Submitted by Eleanor B. McCleary
With permission by
Historian, Mr. W. Floyd Scott and
Dr. Harold Green, Senior Pastor
Wesley United Methodist Church
August 5, 2005

Introduction

It was recorded by H. Fiegenbaum that the German Bishop started this Methodist Mission in Muscatine on November 19, 1850. By 1852 they had erected a house of worship on Cedar street between Third and Fourth Streets in Muscatine. It was reported in the Muscatine City Directory of 1856 as German Methodist Episcopal Church. At that time they had 24 communicants.

Their church records, written in German, are presently held by Wesley United Methodist Church in Muscatine, Iowa. There are three volumes that cover a period from November 1850 through June 1912. To facilitate their study, Eleanor B. McCleary with the assistance from a German couple, have attempted to translate the entries for sections describing Membership Status, Baptism, Marriage, and Funeral records. Now one may have in English as the entry was stated in the original document. With each entry the Volume Number and Page has been referenced so one may easily find it in the old books. A Master Index of Names was created.

Deciphering the German script and then contending with the old style handwriting was quite a challenge! When looking up a name in the Index be very flexible in the spelling. Modified vowels (umlaut) of the letters a, o, and u translate into the English language as ae, oe, and ue. On occasion a name was spelled as it was perceived by the Secretary. Some families even changed the spelling of their name to be more American.

Further look ups within the German Methodist Episcopal records and to obtain copies of documents, you are welcomed to contact:
Wesley United Methodist Church
400 Iowa Avenue, Muscatine, Iowa 52761
(563) 263 – 1596
e-mail: wesleymethodist@machlink.com

SURNAMES A - K

SURNAMES L - Z

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Page created May 7, 2009 by Lynn McCleary