Genealogy and Lutheranism
Lutheranism is the branch of Christianity that traces its interpretation of the Christian religion to the teachings of Martin Luther and the 16th-century movements that issued from his reforms. Lutheranism is one of the five major branches of Protestantism.
Geni has a family tree for Martin Luther (who was born Martin Luder). He was born on November 10, 1843, in Lutherstadt Eisleben, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. He died on February 18, 1546, in Wittenberg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. His cause of death was an apoplectic stroke.
Martin Luther’s father was Johann Luther (or Luder) Martin Luther’s mother was Margarethe Luther (or Luder) Lindemann. They named their son after St. Martin of Tours. Johann Luther was a farmer, and Margarethe was a farmer’s wife. The couple had three children.
Martin Luther married Katharina von Bora. She was one of 12 nuns that Martin Luther helped escape from a convent. Katharina was 26 years old, and Martin was 41 years old, when they married. The couple had six children, four of whom lived to adulthood.
Martin Luther began the Protestant Reformation with the publication of his Ninety-Five Theses on October 31, 1517. Popular legend says that he nailed a copy of his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church. The reality might not have been quite so dramatic. He may have simply hung it on the door.
Genealogists who are looking for information about their Lutheran ancestors can find some resources at Ancestry.com. There is a collection of records called “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940.” It contains baptism, marriage, and burial records from the more than 2,000 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) congregations.
The Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America make the records of the ECLA, its predecessor church bodies, inter-Lutheran agencies and prominent leaders of the church available. Some of those records have been indexed are are available online through a partnership with Archives.com.
Genealoger is a genealogy website whose goal is to help people who want to trace their family roots, especially those with Lutheran ancestors. They have information about birth and baptism records, church records, funeral and burial records, and more.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
Related Articles at FamilyTree.com:
< Return To Blog
Leave a Reply