Rev. Henry F. Deters (Aug. 1881 to Apr. 1885)

After Rev. Schweizer left in March of 1881, Zion was without a minister for about four months, but by August Rev. Henry F. Deters had arrived. Zion was very likely his first church. Our congregation set his salary at $300 per year; but promised that everything coming in over that amount would be his.

Henry was born in Illinois on Aug. 16, 1856, the eldest son of Bernhard Heinrich and Mary (Buchholz) Deters. He was baptized on Dec. 4, 1858. His father, born in Germany in 1830,immigrated to America but in 1851. His mother, Maria Ann (Buchholz) Deters, had also been born in Germany in 1836. Bernhard and Maria married on Oct. 7, 1855 at St. John’s Evangelical Church in Addison, Illinois. Another couple, the Gerlings, married at the same time. Though later moved to Bensenville, IL, St. John’s was on land that is now part of O’Hare Airport; its first cemetery remains there.

On October 10, 1856, the Deters and the Gerlings set out for “The Wild West”. As far as Dubuque, Iowa they were able to travel by train, but the remainder of the journey had to be made by oxen drawn wagon, through hills, valleys, ridges, ravines, etc. They arrived in the Allamakee, Iowa area on October 20, 1856 and settled in Union Township; it was an area where Indians reigned and there was abundance of wildlife like wolves and deer. For six weeks the two families lived in an old shack, with no floor, and only openings for windows and doors. In December they moved into a home which had been erected on the Gerling”s farm. The Deters and Gerlings shared this structure for over a year, because they had only one stove between them.

It was in Union Township that the rest of the Deter children were born; nine children in all. As other German families arrived, their spiritual needs were met by holding worship in different homes. In 1860, these pioneers formed an Evangelical congregation and they built a house of worship in nearby Eitzen, Minnesota; it became known as St. Luke’s.

The family of Henry and Mary Deters was shown in Allamakee Co., Iowa in the 1860 Census. Henry, age 30, was listed as a farmer born in Prussia; Mary, age 26, was recorded as a housekeeper. Son Henry was shown as age 3 born in Iowa. The state of birth was an obvious error. There was also a son, named Frank, age 2, and a daughter, Mary L., age 1.

By the 1870 Census Henry, age 13, Frank, age 12, and Louisa, age 11 (must have been her middle name) were joined by Louis, age 6 and Emma, age 3. This time the census got Henry’s state of birth correct, Illinois.

The family was also recorded in Allamakee County in the 1880 Census. However, Henry was not shown because he was away working on a theology degree. He graduated at Elmhurst in DuPage County, Illinois, and went on to earn a degree in theology at Marthasville, Missouri, in 1881. Marthasville later became known as Eden Seminary.

Henry’s siblings were: Franklin F., 1858; Maria Louisa, 1859; Heinrich Bernhard Ludwig “Louis”, 1863; Ida Emma, 1867; Johann Friedrich August Herman, 1868; Otto Johann Heinrich, 1871; Johann Fr. Heinrich Wilhelm “William F.”, 1875; and Sophia Maria Rosina, 1881.

In 1882 Rev. Deters married Miss Magdalena Langpaap, also a native of Allamakee County, Iowa. Our church records show that their first child, Otielie Johanna Maria was born Mar. 9, 1883, baptized on Apr. 15, 1883, and died on July 23, 1883.

At the Jan. 13, 1884 meeting, the Congregation voted that, in addition to the pastor’s $350 salary, he was to receive 3 to 5 dollars per confirmation, 2 dollars per baptism, 5 dollars per wedding, and 2 to 3 dollars per funeral. While pastor at Zion, Rev. Deters conducted many baptisms, 13 marriages, 17 funerals, and five confirmation classes, a total of 34 candidates. He also taught German in the public schools.

In November of 1884, the Congregation voted to put a new roof on the ten-year old church. And the next month, the Young Ladies Aid was given permission to lower the pulpit, paper the church and paint the windows, mostly at their own expense.

Rev. Deters submitted his resignation on Jan. 18, 1885, and served until sometime in April, 1885.

I believe Rev. Deters moved to Kansas City, Kansas, where he appears in the 1885-1887 and 1887-1889 directories, shown as the pastor of Zion German Evangelical. I believe he left there in 1887.

Next he served as pastor of Bethany German Evangelical Church in St. Louis from 1887 to 1900. He was shown in “German Evangelical 1897-1898” which listed the German evangelical ministers in “St. Louis”.

I don’t know where he served from 1900 to 1908, but I believe he is the Rev. Henry F. Deters that was pastor of Second German Evangelical, now St. Paul’s, in Cleveland, around 1908.

An Internet site showed that he was married three times. No name was given for the first wife, but it must have been Magdalena, whom he married in 1882. There was a child, Alvina, born before 1900. The site gave only the surname of Pauley for the second wife and named one child, Edna Deters, born before 1905. 

His third marriage, about 1905, was to Caroline Krause, born about 1874 in Michigan. They had Christine, born 1908, and Heinrich “Henry” Philipp, born Dec. 10, 1909 in Union City, Allamakee Co., Iowa. The same site showed that Henry F. Deters died in Eitzen, Houston Co., Minn. On Mar. 22, 1910 and was buried in St. Luke’s Cemetery in Houston County. Internet data should always be questioned, but data from the 1910 Census seems to verify much of this. The official date of the 1910 Census was April 15^th, which was after the reported date of death for Henry. I found Caroline and her children, in 1910 in Allamakee County, Iowa in Union City Township. She was shown in the household of her father-in-law.   

1910 Census; Allamakee Co., Iowa; Union City Township

Henry Deeters, age 80, widower, born Germany, both parents born in Germany

Caroline Deeters, daughter-in-law, age 36, widow, born in Mich., 2 children, both alive

Christina Deeters, granddaughter, age 1 yr and 10 months, born in Ohio, father born Iowa

Henry Deeters, grandson, age 4 months, born in Iowa, father born in Iowa

Written and compiled by Dennis Dugger