New Orleans History -- Lake Pontchartrain
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Search this site.View the site map.
 
 

1878 J. F. Doescher opens Lutheran Sunday school for Negroes

src="/clientimages/40334/cultcha/today/apr7doescher.jpg">


In 1879, he became pastor of St. John Lutheran Church, New Orleans. He was
dismissed in January of 1882 because of mental illness (Some have suggested that
Doescher had a falling out with then synod president C.F.W. Walther, and Walther
fabricated the charge of mental illness to have him removed), and then joined
the Ohio Synod. Later, he served parishes of the Ohio Synod in Texas,
Washington, and Meno, South Dakota. He died in November 1916 at the age of
78.

J. Friedrich Doescher was born on July 15, 1840 in Loeste, Hannover, Germany and lived in Logansport, Indiana for some time. In 1859 he graduated from the Fort Wayne seminary and was ordained that same year in Iowa City, Iowa by the Rev. August Selle. On May 15, 1860, he married Adelheid Meyer and together they had five sons and six daughters.

In addition to his
first pastorate in Iowa City he served 18 preaching stations covering 325 miles!
From there he came to Zion Lutheran Church and was installed here in April 12,
1863. In April of 1865 he left to pastor Trinity Lutheran Church in
Marshalltown, Iowa where he preached in both English and German. The day after
Christmas in 1886 he became the pastor of a congregation in Mechanicsville, Iowa
(where he also preached in English) and also served a preaching station in
Boonesboro, Iowa, 186 miles to the west.


Sources:  href="http://216.239.57.100/search?q=cache:mD0XrYwyu8cC:lists.lcms.org/pipermail/chinews/2002-April/000086.html+%22april+7%22+orleans&hl=en&ie=UTF-8">http://216.239.57.100/search?q=cache:mD0XrYwyu8cC:lists.lcms.org/pipermail/chinews/2002-April/000086.html+%22april+7%22+orleans&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 &
href="http://www.angelfire.com/oh5/zionlcms/doescher.html">http://www.angelfire.com/oh5/zionlcms/doescher.html