St. Peter's Lutheran Church
The St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Blooming, Oregon, was organized on May 7, 1882. The small community of Blooming was located about two miles south of Cornelius, approximately 25 miles west of Portland.
The church's founding members included Germans who had emigrated directly from Germany, as well as a few Volga German families. The Volga Germans were among the group that traveled from Kansas and arrived in Portland in 1881. Although most Kansas families decided to move on to the Palouse country of Eastern Washington, several families remained in Oregon. They chose to settle west of Portland in the Tualatin Valley, where they could continue their livelihoods as farmers. They joined other German-speaking families in the area and founded the community of Blooming.
Most of the families were from the colonies of Neu-Yagodnaya-Polyana, Schöntal, and Schönfeld, which were daughter colonies of Yagodnaya-Polyana and neighboring Pobochnaya. These families include:
This group of Volga Germans was the first in Oregon to join an established Lutheran denomination (the Missouri Synod).
A new St. Peter's Church was built in 1989. This church, along with the Blooming Cemetery, serves as a poignant reminder of the pioneer community.
The church's founding members included Germans who had emigrated directly from Germany, as well as a few Volga German families. The Volga Germans were among the group that traveled from Kansas and arrived in Portland in 1881. Although most Kansas families decided to move on to the Palouse country of Eastern Washington, several families remained in Oregon. They chose to settle west of Portland in the Tualatin Valley, where they could continue their livelihoods as farmers. They joined other German-speaking families in the area and founded the community of Blooming.
Most of the families were from the colonies of Neu-Yagodnaya-Polyana, Schöntal, and Schönfeld, which were daughter colonies of Yagodnaya-Polyana and neighboring Pobochnaya. These families include:
- Philipp Hergert (1820-1882) and Anna Margaretha Brecht (1829-1890)
- Adam Hergert (1855-1932) and Anna Maria Völker (1854-1942). Their daughters married men from the Leinweber, LeReau, and Morasch families.
- Heinrich Scheuermann (1827-1907) and Maria Elisabeth Hergert (1841-1931). Their daughters married men from the Matthes, Kleier, Guldenzopf, and Liebenow families.
- Heinrich Völker (1850-1919) and Maria Katharina Befus (1855-1892)
This group of Volga Germans was the first in Oregon to join an established Lutheran denomination (the Missouri Synod).
A new St. Peter's Church was built in 1989. This church, along with the Blooming Cemetery, serves as a poignant reminder of the pioneer community.
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Sources
Scheuerman, Richard D. & Clifford E. Trafzer. The Volga Germans: Pioneers of the Northwest. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho Press, 1985.
Serving the Lord Jesus for 125 Years: 1882-2007 (The 125th Anniversary of St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church).
Serving the Lord Jesus for 125 Years: 1882-2007 (The 125th Anniversary of St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church).
Last updated October 3, 2025