature of Lutheranism in the northeast and its relationship to the national church. For the Lutheran Church the region has a history both old and varied, one that was unusually influential as both source and foil in the development of Lutheranism in the United States.

Papers at the conference will focus on aspects of Lutheranism in the northeastern U.S., including the Muhlenberg tradition (250th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Ministerium); The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod; Finnish, Danish, Norwegian, Slovak and Swedish expressions of Lutheranism; and themes such as significant anniversaries, ecclesiological trends, inner mission, liturgical developments, public Lutheranism, ecumenism and mergers, campus ministry and eastern Lutheranism and the larger church.

Further information will be provided as the program details and arrangements are completed.

By Marvin Huggins, C.A.
Associate Director

e receive numerous inquiries about the preservation of church records. Microfilming continues to be one of the best methods for preserving such records and also makes them more readily available for reference and research use.

We have developed several service bulletins on this subject that should answer most questions on the subject. They are available on our Web site at http://www.chi.lcms.org/publication/bulletin_index.htm or you may request printed copies from our office.

We have helped several congregations preserve their records through this means. Filming can be done by a company in the local area, as long as their work meets the archival standards outlined in the bulletins. Some state historical societies will also film church records, sometimes at no cost to the congregation.

The records can also be sent to us, and we will arrange to have the filming done by a company here. If the filming is done through us, the congregation will be responsible for all costs, including the time that our staff spends in preparing the materials for filming and in examining the film for accuracy and completeness after the work is done. Service Bulletin #19 suggests some guidelines for estimating the cost of filming; our staff time will add another $25. Because our staff is limited, this may take several months to complete.

When the records are filmed through our office in St. Louis, we retain the negative of the film as well as a positive copy for use by researchers in our Reading Room. Another copy is sent to the congregation. If the filming is done locally or by a state historical society, we encourage the congregation to arrange to have a positive copy sent to us for our reference collection. We would also be happy to store the master negative in our climate-controlled stack area, which provides optimum conditions for long-term preservation.

Once the records have been filmed, it is best to use the film for reference purposes rather than the original books to avoid damage from excessive handling.

If there are additional questions about this procedure, we will be happy to answer them.

he CHI archives arrangement and description project continues to make good progress. The following record groups have been completed:

1. C. F. W. (Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm) Walther (1811-1887) Papers, c.1828-1887 (16 linear feet)
2. Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana Records (.4 linear feet)
3. John W. Behnken (1884-1968) FAMILY Collection, c.1875-1973 (10.4 linear feet)
4. LCMS. Board for Higher Education. Conference of College and Seminary Faculties of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, 1897-1961 (.8 linear feet)
5. LCMS. Board of Directors Records, 1873-present (51.2 linear feet; 50 volumes)
6. LCMS. Fiscal Review Commission Records, 1962-1976 (.4 linear feet)
7. LCMS. Office of the President Records. John W. Behnken Administration, 1935-1962 (14.8 linear feet)

Finding aids for these collections are available in the Institute Reading Room and on the World Wide Web at http://www.chi.lcms.org/collections/archives.html. The finding aids include historical background of the individual or agency, the scope and content of the collection and a detailed folder list.

Work is continuing on the processing of some 135 linear feet of the LCMS. Executive Offices Records, 1959-1979. Several other record groups have been partially arranged and described. In addition to those listed in the last issue, work has been done on the following record groups:

1. LCMS. Accounting Department
2. LCMS. Board for Higher Education Minutes
3. LCMS. Board for Parish Services Minutes, 1929-1992 (51 volumes; 6 linear feet)
4. LCMS. Concordia Retirement and Welfare Plans (Worker Benefit Plans), 1964-1993
5. LCMS. Council of Administrators, Coordinating Committee for Parish Services Minutes, 1965-1976 (.2 linear feet)
6. LCMS Foundation, 1958-1982
7. LCMS. General Literature Board Minutes, 1920-1960 (.8 linear feet; 5 volumes)

As finding aids are completed, they will be added to the online resource on the Web. In a separate project the papers of China missionary Edward L. Arndt are being arranged and described through the generous support of his son, Dr. Edward J. Arndt.

"Historical Footnotes" newsletter is published quarterly by Concordia Historical Institute, 801 DeMun Ave., St. Louis MO 63105. The Institute is a not-for-profit organization, serving as the Department of History and Archives for The Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod.

Editor-in-Chief: Rev. Marvin A. Huggins
Writer and Layout Editor: Chris Boshoven

The following back issues are available on-line:

1. December 1996, Volume 41, Number 4
2. April 1997, Volume 42, Number 1
3. June/July 1997, Volume 42, Number 2
4. October 1997, Volume 42, Number 3
5. December 1997, Volume 42, Number 4

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Copyright © 1998 Concordia Historical Institute