Lutheran Ancestry

[LutheranHawkeye]

I want to hear all about people's Lutheran ancestry, like how long does Lutheranism run in your family? Are both sides of your family Lutheran? For example my mother's side is Norwegian Lutheran and my father's side is German Lutheran. Amazingly enough they are both LCMS and my German side actually donated the land and constructed the church that we are now members of of. An interesting fact about the church being donated was that it is dedicated to those who profess the unadaulterd augsburg confession. Both sides came over for farmland and I don't neccessarily know if religion was a reason. Please share all stories and history!

 

[ctay]

My parents went over to a great aunt of mine, she is in her 90's now, good mind still, they wanted to find more about my father's side of the family. She said my greatgrandfather was Catholic and my greatgrandmother was Lutheran and when they got married they went to the Lutheran church. She said my greatgrandfather's family wouldn't have much to do with him after he joined the Lutheran church. I know my greatgrandfather was German, not sure about my greatgrandmother. I know my grandfather was confirmed in a LCMS church.

 

[dinkime]

my mom's family was Lutheran (not sure how far back) and my dad was really raised not much of anything -- they went UCC when they went...

 

[LilLamb219]

My mom's family was Lutheran, but same as dinkime, I'm not sure how far back they go. That side of the family is all German.

Not much else I know though.

 

[Flipper]

I'm the first on either side of my family, that I know of.

 

[jcj3803]

Mother's side was Lutheran from whenever it became the state church of Finland. Paternal grandmother was a militant atheist, dad was an agnostic for most of his life.

 

[QuiltAngel]

I know it goes to great grandparents on both sides. My husbands side was ALC and when his parents moved to a place where there was not an ALC church, they became LCMS. Now those other relatives are ELCA.

On my side, my greatgrandparents were LCMS Lutherans or whatever it was before LCMS. I have an ancestor that had a hand in building one of the churches in the town I grew up in as well as the parsonage. Some of those relatives were charter members of Zion. My grandparents were charter members of Peace.

My mother left the Lutheran Church when she got married as my father was Presbyterian. For me to marry an LCMS mad was kind of bringing the family back to the LCMS. Out of my mother's siblings (4 kids including Mom), only one remained Lutheran though.

Since we were raised in an atmosphere of negativism towards the LCMS, my own family does have a hard time of my being here. I have learned early on that my beliefs were more in line with the Lutheran church (LCMS) than Presbyterian.

That is my story.
Jane

 

[DaSeminarian]

My mom's side was from the Norwegian Synod and the Free Lutheran Synod. The Norwegian synod was split in the 1950 (?)s and some became the ELS and others went with the ALC and were more liberal.

My Dad's side was split between the Missouri and Swedish synods.

We weren't Missouri until 1968. We were in the ALC up until then.

 

[NonnieM]

My mother's side is Norwegian Lutheran - ALC - and my father's side is German Lutheran - LCMS. I don't know how far back our Lutheran bones go, though.

In my generation, not all of my siblings stayed Lutheran. Two brothers went Catholic because they married Catholic women.

 

[rockytrails]

my fathers side were from the norsk kirke and became lutheran at the time luther was preaching in germany.
My mother side were the german lutherans not sure though if they
were followers of DR melancthan or DR Luther though

I still think some of our stauncest lutherans though are those who have recently discovered the truth's of lutheranism and have realy a first hand knowledge of comparason's because of what they use to be,

 

[porterross]

My immediate family are the first that I know of. My mother, sister and I were all baptized in the LCMS just before my 2nd birthday. Dad had been baptized.
My daughter is now the second generation, baptized in the LCMS 12 years ago and looking to be confirmed next year. God willing, there will be many more generations to follow.

 

[LutheranHawkeye]

Awesome! Another big question. How do you think the european Lutheran Churches view us the LCMS? How do your local churches view the LCMS? IMO I think that the German Lutheran Churches view us as stubborn and rough, meaning we don't have an episcopal structure(I think we should ) and that we hold on to tightly to the BOC. The local churches around where I live view the Lcms just as a catholic church because of the closed communion and the liturgy.

 

[latebloomer]

My Dad's family is German. They came to the US in the 1880s in search of good farm land. All LCMS. Mom's family is Norwegian, came in the 1860s & 1870s. They were ALC until the ELCA merger. Mom became LCMS when she married Dad & raised their kids LCMS.

For a Lutheran, that's a mixed marriage.

 

[LutheranHawkeye]

For a Lutheran, that's a mixed marriage.

LOL Yeah it is!

 

[ctay]

I said in an earlier post about my great grandparents on my father's side, one was Catholic and the other was lutheran and when they got married they went to the Lutheran church. My mother was brought up in a Russian Orthodox church, I know as far back as my great grandparents that's where they went. So when my mother and father got married they stayed with the Lutheran church.

 

[synger]

It's a little hazy, but I know that one of my grandparents was Lutheran. I think my dad might have been raised Lutheran, but I don't know the details. I'll ask him when I visit in a few weeks. (He's in Michigan). My parents became Presbyterian when they married (not sure what Mom was growing up... something tickles my brain as Methodist, but I'll have to check with Dad). One of my sisters is Reformed, the other is something liberal, and my brother doesn't attend church as far as I know.

My great-grandmother was Catholic (I have her rosary). We have a big old family Bible in German (a Luther translation, btw) that no one can read anymore.

On my husband's side, I'm not sure what his pateral grandparents were, but his parents raised him Baptist, then they became Presbyterian (the conservative, creedal kind). His paternal uncle is Lutheran - ELCA - so it might have been a family thing. His maternal grandparents were Jehovah's Witnesses, and there doesn't seem to be much Christianity on that side of the family.

His elder brother is very conservative, dispy, non-denom. His younger brother is very liberal, and hadn't attended church in years, but he's been attending the National Cathedral, which is Episcopalian. Not sure how much has sunk in yet.

 

[WildStrawberry]

Both of my parents were born Lutheran. Maternal Grandma and her family was Lutheran from way back. Maternal Grandpa was Methodist but only because there weren't any Lutheran churches near where he grew up. As soon as they married, Grandpa attended the Lutheran church with Grandma and was a staunch Lutheran 'till he passed away.

Paternal Grandparents were both Lutheran "hatched, matched and dispatched." Paternal Grandma's family was like Maternal Grandma's family, Lutheran from way back. Paternal Grandpa's family was Lutheran for ages but, I know they were Jewish at one point in history based on the last name. Genealogy backs this up even though it doesn't show "Jewish" but "German"

I'm a good German girl from both sides...yet I have no German in me.
How? Well, I was adopted. I'm Scots/Irish in lineage (found my birthmom about 15 or so years ago) and I like to make people blink when I say the "good German girl" thing.

Kae

 

[Flipper]

I have German blood from both sides of my family, yet, no Lutherans. My ancestors were either Catholic or Methodist.

 

[LutheranHawkeye]

I have German blood from both sides of my family, yet, no Lutherans. My ancestors were either Catholic or Methodist.

That's pretty cool so your catholic ancestors were basically lutheran just with guilt.

 

[panama]

My father's side of the family is German Lutheran. This can be traced back to my great-great grandfather , b. 1812 in Bavaria , immigrated to Ohio in 1847. That side of the family were all ALC.

Dad married a Presbyterian but I was raised Lutheran. He and an aunt switched over to LCMS when ELCA was formed. I am LCMS (IELPanama) but my wife and daughter are Catholic.