Information Sheet

 

 

R         Bethlehem Lutheran Church (Morgan County, Mo.).

547                  Records, 1875-1963.

                                    Two volumes.

 

MICROFILM

 

 

 

These are records of Bethlehem Lutheran (“Nolting”) Church in Morgan County, Missouri.  Included are by-laws, registers of members, and minutes of meetings through 16 September 1963.  The records are in German through 1934.

 

The German Ev. Lutheran Bethlehem Church was organized in January 1875 by communi­cants from Trinity Lutheran Church at Pyrmont.  Previously, in 1866, Peter Pape, trustee, had ac­quired land from Frederick and Caroline Nolting and Louis and Caroline Mire for a cemetery.  The first burial there, of Ludwick Meier, occurred on 12 May 1874.  Bethlehem Church was served as a two-point parish with pastors supplied by both Trinity Lutheran at Pyrmont and Christ Lutheran at Stover.  Additional land was acquired from Herman and Elizabeth Nolting in 1897 and 1904.

 

At a special meeting held on 22 October 1961 the congregation voted to disband, repair the cemetery fence, and turn all money over to Christ Lutheran Church to be deposited in a dedicated fund for the upkeep of the cemetery, in which the former members of Bethlehem Lutheran Church retained the right to be buried.  Many of the congregation’s members, along with its vital records, were transferred to Christ Lutheran Church in Stover.  On 12 November 1961 a special farewell service was held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church.  On 26 November 1961 most of the members of Bethlehem Lutheran transferred their membership to Christ Lutheran at Stover.  On 16 September 1963 the trustees of the Beth­lehem Church (Leroy Nolting, Orva Nolting, Walter Moellman, Harry Nolting, and Herbert L. Bockelman) deeded the church property to the heirs of the original owners and deeded the ceme­tery to Christ Lutheran Church.

 

[Collection renamed and Information Sheet revised in 2004.]

 

 

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