Comments on: At St George’s German Lutheran Church

By: Tony Wetjen

Tony Wetjen — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 20:43:29 +0000

Good to see so many stories here from the descendants of German immigrants to London.

If any of you are interested in engaging in further research I recommend that you contact
the Anglo German Family History Society ( AGFHS ). You can buy publications, access data
etc’ and also attend meetings ( Covid permitting of course ).

Tony Wetjen ( Sugar Baker’s / Publican’s great grandson ).

By: Keith Styles

Keith Styles — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 16:29:35 +0000

My paternal great grandfather Heinrich Steiel came to England from Hanover, Germany in 1870 with his brother Diedrich and settled in Princes Street, St George In The East. They were both
Sugar Bakers. In 1872 Diedrich emigrated to the USA, where he settled in New York, married a Prussian girl from Riga and became a grocer. My great grandfather Heinrich married a local Whitechapel born girl called Ruth Mason, whose father was a gun maker, and they married at St Jude’s Church, Bethnal Green. By the 1880s they’d had several children, including my grandfather and settled down in St George’s district, then Heinrich anglisied his German name to Henry Styles. They then moved to Stepney, gave birth to more children, including my grandfather. Heinrich or Henry as he later became, got work as a dock Labourer and settled in Heath Street. Sadly the streets and squares in St George in the East have long gone, but the St George’s Lutheran Church in Alie Street is still there and remains a place to visit to be reminded
of where perhaps two German born brothers may have visited when first coming to England in the 1870s.

By: Annie Whatford

Annie Whatford — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 14:38:23 +0000

I’ve just started researching family history and my mother, whose maiden name was Carle, believes that her paternal grandfather was the verger or caretaker here in the 1920’s and/or 30’s. He and his wife came from somewhere in Germany or possibly Austria (as yet unidentified) at the turn of the century. We still have the trunk they brought with them with a label saying Salzburg. She remembers visiting him, and in later years he was in a German hospital or nursing home.

By: Ben FALAT

Ben FALAT — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 21:01:50 +0000

During 1960s the church was used as base for the German Seamen’s Mission. I’m pretty sure that the church came within responsibility of the Pastor at the Dietrich Bonnhöffer Church betwixt Sydenham and Forest Hill, with services conducted on a rota basis; sometimes led by lay-preachers since the Sydenham Pastor had widest responsibilities for other locations and was thus subject to clash.
Herr Wolkenhaar (Mission-head) lived on-site with his family; he would look-up shipping movements in The Port of London and then travel to visit German flagged shipping and any other potential locations for German seamen.
I once travelled with him, on back of his Vespa scooter, as a 12-yr old boy; for me just a wholly interesting experience to visit the docks, ships and this church with its peculiar (for me) pews-in-boxes. I’m really glad to discover the church has been taken into good custody by the HCT; well-done !

By: Rose Wellbrock

Rose Wellbrock — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 10:02:30 +0000

So pleased to see these beautiful photos and wonder if any of the Wellbrocks attended this church.
My husbands Great Grandfather Martin Wellbrock (Welbrok) was born in London and arrived in New Zealand in 1872, age 19. He was listed as a sugar baker.

By: Stephen Rest

Stephen Rest — Sat, 07 Jan 2017 13:25:54 +0000

My great grandparents were married in this church in 1889 after leaving Germany.They were Clemens Rast and Charlotte Hahn.It is a strange feeling when you look at the church photos and imagine them there,sadly I have no photos of them.The surname apparently took the English equivalent.

By: Nevenka Horacek

Nevenka Horacek — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 04:49:51 +0000

Thank you for the beautiful photos. My 2x great grandparents were married in this church, and these are by far the best photos I have been able to find.

By: Anthony wallis

Anthony wallis — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 21:41:20 +0000

My great great grandparents married in this church on 25th Dec 1866 having arrived from Germany in 1852 and1853 the married name was lieberman.

By: Anita Yee

Anita Yee — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 07:44:58 +0000

I went to this church when visiting from New Zealand where I now live. It is a wonderful place and very poignant to me as my grandfather William Strack and his 11 siblings were all baptised there. I could imagine them all sitting in a pew. My great grandfather was Johannes Strack and he was from Prussia and was a skin dyer.

By: Tony Wetjen

Tony Wetjen — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 15:35:47 +0000

My thanks and appreciation for an excellent article. My family too, were immigrants from Hannover who came to work and live in this area, initially in a Sugarhouse in Lambeth Street and then running Pubs at various locations in The East End. A number of my relatives were baptised at St George’s Chapel.

Tony Wetjen