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- 1795 BIRTH: Germany,Bavaria,Kulmbach-Schwarzach: Paulus Wagner was born 20 April 1795, son of Christoph Wagner & Kunigunda Goeppner
1817 MARRIAGE: Germany,Bavaria,Kulmbach-Schwarzach: "Paulus Wagner, master baker in Schwarzach and Cunigunda Baumueller on Sunday 16 Nov 1817."
1839 IMMIGRATION: Rcds found by Karl Walther, in Schwarzach Germany: "Paulus decided to come to America, given a passport on 11 Jul 1839 in Culmbach, also Veit Wagner from Schimmendorf - went to N America. Also 2 sons, Georg & Christoph - 19 Feb 1840 left, also from Culmbach. Paulus had to ask permission so that they could go. Given in Oberfranken."
1850 CENSUS: MO,Cole Co-Liberty Twp: Anc.com Img 75, 23 Sept, Dw#563/571:
WAGONER, Paulus 55/GY-farmer; Kunnigunda 50/GY; George 28/GY-farmer;
Catherine (wife) 20/GY; Conrad (son) 1/MO: John BOLEMAN 51/GY
laborer; William Wagoner 22/GY-laborer
Dw#572: Christoper Wagner 26/GY; Elizabeth 18/MO; Wm 1/MO
1860 CENSUS: MO,Cole Co-Liberty Twp-Jefferson City: Anc.com Img 13, pg 127, 5 July,Dw #794/806:
WAGGONER,Paul 66/GY [$21,000,3300]brewer-farmer; Caroline 60/GY: Geo 39/GY-
brewer-farmer; Cath'n 30/GY; Conrad 12/MO; Lawrence 10/MO;
Wm 8/MO; Henry 5/MO; Chris 2/MO.
1867 WEDDING ANNIVERSARY: MO,Cole Co-Jefferson City: Peoples Tribune Wed Oct 30,1867, page 3, "A Golden Wedding:" "A pleasant incident occured this week in our county. On Tuesday last Mr Paul Wagner and his venerable lady celebrated the anniversary of their wedding, held fifty years ago. in the distant fatherland. Quite a concourse of friends & relatives, including numerous sons & daughters, grandchildren & great grandchildren assembled at the brewery of Mr. George Wagner, in Liberty township, to greet the worthy couple. May they survive their golden wedding for many years yet to come, to enjoy the blessings of peace & plenty which they so richly deserve."
1870 DEATH of wife: MO,Cole Co-Jefferson City: Anna Kunigunda Seidel Wagner died 15 March 1870, buried on hill above brewery caves in Liberty Twp.
1870 CENSUS: MO,Cole Co-Liberty Twp,Jefferson City:Anc.com Img10, pg 10,8 July, Dw 73/76:
WAGNER, Paulus 75/Bavaria, living with [son] George, Catherine and family
1871 WILL: MO,Cole Co-Jefferson City, 18 May 1871: "LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT"
I the undersigned Paulus Wagner, native of Schwarz. Bavaria, at present residing at Jefferson City, MO, being of sound mind and ... of the uncertainty of life, make and declare, after mature deliberation, the following as my last will and testament, revoking hereby all Testaments by me made prior to this date, namely May 18th 1871, and declaring them null and void.
1st All my just debts and farewell expenses shall first be paid out of my estate.
2nd I give and bequeath to my son Christoph Wagner, City lot to me belonging, known as part Lot 337 on High Street in the City of Jefferson, with all the improvements and appurtenances ... belonging.
3rd give and bequeath to my daughter Kunigunde Wagner, now married to Jno F Wielandy, the sum of $2500.00, Two thousand five hundred dollars, conditioned that the said Kunigunde Wielandy born Wagner receive the interest of said sum of $2000.00 during her lifetime, and at the time, when, her four children of her first marriage with Conrad "Wucker" named Julius, Elna, Sophia and Clara Wuger shall arrive at age then said sums shall be equally divided among them, and they shall thereafter be bound to pay the interest on said sum to their mother during her life time--in case of the death of my said daughter Kunigunde, said sum and interest shall go to said 4 children or their heirs from the day of her death. Said sum shall be paid to my daughter Kundigunde by my son George Wagner one year after my death without interest.
4th I give and bequeath to both the children of my deceased daughter Catharine Schubert born Wagner, namely George Schubert and Heinrich Schubert each the sum of Five hundred Dollars $500.00 which sum shall also be paid one year after my death by my son George Wagner, without interest.
5th The remainder of my estate, consisting of Real Estate and personal property, ...money notes and accounts, I give and bequeath to my son George Wagner, whom I hereby appoint executor of this my last will and testament, hereby again revoking all former Testaments by me made.
In Testimoney whereof I have hereinafter set my name and seal this 18th day of May, one thousand eight hundred and seventy one (May 18th 1871) Signed..Paulus Wagner.. seal
We the undersigned certify that the above last will and testament was declared and signed by the testator in our presence, and signed by us in presence of the testator and in presence of each other--May 18th 1871. Signed Jacob Steininger, Jacob Tanner
US Rio Rio $25.00
State of Missouri)
County of Cole ) In vacation of the County Court
Be it remembered that on the 1st day of July 1871 personally appeared before the undersigned Wm H Stark, Clerk of this County Court in and for said County and that Jacob Steininger and Jacob Tanner the subscribing witnesses to the annexed will of Paulus Wagner and being by me first duly sworn, depose and say that the said Paulus Wagner, the testator subscribed the same in their presence and published the said will or instrument of writing as his last will, that he the said testator was at the time of publishing said will, of sound mind and more than twenty one years of age and that the said ... attested the said will as witnesses, then duly subscribing their names
to the same in the presence of said testator.
Signed..Jacob Steininger, Jacob Tanner
In witness whereof I, Wm H Stark, Clerk of the County Court of Cole County and State of Missouri have hereunder subscribed by name and affixed the seal of said Court,officer in the County aforesaid this 1st day of July 1871.
Filed July 1st 1871 Wm H Stark, Clerk, per A H Sauter D.C.
1871 DEATH: MO,Cole Co-Jefferson City: Paulus Wagner died 26 June 1871, after a long illness of several months. He was 77 years old. Buried on hill overlooking old brewery site, east of Jefferson City. New headstones were placed there by Paul LePage abt 1989 and a small rail fence surrounds the grave site. He thinks some children were buried there. Cole Co. Twp 44N R 10W Sec 31
NOTES: Father-according to Bob's notes in Pam's writing is a family tree, which shows Adam as the father of Paul md to Kunnigunde.
1. Letter to Bob from Rudolf Poehlmann in Schwartzach, Germany May 15, 1972: Rudolf's father dead in 1971. Among his things letters written by Paulus Wagner, Cole Co, Jeff City, MO addressed to his great great grandfather, Johan Goetz in Schwarzach. Not sure how close relationship. One letter said both were neighbors. So many old papers in his house. Not find letter for moment.
Letter said 2 brothers and 2 sisters from Goetz family came to USA in 1840. Sister's letter said she was on shore in New York when Wagners arrived. Even mother of Paulus came with them.
Letter said Schwartzach is small town of 500 - dying woolen factory.
Article in newspaper [News-Tribune Photo of him] by Rudolph Poehlmann -- He was the man who precipitated the search into the life of Paulus Wagner, first brewery owner in the county. Poehlman from Germany wrote to County Clerk William Tellman last fall to uncover some of the history of his "relative." (News-Tribune Photo)
At the top of the article on the front page was a large picture of one of the brewery caverns and the caption: "Inside Looking Out--This is a view of the inside of a cavern dug out before the Civil War by Paulus Wagner, who immigrated from Germany in 1842 and who was the first brewery owner in Cole County. The concrete archway is seen at the extreme end of the cavern. (News-Tribune Photo)
Now Big Subterranion near Schuberts
LETTER FROM GERMAN HELPS REVEAL DATA ON 1st COLE COUNTY BREWERY:
What would you do if the government came along and slapped a 10 percent tax on your farm products? Would you raise a storm or perhaps move from the country?
You probably would do the first, but you undoubtedly wouldn't move from the country. But there was a farmer in Germany who couldn't stand the idea of such a tax when it was imposed by a feudal type baron back in the early 1840's.
He moved right out of the country, sailing to the United States and settled in Jefferson City. As far as taxes go, he didn't know what he was gettting his progeny into. But when the farmer was in Jefferson City, he didn't go for farming but struck out for living by producing something for which the Germans are even more famous--the production of beer.
He operated the first brewery in Cole County. You could even find it on Highway 50 East, a couple of miles east [it was west] of Schuberts.
The history of this farmer--his name was Paulus Wagner--and his enterprise, was brought to the public limelight last fall when Cole County Clerk William Tellman received a letter from Rudolph Poehlmann, another German farmer and a descendant of Wagner. The letter, written in English longhand, told of Poehlmann's relative--Wagner--who had immigrated to the United States in 1843.
Took letter to LePage
Tellman, who had never heard of Wagner, took the letter to County Recorder Henry LePage. The idea was for LePage to look through his land deed records to find whether there was a record of Wagner ever owning land in the county.
But LePage didn't have to do any research. His memory of the family genealogy goes back generations. Wagner, as it turned out, was his wife's great, great grandfather. A look into the deeds record in LePage's office substantiated what his memory had recalled.
LePage began to dig into the history of his relative. He discovered the date of 1843 was a year off. Actually, Wagner immigrated to the United States a year earlier.
Brewery Now a Cave
The office records show Wagner bought a tract of land now owned by Lorenze and Arthur Mueller on Highway 50 East. LePage talked to the Mueller brothers and the brewery was revealed to him as a cave where Wagner's beer was stored.
LePage theorized that the brewery was operated up to about the time of the Civil War, in the 1860's. Other research uncovered the fact that Wagner's two sons--George and Christopher--were naturalized in 1847. Their descendants can be found working in the businesses of Jefferson City.
(Another photo was on page one--cannot read caption as this is from a copy of article and this was covered over). On page two, there is another picture showing Poehlmann, with caption: "Rudolph Poehlmann--he was the man who precipitated the search into the life of Paulus Wagner, first brewery owner in the county. Poehlman from Germany wrote to County Clerk William Tellman last fall to uncover some of the history of his relative. (News-Tribune Photo)"
As you approach the cellar you see a huge concrete archway extending back 30 feet into the cave. Then you can walk back some 120 feet int the bowels of the hill where Paulus and his help stored beer. With dynamite, they blasted the three large rooms from solid limestone.
The first roon you enter is 30 feet long and just as wide; the second--the largest of the three--is 90 feet long and was where most of the beer was stored; and the third room--much like the first--is about 30 feet.
Serviceable Cellar
The blasting work done by Paulus, his sons and his help, required a knowledge of the underlying strata of the hill. But the impressive thing is the muscle and sweat that must have gone in construction of the subterranean warehouse.
Blasting apparently left a rough, unshapely cavern. But the men later went in with a pick and shovel and shaped it into a serviceable cellar with rock shelves and a ventilating system which consisted of a long pipe running from the third room to the top of the hill.
Not far from the hill is the grave of Paulus Wagner and his wife Kunigunde. The stones are simple, the only inscriptions being the dates of birth and death. Paulus, the marker shows, was born April 20, 1795 and died June 26, 1871, while his wife died eight years later, March 5, 1879. [Paul LePage letter 5-5-1991: By the way in that same article the death of Kunigunde Wagner - is March 5, 1879 - should have been 15 March 1870]
After LePage gathered his information, which by this time had grown to almost voluminous proportions, he returned a letter to Poehlmann in Germany, covering much of the genealogy and history of his "relative."
LePage says another letter from Poehlmann is forthcoming.
Grandchildren Here
Grandchildren of Christopher Wagner living in Jefferson City are Christopher Wagner, Conrad Wagner and Mrs. Emil Schnieder. His great grandchildren living here were identified as Mrs. Henry G LePage, Mrs. Ed Arnett, Roy Schneider, Mrs. Glenn Goe, Mrs. William Nixon and Nelse Addison, Jr.
Alfred Peasner is a great grandson of George Wagner, one of Paulus' sons. Great grandchildren are Ada Peasner, Evelyn Peasner, Mrs. Louis Ott and Adolph Peasner. [Peasner crossed off and Wagner written in]
Another generation removed on George's side are these Jefferson Citians: James Peasner, Ruth Wagner, Mrs. Percy Steppleman, Frederick Miller, and Elmer Ott.
LePage estimates that there are more than 50 relatives of Paulus Wagner living today in Cole County. And in addition to these there are at least 20 others living outside and county and state. And it was the independence of one farmer who disliked a 10 percent tax that brought these people and the first brewery to Cole County.
Address of Rudolf Poehlmann: 8651 Schwarzach 20, ueber Kulmbach, Germany.
Letter from Paul LePage 5-5-1991 to Bob and Pam are answers as to whom the relatives were in the article above.
1. August [R127] and Thomas [R135] Wolfrum neither married.
2. Julius Wolfrum [R136] did not have any children.
3. Sonnis Schubert and Margaretha? I will continue to research on them.
4. Christopher Julius Wagner [R179] who was my Grandfather, the son of William, Grandson of Christopher and Elizabeth.
Christopher Julius Samuel Wagner: the son of Julius Wagner also a grandson of Christopher and Elizabeth.
My great grandfather William names a son Christopher Julius (my Grandfather) also William's brother Julius named a son Chrisopher Julius Samual thus causing some confusion. Christ JS and Christ J were cousins.
5. Elizabeth Grandchildren [MR100] - Louis Scovern, Nellie Noble, Mamie Ferris and Charles Scovern were children of Samual Scovern and Pauline Wagner. Sam Scovern died (I don't know what from) about two weeks before his father in law Christ Wagner was killed in the train wreck, about 5 Dec 1881 since the wreck was 18 Dec 1881. Sam was in his thirties and Pauline died about 10 years later, also a very young woman. They are buried in Wood Lawn, JC MO.
6. Mrs Ed Arnett (Mildren Schneider) [R1622] daughter of Emil and Pauline Wagner Schneider - deceased. Roy Schneider (brother of Mildred) and son of Emil and Pauline, also deceased. Have two sisters still living: Lillian Hunziker - Jefferson City, Angeline Muder - Fairfield, ILL.
7. Mrs. Glen Goe (Florence Miller) still living today in Jeff City (in fact I visited her today-very sound mind). Florence is the daughter of Frederick [R423] and Margaretha Wagner Miller [R180] - also in that article is Fredrick Miller, he was Florence's brother- some spell that Mueller, some Miller - Florence said her parents & Grandparents spelled it Miller.
8. Mrs Wm Nixon (Rosemary Addison) [R422] and Nelse Addison Jr. [R418] (her brother) are children of Nelson Addison and Elsie Wagner - both living in Jeff City today, also have a brother William Addison [R421] living in FL.
9. Mrs. Percy Steppleman [R191] (Jack's mother) is a sister to Elmer Ott - she is a daughter of Louis Ott & Hilda Wagner [R1626].
10. Adolph Peasner - Evelyn no knowledge of Adolph - I wonder if it was a misprint or a mistake on the part of the reporter? By the way, in that same article the death of Kunigunda Wagner is March 5, 1870 - should have been 15 March 1870.
11. Phillip Schmidt and Augustence Wagner? I do not know but will try to locate something.[don't have either in PAF by those names.
12. 1981 Larry Koenigafeld owns land at old brewerey site, Harold Verdat owns property just east of Larry.
13. NY Immigration records checked, lots of Wagners but no Paulus.
14. Schwartzach - according to Paul LePage 3/1991 - 4 or 5 different ones, but it is close to Kulmbach.
CHECK OUT: In religeous book only says children are George, Christopher and Kunnigunda. Who or where are William and Margaretha?
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