Glaser, George Family

Edited by Ann Chrissos

George Glaser (1873-1960) was the son of Joseph and Louisa Hatz Glaser and brother to August Glaser.  He was born in a log house in Chesterfield (now Babler State Park) on 17 March 1873.  George was appointed postmaster of Gumbo on 9 January 1901. Every morning he would walk down Long Road with his wheel barrow to the Rock Island Station to collect the mail for the people in that area and for the people along Olive Street Road.  His mail route went all the way to the Missouri River. Later the Chesterfield Post Office was built and the carrier delivered the mail by horse and buggy. On 22 August 1901 he married Louise Panter (1879-1966), who was also born in Chesterfield,.  They had four children:  Raymond (1901-1961), Hilda, Roy and Pearl.  Raymond married Emily Konneman and they had one son, Sterling.   In 1940 Raymond built a house and a commercial garage. This garage housed the Eureka High School busses.  Raymond and his son Sterling were distributors for Shell Oil Company.  Around 1947 they bid to haul gravel for the construction of White and Shepard Roads and received the contract for both of them. Sterling was born in Chesterfield near the railroad.  His family attended St. Thomas Evangelische Church of Gumbo on Long Road and he was christened there.  He attended Chesterfield Elementary School. 

Raymond’s brother Roy (b. 14 Jan 1906, d. 3 Dec 1988) married Garnet Schaeffer (b. 26 Feb 1908, d. 26 Nov 1995).  Garnet was a teacher at the Bellefontaine School on Conway Road in Chesterfield.  She compiled and wrote the history of St. Thomas United Church of Christ.  It all started on 7 October 1907 when a small group of people held worship services in the back of Henry Wetzel’s Mercantile Store in Gumbo, Missouri.  Reverend Zimmer from the Bellefontaine church conducted the services.  On 22 December 1907 the congregation officially organized themselves into the St. Thomas Evangelische Church of Gumbo (later called St. Thomas United Church of Christ).  Reverend N. Hansen was called to serve the congregation for several months in 1908 and the Reverend Ernst Rudolph served in 1909. 

Founders of St. Thomas Evanelische Church of Gumbo
Founders of St. Thomas Evanelische Church of Gumbo

The founders of St. Thomas Evangelische Church of Gumbo in front of Henry Wetzel's Mercantile Store. They met for worship in the store from 7 Oct 1907 until 22 Dec 1907. Courtesy of Garnet Glaser

 

 

Source
Sterling and Virginia Glaser were interviewed by Arland Stemme on 2 April 1998.
Garnet Glaser was interviewed by Marcella Mertz and Arland Stemme on 25 March 1990.