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The Rauschenbusch Influence on the Lipper Colony (ref 12) The colony of 112 Lippers that eventually migrated to Wisconsin were influenced by August Rauschenbusch, an itinerant preacher in the northern German principalities. August Rauschenbusch taught about social reform and specifically about the option of immigration as a means to escape the wrongs that were inflicted on the people of Lippe-Detmold. Two groups from the towns of Brake and Vossheide in Lippe-Detmold were convinced by August Rauschenbusch to organize and immigrate in late 1846 and early 1847. They eventually settled in Missouri. Also in 1846, people in and around Langenholzhausen in Lippe-Detmold began to organize a colony to immigrate to the United States. The leader of this colony was Friedrich Reineking. The extent of the personal interactions between August Rauschenbusch and Friedrich Reineking are not known. However, later in 1861, Friedrich Reineking organized a seminary for the German Reformed Church in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, called the Mission Haus. It is possible that the initial plans and vision for the Mission Haus were actually made in Lippe-Detmold before the immigration began. First, the fervent passion of August Rauschenbusch would be consistent with the vision of a seminary in the New World that would train young men in his theology. Second, the Christian faith was absolutely fundamental in the lives of these immigrants. The training of pastors in the German Reformed faith that would lead congregations in the New World was a very high priority. All in all, the influence of Rauschenbusch on Friedrich Reineking was probably more than casual, and there may have been some agreement between the two on the vision of a German Reformed seminary in the United States. Friedrich Reineking (ref 2 and ref 12) The family of Friedrich Reineking is provided in detail elsewhere. Friedrich's full name was Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Böger. Friedrich originally came from the Saxon border town of Möllenbeck. After his marriage to Maria Sophia Bilstein, Friedrich moved into the Reineking house in Langenholzhausen and changed his name to Reineking. In 1846, Friedrich Reineking began to organize the colony that would eventually migrate to Wisconsin. Initially, the people from Langenholzhausen wanted to merge with the colonies from Brake and Vossheide, perhaps with the anticipation that they would migrate together. The reason that they did not merge is not known, but one possible reason is that the Langenholzhausen people were simply not ready. They did not leave Lippe-Detmold until some months after the first two groups. In late 1846, the group from Langenholzhausen committed themselves to the trip to the United States. During that winter, the people sold their houses and land, and they built the wooden trunks that would carry their possessions. They also reserved places on the sailing ship, Agnes of Bremen. The ship was to sail from the Bremen Harbor in northern Germany to New York City. Preparation for Immigration |
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