Introduction

Biography

Rudolph was the son of a Pruss­ian im­mi­grant, hus­band of Em­i­lie Wen­zel, and dis­tant rel­a­tive of writ­er Eu­ge­nie John Mar­litt.

He spent his child­hood in the Dutz­ow set­tle­ment near Wash­ing­ton, Mis­sou­ri.

From there his fa­mi­ly moved to St. Lou­is, where he at­tend­ed pa­ro­chi­al school, the pub­lic school, high school and fin­al­ly Wash­ing­ton Uni­ver­si­ty.

He then en­tered the preach­er’s se­mi­na­ry of the Ev­an­ge­li­cal Sy­nod, which at that time was in a val­ley near Mar­thas­ville.

After three years he passed his ex­am­i­na­tion at the age of 19 years, and was ac­cept­ed as a mem­ber of the Ev­an­ge­li­cal Sy­nod.

John’s first field of work was in south­ern Il­li­nois, where he was a tra­vel­ing preach­er. As he in­her­it­ed great li­ter­ary tal­ent from his fa­ther, and oc­cu­pied him­self with the pen, he soon was known in wide cir­cles and re­ceived a call to St. Jo­han­nes Church in Rich­mond, Vir­gin­ia.