DER LUTHERANER,  St. Louis, Missouri, December 15, 1864 

* Rare title in German
* Civil War era

In the mid-nineteenth century, a flood of immigrants from Europe poured into the United States, the Germans being the largest ethnic group at the time. Like many immigrants, the Germans wanted to preserve their language and newspapers or newsletters in their native language helped them do so. In 1840 there were 40 German-language newspapers in the United States. In 1844 a Lutheran named Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther began publishing "Der Lutheraner", a Lutheran newsletter written entirely in German. Although published in St. Louis, Missouri, it was written in a small town in Illinois.
Four pages, decorative masthead featuring an engraving of an angel, measures 10 by 13 1/2 inches, good condition.