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Rev. Friedrich Wilhelm Fiegenbaum

Biography & Chronology

 

F. W. Fiegenbaum was born in the parish of Lengerich, Administrative District of Münster, Prussia on 12 April 1830. With his parents, Adolf and Christina Fiegenbaum, he came to America in 1834. They lived near Hopewell, Warren Co., Mo., until he was 21 years of age. On 19 February 1846, at a quarterly convocation under the leadership of Presiding Elder H. Köneke and Preacher Franz Horstmann, he was converted. On the next morning he received the call to the ministry, but refuse, on three grounds: 1. the ministry appeared to him to be a pauper's life, with a salary of only $150 to $200; 2. the responsibilities appeared too great; 3. his schooling was too scanty. After years of truggle and earnest trial, he declared himself willing to accept the call, and in the Spring of 1853 ventured forth. He served in the following fields: Peoria, Ill, 1½ years, 1853-54; Cedar Lake, Ind., 1854-55; Sherrills Mount, Iowa, 1855-57; Freeport, Ill., 1857-59; Salem, Minn., 1859-60; St. Paul, First Congregation, 1860-62; Washington 1862-64; Burlington, Iowa District, 1864-66; Wapello 1866-68; Des Moines 1868-70; Polk City 1870-73. He was then the victim of a nervous disorder and was for several years superannuated and then returned to the ministry: Milton, Iowa, 1876-79; Canton, Mo., 1879-82. He was then transferred to the West German Conference and served Wathena, Kan., 1882-84; Eudora 1884-86; Clay Center 1886-88; Lawrence 1888-92; Oregon, Mo., 1892-96. At this point his health collapsed and he was again superannuated. He gives heartfelt thanks that God has blessed his work. He has no regrets that he served the Lord; he is sorry only that he was not better prepared for the great task before him. His home is in Wathena, Kan.

 

Source: Kriege, Otto E., Gustav Beker, Matthäus Herrmann, and T. L Körner.  Souvenir der West Deutschen Konferenz der Bischöflichen Methodistenkirche. S.l.: the Conference, 1906; pp. 251-252.
Translation by J. Mark Fiegenbaum.

 

Chronology

The peripatetic nature of Friedrich's work for the German Methodist Episcopal Church, which preferred its circuit preachers to serve an appointment for no more than 2 years, has made it difficult to create an accurate chronology of his life. The emerging picture looks something like this:

10 or 11 April 1830
born at Lengerich, Westphalia, Kingdom of Prussia
June 1834
family arrived in New Orleans. Settled in St. Charles County, Missouri
19 Feb 1846
converted in Missouri to the Methodist Church
1846-1848
was class leader and local preacher near home in Missouri1
about 1850
moved with family to the area of Wapello, Louisa County, Iowa
11 April 1852
married Louisa Otto at Wapello, Iowa
1853-1854
pastor at Peoria, Illinois
5 July 1853
daughter, Wilhelmine Christine Elizabeth, born at Peoria, Illinois
1854-1855
pastor at Cedar Lake, Indiana2
7 March 1855
son, Adolph Heinrich, born at Cedar Lake, Indiana
1855-1857
pastor at Sherrill Mount, Iowa
6 September 1856
son, Louis, born and died; buried at Sherrill, Iowa3
1857-1859
pastor at Freeport, Illinois; four appointments on this circuit
11 October 1857
daughter, Lydia Maria, born at Freeport, Illinois
1859-1860
pastor at Salem, Minnesota; a large circuit with five appointments
22 October 1859
son, Louis Theodore Stephan, born at Salem, Minnesota
1860-1862
pastor at First Congregation, St. Paul, Minnesota
9 November 1861
son, Theodore Johann, born at St. Paul, Minnesota
1862-1864
pastor at Woodbury, Minnesota; a circuit of six appointments [serving congregations in Wisconsin?]4
16 December 1864
daughter, Emma Maria, born at Woodbury, Minnesota
1864-1866
Presiding Elder of the Burlington, Iowa District, Southwest German Conference of the Church; lived at Wapello, Iowa; took care of his nearby parents
7 January 1866
son, Benjamin Friedrich, born
1866-1868
pastor of Wapello, Iowa circuit
10 or 20 January 1868
son, Heinrich, born
1868 or 1869/1870
pastor at Des Moines, Iowa
5 January 1870
son, Wilhelm Edward, born
1870-1873
pastor at Polk City, Iowa; the family lived 11 miles north of Des Moines
1873-1876
eave of absence due to poor health; at some point, "we moved to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa to educate our children"
1876-1879/1880
pastor at Wilton, Iowa
1879/1880-1882
pastor at Canton, Missouri
1882-1884
pastor at Wathena, Kansas; transferred to West German Conference of the Church
Sept 1884-Sept 1886
pastor at Eudora, Kansas
1886-1888
pastor at Clay Center, Kansas
1888-1891/1892
pastor at Lawrence, Kansas
Sept 1892-Sept 1896
pastor at Oregon, Missouri
1896
superannuated, suffering from "Lagrippe or Malaria Fever"
1906
living in Wathena, Kansas
30 November 1911
Louise (Otto) Fiegenbaum died at Wathena, Kansas; buried in Bellemont Cemetery
27 February 1914
died at Wathena, Kansas; buried in Bellemont Cemetery
 

Notes

Click on note number to return to text, above.

1.  A local preacher in the Methodist Church is a lay pastor, a member of the community who has no official pastoral work and who serves informally without compensation from the church.

2.  In his autobiographical letter to his children, Friedrich writes that he was sent to "Clear Lake, Indiana, forty miles south of Chicago in Lake County, Indiana." Clear Lake is located in Steuben County, in the extreme northeast corner of the state. On the other hand, Cedar Lake is to be found in Lake County, south of Chicago; and Cedar Lake is the posting mentioned in his biographical sketch (see above).

3.  See "Sherrill Methodist Cemetery." This is a transcription of gravestones in this cemetery by Vicki Schlarman and Tom Schlarman, 7 October 2001. Web site accessed 20 March 2005. Their work lists a Louis Fiegenbaum; son of Rev. F. and L. Fiegenbaum; died 12 September 1856, age 6 days. Buried in the Sherrill, Dubuque County, Iowa Methodist Church cemetery - section A, row 5, stone 7.

4.  In an autobiographical statement to his children, Friedrich wrote, "At the end of two years we moved to Woodbury -- eight miles northeast of St. Paul. A circuit of six appointments, and for more money. I started over in Wisconsin. Here again we stayed our full time -- two years."

 

Friedrich Wilhelm Fiegenbaum's family

Louisa Otto's family

Friedrich Wilhelm Fiegenbaum and Louisa Otto were married 11 April 1852 at Wapello, Louisa County, Iowa, USA.

Their children:

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