Missouri Germans Consortium

Karneval – The Fifth Season

The Fifth Season concludes with a Karneval Parade!
German settlement in Missouri

Gottfried Duden’s book A Report on a Journey to the Western States of North America inspired thousands to leave Germany for Missouri…
Gottfried Duden

Gottfried Duden’s book, the Report about Missouri was published in Germany in 1829. We do know that in the decade of the 1830s alone, over 120,000 Germans immigrated to the United States, and for whatever reason, one-third chose Missouri. What followed from those early emigrants affected Missouri’s history. The Germans that followed in the societies like the Giessen Society, the Philadelphia Settlement Society, and all the others, spread out from St. Louis to Hermann and beyond.
Arnold Krekel, German Abolitionist

n January 11, 1865, Arnold Krekel, serving as the elected President of the Missouri Constitutional Convention signed Missouri’s Emancipation Proclamation thereby ending the enslavement of all African American’s in Missouri.
Missouri’s Emancipation Proclamation

AN ORDINANCE ABOLISHING SLAVERY IN MISSOURI Be it ordained by People of the State of Missouri, in Convention assembled That hereafter, in this State, there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude…and all persons held to service or labor as slaves are hereby declared free.
From Belecke

Missouri has a strong German heritage; many have ancestors that arrived in the 1800s and often find “crossing the pond” to find those relatives very difficult. This can be difficult for those still in the old country who wish to reach out and meet their relatives here as well. The traveling International Exhibit Utopia, began […]
Friedrich Hecker

Friedrich Hecker was a hero to the vast majority of German Americans living in the United States during the mid-19th Century. The Friedrich Hecker Monument was dedicated on October 1, 1882 before a crowd of over 15,000 in our beautiful Benton Park, in St. Louis, Missouri.Born September 28, 1811 in Eichtersheim, Grand Duchy of Baden, […]
Giessen Society reunion

at beautiful Blumenhof Winery, on a warm summer evening in Dutzow, a group came together for the most unique “family reunion” ever held. Their family history all had one thing in common, they were a descendent of one of the 500 German immigrants that arrived on either of the ships the Olbers or the Medora in the summer of 1834, known as the Giessen Emigration Society.
Auswandererlied

The trilogy of novels by Rolf Schmidt comprises three works of facts and fiction. Since they are almost entirely based on historical sources, they have the feeling of factual reports. Excerpts from letters, documents and diaries are woven into the narratives.
A Visit to a German state

German philanthropist, Gottfried Duden, visited Missouri and in 1829 would publish a book about the visit titled A Report on a Journey to the Western States of North America, for which he was labeled the “Dream spinner”. Recently, German Consulate Wolfgang Mössinger, from Chicago, visited Hermann and also had an opportunity to experience Duden’s Missouri firsthand.
Giessen Emigration Society

In 1834, the Giessen Emigration Society arrived. They would come from all parts of Germany, be all walks of life, and all religions. They would change Missouri, and work to end slavery.
Descendants Project

Finding one’s family treasures is always an awesome discovery for family historians! As the Utopia project began, I felt that if so much could be learned from the papers of Friedrich Muench, how much more could be learned about the plans, dreams and lives of the Giessen Emigration Society members if all of the memories and writings of all five-hundred plus members could be in one location. And so began my quest to find descendants of as many members as possible.
Emigrants hope for a better future

One cannot go back. America is a melting pot for so many, as nearly all of our families were immigrants once. Once our own ancestors came here with their own dreams pinned with hope for a better future.
Missouri Germans Consortium

Missouri Germans Consortium is a free online International association of everything German in Missouri, for those interested in the German heritage of Missouri. Our mission is to partner with organizations such as ours, preserve the culture, educate on the history, promote with programs and projects, while providing an open forum for the public to come together.