Peter Brenner photo taken shortly before his death in 1894. Photo is colorized.
1844-1876
First recorded permanent settlers.
POPULATION 1844, 20
Henry Brenner 55Susanna 45
And their children:
Maria Elizabeth 33
Peter 25
Maria Kathryn 20
Margaret 14
Phillip 11
Big John 9
About the same time were:
Adam Renner
Henry Burrichter
Fred Hartman
Henry Hartman
Valentine Hauetter
Henry Groh
Peter Groh
Daniel Groh & their wives
John Klamm & his wife
Simon Klamm & his wife
Jacob Russ & his wife
Between the prehistory period and 1844, Riverside had only been inhabited by hunters from the east who bought land cheap after the Platte Purchase and the formation of the state of Missouri. To avoid the Hugenot war in Germany, Peter Brenner brought his mom, dad and his brother's and sister's to America. He was granted a piece of land in Riverside by the King of Bavaria that had been owned by Adam Crite. About the same time, the Klamm's, Swartz, Keller's and other well known names came also to the same area. They arrived after the two to four week boat ride where they traveled to the Gulf of Mexico and up the Mississippi and finally to Liberty. Then Riverside. My grandpa Peter (from Gary Brenner), bought two Kentucky muskets in Kentucky where I still have one. I till have the family trunk that contained most of the Brenner possessions.
It was said they wanted to come to Riverside because it reminded them of their home country. Without photos, I have no clue how they knew that.
They arrived at the worst possible time in the spring of 1844 and desperately tried to clear land and get crops in the ground. They all had brought seeds and Peter had somehow brought cherry trees. It rained like hell and the river rose to the point they all were ready to give up thinking this must happen every year.
They gathered on a hill on some quickly set up logs for seat on a day it wasn't raining. Some wanted to go back home. It was decided at that meeting to stay and stick it. They also decided that hill was a good place to meet and decided to create a church that would become St. Peter's and today we know it as St. Matthew's. At the same time the cemetery was started.
About 10 years later there was some kind of disruption in the groups and another church was formed right down the hill and also a cemetery. That cemetery is known as the John and Elizabeth Brenner cemetery. That church was a log cabin and would burn down about the late 1860's and everyone went back to St. Matthew's.
The Great Flood of 1844 crest June 16th. It is the biggest flood ever recorded on the Missouri River and Upper Mississippi River, in North America, in terms of discharge. The adjusted economic impact was not as great as subsequent floods because of the small population in the region at the time. The flood devastation was particularly widespread since the region had few levees at the time, so the waters were able to spread far from the normal banks. Among the hardest hit in terms of mortality were the Wyandot Indians, who lost 100 people in the diseases that occurred after the flood in the vicinity of today's Kansas City, Kansas.
The article below was published by St. Matthew's on their 140th anniversary
This one below was copied from a book called, "The History of Clay and Platte Counties" published in 1885.
RIVERSIDE MISSOURI RIVER FLOODS
1993 630,000 cfs 48.85 (partially made caused)
1844 625,000 48 (highest recorded natural flood) June
1951 573,000 46.2
1903 548,000 45
1785 500,000 44.8
1952 400,000 40.6
1973 313,000 38.9
Flooding begins at the 32' stage.
Peter Brenner
This is an example of how Adam Crite's cabin would have appeared when the Brenner's took possession. My dad developed this hill in the 60's and said the foundation for the cabin was still there and that there were two cabins close and probably connected somewhow.
Photos of the family trunk of Mary Klamm that sailed with the Brenner's in 1843. It is currenty in possession of Gary Brenner. The initials "CMK" are on the front and are for Carolina Magdelena Klamm, better known as Mary. She married Peter Brenner in 1845. The date, "1843" is also on the front left panel and the initials on the right panel.
That's me, Gary Brenner, holding my great, great, great grandpa's (Peter Brenner) musket in 2011.
Official county records showing the marriage of Peter Brenner to Magdalina Klamm, April 26, 1845 and Christopher Klamm to Catherine Brenner, May 1945. Catherine was normally called Maria and was on of Peter's three younger sisters.
During the civil war, bushwackers invaded the Peter Brenner home wanting guns. Peter had his muskets well hidden and his son, John give them his small rifile. The bushwackers left not happy and took John's gun and bent it on a fence post making it worthless. The bushwackers traveled down the road to a Renner house that was south of today's city hall and is a part of Windemere. Same thing there, only the old Renner lady shot and killed one of them and they all left and never came back.
Peter Brenner is buried just behind the bell tower at St. Matthew's cemetery with honors. He served about a month during the civil was and was paid $8 which was a higher rate because he had is own horse. He was bascially the areas first sheriff. At that time he was 44 years old. His son, John P was 13 at the time and his daughter Elizebeth was 16. Elizabeth would later marry Jacob Klamm. John would later marry Louisa Truskey.
Civil War
The American Civil War was difficult for this part of Missouri, and Riverside experienced violence. In fact, the region may have suffered from added attention from pro-Confederate "bushwhackers" because of the presence of so many German-American families. ("Bushwhacker" was the name generally given to forces hiding in the woods or "bush" and conducting guerrilla warfare). Across Missouri, many German-Americans had sided strongly with the Union, making life difficult for German descendants in locations where guerrilla warfare was active.
On at least three occasions during the war, Riverside experienced raids by bushwhackers. The Kansas Redlegs and Jayhawkers were pro-Union forces who sometimes utilized bushwhacker tactics while William Quantrell was an effective and well-known Pro-Southern commander. Residents were often caught in the middle, no matter which side they actually supported.
Neighbors attempted to warn each other of pending attacks. Once confronted by a force, who often wore no identifying uniform, potential victims might talk their way out of attacks by offering food or other temporary help. However, the German-American residents often found that their only defense was to barricade their fences and doors and hide their valuables in a safe place.
In Riverside, all of the families experienced raids. These men were members of the pro-Union Enrolled Missouri Militia, which may explain why they were targeted for visits by the pro-Confederate bushwhackers. At the time, the Brenner's were living in a log cabin where Plantation and Line Creek Apartments are located today.
John Peter Brenner
In is later years.
1870
Snapshot in writing of living in Riverside
This is a copy of a letter written by Peter Brenner in 1870 to his friend in Germany, whose name wasn't on it. We do know it was written in old German language and was transcribed by a professor at Park College in the 1970's. It was difficult to find someone who could transcribe this particular German dialect.
The approximate location of the Brenner cabin at 4850 NW Homestead Road.
St. Matthew's began as a log cabin and remained that way until about 1877 when it was re built into a frame structure. In this 1919 photo the building was already 40 years old. This part of the structure still exists today. A fellowship hass was added the front door was moved to the left of the one in the photo.
THE FIRST OLDEST RIVERSIDE RESIDENT. Henry Brenner. Henry was born in 1789 in Germany, 229 years ago. His grave is at his grandson's family cemetery, John and Elizabeth Brenner. He married Susanna Hoffman were they had 6 children. In 1843, all of them traveled to the US with their eldest son, Peter so he could avoid the Hugenot war. Several families came along about the same time, including the Klamm's, Renner's, Keller's and other first settler names. All the original Brenner's lived in a two room log cabin until 1877---where at one point, that would have been 10 people.
Henry passed away in 1863 during the height of the civil war at 74 years of age at Peter's log cabin. His wife is buried next to him where she passed in 1877.
Family home for the Vandepopulieres 1926-51 in the Belgian Bottom area of Riverside (now Horizons area). Also served as Dist. #1 schoolhouse, first in the area, built around 1850. Sold in 1877. Courtesy Joe Vandepopuliere
Early 1800's surveyor's map of the Riverside area with modern landmarks added for reference.
Provided on Facebook by:
Timothy J. Johnson who said this was from the "First Landowners project".
