Please note:

Historical references to Dunklees' Grove (sometimes spelled as Duncklees') , Churchville and Addison, generally refer to an area in DuPage County bounded by Irving Park Road on the north, Church Road on the east, Lake Street on the south and Salt Creek on the west. Much of this area is now in Bensenville.

"Mr. and Mrs. Ludwig Blecke, Mrs. G. Buchholz, Mr. and Mrs. Ludwig Leeseberg, Mr. and Mrs. Friedrich Leesberg, Mrs. Sophia Mesenbrink, Friedrich Graue, Heinrich Bucholz, Wilhelm Buchholz, Mr. and Mrs. Wilhelm Boeske,...Mr. and Mrs. Friedrich Stuenkel, Heinrich Stuenkel, Mrs. Dorothea Plagge, Mr. and Mrs. Ditrich Hanhn, Mr and Mrs. Friedrich Eickhoff, August Graue,.. Heinrich Hackmeister".³

(The previous paragraphs are quoted from the book "The Lutheran Trail", by Louis J. Schwartzkopf, Concordia Pub. House, c.1950)

In 1842 a tract of land comprising forty-eight acres was purchased in Dunklee's Grove (now located along Church Road in Bensenville) and upon it was erected the first church. No official records having been kept prior to 1844, the exact date of the formal dedication can not be definitely established, but it is believed to have taken place on a Sunday in November, 1842. Its official name was "Die deutsche vereinigt reformirt Lutherische Gemeinde zu Addison, DuPage County, Illinois" (The German United Reformed Lutheran Congregation at Addison, etc.".⁶

In 1846 the first parsonage was built with one room set aside for school purposes. Here Pastor Hoffmann as well as his successor instructed the children and prepared them for their confirmation.^6A Pastor Hoffmann remained with the United Reformed Lutheran Church of Dunklee's Grove until 1847, when he accepted a call to the nearby German settlement of Sarah's Grove (Schaumburg).

It was during the pastorate of Rev.Brauer that Franzosenbusch began to evolve into a larger community and eventually they were granted their own School District in 1852 (The Southern School District).  Previously, students were obligated to attend school at Zion Lutheran in Dunklee's Grove every day of the week - a walk of over nine miles, one way.  During the winter months, the roads were often completely impassable.  Even after a separate school district was established in Franzosenbusch, children were required attend religious classes for confirmation.  Until 1858 these children  had to make the arduous trip to Dunklee's Grove twice a week.^9A   However, after the establishment of their own congregation in 1858 all religious instruction was finally conducted at Immanuel Lutheran Church by the resident pastor.

In February 1848, the "rationalistic" party separated from the mother congregation and built a church of their own a short distance from the first one.⁷

On October 8, 1851 the parish was divided into four parts: North, South, East and West."⁸  During the following thirty-five years special SCHOOL DISTRICTS were establish in various centers of the large parish:⁸

• EASTERN SCHOOL DISTRICT:  Organized on May 2, 1852. It was located on the east side of what is now Mannheim Road, half way between North Avenue and Lake Street. The school was closed in 1916.
• SOUTHERN SCHOOL DISTRICT:  At "Franzosenbusch" - organized October, 1852. Located approximately nine miles south of Dunklee's Grove, also know as Proviso. Another portion of the Southern School District was located about one mile southeast of Lombard at the Elmhurst district, March 8, 1879.
• NORTHERN SCHOOL DISTRICT:  Organized, November 4, 1855. It was located southwest of the corner of Wood Dale Road and Devon Avenue in Wood Dale. This later became Zion's own school on Church Road in Bensenville.
• TOWN OF BLOOMINGDALE DISTRICT:  Organized July 25, 1880
• ITASCA DISTRICT:  Organized  July 29, 1885.
• THE "HOME DISTRICT (or West District):  Established on January 14, 1849. The West District was located at what is now the corner of Army Trail Road and May Street in Addison and later became St. Paul Lutheran School, Addison.⁹

In March, 1856, the congregation, now known as "Zion Evangelical Lutheran Congregation", was received into membership with the Missouri Synod, which had been organized in 1847 in Chicago. In March, 1857 the Pastor Brauer's... place at Dunklee's Grove was taken by the Rev. A.G. Francke...installed as pastor of Zion Congregation on August 28, 1857 (to 1878). That year also marked the beginning of extensive mission activities in the surrounding territory including the following communities; Proviso, York Center, Elmhurst, Itasca, Bloomindale, Bensenville and Elk Grove".¹⁰ As noted in the site page on Immanuel Lutheran Congregation, Proviso also began extensive mission activities in it's surrounding towns and villages.

In March, 1857 the Pastor Brauer's... place at Dunklee's Grove was taken by the Rev. A.G. Francke...installed as pastor of Zion Congregation on August 28, 1857 (to 1878). That year also marked the beginning of extensive mission activities in the surrounding territory including the following communities; Proviso, (Franzosenbusch), York Center, Elmhurst, Itasca, Bloomindale, Bensenville and Elk Grove".¹⁰  As noted in the website page Immanuel Lutheran Congregation, Proviso also began extensive mission activities in it's surrounding towns and villages.

In November of 1859, due to continued disagreements, a number of Zion families stepped out of the original parish at this time and organized a separate, Evangelical congregation. They built their church in the immediate vicinity on the West Side of the road (Church Road) in 1860.¹¹

The present parsonage was built in 1872. The old parsonage became the residence of the janitor.¹⁵

On account of a prolonged illness of Rev. Francke, an assistant pastor was called in January 1878 in the person of Traugott John Grosse, (1879 to 1919) who, serving as professor at the Addison Teachers' Seminary, was installed soon after".¹³

"The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the congregation was held June 24, 1888...The following congregations were invited: Proviso, Elk Grove, York Center, Schaumburg, Harlem (now Forest Park) and Rodenburg.¹⁵

In the year of 1909 It is interesting to note that since the organization of the daughter congregations many of their members were requesting that loved ones be removed from the Zion cemetery to bury them on the cemeteries of their respective congregations. This was a cause of great disturbance. Therefore, Zion issued a statement to the effect that after August 1, 1909, the practice of disinterring church members, buried in the adjacent cemetery, would no longer be allowed.¹⁶

As of 1938: The ministerial acts dating from 1844 are as follows: Baptized 3,558, confirmed 2,224, married 883 couples, buried: 1,428. The latest tabulation the congregation shows 43 voting members, 174 communicant members, 221 souls.