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Northwest District (LCMS) Ed. Doering Papers

 Collection
Identifier: NWD.24

Scope and Contents

The records contain his correspondence, mostly in German with an English translation, as well as extensive reports to the Mission Board of the Oregon and Washington (now Northwest) District, also handwritten in German with an English translation. Among the biographical materials is a transcript of a recorded interview with Mrs. Merle Doering, widow of Herman Doering, son of Ed. Doering, as well as an essay, Some Things As I Remember Them From the Life of the Rev. Edward Doering, by J. A. Schlichting.

Dates

  • 1902 - 1986
  • Majority of material found within 1902 - 1916

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English and German.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is available for research by appointment.

Conditions Governing Use Note

The Northwest District Archives is the owner of the materials in the Ed. Doering Collection and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Northwest District Archives before any reproduction use. Copyright resides with the creator of the documents or their heirs. The status of copyright is governed by the Copyright Law of the U. S. (Title 17, U.S.C.). In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Biographical note:

Rev. Ed. Doering was born on 12 June 1852 in Walwitz, Germany. He was baptized with the name Karl Friedrich Edward. He came to America where he graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, IL, in 1874. He served as pastor in Glencoe and Evanston, IL.

The Western District resolved to send a missionary to the Northwest, so in the fall of 1881 Rev. Doering accepted a call to become a missionary among the German Lutherans in the Northwest frontier. He and his family traveled to San Francisco by rail, and from there to Portland by steamer. He held his first service in Portland on 4 September 1881. He founded Oregon congregations in Portland (Zion), Cornelius, Mt. Angel, Sherwood, and Albina. In 1903 the Mission Board called him to be an Explorer of the District. Consequently, he expanded his outreach to other congregations in Oregon and Washington as a Reiseprediger or Circuit Rider. His reports to the Mission Board detailed both the joys and the frustrations of his missionary work; they also revealed the great effort and sacrifice that accompanied his activities. His unkempt appearance, his informal manner, his simple theology, and his alleged eccentricities made him a legend. At the request of the Mission Board, he retired in 1921.

He married Helena Margaret Wundor on 15 September 1874. They had three children: Herman, Emma, and Lillian. On 21 November 1922 he was fatally injured when struck by an automobile; he was interred at Riverview Cemetery.

For a detailed account of Rev. Doering's life and ministry see God Opens Doors: A Centennial Celebration of the Northwest District of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. 2000. Portland, Oregon: Northwest District, pages 31-55.

See also Herman E. Doering, Reverend Edward Doering, 1949, unpublished.

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet (in 3 folders)

Abstract

The papers of Rev. Ed. Doering, pioneer missionary for the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod in the Northwest, along with biographical material.

Title
Guide to the Ed. Doering Papers An inventory at the Northwest District (LCMS) Archives
Status
Completed
Author
Nolan R. Bremer
Date
2011
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Northwest District (Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod) Archives Repository

Contact:
Northwest District Archives
Concordia University
2811 NE Holman St.
Portland Oregon 97211-6099 USA