Carl Friedrich Hermann Purf b. 18 Jul 1830 Neustadt an der Orla, Germany d. 19 May 1906 Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota

1830 - 1906 (75 years)

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Name	Carl Friedrich Hermann Purf [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
Born	18 Jul 1830	Neustadt an der Orla, Germany [9]
Gender	Male
Alias	Herman Purfeerst
A.K.A.	Herman Purfeerst
Military service-1	Between 27 Feb and 17	(Civil War) Company C, Second Regiment of Minnesota Cavalry Volunteers, Fort Snelling, Minnesota
Immigration	Abt 1850	Arrived at yet unidentifed American port from, Germany
Naturalization	25 Feb 1856	Naturalization Petition, Court of Common Pleas, Circleville, Pickaway County, Ohio
Property-1	10 Oct 1857	NE 1/4 of Section 15, Township 108N, Range 19W, Merton Township, Steele County, Minnesota, 160 acres, transfer from United States to Herman Purfeerst, Steele County, Minnesota
Property-2	25 Oct 1860	NE 1/4 of Section 15, Township 108N, Range 19W, Merton Township, Steele County, Minnesota, 160 acres, transfer from Herman Purfeerst to Fred A. Schattlan, Steele County, Minnesota
Property-3	25 Oct 1860	S 1/2 of NW 1/4 and N1/4 of NW 1/4 of Section 15, Township 108N, Range 19W, Merton Township, 120 acres, transfer from Frederick Schettlan to Herman Purfeerst, Steele County, Minnesota
Property-4	8 Jul 1862	SE 1/4 of NW 1/4 of Section 15, Township 108N, Range 19W, 40 acres, Merton Township, Steele County, Minnesota, 40 acres, transfer from Herman & Catherine Purfeerst to Charles Purfeerst, Steele County
Military service-2	27 Feb 1865	(Civil War) Voluntary enlistment certificate, Rochester, Minnesota
Property-5	8 Mar 1867	NW 1/4 of NE 1/4 of NE 1/4 of Section 2, Township 108N, Range 20W, Merton Township, Steele County, Minnesota, 10 acres transfer from Charles Purfeerst to Herman Purfeerst, Steele County, Minnesota
Military service-3	Jun 1890	US Federal Census, Surviving Soldiers, Sailers and Marines and Widows, Steele County, Minnesota
Died	19 May 1906	Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota [10]
Buried	21 May 1906	Merton Township Cemetery, Steele County, Minnesota [11]
Person ID	I002295	Purfeerst
Last Modified	6 Jun 2010

Father	Johann David Ernst Purf, b. 27 Jul 1802, Neustadt an der Orla, Germany , d. 1 Jun 1866, Kleineutersdorf, Germany (Age 63 years)
Mother	Christliebe Wilhelmine Seltmann, b. 21 Jan 1799, Wildenthal, Germany , d. 2 Feb 1888, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey (Age 89 years)
Married	1 Oct 1827	Eibenstock, Germany [12]
Family ID	F00636	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family 1 Katherine Kiser, b. 7 Jun 1828, Bavaria, Germany , d. 17 Jun 1871, Merton Township, Steel County, Minnesota (Age 43 years)

Married 6 Mar 1857 Covington, Fountain County, Indiana [13]

Children

	1. Alvin Purfeerst, b. Abt 1865, Steele County, Minnesota , d. Abt 1871, Steele County, Minnesota (Age ~ 6 years)
	2. Frank Purfeerst, b. Abt 1866, Steele County, Minnesota , d. Abt 1872, Steele County, Minnesota (Age ~ 6 years)

Family ID F00803 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Family 2 Elizabeth Schmidt, b. 24 Jan 1835, Mecklenburg, Germany , d. 6 May 1922, Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota (Age 87 years)

Married 2 Jan 1872 Deerfield Township, Steele County, Minnesota [14]

Children

	1. Charles Frederick Sherning, b. 28 Feb 1863, Beaver Dam, Dodge County, Wisconsin , d. 12 Dec 1931, Phillipsburg, Deer Lodge County, Montana (Age 68 years)
	2. Sophia Johanna Sherning, b. 2 Apr 1866, Fox Lake, Dodge County, Wisconsin , d. 15 Feb 1953, Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa (Age 86 years)
	3. Elizabeth M. Sherning, b. 2 Sep 1867, Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota , d. 28 Aug 1951, Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota (Age 83 years)
	4. Matilda Sherning, b. Sep 1867, Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota , d. Aft 1934, Saint Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota (Age ~ 68 years)
	5. Wilhelmine A. Purfeerst, b. 22 May 1874, Merton Township, Steele County, Minnesota , d. 10 Oct 1955, Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota (Age 81 years)

Family ID F00804 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Photos

A3. St. John the Baptist Evangelical Church,
Neustadt an der Orla, Germany.
This picture of St. John the Baptist Evangelical church was taken by the Author during a year 2000 research trip to Neustadt, Germany. Many Purfürst family members who emigrated to America once lived in and around the village in which this church is located. The parish baptism, marriage and burial registers, dating back to 1600, revealed considerable information on our ancestors.

In 1294 the Landgraf Albrecht von Thuringer (The Count Albrecht Thuringa) and his wife Elisabeth, the widowed Countess of Arnshaugh, built a chapel in Neustadt and dedicated it to John The Baptist. Although having since undergone a number of alterations, the structure seen here was completed in 1534 and is said not to have changed since.

The Lutheran church of St. John the Baptist was the family parish for the Purfürst family groups listed below.

* ILLINOIS, Cook County - Arno Walter Purfürst and Wilhelmine Purfürst
* INDIANA, Fountain County - Carl Friedrich August Purfürst and Johann Friedrich Purfürst.
* MINNESOTA, Rice County - Karl Friedrich Ernst Purfürst.
* MINNESOTA, Steele County - Carl Friedrich Herman Purfürst.
* MISSOURI, St. Louis County - Johann Friedrich Jacob Purfürst.
* NEW JERSEY, Essex County - Johann David Ernst Purfürst, Christiana Paulina Purfürst, Robert Richard Purfürst and Ida Francisca Purfürst.
* TEXAS, Harris County - Ernst August Purfürst.
* FINLAND, Helsinki - Carl Wilhelm Alfred Purfürst

See the individual Histories for the geographical locations associated with the families for more information on the family groups.

See the History of St John's the Baptist church for more information on the parish.

See the History of Neustadt, Germany for more information on the village where the church was located.

Sources

[S205084] 1857 Minnesota State Census, Herman & Catherine (Kiser) Purfeerst., FHL Microfilm 676,151: Union Prairie Township, Steele County, October 23, 1857, Page 3, Line 8.
Stated: Harmon Burfarst (sic), age 29; Catherine Burfarst (sic), age 32. This was the year Herman & his first wife Catherine Kiser arrived in Minnesota, shortly after their March 6, 1857 marriage in Indiana. Living with them was Herman's brother Charles Purfeerst.
[S205089] 1865 Minnesota State Census, Herman & Catherine (Kiser) Purfeerst., FHL Microfilm 565,716: Steele County, Merton Township, June 3, 1865, Page 6, Line 47.
Stated: Herman Purferst (sic); wife. Katherine; son. Alvin. Note: no later record of son Alvin was ever to be found.
[S205284] 1870 US Federal Census, Minnesota, Herman & Catherine (Kiser) Purfeerst., FHL Microfilm 830,431: City of Owatonna , Steele County July 26, 1870, Page 11, Line 74.
Stated: Herman Purfirst (sic), age 39; wife. Katrina, age 42; son. Frank, age 4. Herman born in Saxony; Katrina was born in Bavaria. Note: No later record of son Frank was ever to be found.
[S029708] 1875 Minnesota State Census, Herman & Elizabeth (Schmidt-Sherning) Purfeerst., FHL Microfilm 565,728: Merton Township, Steele County, June 10, 1875, Page 8, Line 25.
Stated: Herman Purfeurst, age 44; wife. Lizzie, age 40; dau. Minnie, age 0; Charlie Cherning (sic), age 13; Sophia Cherning (sic), age 10; Lizzie Cherning (sic), age 8; Matilda Cherning (sic), age 6. This is a second marriage for both Herman and Elizabeth. Minnie (Wilhelmine), born May 21, 1874, was their first child. The other children were from Elizabeth's first marriage. Of her children, son Charles and daughter Sophia were born in Wisconsin. Matilda and Elizabeth were born in Minnesota.
[S029731] 1880 US Federal Census, Minnesota, Herman & Elizabeth (Schmidt-Sherning) Purfeerst., FHL Microfilm 1,254,635: Merton Township, Steele County, June 15, 1880, Page 8, Line 68.
Stated: Herman Purfeerst, age 49; wife Lizzie, age 45; dau. Sophy (sic), age 15; dau. Lizzie, age 13; dau. Matilda, age 12; dau. Minnie, age 6. Stated: Herman born in Saxony- Wemar; Elizabeth born in Mecklenburg. Daughter Sarah (Sophia) born in Wisconsin; all other children born in Minnesota. Note: Daughters Sarah, Lizzie and Matilda were childen from Lizzie's (Elisabeth's) first marriage to Charles Sherning. Daughter Minnie was born to Herman and Elisabeth.
[S029748] 1885 Minnesota State Census, Herman & Elizabeth (Schmidt-Sherning) Purfeerst., FHL Microfilm 565,755: Merton Township, Steele County, April 25, 1885, Page 15, Line 24.
Stated: Herman Purfurst, age 54; wife. Lizzie, age 50; dau. Sophia, age 20; dau. Lizzie, age 17; dau. Matilda, age17; dau. Minnie, age 11. Daughter Sophia was born in Wisconsin; all other children born in Minnesota. Note: Sophia, Lizzie (Elizabeth), and Matilda were from mother Lizzie (Elizabeth)'s first marriage to Charles Sherning.
[S029774] 1890 US Federal "Special Census, Minnesota, Survivors of Rebellion" (Civil War), Herman Purfeerst., FHL Microfilm 338,181: June 1890, Page 1, Line 1, Merton Township, Steele County.
Stated: Herman Purfeerst, Private, Company C, 2nd Minnesota, Cavalry. Served March 27, 1865.
[S029788] 1900 US Federal Census, Minnesota, Herman & Elizabeth (Schmidt-Sherning) Purfeerst., FHL Microfilm 1,240,793: Merton Township, Steele County, June 18, 1890, ED 135, Sheet 8, Line 10.
Stated: Herman Purfeerst, b. Jul 1830, age 69; wife. Elizabeth, b. Jan 1835, age 65; dau. Elizabeth, b. Sep 1871, age 28; dau. Minnie, b. May 1878, age 22. Herman and Elizabeth had been married for 27 years. She had bore 7 children of whom 5 were yet alive. Note: the number of children given birth by Elizabeth encompasses her previous marriage to Charles Sherning as well as the current marriage to Herman Purfeerst.The two deceased children would be Alvin and Frank (see 1865 and 1870 census records)
[S034954] 1830 Birth Record, Germany, Carl Friedrich Hermann Purf, St. Johannis Evangelical Lutheran Church, Neustadt a/O, Germany, Baptism Book 1830, Page 71, Number 84, July 18, 1830.
Stated: Carl Friedrich Herman Purf
[S029362] 1906 Death Record, Minnesota, Herman Purfeerst., Steele County Book B, Page 104, Line 14, May 19, 1906.
Stated: Herman Purfeerst was born July 18,1830. Note: his parents names were not mentioned.
[S038482] 1906 Obituary, Minnesota, Herman Purfeerst., Owatonna Journal-Chronicle, Friday, May 25, 1906, Page 12.
Stated: Herman, (age not stated) died Saturday, May 19, 1906 at his home. He was a resident of Merton Township for almost 50 years. He was born in Saxony, Germany, July 18, 1830. He came to the United States in 1850 and seven years later he came to Steele County where he has lived ever since. He held many offices of trust in the county and was considered to be an influential farmer and businessman. He served during part of the Civil War in the Second Minnesota Cavalry and was discharged November 1865. He is survived by his wife, one daughter Miss Minnie Purrfeerst and four step children, namely Mrs C. F. Clinger of Owatonna, Charles Sherning of Butte, Montana and Miss Lizzie and Miss Matilda Sherning of Owatonna. Interment was in the cemetery at "the church in Merton Township" .
[S033069] 1827 Marriage Record, Germany, Johann David Ernst Purf, St. Johannis Evangelical Lutheran Church, Neustadt a/O, Germany, Wedding Book Year 1827, Page 70, Number 24, October 1, 1827.
Stated: Married in the church at Eibenstock. Johann David Ernst Purf
[S029261] 1857 Marriage Record, Indiana, Herman Purfeerst & Catherine Kiser., Fountain County Book 4, Page 230, March 6, 1857.
Stated: On March 6, 1857 the Circuit Court of Fountain County, Indiana issued the marriage license to Herman Purfeerst and Catherine Kiser. The marriage took place that same date before the Justice of the Peace. Note: no personal vital record information was recorded nor names of parents.
[S029269] 1872 Marriage Record, Minnesota, Herman Purfeerst & Elizabeth Sherning., Steele County Book B, Page 18, Jan 2, 1872.
Stated: On January 1, 1872 the District Court of Steele County, Minnesota issued Herman Purfeerst and Liseth Sherning a license to marry. The wedding took place before the Justice of the Peace on January 2, 1872. Note: no personal vital record information was recorded nor names of parents.