Bethlehem Independent German Evangelical Protestant Church
Established
PAGE CONTENTS
Community
Chronology and locations
History
Church records
Sources
See also information about St. Marcus cemeteries
St. Louis—Midtown (1878-?)
Chronology and locations
1878—Formed as a split from Bethany when its pastor, C. F. Starck, left with 25 members; met at Beaumont Baptist Church, Morgan (now Delmar) and Beaumont.
1881—Purchased former St. Mark's English Lutheran Church at Elliot and Wash (now Cole) Streets
Not much is known about this congregation at this writing. It was an independent or "free" congregation formed when the Rev. Christoph F. Starck and 25 members left Bethany Church in 1878 over a dispute. After meeting in the Beaumont Baptist Church, the congregation purchased the former St. Mark's English Lutheran Church building at Elliot and Wash (now Cole). The congregation had 50 families in 1883 and operated a parochial school. Evidence in civil marriage records indicates that the congregation was in existence at least as late as 1897. Starck died on 22 July, 1918 and was buried in Bethany Cemetery (he is listed as "Rev. Charles Stark" in cemetery records).
This congregation should not be confused with Bethlehem German Evangelical Church, founded in 1890 and originally located in what is now The Hill neighborhood at Shaw and Hereford.
No church records are known to exist.
Bethany Church Golden Jubilee, 1867-1917
St. Louis Burials, Vol. 2, CD-ROM. St. Louis: St. Louis Genealogical Society, 2003.
Scharf, J. Thomas. History of St. Louis City and County from the Earliest Periods to the Present Day. Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts & Co., 1883, pp. 1733-1735.
Updated September 2008. Queries, corrections and problems should be submitted to Scott Holl, Archivist at Eden.