Window #2 – Bible, Cross, and Crown

    The medallion brings together several powerful symbols: a cross, an open Bible, and a crown. The cross represents Christ’s sacrifice for our sins and our salvation received by faith. As disciples of Jesus, believers are to take up their own cross and follow Him. Here it is placed prominently on top of the Bible, showing the inseparable link between the Word of God and the saving work of Christ. The open Bible symbolizes Scripture as divine revelation and the foundation of Christian teaching. Its openness emphasizes accessibility, reminding believers that God’s Word is meant to be read, proclaimed, and lived. The crown represents the “crown of life” promised to the faithful.

    It also signifies victory, eternal reward, and the glory of heaven, and when paired with the cross it expresses the truth that through perseverance and faith, the believer triumphs and receives eternal life.

    Together, these images convey the theological heart of Christian discipleship. The believer’s life is grounded in the Word of God, guided by the sacrifice of Christ, and directed toward the hope of eternal life. The medallion encapsulates the Christian journey: hearing and following the Word, bearing the cross in faith, and finally receiving the crown of glory.

Henry & Friederike (Wolfshohl) Schmidt

    Heinrich Schmidt (1854-1917) was born in Solms, Texas on October 23, 1854. He was the fourth of ten children born to his parents Jacob Peter Schmidt (1808-1876) and Katharine Klees (1823-1898). 

    Friederike Wolfshohl (1859-1924) was born in New Braunfels on June 16, 1859, to August Martin Gerhard Woldshohl (1812-1892) and Katharina Elisabeth Eberling (1820-1893). She was the eleventh of twelve children.

    Heinrich and Friederike were married on November 22, 1878. The Lord blessed them with thirteen children: 

  • Laura Katherine (1879-1966) married Charles Bartholomew Pfeiffer (1877-1966) and had seven children
  • Ella Wilhelmina (1880-1964) married Joseph August Pfeiffer (1879-1959) and had seven children
  • Sophia (1882-1965) married Paul George Wisian (1878-1957) the son of Ludwig Wisian (Window #11) and had six children
  • Emma Anna (1883-1982) married August Warnecke (1879-1964) and had nine children
  • Cora Ottilia (1886-1941) married Alfred Jasper Luersen (1884-1929) and had six children
  • Auguste Luise Emilie Albertine (1888-1975) married Ludwick Rickhoff (1872-?) in 1896 and later married Karl Gustav Charles Kirchhoff Jr (1887-1965) (Karl’s sister Elsa married Otto Graef, Jr. (1895-1970) son of Otto Graef Sr. (Window #4)) and had four children
  • Robert Charles (1890-1986) married Telka Koehler (1891-1977) and had five children
  • Louis Otto (1891-1966) married Erna Schubert (1898-1994) and had one child
  • Martin Paul (1893-1965) married Lena Schuenemann (1898-1960) and had two children
  • Benno Julius (1896-1976) married Edda Schubert (1897-1944). He remarried a widow, Hilda Schaefer (1896-1976) in 1953 who had three grown children from her first marriage to Edwin Louis Sahm (1893-1947).
  • Alma Lena Jane (1899-1974) married Otto Paul Nickel (1895-1961), brother of Clemens Nickel (Window #14)
  • Leona Alma (1900-1989) married William Christian Schulle (1900-1977) and had three children
  • Margaret Emily (1903-1975) married Ernes Joseph Dressen (1899-1988) and had three children

    Henry was a charter member of St. John. He passed away on March 30, 1917. Friederecke passed away on January 24, 1924. They are buried together in Live Oak cemetery in Uhland.