Sixty Years of Remsen Lutheran Church Service and History
The Remsen Lutheran congregation traces its roots to 1887 with Trinity Lutheran Church Amherst township, Cherokee county. Pastors Brueggemann Brammer Brauer Kallsen Stark Guenther and others served, church construction completed 1886 with dedication, Ladies Aid organized since 1912, and active Synod support through the Missouri Synod.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Remsen
Trinity Lutheran Church
Amherst Township
Cherokee County
J. D. Hesse
Hesse
LeMars
Ladies’ Aid
M. Aljets
L. Bretholz
A. Bushgens
M. Dose
M. Falke
A. Fegebank
C. Gaden
A. Groth
E. Guenther
M. Hansen
M. Helms
O. Hewicker
E. Harnack
D. Imsen
E. Juergensen
M. Kallsen
A. Kirchoff
Inner Work of 1927 Christ Lutheran Church
The 1927 interior updates include a new altar pulpit and pipe organ with a 1903 parsonage later remodeled in 1921. The 1896 dedication occurred on the last Sunday in April led by Rev. J. D. Hesse and Rev. J. Horn. Trustees included Detlef Lindemann, Ebrecht, and Sievers. Lindemann remains the sole surviving member in Sioux City.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Christ Lutheran Church
J. D. Hesse
Cherokee County
J. Horn
Germantown
Messrs
John Harnack, Jr
Hans Detlefs
George Ebrecht
Henry Signers Sievers
Messrs. Ebrecht
Sievers
Detlef Lindemann
Sioux City
Emma Peoples
Wm. Long
How Remsen Got Its Name From Dr William Remsen Smith
The town of Remsen was named for Dr William Remsen Smith a pioneer Sioux City physician who owned land nearby and was a friend of John S Blair who built the railroad through the area. The naming arose when Blair suggested naming the town Smithville but agreed to use Smiths middle name Remsen. The town began in 1871 with a depot and later incorporated around 1888. Dr Smith died leaving funds for a library and his son recounts the family history of settling and homesteading near Remsen. Mayor John Keffeler, a Remsen native, recalls cowboy days and public improvements.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Remsen
William Remsen Smith
Sioux City
Doctor Smith
New Jersey
John S. Blair
Smithville
Blair
Mr. Smith
United States Land Office
Central States
John Keffeler
Keffeler
Christ Lutheran Church Remsen Seeks Building Fund
The Remsen congregation notes only four living members of a long list of founders and records 625 baptisms since 1896 and 406 confirmations. It currently has 309 baptized members with 200 communicants. The church plans to renovate or replace the building within a few years and aims to extend its community influence into the second half of the centennial era.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Remsen
Larabee's rise from teacher to Iowa governor in 1885
Born in 1832 in Connecticut, William Larrabee moved to Iowa, taught, owned mills, and built a banking endeavor before entering politics. He served 18 years in the state senate, chaired ways and means, and was elected governor in 1885. His term emphasized railroad rate regulation and liquor prohibition. A strong movement later sought his U.S. Senate seat.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Remsen
William Larrabee
Iowa
Ledyard
Conn
Adama Larrabee
West Point Military Academy
Clayton County
Judge Williams
Clermont Mills
Fayette County
Republicans
Senate
Committee of Ways and Means
Larrabee
United States Senate
Railroads and State Governance Highlighted in Local History
The 1893 publication on the Railroad Question is noted as a valuable historical and practical treatise. Governor Larrabee helped create the State Board of Control and served as its president. Willam Larrabee Jr. served in the Twenty-ninth General Assembly. A Remsen Bell entry dated December 16, 1897 mentions a sleighing party to Marcus for a dance. Copies of the Golden Jubilee edition are available at the Bell Enterprise office.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Congress
State Board of Control
Larrabee
Willam Larrabee, Jr
House of the Twenty-ninth General Assembly
Remsen Bell
Ed. Donahoe
Fred Earnest
Burt Freeman
Nic Hoffman
Alf Ferris
Mary
Lena Hoffman
Theresa Rathman
Bid Dowd
Anna Donahoe
Marcus
Bell Enterprise Office
Remsen Voter Letter Denies Kieffer Marshals Claim
Remsen Bell on February 25, 1897 publishes Anton Arens’s denial that J P Kieffer’s mayoral election would force Arens to accept the post of city marshal. Arens states he will decline any offer or application and will not be put before the city council.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Remsen Bell
Remsen
J. P. Kieffer
Anton Arens
Also Mentioned on This Page
Lutheran Church
Martin Brueggemann
Alma
Memphis
Tenn
Brueggeman
Paul Brammer
Brammer
St. Ansgar
E. A. Brauer
Storm Lake
Brauer
Illinois
Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod
Synod
Henry Falke
Adolph Frasch
W. G. Sievers
John Harnack
Frank Maags
A. D. Ohlendorf
R. Guttner
Henry Maass
John Ott
Ladies Aid
Guenther
Boone
F. Wahlers
Immanuel Lutheran College
Colored
Greenboro
N. C
Wahlers
Concordia College
St. Paul
Steffen
M. Schmitz
Ed. Nitzschke
Clarence Harnack
S. 3B. Johnston
Dr. Smith
Red Bank
N. J
Council Bluffs
Nicholas Keffeler
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
United States
Sturgis
South Dakota
Black Hills
Wiebaux
Mont
Chicago
Remsén
Dubuque
John
C. M. Myers
Christ Lutheran Church and Parsonage
Man Harnack
Martin Nagel
Peter Raun
Wm. Koepp
Adolf Hoeper
John Behrens
Joseph Nagel
Herman Wegner
L. H. Harnack
Fritz Ohblendorf
Michel Scheel
Joachim Peters
Offer Aljetz
Wm. Sievers
Eward Joergensen
Herman Juetting
H. Brunken
August Mews
John Spiecker
J. H. Rathmann
August Krekow
Juergen Stolley
Albert Junghans
Julius Kirchoff
Wm. Falke
Peter J. Erichsen
Carl Dose
H. F. Meyer
H. Koch, Sr
H. Koch, Jr
Harm Seggermann
Larabee
Barney Bornhorst
Baker’s Dozen
Remsen Home Bakery
Mrs. W. L. Gapp
Coca-Cola
Chesterman
Heidel Brau Beer
Singer
Mueller
Happy Corner
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!