J. Andrew Carl Linsenbardt

J. Andrew Carl was the eldest son of Johann Andreas Linsenbarth and Eva Catharina Pösselin Linsenbarth.

He was born in the small village of Schillingstädt, in the region  of Germany called Thüringen.  He was born on July 5, 1825, according to the Schillingstädt church records, but the date of birth on his headstone in Lohman, Missouri, is July 2, 1825.  According to the Schillingstädt church records, he was baptized on July 10.

The 1880 United States census gives his place of birth as Weimar Germany.

His first name was Johann after the tradition of giving the eldest son the same first name as his father.  The Schillingstädt church records also give his name as Johann Carl Andreas and in most old records in Missouri, his name is given as Charles A. Linsenbardt but he is now generally referred to as J. Andrew Carl which is the name on his headstone.

He was a wagonmaker by trade, carrying on  the occupation of his father.  Wagonmaking was a common occupation in the Linsenbarth family.

He emmigrated from Germany when he was 22 years old with his father, Andreas, mother, two sisters and younger brother Edmund in 1847, landing in New Orleans on December 31, 1947.  The ship’s passenger list gives Missouri as the family destination.  From New Orleans the family traveled through St. Louis to Jefferson City, Missouri.

After arriving in Cole County, he set up a wagonmaking shop on his farm in Stringtown which was located along the stage route  which ran from Jefferson City to Versailles and from there on west.  This farm is located near Lohman along what is now Route C and is currently owned by one of his descendents, Irene Linsenbardt.  Evidently, he settled along the stage line in order to sevice the stagecoaches and wagons of other travelers on the line.

More than likely he was also a carpenter.  According to Mr. Dave Schneider, when the barn on his property along Zion Road between Stringtown and Jefferson City was built in 1868, J. Andrew came to “call” the timber assembly instructions from the ground up to the men in the structure.  When he came to the barn raising J. Andrew had laryngitis and could only squeak.  Mr. Schneider’s great-grandfather, who was a Koestner, was brought to the site. J. Andrew would “squeak” the instructions to Mr. Schneider’s great-grandfather who would holler them up to the men above.  Dave Schneider said the raising went on for five days.

Apparently J. Andrew must have been an honest man of principles.  A story was told to me by Mrs. Martha Linsenbardt Raithel.  According to Mrs. Raithel, a farmer who lived on the Bruno Stubinger farm had had crop failure for 5 years in a row and wanted to quit  farming and get into the teamster business.  He asked J. Andrew to build two wagons for him.  In exchange for the wagons the farmer would give J. Andrew his farm. J. Andrew refused the farmer’s offer as being unfair.  But, he made the wagons  anyway allowing the farmer to pay them off when he had made money.

J. Andrew was married twice.  According to Cole County records, his first wife was Elizabeth Margaretha Popp whom he married July 22, 1849.  Together they had three children.  Elizabeth died on September 15, 1858.

His second wife was Maria Magdalin Jungmeyer whom he married on November 9, 1858.  When she married J. Andrew she had two children, John and Emma Jungmeyer.  Together J. Andrew and Maria had eight children.

Cole County Naturalization Records show that on December  22, 1852 J. Andrew native of Prussia declared his intent to become a citizen of the United States.  The next entry in the records made on December 27, was that of his brother-in-law Charles F. Lohman.

According to a listing in Goodspeed’s “History of Cole, Moniteau, Morgan, Benton, Miller, Maries and Osage Counties”, J. Andrew served in the Home Guard during the Civil war along with his brother Edmund.  In Goodspeed’s, his name is given as Charles Linsenbard.  J. Andrew’s brother-in-law Charles B. Maus  was sergeant-major in the Home Guards.  Although only organized on June 17, 1861 for three months service the Home Guards did see some action.  Goodspeed’s lists “lost 2 killed, 2 died of wounds, 2 of diseases and 5 by desertion, 2 missing in action, 8 discharged for disability, and 1 by resignation, leaving 40 officers and 817 men to be honorably discharged October 1, 1861.”

On June 12, 1861 Governor Claiborne Jackson proclaimed    and this was taken as a declaration of war by General Lyons who sent troops from St. Louis arriving in Jefferson City on June 15.  Apparently aware of this, Governor Jackson and the state militia retired to Boonville.  On June 17, 1861, the first real fighting of the Civil War took place in Missouri four miles below Booneville, when state militia commanded by Governor Jackson clashed with Union troops led by General Lyon.  During this battle, the Confederate forces were routed and Union troops gained control of northern Missouri.  The Governor and state militia retreated to southwestern Missouri.  It is probable that the Home Guards in which J. Andrew served was organized as a part of this action.

During his life J. Andrew accumulated considerable acreage of land in Cole County much of which he sold later in his life to sons.

J. Andrew was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and after he died on March 25, 1891, he was buried in the cemetery at St. Paul’s in Lohman, Missouri.

Upon his death in his will dated March 18, 1891, J. Andrew left his land to his wife Magdalena with he provision that she sell the land to his youngest son Frank for $2000 when he became of age.  Frank was then to care for Magdalena.  He also gave to Frank his two black horses, wagon, and harrow.  And to his step-daughter Mrs. Emma Huettenmeier he gave $100 and to his step-son John Jungmeier $50.

June 30, 1996

 

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