Preface To the many friends and acquaintances of my blessed father, inside and outside our synodal band, I deliver herewith this brief history of his life, which moved many and did God's work for the church. I gathered material from the notes, diaries and documents, which he himself left behind, as well as what was previously published in "Traugott" [Trust in God] in 1859, other writings and published reports, especially from the time of persecution, further supplementing them with historical communiqués. The doctrinal disputes of the blessed deceased one, concerning the confession of truth, will only be referred to and introduced in its historical context for it can not be the purpose of this work to discuss such things in the description of this life. He has already sufficiently done so in his private and synodal writings. The Lord, Our God, has blessed his beloved church in many ways through the service of His servant, who has returned home, and many souls have found the way to heaven through him, who has allowed this little composition to serve the purpose of maintaining his memory and delivering a blessing upon us and our children. New Bergholz, Niagara Co., N.Y.,             Joh. A. Grabau          August 1879