1. First German Protestant Church and Congregation of New Orleans (1826)
Presently: First Trinity Evangelical United Church of ChristAbout the records:
The original records are held by the church. They include baptism, marriage, and death records, but due to their extreme fragility, they are not made available to the public. The existing records, described as fragmented and incomplete, were microfilmed by the Historic New Orleans Collection. The records are not comprehensively indexed. The microfilms are available to be viewed only at the Historic New Orleans Collection and the German American Cultural Center in Gretna, Louisiana. The records of the church cover from 1844 to the late 20th century, and there are significant gaps. The records from 1880 on are the most complete. There are 11 rolls of microfilm, of which, only rolls 2 through 6 contain 19th-century birth, marriage, or death records.Additional information about the church:
Organized in 1826 [1828 according to J. Hanno Deiler], this was the first German-speaking, Protestant congregation in New Orleans. It was incorporated as the German Protestant Church of New Orleans. The first pastor was the Rev. Heinrich Heistand of the Reformed Synod of Ohio. After nearly dissolving in 1833, the church was reinvigorated by Pastor Johann Wilhelm Müller of the Reformed West Pennsylvania Synod. Their first building was dedicated in 1840. This building was partly destroyed by lightning in 1858, but was restored and stood until 1872. By 1880, the congregation was affiliated with the Evangelical Synod of North America. In 1886, the church was completely burned. A third church building, dedicated in 1887, was also ravaged by fire in January 1905. These three early churches were located on Clio Street, between Nayades [St. Charles] and Apollo [Carondelet] Streets, and thus the church was often referred to as the “Clio Street Church.” The congregation then decided to move to Carondelet Street, where their new church was finished in 1907. By 1951, the church had built a new structure at South Claiborne and Jefferson Avenues. In 1936, they had joined the Evangelical and Reformed Church, and in 1957, became part of the United Church of Christ. In 1991, what was now the First Evangelical Church merged with Trinity Evangelical Church (founded in 1926) to become what is now known as First Trinity Evangelical United Church of Christ, located in Metairie.A 1925 centennial history of the church, Hitherto the Lord hath helped us, 1825-1925: First Evangelical Church, New Orleans, Louisiana, is available in the Jones Hall Louisiana Collection of Tulane University. Call number: 976.31 (284.1) F527.
Other names of this church:
German Protestant Church of New Orleans (1826)
First Evangelical Church
First Trinity Evangelical United Church of Christ (1991)Clergy who served the church up to 1893:
Heinrich Hiestand (1828-1831); Johann Wilhelm Müller (1834-1839); J. E. Schneider (1843); Christian Schrenk (1844); Henry Kleinhagen (1845-1847); Christian Schrenk (1847-1852) [Martin Schrenk (1848-1849)]; Heinrich Hiestand (1852); Ernst Berger (1852-1854); Dr. Kässmann (1855); Anton Vallas (1856); Ernst Berger (1857); Alexander Kretschmar (1858); J. M. Hofer (1858); J. B. Erben (1859); Hermann Pressler (1859-1865); Herman F. Perpeet (1865-1879); August Gehrke (1880-1884); A. H. Becker (1884-1893).Current affiliation:
First Trinity Evangelical United Church of Christ is today affiliated with the United Church of Christ.Current address:
First Trinity Evangelical United Church of Christ
3810 Power Blvd.
Metairie, La. 70003-3449