Hope this helps someone... nevertheless, it's a very interesting article, especially if you have some Catholics in your family that could have experienced some of this firsthand. Surnames listed: WEIS, SPEISER, WAGEMAN, KLEIN, HEGEMANN, STEWART, BATTEWS, ECKERLE, BECKER, JANSEN, ROUSH, STEINS, SHANKLIN, MEIER, HATTER, GILLEN, TOLL, ALBERG, ECKERT, HENKEN, FUERTIGES, FOSSICK, HOLDINER, MUNIER, HARTING, PURNELL, McNALLY, LOWE, SMITH, FORREST, HUSMAN, ETLING, ALTHOFF, SCHREUDER, KUHLS, IROSE, NETEMEYER, HERRUNG/HELLRUNG, SCHUNACHER/ SCHUMACHER, MUELLER, ORENTSEN/ ARENTSEN, MISHO, PODARSKY, GOEWERT, PETER, LYONS Here's an interesting article with many surnames included: Source: FOOTPRINTS OF MARION COUNTY - FALL 1987 EDITION (VOL. 12, NO. 2) ST. LAWRENCE CATHOLIC CHURCH Following is a George ROSS newspaper column, as printed in the Salem Times - Commoner issue of July 22, 1987. ST. LAWRENCE PARISH OVERCAME MANY OBSTACLES The Catholics, as they struggled to organize and build a church in the early days of Sandoval, must have recognized how their experiences paralleled those of Job in biblical days. Calamity seemed to follow disaster as this small but hardy group perservered in their noble efforts. Just as the railroads' arrival in the mid-1850's was responsible for the establishment of the village of Sandoval, they also brought with them immigrants, a number of whom were adherents of the Catholic faith. Some were able to make their way to services which were held sporadically in Centralia after 1855. The first masses in Sandoval were celebrated in private homes during the 1860's. Records of the parish establish that Rev. Michael WEIS from Effingham adminsitered baptism to Ferdinand SPEISER on Dec. 1, 1868. Ironically this infant was also the first recorded death in the parish. "In 1871," according to Brink-McDonough's History,"Rev. Theodore WAGEMAN began raising money to build a church. Martin KLEIN of Sandoval donated two lots for a Catholic church. Rev. WAGEMAN, having left the same year, the building was interrupted until 1872, when Rev. H. HEGEMANN of Centralia was appointed rector. He succeeded in raising the balance." In the Feb. 29, 1872 issue of the Centralia Sentinel, we read, "The frame of the new Sandoval Roman Catholic Church is being raised today. It will soon be under cover and completed." The building was designed by W.E. STEWART and was of wood, Gothic architecture, and complete with belfry and spire. The building was complted in June of 1873, and the following month it was totally destroyed by a tornado - "a mass of splinters and shattered timbers," according to the Sentinel of July 10. Rev. HEGEMANN again solicited and raised money to comlpete the church. The Sentinel of June 8, 1876 described the consecration service, "Dedicated - The Catholic Curch of Sandoval, decorated with flowers, with ceremonies performed by Bishop BATTEWS of Alton with priests from Olney, Highland and Sandoval assisting on May 31." On June 26, 1884, the Sentinel reported that a cyclone had demolished the Sandoval Catholic Church. Again it was rebuilt. In May of 1893, either lightning or an earth tremor moved the structure two inches off its foundation. The Sandoval Centennial Book of 1959 records, "While the original church stood on the same site where it now stands, it was moved to where the present school building is located and with some lumber from the dismantled church at Odin some rooms were added to be used as a school in 1906." In 1876, Rev. T. ECKERLE succeeded Father HEGEMANN and the June 9 issue of that year of the Marion County Herald announced the addition of a new bell. This bell, which rings to the tone of G, is still in use. About this time, a gallery which would seat forty persons was constructed in the church. Priests were sent from Centralia and Effingham to minister to the spiritual needs of the parishioners. Succeeding Father ECKERLE were Reverends P.J. BECKER, C. JANSEN, and Bernard ROUSH. In 1889, St. Lawrence parish greeted with joy its first resident pastor - a likeable young Irishman. Joy turned quickly to grief for the Sentinel of Jan. 24, 1890 gave out the sad notice, "Father Mathias Conrad Aloysen JANSEN, born Jan. 30, 1863, died Jan. 19; ordained in Dublin in 1888 and came to Sandoval on May 7, 1889. He made his home with the F. STEINS. In 1890, a rectory was built with James SHANKLIN in charge. A picket fence was erected around the church that same year. Resident priests serving St. Lawrence were Reverends Otto MEIER, B. HATTER, W. GILLEN, Michael TOLL, H. ALBERG, Aloys ECKERT, John B. HENKEN, and F. FUERTIGES. In Sept. of 1905, St. Lawrence Elementary School first opened with an enrollment of twenty students and Miss Margaret FOSSICK of Sheffield, Ala., as teacher. For the next few years Miss Cecilia HOLDINER of Carlyle served as teacher. Instruction in German was offered. In 1912, the Sisters of the Poor Handmaidens of Jesus Christ from Donaldson, Ind. came to staff the parish school which they continued to do until recently. In 1907, Father Joseph MUNIER came to St. Lawrence and in 1911, had the current rectory built. He was a particular favorite among the young of Sandoval. He was the coach of the Sandoval Baseball Team for many years. He was an organizer and officer of the Southern Illinois League, a semi-pro organization in which Centralia had a team. From 1907 to 1912, Father V. HARTING was also assigned to Sandoval, and he and Father MUNIER were a great team since HARTING was a musician. Parishoners of St. Lawrence from the very beginning engaged in a variety of benefits to support the work of the parish. The first festival was held in 1874 and became an annual affair. A Thanksgiving dinner was held at the Skating Rink in 1888, with raffles and other games. Sometimes these affairs took the form of picnics and were held on the mound, west of Sandoval, or in the woods, north of town. The Catholic Ladies' Benevolent Society was organized in 1907, with Mrs. E.B. PURNELL, Mrs. Wm. McNALLY, Mrs. Charles LOWE, and Mrs. A.M. SMITH as officers. Benefit parties by the ladies included euchre, pinochle, rummy, bunco, bingo and lots of food. Quilting was also engaged in by the ladies. The well-cared-for St. Lawrence Cemetery, adjacent to the Village Cemetery, had its first burial in April of 1913, James FORREST. George HUSMAN served as its faithful caretaker for many years. In 1924, the cornerstone for the present church was laid. The construction crew was supervised by Pete ETLING. The May 23, 1925 Sentinel announced the dedication to be presided over by Bishop Henry ALTHOFF of Belleville on May 25. He was to be assisted by the pastor, Rev. John SCHREUDER and former pastors, MEIER, MUNIER, and HARTING. It was located on the same site as the first church built 70 years before. The school was destroyed by fire in 1950, but it was replaced in 1954. Succeeding Rev. MUNIER, the following priests have served the parish: Revs. A. KUHLS, Leo IROSE, J. SCHREUDER, G. NETEMEYER, HERRUNG*, SCHUNACHER*, MUELLER, ORENTSEN*, MISHO, PODARSKY and GOEWERT. The parish grew from 30 families in 1881 to 125 families currently being ministered to by Father Patrick PETER. St. Lawrence joins the other churches of Sandoval in union services for Thanksgiving and Easter as well as working with them in raising and distributing assistance to travelers in need. If, indeed, the Almighty was testing the faith of Sandoval's early Catholics, as He did Job, He did not seem to find them lacking, for they perservered and overcame, and for more than a century, St. Lawrence has given witness to the work of the Lord in that community. * (Footprints Editor's Note: Mary LYONS asked that if this article was ever printed in "Footprints" that the following corrections be made: Rev. HERRUNG was Rev. Charles HELLRUNG; Rev. ORENTSEN was Rev. ARENTSEN; and Rev. SCHUNACHER was Rev. Edmond SCHUMACHER. Mary added that the latter "married my husband and me."