Rev. JOHANNES HEINRICH JOX 1870

St. James Lutheran Church Logansport, IN ca 1890

Jox Home in Loganposrt, IN

Growing to maturity In Germany, Johannes Heinrich Jox was expected to follow his father's profession of weaving. However, his absorbing interest in books, mostly those he borrowed from the local minister, led to a decision to become either a teacher or minister. His close association with his pastor led eventually to theological training.

In the mid-nineteenth century there was a growing need for Lutheran ministers in the German communities being rapidly settled in the United States. Johannes' home church in Rothges raised the funds to send this young man to America to complete his religious education and fill this need. He was 21 years old when he made the long trip on the brig "Hannover," arriving in New York City on 19 August 1853. He listed his occupation on the ship's passenger list as a teacher and his destination as Wisconsin. From New York, he made his way to Fort Wayne, Indiana where he entered the Lutheran Concordia Seminary.

After completing studies under Rev. Wilhelm Sihler in 1855, he was sent to Wisconsin. His first assignment was not a pleasant one - Maplegrove in Manitowoc County. He was ordained by the congregation there on May 20, 1855. The people were poor and had become slovenly. He became disgusted with the conditions under which he was forced to live and complained to the Lutheran authorities in Milwaukee. A Rev. Lochner suggested marriage as a solution to his problem, suggesting Augusta Wille, a young girl in the Milwaukee congregation. Augusta's family was not entirely enthusiastic about this arrangement - at least not at first. It was not uncommon at that time and place for marriages to be arranged for by the church authorities. In time, the Wille family came to accept Johannes, and endorsed the marriage. The ceremony took place on March 30, 1856.

The couple returned to Maplegrove (near Reedsville), living in a small log cabin. Their first child was born in Maplegrove - Dorothea Johanna Sophia Jox. They endured all sorts of hardships there, even terror on occasion. He was shot at several times while riding horseback on his circuit. There were Indians in the area that made life more miserable. Every time Augusta went for water, which was a half mile from the cabin, she had to take the infant Dorothea with her so the Indians would not steal her. Carrying the child, and the water, was almost more than she could handle.

After two years of this sort of hardship, Johannes was reassigned to the Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kirchhayn, Wisconsin (near Jackson), where he was installed on October 20, 1858. He stayed in Kirchhayn for eight years - 1858 to 1866. This was a more pleasant assignment. The church in Kirchhayn was small, but the people, mostly from the Pomerania area of Prussia (now Poland) were warm and friendly. Three more children were born to the couple while in Kirchhayn - Augusta, Heirnrich, and Carl. Johannes' parents joined him in Kirchhayn, having sailed from Germany aboard the steamship "Bremen" which arrived in New York on May 1, 1859. They were to remain with the family for the rest of their lives.

The little church in Kirchhayn was a log church built in 1853, very small, but sound and with an ornate roof. Historians in Kirchhayn feel that this original church became a school when a new stone church was built in 1874. Located on Mill Road and surrounded by huge cornfields, the building is now a museum owned by the local historical society. A local resident, Mr. Ray Dausman, has all the old church records which have been translated into English. The records confirm that this was the church Rev. Jox pastored, although the English translation calls him "Rev. Fox." Records of his children who were born in Kirchhayn are also recorded in the old book.

In 1865 Johannes accepted a call to be pastor of St. James Lutheran Church in Logansport, Indiana. He was installed there on May 7, 1865 as the Civil war was coming to an end. Five more children were born to the family in Logansport - Maria, Henrietta, Chris, Eduard, and Henry. His ministry extended to several smaller communities in the Logansport area. He would preach in his home church on Sunday morning, then travel by horseback to the other communities and conduct services there at whatever time he arrived. In the early years he would often meet Civil War veterans straggling home who were foraging wherever they could for things to eat. His boldness probably saved his life on more than one occasion. He served the Logansport congregation with distinction for 28 years until his death.

He died on March 21, 1893 after a long illness. He suffered greatly from carbuncles on the back of his neck. He was of medium height, weighing about 200 pounds. He had clear grey eyes and brown hair. He was very sentimental about his family. Although fond of his children, they were expected to live by very strict rules, never attending a theater, never playing cards, or doing anything that was frivolous or worldly. His income from the Logansport church was $30 per year plus the use of the parish house. People of the church supplemented this with gifts, often bringing sacks of corn or potatoes, meat, and other things. The family always had a vegetable garden in the yard. He and the Catholic priest in Logansport were good friends, the priest stopping often at the house during his last year of illness to check on him.

Sources:

Death Certificate
Obituaries in Logansport newspapers.
St.James church records, many in his own handwriting.
1870,1880 Census records - Cass Co., IN.
Tombstones in Ninth St. Cemetery, Logansport.
Interview with grandson, Walter Fathauer, Tuscon, AZ, 8-12-89.
Passenger List, Germans to America, v.5;p.294 and v.12;p.381
New York Daily Times - August 19, 1853
New York Times - 2 May 1859
The church registry in Kirchhayn in his handwriting.

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