Collection: The Philipp and Adolf von Rohr Sermon Collection

Scope and Contents

The records include sermons written by Philipp and Adolph von Rohr over the century of service between the two of them. The sermons are written on half-sheets of paper and are nearly all composed by hand (with only a couple exceptions). Most of the sermons are in English, however most of the earlier sermons are in German.

Dates

1868 - 1968

Creator

von Rohr, Philipp, Pastor (Person)

Conditions Governing Use

Biographical / Historical

Philipp von Rohr was born on February 18, 1843 in Buffalo, New York. He studied at Martin Luther College in Buffalo, and after 9 years of study was ordained as a pastor on October 13, 1863. His first parish was a Buffalo synod church in Toledo, Ohio. In 1866 he experienced 2 life-changing events: He married Emma Schaal, and accepted a call to serve at St Martin’s Church in Winona, Minnesota. Here he would spend the next 40+ years of his ministry until his death in December, 1908. In 1888 he was also elected to be the president of the Wisconsin Synod and served well in that capacity until the day he died. Adolph von Rohr was the youngest son of Philipp, and began his ministry just over a year after his father went home to glory. After studying in at Northwestern College in Watertown and the seminary in Wauwatosa, He was assigned to a congregation near Oshkosh, but after a year accepted a call to serve at Peace Lutheran Church in Hartford, Wisconsin. There he served for 57 years, and became well-known for his abilities as a preacher.