McDonough County IL Archives Biographies.....Rabe, Henry William March 12, 1856 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sandy Morrey sandymorrey@yahoo.com November 9, 2009, 6:22 pm Source: McDonouth and Henderson counties, Illinois Author: Unknown HENRY WILLIAM RABE, pastor of the Lutheran Church of Warsaw, was born March 12, 1856, in Concordia, Mo., and is a son of Frederick and Dorothea (Oetting) Rabe, both of whom were natives of Hanover, Germany. With their respective families they came to Amer- ica in 1840. By occupation the father of our sub- ject was a farmer, and followed that pursuit throughout his entire business career. To Mr. and Mrs. Rabe were born seven children, of whom Henry is the sixth in order of birth. Frederick, the eldest, is located at Concordia, Mo. Mrs. C. E. Marr resides in Buckley, 111. Mrs. Sophia Brackmann is a resident of Concordia. Mrs. Mary Paar makes her home in Indianapolis, Ind., and Mrs. Lydia Blanken resides in Buckley, 111. Mr. Rabe whose name heads this sketch ac- quired his education in the schools of St. Louis, and was graduated from Concordia College of Springfield, 111., in 1877, in a class of fourteen. Quite early in life it had become his earnest de- sire to enter the ministry and devote himself to the Master's work, and having fitted himself for that labor he accepted a call from a congregation at Webster City, Iowa. He spent nearly six years as pastor of the Lutheran Church at that place, and built up a church which at the begin- ning numbered only a few families. Under his supervision a parsonage was there erected, and the church, which was greatly increased numeri- cally, was placed in a thriving condition. Through his efforts a house of worship was also erected in Alden, in Hubbard and in Eldora, Iowa. In 1875, when but a student, he built a church in Waverly, Iowa. He has always been quite suc- cessful in this line of work and thereby has done much for the cause. Ere leaving the Hawkeye State, Mr. Rabe was married in Dubuque, on the 21st of May, 1878, to Miss Louise Weland, daughter of Frederick Weland, who belonged to a family of Mecklen- burg, Germany. Mrs. Rabe has proved to her husband a faithful helpmeet in the truest and best sense of that word, and by her encourage- ment and sympathy has greatly aided him in his labors. Like her husband, she wins friends wherever she goes and has the high regard of all. On the 6th of June, 1883, Mr. Rabe came to Warsaw, in response to a call from the Lutheran Church at this place, and has been its pastor for eleven years. The church now numbers three hundred and twenty-four members and has a well-located property. In connection with the church a parochial school is also conducted, now under the charge of William A. Erdmann. Mr. Rabe has accomplished much in getting the mem- bership into good working order. There is now a Young People's Society of sixty members which was organized by him, and in 1886 was organized a Ladies' Aid Society, which has a membership of one hundred and six. He is indefatigable in his labors for the advancement of the cause of Christianity, and is highly esteemed, not only by the people of his own denomination, but by those of other denominations as well. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/mcdonough/bios/rabe1541gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ilfiles/ File size: 3.7 Kb