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Christian and Catharina Backer
Christian Jacob Bäcker (also Backer or Becker) was born on February 4, 1874, in the Volga German colony of Grimm, Russia. His mother was Catharina Meisner.
Christian married Catharina on January 8, 1896, in Russia. She was born on February 14, 1871, in Russia. Christiana and Catharina had at least three children in Saratov, Russia: Lydia, Catharina Elisabeth, and Friedrich.
Christian and Catharina arrived in the United States in July 1907 and traveled immediately to Portland, where they made their new home. New worked as a painter and furniture finisher.
The Backers became members of the Free Evangelical Brethren Church. In 1913, Christian was part of a small group from the church that met with Rev. Heinrich Hagelganz to discuss the establishment of a new church, which later became the Second German Congregational Church.
Catharina died in 1923 and was buried at the Rose City Cemetery.
Christian remarried to Toska Rosa Kunzmann on October 1, 1929.
Christian died on October 24, 1956. He was buried at the Rose City Cemetery beside Catharina.
Christian married Catharina on January 8, 1896, in Russia. She was born on February 14, 1871, in Russia. Christiana and Catharina had at least three children in Saratov, Russia: Lydia, Catharina Elisabeth, and Friedrich.
Christian and Catharina arrived in the United States in July 1907 and traveled immediately to Portland, where they made their new home. New worked as a painter and furniture finisher.
The Backers became members of the Free Evangelical Brethren Church. In 1913, Christian was part of a small group from the church that met with Rev. Heinrich Hagelganz to discuss the establishment of a new church, which later became the Second German Congregational Church.
Catharina died in 1923 and was buried at the Rose City Cemetery.
Christian remarried to Toska Rosa Kunzmann on October 1, 1929.
Christian died on October 24, 1956. He was buried at the Rose City Cemetery beside Catharina.
Sources
Krieger, Joanne, Robert Beall, Marie Krieger, and Willis Krieger, trans. Second German Congregational Church, Portland, Oregon, 1913-1969. Portland: n.p., 2001. Print.
Krieger, Joanne, Willis Krieger, and Marie Krieger, trans. Free Evangelical Brethren Church Records, Portland, Oregon, 1900-1922. Portland: n.p., n.d. Print.
U.S. Federal Censuses, Ship departure and arrival manifest, Oregon birth and death records = accessed on Ancestry.com
Find-a-grave.com
Krieger, Joanne, Willis Krieger, and Marie Krieger, trans. Free Evangelical Brethren Church Records, Portland, Oregon, 1900-1922. Portland: n.p., n.d. Print.
U.S. Federal Censuses, Ship departure and arrival manifest, Oregon birth and death records = accessed on Ancestry.com
Find-a-grave.com
Last updated October 7, 2025