Humble Beginnings

Historic Redlin Sites in South Dakota

This is the house my Dad Ralph and My Uncle Earl and several of his brothers and sisters were born in on the treeless prairie in South Dakota. They lived here from about 1903 - 1920. Yes, that is the house. 10 people lived in it for several years. Six children were BORN in that house. No hospitals.

After Redlins Came to this country the first thing they did after building a sod hut and homesteading was to build a church, or should I say Churches. Lutherans All.

Why? Heritage. Redlins have always been church builders.

It's what the Redlins had done in the old country. The picture below is a picture of the Lutheran Church of the Gollnowschen Synod which was built in Jacobsdorf Kr Naugaard Pommerania ( then Germany, now Poland). It was founded about 20 years after the reformation on the 18th of April 1545. Records of Redlin Births, deaths, baptisms and marriages go back to the mid 1600's. They had come from Estonia where records back to 1271 show that many of my distant ancestors were professors in what was then Christian (Catholic) schools and Universities. Otherwise they were farmers, shoemakers, soldiers, teachers, and hired help.


After many Redlins immigrated to this country settling first in Iron Ridge WI they built churches simultaneous with building the homes they built. Moving to South Dakota to homestead in the 1885.

TWP. My great grandfather Julius and Terry Then in 1888 they built St. Johns Lutheran Church (Wisconsin Synod) in MazeppaRedlin's great grandfather August are buried in this little church yard. That's the connection.


The inside, Redlin's filled that little church on Sunday. Here's a picture of the altar area. What history there was as the old pipe organ piped away.


In 1890 the Germantown Church was built. Redlins also. The church plant started in a one room school house where my Dad went to grade school. He was confirmed at this church. I was baptized in this building as a baby. My grandpa and grandma are buried here. So is Daniel Redlin, father of August and Julius Great Grandfathers to Terry and to me. I was best man at Cousin Merlin's wedding in this church (where I fainted) when I was a teen. There is lots of history here.




These are out in the prairie about 8 miles apart. All the Redlin brothers didn't go to the same church. I don't know the story on that but I'll bet it's a good one .

Thought you would enjoy just a little insight on all that Redlin - Lutheran thing. Today I'm a happy Pentecostal with DEEP Lutheran roots. I hope to help a few Lutherans make the same transition to a deeper faith which may EVEN include the fullness of the spirit. They can still be Lutheran, it's just that there is so much more to be had than the 3 hymns and a her and a readers digest sermon in under 55 minutes including collection and communion. The rating of a Lutheran pastor in the Dakota's has much to do with keeping it under an hour and telling funny jokes.

As a Friend of mine once said, "I'm as Lutheran as Jesus is"--

I'll let you decide how Lutheran that really is.