Ludwig Ernst Fuerbringer (1864-1947) Collection, 1864-1964.

Collection Number: M-0027
Collection Size: 8.3 linear feet

Biographical Sketch

Ludwig Fuerbringer

Ludwig Ernst Fuerbringer was born on 29 March 1864 in Frankenmuth, Michigan. He was the youngest of five children born to Ottomar Fuerbringer and his wife Agnes Buenger. He received his preparatory training at Concordia College in Fort Wayne, Indiana, after which he entered Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated from there in 1885.

He was called to be his father’s assistant at St. Lawrence Lutheran Church in Frankenmuth, Michigan, and was ordained there on 12 July 1885. He served this congregation for eight years. In 1893 he accepted a call as professor at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. On 30 September 1931 he was installed as the third president of this institution, succeeding the late Dr. Francis Pieper. Fuerbringer served in this position until his retirement in 1943. Concordia College, Adelaide, Australia, bestowed a doctor of divinity degree on him in 1924, and he received a doctor of letters degree in 1939 from Valparaiso University.

On 5 November 1896 he married Miss Anna Louise Zucker in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This union produced five children: Agnes (b: 17 September 1898), Clara (Reinke) (b: 11 May 1901), Alfred (b: 11 August 1903); Irmgard (Zorn) (b: 27 September 1906), and Otto (27 September 1910).

Ludwig Fuerbringer was the editor and author of the following works: Statistical Yearbook, Synodical Handbook of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States; Dr. Walthers Briefe, Men and Mission Series, Guenthers Populaere Symbolik; Theologische Hermeneutik, Theological Hermeneutics; Liturgik; Einleitung in das Alte Testament; Einleitung in das Neue Testament; Book of Job, The Concordia Cyclopedia, Die evangelischen Perikopen des Kirchenjahrs; Eighty Eventful Years, Persons and Events etc.

Fuerbringer died on 6 May 1947 and is buried at Concordia Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.

Scope and Content Note

The Ludwig Fuerbringer collection contains mainly materials created and personally collected by Ludwig Fuerbringer. The collection has been arranged into four series: Subject Files, Class Notes, Lectures and Correspondence.

The Subject Files series is arranged alphabetically by topics and includes four sub-series that appear within the alphabetical arrangement: Alumni, Books, Call Process and Term Question. In addition to the files on various subjects there are photographs, sermons, miscellaneous speeches and essays, unidentified index cards, and a collection of bookplates (some loose, some in scrapbooks) in this series.

The Alumni subseries contains statistical material on students who graduated from Concordia Seminary (St. Louis) from 1848 to 1945 (f.4). It includes biographical material about the graduates including obituaries and the correspondence generated while Fuerbringer obtained this information.

The Books subseries (f.14-24) contains one or more books with marginalia or other handwritten notes. A detailed list of each book remaining in the collection and a list of books that were removed to the Institute’s library are located in folder 14.

The Call Process subseries (f. 26-37) includes planning material as well as final call lists of graduates from Concordia Seminary (St. Louis) from 1911 to 1926. It appears that Fuerbringer was on the placement board for new candidates.

The last subseries contains material generated by the Chinese Term Question controversy (f.65-72) that dealt with two Chinese terms used for God. Concordia Seminary and Fuerbringer as its president were asked to make a final decision on this question.

A package of information submitted to Concordia Seminary by Rev. Edward L. Arndt for consideration is included here (f.64). The originals are on rice paper and are very fragile. Photocopies of this material for reference use are located in the Edward L. Arndt Collection (Binder #17 as CM #1586-1622). The remaining correspondence in this subseries is material generated by various people in conjunction with this controversy.

The Class Notes series contains either notes or notebooks written in Ludwig Fuerbringer’s hand. It could not be determined if they had been generated when he was a student himself or when he was a professor at the seminary. Each folder contains more than one notebook and each notebook usually covers more than one subject.

The Lecture series is divided into two parts. The lectures in the first section are filed alphabetically by subject. No common thread could be established between these notes. The lectures in the second part of this series seem to have been produced in the same format as part of an ongoing series and are arranged according to the books of the bible. These lectures may have been the basis for one of his books.

The Correspondence series covers the years 1869 to 1948, about 75 years. Three letters found in this collection were removed and placed in the Ottomar Fuerbringer Collection since they were obviously part of his father’s correspondence.

Folder List

Subject Series

f.1-5 Alumni Files:
- f.1 Biographical
- f.2 Correspondence
- f.3 General
- f.4 List of Graduates, 1848-1945
- f.5 List of Pastors, 1892-1942
f.6 Ancient Handwriting
f.7 Ancient Handwriting Samples
f.8 Anti-Christ – Fellowship
f.9 Arndt, Wm. Case, May 1938
f.10 Biographical
f.11 Book Plates (1)
f.12 Book Plates (2)
f.13 Book Plates (3)
f.14-24 Books
f.25 Brux Case, 1932-1938
f.26-39 Call Process, 1911-1926
f.40 Church & Ministry Matters, 1911-1940
f.41 Concordia Seminary – Civil War Matters
f.42 Donor Information, 1953
f.43 Essays
f.44 Formulas of Induction
f.45 Fragments
f.46 Geschichte von Gera, Germany
f.47 Golden Mean in the Liturgy
f.48 Gutachten/Opinion
f.49 History of the English Hymn
f.49a Index Cards
f.50 Lutheran Union Movement
f.51 Miscellaneous
f.52 Mission Pictures
f.53 Music
f.54 Newsclippings
f.55 Notes about CFW Walther (1887-1930)
f.56 Notes about CFW Walther (undated)
f.57 Pastoral Letter of St. Paul
f.58 Prayer
f.59 Printed Matters
f.60 Photos (1)
f.61 Photos (2)
f.62 Reichenau Family History
f.63 Sermons
f.64 Speeches/Addresses
f.65-72 Term Question
- f.65 Arndt, E.L. (original information)
- f.66 Correspondence, 1926-1928
- f.67 Correspondence, 1929
- f.68 Correspondence, 1930
- f.69 Correspondence, 1931
- f.70 Correspondence, 1932-37
- f.71 General Information
- f.72 Printed Material
f.73 Writings: Susanna (The story of a little pioneer girl)
f.74 Writings: by Franz L Braun
f.75 Writings: Das liebthätige Gera…

CLASS NOTES series

f.76 Die Auferstehungsgeschichte
f.77 Dogmatics
f.78 Kirchengeschichte 1882-1884
f.79-118 Notebooks

LECTURES series

f.119-137 Alphabetical Lectures Notes:
f.119 Lecture Notes: 1887 Convention & C. F. W. Walther
f.120 Lecture Notes: Catholic Epistles
f.121 Lecture Notes: Die Auferstehung
f.122 Lecture Notes: Exegesis of Messianic Prophecies
f.123 Lecture Notes: Galations (1)
f.124 Lecture Notes: Galations (2)
f.125 Lecture Notes: Gnadenwahlstreit
f.126 Lecture Notes: Holy Scriptures handwritten (1)
f.127 Lecture Notes: Holy Scriptures handwritten (2)
f.128 Lecture Notes: Introduction to Holy Scriptures
f.129 Lecture Notes: Introduction to the New Testament
f.130 Lecture Notes: Luther’s Explanation of the Old Testament
f.131 Lecture Notes: Revelations
f.132 Lecture Notes: Timothy (1)
f.133 Lecture Notes: Timothy (2)
f.134 Lecture Notes: Various (1)
f.135 Lecture Notes: Various (2)
f.136 Lecture Notes: Various (3)
f.137 Lecture Notes: Zephanja
f.138-162 Bible Lectures:
- f.138 Lectures: Isaiah
- f.139 Lectures: Ezekiel
- f.140 Lectures: Daniel
- f.141 Lectures: Joel
- f.142 Lectures: Obadiah
- f.143 Lectures: Jonah
- f.144 Lectures: Micah
- f.145 Lectures: Habakuk
- f.146 Lectures: Zephania
- f.147 Lectures: Zachariah
- f.148 Lectures: Malachai
- f.149 Lectures: Messianic Prophecies (English)
- f.150 Lectures: Messianische Weissagungen (German)
- f.151 Lectures: Apocraphy
- f.152 Lectures: Matthew
- f.153 Lectures: John
- f.154 Lectures: Romans
- f.155 Lectures: Phillipians
- f.156 Lectures: Thessalonicher
- f.157 Lectures: Timothy
- f.158 Lectures: Philemon
- f.159 Lectures: Hebrew
- f.160 Lectures: James
- f.161 Lectures: Jude
- f.162 Lectures: Die Offenbarung (Revelation)

CORRESPONDENCE series

f.163 1869-1890
f.164 1891-1893
f.165 1894-1895
f.166 1896
f.167 January-August 1897
f.168 September-December 1897
f.169 1898
f.170 1899
f.171 1900
f.172 1901
f.173 1902-June 1903
f.174 July-December 1903
f.175 1904
f.176 1905
f.177 1906
f.178 1907-1908
f.179 1909
f.180 1910
f.181 1911
f.182 1912-1915
f.183 1916-1917
f.184 1918
f.185 1819-1923
f.186 1924-1927
f.187 1928-1929
f.188 1930
f.189 1931-1932
f.190 1933-1937
f.191 1938-1940
f.192 1941-1948
f.193 80th Birthday, 29 March 1944
f.194 undated