Gustave Koerner House Restoration

We are pleased to post the scholarly writings of University of Missouri–St. Louis Professor Steven Rowan. His translations and perspectives, more fully described below, add greatly to our understanding of Koerner’s intellectual activity in the 1830s. Graduate student, Michael Beatty, contributes a transcription of Fraktur into modern typeface, and an opposing viewpoint.
The Gustave Koerner House Restoration Committee

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An Illumination of Duden’s Report on the Western States of North America … Translation ( 62 pp.; 244KB ) German to English Professor Steven Rowan University of Missouri–St. Louis Koerner’s Beleuchtung [An Illumination], originally written in German (1834), analyzes the impact of Gottfried Duden’s widely-read guide for German immigrants traveling to the Missouri River settlements near St. Louis. See also Beatty's transcription, right. *********** Gustav Körner Attacks Gottfried Duden in 1834: Illinois against Missouri? (178 KB) Professor Steven Rowan University of Missouri–St. Louis Presented at the 33rd Annual Symposium of the Society for German–American Studies’ Annual Symposium, New Ulm, Minnesota, April 17, 2009. ***********

(Click) Page 1 | 2  | 3  | 4 Each about 1.0 MB In Gesetzbuch, Koerner translated the laws of Illinois (1833) into German for newly-arrived immigrants. Professor Rowan's article, "Gustav Körner's Illinois Gesetzbuch: A Legal Handbook for Illinois Germans in 1838" summarizes the content of Koerner's book with readers after first translating it back into English. This Gesetzbuch article first appeared in Der Maibaum (Spring 2009) published by the Deutschheim Association, P.O. Box 16, Hermann, Missouri, 65041, digitized here with permission of the editor and author. *********** Beleuchtung des Duden'schen Berichtes über die westlichen Staaten Nordamerikas, . . .. Transcription, Fraktur into modern typeface (370 KB) Michael Beatty Graduate student University of Missouri–St. Louis (2009) Koerner's Beleuchtung . . . is shared here, courtesy of Mr. Beatty, for those who wish to read the original German. ***********

Mr. Beatty also offers his thoughts in, Responsible Opposing Viewpoint: Gustav Körner's Illumination of Gottfried Duden's Report which follows.

We, the Koerner House Restoration Committee, feel compelled to respond to Michael Beatty’s, "A Responsible Viewpoint," for its unnecessarily harsh and unduly critical depictions of Gustave Koerner’s motives and mental clarity over a 60 - year period. For example:

Mr. Beatty analyzes Koerner’s agreement with Duden on some points but disagreement with Duden on others, saying:

(p. 13) "This is a case of a young advocate talking out of both sides of his mouth. Having typically said two different things in as many sentences, Koerner then unburdened himself of a waffle that would sow confusion in his own mind, as well as his readers’ minds, and engender a controversy with which Koerner would attempt to deal for the rest of his life."

There are, of course, three options in examining an issue: firstly, agree with everything; secondly, agree with some but not all that is printed, and thirdly, agree with nothing. Option two, agree with some but not all that is printed, cannot fairly be termed "talking out of both sides of one’s mouth." Using the phrase "having typically said two different things in as many sentences" is a generalization based on "typically" that reinforces the first stereotype of "talking out of both sides of one’s mouth" and suggests far more than Mr. Beatty can prove. But even that is surpassed by the remainder of the quote, a "waffle that would sow confusion in his own mind, as well as his readers’ minds, and engender a controversy with which Koerner would attempt to deal for the rest of his life."

We do not find Koerner’s mind confused by his own writing; we do not know of the controversy alluded to, and we are certain it was not a subject he was burdened with for the rest of his life.

Mr. Beatty writes he believes there is an inconsistency between the Illumination (1834) and Koerner’s Memoirs written after 1889. [Links to Illumination above; Koerner's Memoirs Volume I, and Volume II].

(p. 17) In his Memoirs … Körner wrote "away from the [Missouri] river the want of communication made farming unprofitable, and clearing the timber and plowing the hills was most laborious work." Sixty years previously, he had written [Illumination] that "what particularly compels immigrants to the proximity of lowlands and thick woods (for most of the woodlands of Missouri in particular are located along the rivers) is the advantage of navigable rivers, providing access to markets and social communication."

We see no inconsistency here. It is clear Koerner is saying away from the river there are fewer people on the frontier and few markets, while the river provided locations for markets and towns and increased communication among settlers.

Mr. Beatty contends Koerner

(p. 18) would continue to wrestle, in his own mind, with Duden’s Report, and his response to it, to the end of his life.

We believe this to be a claim without a thread of proof since Koerner busily spent the next 62 years defending the rights of immigrants and supporting efforts to abolish slavery as a state legislator, Illinois Supreme Court Judge, Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, and U. S. Ambassador to Spain.

We believe there is ample evidence Koerner lived the dictum adopted in 1833 by his fellow student revolutionaries in Germany: Do right and fear no one! —Koerner House Restoration Committee

Responsible Opposing Viewpoint:
Gustav Körner's Illumination of Gottfried Duden's Report
Michael Beatty, Graduate student University of Missouri–St. Louis (2009)
First presented at the 51st Missouri Conference on History, Springfield, Missouri, 16 April 2009.

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The restoration of Belleville's Gustave Koerner home, on Mascoutah Avenue at Abend Street, will stand as a testament to one of Belleville's most illustrious citizens. Koerner joined Abraham Lincoln, Horace Greeley and others who, fired by the passions of the times, came together to create the Republican Party in 1856. Koerner became a close Lincoln confidant, helped write the 1860 Republican Party platform, and managed Lincoln's drive to the presidential nomination at the party's convention. Koerner was an ardent anti-slavery proponent and, as a German emigre, played a key role in allying western America's German population with the Union cause. The Koerner House Restoration Committee is working with a team of consultants to prepare a Historic Structure Report. Selective demolition of the structure's modern components commenced in May 2005. Once complete, the home will be opened as a museum, where Koerner's life and political career will be interpreted.

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Gustave Koerner House Restoration, c/o St. Clair County Historical Society,
701 East Washington Street, Belleville, Illinois 62220. Phone: (618) 234-0600

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Links to these pages may be made, and one copy for your personal use is permitted by law. However, you must obtain permission from the original author to make any other reproduction, distribution, or other form of publication.