Bethany Lutheran Church, Webster Groves

Genealogical Data

The following indexes and records from this congregation are available:

Confirmations from 1928 to 1939

Marriages from 1927 to 1980

Deaths from 1927 to 1975

Pastors from 1897 to 1991

StLGS is following state guidelines for privacy wherever possible. Births/baptisms online must be at least one hundred years old; confirmations eighty-six years old; marriages forty-five years old; and deaths fifty years old. Additional indexed data from these records is available; please come to the StLGS office to view it. As privacy limits permit, society volunteers will post additional data online.

History

Established in 1897; closed in 2022

This historic Lutheran church was founded by Danish immigrants and served the community until declining membership and the COVID-19 pandemic finally forced it to close its doors in 2022. The wood-frame building currently on the site was built in 1904 and was approved for city historic designation in 2024.

The interior features a painting of “Jesus with Mary and Martha at Bethany” done by noted Danish artist Bernhardt Ludwig Hillig, who also worked at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. And, typical of all Danish churches, there is a model of a Viking ship inside, carved by noted woodworker, Bonnie Rasmussen, whose grandfather Peter was one of the church founders. These small ships are symbols of the seafaring people of Denmark. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) became the property owners after the building closed and is attempting to sell the property.

Location 1897–2022: 407 Fairview Avenue, Webster Groves, St. Louis, Missouri 63119

GPS (Latitude, Longitude): @38.5983415, -90.351525,15.83 View Map

407 Fairview Avenue, Webster Groves, Missouri
Photo by Mike Kausch © St. Louis Genealogical Society Photo Archive
(Used with permission)