This is the third installment of short biographies of the ministers of Zion Chatt since its establishment 160 years ago. The information is from the ELCA Archives at Trinity Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, and from my personal research.
Paul Charles Herman Brockhaus was born in Marion, Wisconsin, on 18 October 1880. Both of his parents were born in Germany. He was ordained in 1901 and served the following parishes: Chicago, 1902-1904; Zion, Chattanooga, 1905-1906; Trinity, Oak Lawn, Illinois, 1906-1926; and Immanuel, Lincoln, Illinois, 1927-1957. He married Clara C. Stender on 21 June 1905 in Cook County, Illinois, and they had at least two sons. Rev. Brockhaus retired from the ministry in 1957 in Coal City, Illinois, and died there on 23 November 1960, at the age of 80.
Rev. G. Haas
George Haas was born 13 July 1876 in Amberg, Bavaria, and graduated from the Neuendettelsau School. He immigrated to America in 1894 and graduated from Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, in 1898. He served in the ministry forty years at the following parishes: Toledo, Ohio, 1897-1907; Zion, Chattanooga, 1907-1911; and St. Paul, Napoleon, Ohio, 1911-1937. He married Barbara Hahn in 1897 in Michigan and they had at least seven sons and seven daughters, and possibly more children. They moved to California in 1938 because of Barbara’s health. After Barbara’s death in 1939 Rev. Haas was called to minister in Colorado. There he served several small congregations for about 18 months before retiring in California. Rev. Haas died in Lynwood, California, on 27 June 1944, at the age of 67. He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles County, California.
1911 Confirmation class with Rev. George Haas.
In the above 1911 photo, row 1: Ed Strabel, far left: . Row 2: Clarence Becher, far left:; Carrie Becher, last girl on the right. Row 3: Rudolf Strabel, far left. Others in the photo: Gertrude Haas, Lizzie Kuehm, Bertha Huffman, Clara Huffman, Frieda Kessler, Clara Bender, Elvira Baker, Hulda Andrews, Mary Andrews, Carl Berron, Heinrich Kuehm, Louis Brandt, Raymond Becher, Albert Becher, Wilhelm Berger, Omar Heffner, and Otto Allmandinger.
Rev. L. Loehr
Lincoln Luther Loehr was born 9 April 1865 in Mapleton, Stark County, Ohio, the son of John Jacob and Catharine (Shearer) Loehr. He graduated from Capital University and ELT Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, in 1899. He served in the ministry for forty years at the following churches: Fairview, Kansas, 1899-1902; Lenexa, Kansas, 1902-1907; Willard, Ohio, 1907-1911; Zion, Chattanooga, 1911-1913; St. Marks, Montra, Shelby County, Ohio, and St. Marks, Auglaize County, Ohio, 1913-1921; St. Paul, Ironton, Ohio 1921-1926; and Patricksburg, Indiana, 1926-1939. He retired from the ministry in 1939. He married Nellie Mae Knepper in 1901 but they apparently had no children. Rev. Loehr died 26 June 1954 in Columbus, Ohio, at the age of 89. He is buried beside his wife Nellie (1874-1964) in Reber Hill Cemetery, Pickaway County, Ohio.
1913 Confirmation Class with Rev. Lincoln Luther Loehr.
In the above 1913 photo, the girls in row 2, left to right: Marie Baker, Marie Heffner, ?, Leona Strabel, Marie Becker, Clara Miller. Row 3: Leona Baker, girl to far right. The remainder of the class: Lavina Maria Becher, Donald Heitzwebel, John Stein, Catharine Kuehm, Roman Heffner, Frieda Berron, Raymond Kuhn, Walter Edward Heffner, and George Stein.
