On this day in 1980

My dear Grandmother, Selma Brueggeman, died on this day in 1980.  She was 81 years old.  She was living on her own at 504 Gage Street, their home for many, many years.  Mark and I were living in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the time.  Unfortunately, a terrible snow storm was expected and it wasn't a safe idea to make the four hour drive in the storm.  It is truly something that I still regret.  She is still missed by her sons.

Happy Birthday Sherrie Riley Hawk

Today is Sherrie's Birthday.  She is the daughter of Thomas Roberts Riley II and Linda Mackey.

Howard Krausman

"Aunt Louise" Brueggeman Krausman's fourth child died on this date in 1929.  He was only 18 months old and I don't have any details for you.

Focus on 1851 Census

Since we've been talking about Amelia Harris of late, I thought we'd show you the actual copy of the 1851 census:

Harris Thomas 38 Head Snuffer Maker Birmingham, -
Harris Ann 39 Wife         Burnisher Birmingham, -
Harris Amelia 15 Daughter         Burnisher Birmingham, -
Harris Emma  6 Daughter         - Birmingham, -
Harris Eliza          1 Daughter -         Birmingham, -
Gill         Joseph  61 Widower         Snuffer Maker Wolverhampton,




I don't know if the widower, Joseph Gill was a boarder or Ann Harris' father.  It appears that all may have been involved in a cottage industry, working at home at their trade.  A burnisher is someone who polishes metal.  Birmingham at that time had a large brass industry.  I couldn't find any information if a snuffer maker was a work at home occupation or a factory type job.  

Thomas and Ann Harris had one more child, a son, in 1853.

The Riley/King/Raymer Christmas Picture

We resolved the technical issues we had with our family picture.  Here it is!

Guest Post for Sunday Special by David Reinhardt

David Reinhardt provided the additional info on Rev. Victor Brugge.  Thank you David for sharing this with us:

Victor Brugge was the minister in Memphis where Aunt Stella Reinhardt worked for many years.  He shortened his name to Brugge.  Victor was in Gordonville, Missouri when his father died.  Victor was called as successor to his father.  He was installed July 3, 1927 by Rev. Paul Koenig of Holy Cross in St. Louis.  The text was, "Even as I am sent, so send I you."

 

From the 75th anniversary book, "Through the death of Rev. Martin J. Brueggemann, the mantle passed from father to son, in Trinity congregation.  Prior to coming to Trinity in the capacity of its pastor, Rev. Brugge served as missionary in Clarksville, Texas, and later as pastor of Christ Church, Gordonville, Missouri.  Rev. Brugge was not only confirmed, united in marriage, and ordained as a minister, at Trinity's altar, but a short time after his father's death, in the plan of God's unfathomable wisdom, was installed as Trinity's pastor.  Under his able leadership the congregation has grown steadily larger, until now it is frequently a difficult task conveniently to place all of those who are in attendance.  On the day of Trinity's Seventy-Fifth Anniversary, the solemn prayer is offered that it may please God to sustain our pastor in all his undertakings, and to preserve him unto us.  We pray also that God's Word and Luther's Doctrine remain with us to the end of time."  Theo. J. Doepke

 

Rev. Victor L. Brugge, who retired last Sunday after 29 years of pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, died unexpectedly at his home at 262 N. Avalon at 6 a.m. today.  He was 61.

 

The highly aggressive, popular pastor, who divoted all of his energies to the church thruout his life, worked long hours even after his health began to fail three years ago.  He was a leading figure in the community, familiar to thousands outside his denomination by virtue of his radio and television appearances and  vital personality.  He traveled widely, and was influential in having the networks sign up the Lutheran Hour, one of the major church programs in the country.  An excellent public relations man, he easily won people to his viewpoint.

 

There was never any thought but that he would succeed his father, the late Rev. Martin Brueggemann, as a Lutheran minister.  He was born in Manila, Iowa, and his family moved to Memphis during his early boyhood.  After attending the old Market Street School, he worked two years as a railroad clerk and then entered St. John's Academy to study for the ministry.  Next he entered Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, where his graduation picture hung next to that of his dad's.  Trinity Parish helped pay for his school expenses.  He met the balance by trucking express in St. Louis.  He completed the nine-year course in eight years and was ordained by his father in 1920 at the age of 25.

 

His first pastorate was at Clarksville, Texas, and he rode his circuit on the plains on a mule.  Those days brought him many a chuckle, "I'm proud to say I never missed an appointment on that mule." he said.  He became pastor of Trinity Church in 1927, the year his father died.

 

He married a Memphis girl, Miss Mynette Keller, who survives.  The three Brueggemann brothers, aided by their father, had their name abbreviated by the court to Brugge. 

 

For nearly 30 years he was on the committee of public relations for the Western District of the church.   He also was district chairman for Valparaiso University in Indiana for that period.  He was service pastor for the Lutherans in the Navy at Millington.  He was chairman of an interdenominational subcommittee on Community Service to the Armed Forces, which annually urged Memphians to extend the hospitality of their homes to serviceman and women over the holidays.

 

The church at 210 Washington was the oldest Lutheran church in Memphis, having been founded in 1855, and he and his father built a strong membership from a congregation that survived the yellow fever epidemic and Civil War.  He was active in the Lions Club for many years.  Besides his wife, he leaves two sons, Vernon and Warren, in the wholesale candy business in memphis in the firm of Purity Products; two daughters, Mrs. Sam Watson and Miss Ellen Jeanne ; two brothers, Arnold and Otis of Memphis and five grandchildren.

 

National Funeral Home is in charge.

Happy Birthday Charles Henry Long (Lange)

On this day in 1838, Charles Henry Lange was born in, Oerlinghausen, Lippe  Prussia.    We haven't had a chance to research his German roots yet.  I promise more work will be done on this.  Today, Oerlinghausen is a city in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany located between Bielefeld and Detmold in theTeutoburger Wald.

On this day in 1878....

Peter Silvanus Maybury died on this day in 1878 at 46. He was the father of Elizabeth Ann Maybury (mother of Sidney Riley). How sad that he died on Christmas Day.  Elizabeth was present at his death.  He died one year and three days after his wife, Amelia.  He was listed as a house painter and living at 4 Frankfort Street.  It looks like from the map that it wasn't quite back-to-back housing but does look like it was an industrial area.  He died of Brights Disease (kidney disease).  His grandson, Norman O. Riley, died of the same disease in 1920.

How sad that he and his wife died. Their daughter Carrie, became head of household at 22 and had the responsibility of four younger siblings.

Christmas Blessings

A Christmas Blessing

During this Christmas season, 
May you be blessed 

With the spirit of the season, 

    which is peace,

The gladness of the season,

    which is hope,

And the heart of the season,

    which is love

Somehow, not only for Christmas

    But all the long year through,

The joy that you give to others

    Is the joy that comes back to you.

And the more you spend in blessing

    The poor and lonely and sad,

The more of your heart's possessing

    Returns to you glad.

----John Greenleaf Whittier

Amelia died of PHTHISIS

Listed on her death certificate as the cause of death, is Phthisis.  I had no idea what this was.


Of course there is a website for causes of death in late nineteenth century:

• A wasting or consumption of the tissue; -formerly applied to many wasting diseases, but now usually restricted to pulmonary phthisis or consumption. See tuberculosis, consumption.

Another site: 

TB was romanticized in the nineteenth century. Many people believed TB produced feelings of euphoria referred to as "Spes phthisica" or "hope of the consumptive". It was believed that TB sufferers who were artists had bursts of creativity as the disease progressed. It was also believed that TB sufferers acquired a final burst of energy just before they died which made women more beautiful and men more creative. In the early 20th century, some believed TB to be caused by masturbation.

It is amazing that no one in her family contracted Phthisis considering the close conditions.

On this day in 1877...

Amelia Harris Maybury died on this day in 1877. She was only 42 years old.   She died at their home "Back of 45 St. George Street".  See the Posting on December 15, 2010 for more about that kind of housing.

Her married sister, Emma, was present at her death.   All of her children were still living at home at the time.
Sara Caroline (Carrie) was 21, Elizabeth (Lizzie) was 18 ,  Emma was 13,  Harry was 11, and Ann was only 5.

Happy Anniversary Norm and Louise Riley

Wow, 62 years!!! Today is the 62 nd Wedding Anniversary of Norman and Louise (Pitman) Riley..  .  Norman is the eldest son of Sidney and Selma (Brueggeman) Riley. This picture came from an manuscript that Norman wote.  Anybody have any memories they want to share?  Add in the comment section.

Looks Like a Christmas Picture to Me

This is one of the pictures I scanned in while in Ohio.  With the snow on the ground, my guess this is a Christmas picture of the Ernst August Brueggeman family.  It was taken outside their home on Hickory Street in Akron. I can't think of another occassion that the family would all be together in the winter. Unfortunately, I don't recognize the faces and am hoping dear readers can help me.  Once we figure out how the babies are, we should be able to date it.

Remember to click to make it bigger.

Here is a numbered picture.  If you can piece anything together for me, let me know by face number. I am pretty sure #13 is Emma Long Brueggeman.  What do you think?

More info on Amelia Harris Maybury's home

The wonderful Birmingham history forum has produced more info for us on the exact location of Amelia Harris' home in 1851.

One of the members kindly marked the exact home.  This map is from 1889 but he assured me that there probably wouldn't have been any changes during the 30+ years since she lived there.  Remember, you can click on the map to look at it bigger.  The smaller buildings would have been common areas that the residents of the court would have shared (loo, laundry, etc.).

Follow up on Ruth Ellen Bischoff

When we were in Columbus, Ohio recently, my Uncle David told me that Ruth Ellen died of Diphtheria.  Diphtheria is a bacterial infection that spreads easily and it affects mainly the throat and nose.  It is rare in the developed world now as we vaccinate against it.  In the early 20th century, Diphtheria was a common cause of death in children.

Dave's wife, Nancy, told me a story about visiting Emma (Ruth's mother) when they were first married (nearly 40 years ago).  Emma was showing Nancy all the pictures of her family.  She got to a picture of a pretty blonde girl and teared up.  Finally, she said this was her daughter, Ruth.  At that time, Ruth had died nearly 45 years earlier.  It is a testament the power of a mother's love.

Sunday Special: Rev. John Reinhardt

To continue the Sunday Special feature on our Lutheran Heritage, I will discuss Rev. F. J. W. Reinhardt.  He was the husband of Sophie Brueggemann (Clamor's youngest daughter).  They were married in 1892.  He was a Missouri Synod Pastor,


According to the "Lutheran Visitor", he "took charge at Pensacola, FL 7/23/1891" (page 4).

He was the second pastor at  "The First German-English Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel's Congregation of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession of Pensacola, Florida".  Quite a mouthful, which was commonly known at "the German Lutheran church".  The name was changed to that during World War I in 1918 when the church was incorporated to Immanuel's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Pensacola, Florida." That's when reference to being a German church was dropped because of the war (see my earlier post on German-American discrimination). 

From the Church Website:
This drawing was made prior to 1918 since the "German" was dropped out of the name in 1918. This is probably one of the earliest pictures of the 1912 church. The building on the left was the parsonage at that time. Pastors Reinhardt and Schrader both lived there with their families. In 1942, the Schraders moved to a new parsonage at 1212 E. Lakeview. The old building was used as a Sunday School and church hall till 1955 when it was razed to building a new education building. Those who attended Sunday School and confirmation class in the old building remember long days without air conditioning, drink machines, and water fountains. The students/catechumens went to confirmation classes all summer 5 days a week for 3 hours in the 7th grade and 3 1/2 hours in the 8th grade.

By 1912, a new church had been constructed on West Wright Street which is still in use and where a new education building was completed in 2003. The present church was built in 1912. The photos with spires were made close to that time. Lightning hit some of the spires in 1924, and a hurricane damaged them in 1926. They were removed following the hurricane because of safety concerns. 

Originally, the men sat on the east side of the church and the women and children on the west side. Men went to communion before the women until 1933. Morning services were in German; evening services were in English. They, gradually, went to more English services, but some German services continued until 1941.

I think it interesting that German continued much longer at Immanuel than at other churches in more traditionally German communities.  

How much did it cost for Holiday Foods 100 years ago?

I imagine many of your are starting your grocery shopping for your Christmas Dinner.  I found this list of what it would have cost our parents and grandparents 100 years ago.  Funny how some items are so much more expensive relative to others compared to today's prices (i.e. mushrooms)
Thanks to Foodtimeline.org for this info:
How much did it cost to stock holiday tables in 1910? 
These prices were advertised in The Daily Record [Morris County New Jersey], December 15-25, 1910

Meat & fowl Morris County geese, 20/lb Morris County ducks, .22/lb Ohio dry picked turkeys, fancy, .28/lb Ohio dry picked chickens, .22/lb Hind quarters of lamb, .16/lb Loins of Pork, .18/lb Fresh hams, .18/lb Sirloin and Porterhouse steak, .16/lb Sardines, imported, .10/can Bell's Poultry Seasining, .10/box Vegetables Mushrooms, .60/lb Sweet sugar corn, .09/can Maine cream corn, J.S. brand, .11/can Sweet peas, Pride of Jersey brand, .12/can Jersey Tomatoes, J.S. Brand, .14/can Lima Beans, Burlington brand, .11/can String beans, Golden Wedding brand, .09/can Asparagus tips, .23/can Olives, plain or stuffed, .25/bottle

Fruits Cape Cod cranberries, .12/quart Finest Leghorn citron, .18/lb Candied lemon or orange peel, .15.lb Crystallized ginger, .15cents/box Table raisins, .12/lb Smyrna figs, .10/box Fard dates, .08/pakage Large grape fruit, .25/4 fruits Sweet Florida oranges, .25/dozen Oregon Apples, .40/dozen Malaga grapes, .15/lb Bartlett pears, .23/can California apricots, .15/can Hawaiian Pineapple, .15/can Dairy, eggs & cheese Fresh western eggs, .28/dozen Fresh creamery butter, .35/lb Swiss cheese, imported, .29/lb

Cakes, candies, & nuts New Years cake, .12/lb Plum Pudding, Curtis Bros., .22/lb Mince meat, None Such, .25/3 pkgs Walnuts, .18/lb Pecans, .18/lb Taragona almonds, .18/lb Jumbo Brazils, .15.lb Filberts, .15/lb Old fashioned broken candy (fancy ribbon candy), .15/lb Chocolate drops, .15/.lb Peanut brittle, .10/lb Jelly Bon Bons, .10/lb Beverages Sweet cider, .25/gallon Condensed milk, .25/3 cans Tea, Viceroy, in fancy Xmas cans, .50/lb Coffee, 3 lb bag, .25/lb

Zion Lutheran Church, Cleveland and the First Christmas Tree

Clamor Brueggeman and his family were members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Cleveland. He arrived in 1860 from Hanover. Trinity's first pastor, the Rev. John Lindemann of Hanover, Germany, came to Cleveland with his family in August of 1853, and resided with (and worked as an assistant to) Pastor HC Schwan of Zion Congregation.  He was assigned to serve the newly established Trinity conrgregation in Ohio city 


Zion has the distinction of being the first Christmas Tree in a Church.   The pastor, Heinrich Christian Schwan, was from Hanover, the same area in Germany that Clamor was from.


It is likely that Clamor and his family were very familiar with the tradition of a Christmas tree and his Pastor, Rev. Lindemann likely carried on the tradition started by Rev. Schwan which beginnings are told below.

The History of Zion's Christmas Tree (this is copied from their website)

On Christmas Eve morning 1851, young Heinrich Christian Schwan, newly installed pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Cleveland, strode out into the forest near his parsonage and chopped down a small, beautifully shaped evergreen.

The couple spent the afternoon festooning the tree with cookies, colored ribbons, fancy nuts and candles. The crowning touch would be the cherished silver star that Schwan had brought with him from his boyhood home in Hannover, Germany. The star was a powerful reminder to him of how happy his Christmases had been as a child.

He wanted to share this same happiness with his congregation, most of whom were also German-born and thus likely to have seen a Christmas tree in their pasts. The custom hadn't caught on yet in America. In fact, to Schwan's knowledge, this was the first time that such a tree had appeared within a church this side of the Atlantic.

Once the tree was fully trimmed, Schwan carefully placed it in a prominent spot in the chancel. All that remained now was to light the candles bedecking its boughs. Standing back, gazing admiringly at their work, Heinrich and Emma could hardly help thinking, "Won't the congregation be surprised tonight!"

The people were surprised all right. Most were delighted. For them, seeing their handsome young pastor reading the Christmas story beside his bright, blazing tree enkindled wonderful Christmastime memories from the Old Country.

For others, however--those not familiar with the idea of a Tannenbaum, especially one in church--it was not such a blessing.

"Oh, my goodness!" one lady gasped, covering her eyes. "What in the world is this supposed to mean?"

"A tree in the chancel?" roared an indignant man. "What kind of a minister are you?"

Within a day or two, Herr Schwan's Christmas tree was the talk of the town, and the talk was not good. A prominent local newspaper called it "a nonsensical, asinine, moronic absurdity." It editorialized against "these Lutherans . . . worshipping a tree . . . groveling before a shrub" Worse, it recommended that the good Christian citizens of Cleveland ostracize, shun and refuse to do business with anyone "who tolerates such heathenish, idolatrous practices in his church."

This, obviously, was bad press for the struggling immigrant members of Zion, especially those with stores and other businesses dependent on the public's goodwill. And all fingers of blame pointed to the same man: the stunned, well-meaning Schwan.

To his credit, however, the young pastor, though sorely chastened, did not cave in at least not right away. His Christmas tree was still in the chancel the following Sunday. But then it came down. Soon thereafter, Emma discovered Heinrich's beloved tree-topping silver star in the trash.

She cleaned it up and presented it to him. "Why did you throw this away?" she asked."Because," he said disconsolately, "there never will be another Christmas tree in Cleveland." "Nonsense!'' she replied. ``This year you put up the first tree, and next Christmas there will be many trees in Cleveland.'' Emma saved the star, and her prediction came true beyond her wildest dreams.

During the following year, Schwan, perhaps inspired by his stalwart wife, carefully researched the issue of Christmas trees. He ultimately concluded that such trees were not a sacrilege but rather a solid Christian custom - a custom in which Christians could express their joy at the birth of the Christchild.

He wrote many letters and received replies assuring him that lighted and decorated Christmas trees were de rigueur in many Christian countries. Emboldened by this knowledge--the fact that Christmas trees were not of pagan origin--he actively promoted their use as symbols of the joy of Christmas.

On Christmas Eve 1852, Schwan's church again displayed a blazing Christmas tree. But this time it was not the only one in Cleveland. In fact, decorated trees appeared in homes all over town, and within five years Christmas trees were going up in homes and churches all across the country!

Although Pastor Schwan, as we now know, was not the first person to decorate a Christmas tree in North America, he was the first to introduce one into a church. And he was almost singlehandedly responsible for this custom gaining widespread acceptance and popularity in the United States.

Contributing to this story are authors of other works relating to H.C. Schwan and his tree: Del Gasche, "A Christmas Tree? In Church?," Farmland News, 1989; Penne L. Restad, Christmas in America, Oxford University Press, 1995; and Helen Jensen, "Cleveland's First Christmas Tree" (self-published, 1996).

Editor's Note on Springerle Cookie Recipe

While we were in Ohio, Mom (Nori) tried the recipe again.  She followed it exactly, the first instruction seemed to indicate that you beat the eggs and the powdered sugar together.  The dough just didn't seem right.  After doing some internet reseach, she thinks you should beat the eggs by themselves THEN add the other ingredients as directed (including the powdered sugar).

Amelia Harris Map of Area in Birmingham

I have been having a hard time locating historic maps of Birmingham. There is a Birmingham history forum that has the most generous members.  I posted for help in locating the address mentioned in yesterday's post.  Within an hour I got this map.  We cannot identify which court that the Harris family lived in but I think the map is very illustrative of the concept of Back-to-Back houses.

Remember to right click on the picture to make it bigger.  This is a map from 1890 but the forum contributor said it was the same throughout the 19th century and didn't change until the 1960s when they were mostly torn down.  It is was a densely pack block like the whole area.

Amelia Harris 1851 Birmingham: How she may have lived

Amelia Harris was Elizabeth Maybury Riley's mother, born in 1835.  In the 1851 census, she was 15 years old and living with her parents.  She was listed on the census as a Brass Burnisher.  Their address was:
St Georges Street, Court 6, House 2.  I thought that was an odd address and found the following:


Written by Brian Robert Marshall, describing houses like the Harris' lived in:

Following the mass migration of the rural population into the urban conurbations in the years of the Industrial revolution, there was a need for what today would be called affordable housing. Back-to-back houses provided a significant proportion of that housing for workers and their families in the great industrial cities in the Midlands and north of England in the 19th and well into the 20th centuries. From the point of view of those who built and rented them out they were cheap to build and buy and they made the most of small plots of land. Things weren’t quite so rosy for those who had to live in them.

Back-to-backs are houses where the back of one house joined the back of another. Typically the houses were arranged so that that there was a cellar, a ground floor room and first and second floor rooms stacked vertically. When built there would have been no indoor sanitation or water supply. But the fundamental defect was there was no way of obtaining through ventilation of the dwellings.


Most of these houses were concentrated in inner-city areas such as Ladywood, Handsworth, Aston, Small Heath and Highgate.  One section of this type of housing was preserved in Birmingham, Inge Court 15.  It is likely that the Harris family lived in similar housing.  Tough conditions since three of the four walls were common so there was very little ventilation.


From Wikipedia:  Throughout the 19th century, the court was occupied by workers who worked in such industries as button making, glasswork, woodwork, leatherwork, tailoring and were also skilled craftsmen in the jewellery and small metal trades. Many of such workers worked from home. Over 500 families have lived in Court 15.

From the 1830s to the 1930s, the Mitchells, a family of locksmiths and bellhangers, lived in the court. At one time, they were occupying both No. 55 Hurst Street and No. 54 Inge Street/3 Court 15. The family also worked at the workshop in the court for over 70 years.

In 1851, Joseph Barnett, a travelling Jeweller, lived at number 35 Inge Street, with his wife Hanna, and four children, Samuel, Eli Louis, Rebecca and Henry.

Other people who lived there highlight the crowded conditions of the houses, which were usually occupied by single families. In 1851, for example Sophia Hudson, a widow who worked as a pearl button driller, probably from home, lived at No. 1 Court 15 with her five children and her mother who also a widow. In 1861, Herbert Oldfield, a glass eye maker, occupied the same address with his wife and their eight children. At the same time, the Mitchell family had an apprentice who lived with them. Despite the cramped conditions, some families, such as the one who occupied 61 Hurst Street in 1851, were able to afford a servant.

By 1900, the ground floors had been converted into shops. Services offered from the buildings were a cycle maker, a hairdresser, a ticket writer, a fruiterer and a furniture dealer. The upper floors of No. 55 and No. 59 Hurst Street, the cycle maker's and the ticket writer's properties respectively, were converted into workshops as opposed to residential.

The Harris family occupations fit within those listed above.  Her father was listed a Snuffer Maker and both Amelia and her mother were listed as Burnishers.

The restored buildings are set in different time periods.  Here are the pictures from the 1850 house:

Click here to get 360 degree view of the courtyard.  You will get a much better feeling for the layout of these courtyards.

1850s house: downstairs room. It's set for dinner, with the Hebrew prayer book ready to be read from before the meal

the pantry where fresh foods would be stored and prepared.

 main bedroom where mum and dad slept in the double bed and their daughter in the single bed.

 hands for clocks on the workshop table. The top floor of the house also functioned as a workshop.

there are steep stairs in all the houses

The toilet in the courtyard, share by all families. I don't know the vintage.

Aunt Emma's Springerle Cookie Recipe

My Dad has fond memories of Christmas Sweets.  His poor mom, would fill a 5 gallon tin with cookies, and they would be gone in a flash with six boys in the house.

One of his favorite were Springerle.   At some point, he convinced Mom to try to make them.  I don't remember tasting the outcome but they were never a Christmas tradition so I imagine they didn't live up to Selma's.  Nori got the recipe from Selma's sister, Emma.  Not sure why Nori got the recipe from Emma and not Selma, maybe it was Emma's speciality.

Maybe the "problem" was, they didn't sit for long enough.  From what I've read, they need to sit for two or three weeks for the flavors develop.

Here is the letter that Emma sent Nori in 1974.

Louise was Buried on the Day in 1971

Louise Brueggeman Krausman was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with her husband, Otto Henry Krausman (1886-1946).
SEC 17 SITE 24079

Sunday Special: Rev. Victor Brugge (Brueggemann)

This is kind of Part 2 to last week's post about Rev. Martin Brueggemann.  His eldest son, Victor Ludwig Ottamar (born 1895) also became a Pastor and succeed his father at Trinity in Memphis.

I think he may require more than one post. If you remember from his father's post, he and his brothers changed their name from Brueggemann to Brugge.

 Again from Trinity's Website, a great history of his tenure. 

At the time of Pastor Brueggemann's death, Trinity called his oldest son Victor, who had also entered the ministry and was the pastor of a rural congregation in Gordonville Missouri, to be their next pastor. Pastor Brugge was a young, dynamic preacher who became immensely popular in the community. He was also a gifted speaker and became a favorite of reporters looking for a snappy quote to round out their story. His Christian influence was felt throughout the community by his numerous contacts with businessmen, politicians, and civic leaders.

He wrote a daily newspaper column, and in 1932 began preaching the gospel over the radio, and later by television. In 1935, the congregation granted him a leave of absence to help with the development of the fledgling The Lutheran Hour. The Lutheran Hour continues on the air today, making it the world's oldest continually broadcast Christ-centered radio program.
Under Pastor Brugge’s leadership, youth work flourished, a Men’s Club and a Couple’s Club were organized. The women’s groups and the Adult Bible Class continued their spectacular growth. Church membership now exceeded 600.

During World War II, when many of Trinity’s youth served in the armed forces, of which only three gave their lives, the church organized the Service Club and worked diligently with the Institutional Chaplin, W.C.Krueger, to provide spiritual care for service personnel in the Memphis area. In 1944, 86 members of the armed forces communed at Trinity’s alter. During those war years, members of Trinity became involved in ministering to a community of displaced Latvians that had been established in the Senatobia, Mississippi area.

Also that year, Trinity and her pastor, along with Rev. Vernon Koerper, helped erect a new building for a thriving black school, ably run by Ms. Emma A. Smith. In 1949, the congregation helped build a Lutheran Hospital in Vicksburg, Mississippi. For some years, Trinity had lent its facilities to an integrated group of hearing-impaired Lutherans, and in 1950 when the church added a new education building, a new Chapel for the Deaf was included.

Throughout most of Pastor Brugge’s ministry, two Sunday morning services were held, along with Bible Classes and Sunday School and often Vespers (evening worship services). The gospel message was also delivered at Millington Naval Base, at railway stations in Memphis, and at civic gatherings. By the grace of God, these were years of great activity and of reaching out beyond the congregation itself. Devotions by the pastor and the choir which had started on radio, were telecast weekly on WMC-TV in the late forties.

About this time, Trinity played a vital role in establishing sister congregations in Jackson, Tennessee and Blythville, Arkansas.

Major renovations were made in preparation for the 1955 Centennial Anniversary. The interior was completely refinished. An educational building was constructed in the area once occupied by the parsonage with Sunday School classrooms and church offices. The most welcome addition was the small elevator installed to serve the elderly and handicapped. Since 1888, Trinity’s sanctuary has been located on the second floor. Ten years later, more space was added for classrooms and a chapel for the congregation of hearing impaired Lutherans.

Led by Pastor Brugge, the congregation raised its voice in hymns of praise for a century of gracious blessing and pledged to look to the future in faith.

In 1940, and again in 1953, Pastor Brugge became gravely ill, each time for almost a year. During these times, seminary students and vicars such as Edwin Coyner, George Plvan, Luther Kriefall and Walter Harms shouldered the responsibilities. Then in 1957, after another extended illness, The Lord called Pastor Brugge home on Thanksgiving Day. Vicar Harms served until Pastor Paul Martens accepted Trinity’s call in August of 1957.

It sounds like he was an amazing man.  I look forward to learning more about him.