Rev. John Harsch 1885-1889

 REV. JOHN HARSCH was our first resident pastor.  Our first pastor (Rev. Feddersen) resided in Petoskey while he served Traverse City. Rev. Harsch was born  November 2,  1859,  in Davenport, Iowa. He attended Concordia College, Fort Wayne, Indiana graduating on July 15,1882. He enrolled and graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri in a class of 29. After graduation, he came to Traverse City and served Trinity from 1885-1889 as the first resident pastor.

 While serving Traverse City, he also ministered to other mission churches in the area. His daughter Clara remembers he spoke of Suttons Bay. To reach these missions, he travel­ed by horse and buggy in the summer and in winter he traveled by cutter and sleigh.

 After leaving Traverse City in 1889, he served the congregation in Waltz, Michigan, as pastor for fifteen years.            In 1904, Pastor Harsch moved with his family to Covert, Michigan where he became pastor of a German Lutheran country church about 3 miles northeast of Covert. Due to failing health, he left the ministry and bought a small farm near South Haven where he lived until his death. He died on January 19, 1915, several months past his 55th birthday. Funeral services for Rev. Harsch were held on January 22, 1915 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, South Haven, Michigan. Rev.  Hahn of Owosso was in charge of the service with Rev. Peterman of Covert assisting.

 Rev. John Harsch married Johanna Paul in Fort Wayne, Indiana on August 12, 1886. Clara Harsch was born  in 1897. The family grew when Louise was taken into the family after her father drowned in the Boardman River and her mother died. John was left with the Pastor's family as an infant after the death of his mother. 

Local sources tell us that Rev. Harsch was a brother of Henry Harsch of Traverse City. Several Harsch's are listed in the early confirmation classes of Trinity.