Hubert August Wagner

Hubert August Wagner (1916-1990)

An epitaph of Bert Wagner's life would report that he was a physician, hobbyist and family man. He was devoted fiercely to the practice of medicine and to Philadelphia. He suffered through the sea changes that swept both entities in the latter part of the 20th century. Below I'll try and add context to a life well lived.

A Philadelphian: Bert attended public school in Philadelphia and it served him well. He was an early Temple University graduate, following that by the Philadelphia College of Osteopathy. He worked out of Parkview Hospital in North Philadelphia. He and Virginia sent their children to public school in Philadelphia because they believed in public education. In his later years he browsed the used bookstalls at Reading Terminal Market every day waiting for the train home. He took his family to Willow Grove Park. Over time, the neighborhood where he raised his family slowly became less coiffed and more dangerous. The changes which made Philadelphia less livable as the century progressed were hard on Bert. He loved the city.

An eclectic hobbyist:  Bert collected stamps, coins and antique furniture. He was a talented gardener and woodworker. Dinners that were 100% harvested from his own hand were special occasions. He brewed the best compost in the county! He was a dedicated amateur photographer and took 16mm reels of the family events for years. He loved miniature trains and built a sophisticated train layout displayed during his childrens' youth. He was an enthusiastic music affectionado, especially of opera and the symphony. Every pre-dinner ritual included a "frisky sour" and an lp record selection. He was an athlete in his earlier years and an Eagle Scout. Raised Lutheran, he worked actively with the Y's Men organization (philanthropic arm of the YMCA).

Bert in his garden where he spent countless hours growing fabulous vegetables and flowers

An Osteopathic Physician: Bert was devoted to his profession, working continually until weeks before his death at age 75. He told me how he came to the profession. As an adolescent, he spent summers at his grandmother's camp in the Pocono Mountains. One summer, his father came for a weekend visit, and found Bert not looking well. He complained to his father about vague pain. He was soon diagnosed with the shingles by an osteopathic physician, and manipulative therapy resolved the problem. From that day on, Bert was convinced that not only would he become a physician, but an osteopathic physician.  He never strayed from that goal. He practiced manipulative therapy on a continual basis throughout his career which became increasingly rare due to it physical demands and time requirements in modern medical practice.

Bert was among the last of a breed of sole proprietor physicians. Upon obtaining his license, he put out a shingle in the front room of the family home, and held office hours there for 35 years. Most of his patients were from the neighborhood and walked to the office. Even in 1975 when I first met him, I remember him walking across the backyard with his medical bag to make a house call in the neighborhood.  His fees were surprisingly modest.   Virginia made appointments, worked the books, answered all calls, visited patients in the hospital and assisted Bert with small procedures in the office. Many a time evening dinner (a sacred time) was interrupted by patient calls; getting coverage for vacations and days off got increasingly difficult. The transition to insurance driven/ big practice medicine was not easy on Bert and Virginia. Paperwork and insurance malpractice rates climbed. Bert was resistant to the change. Eventually he gave up the practice and worked for another 10 years as an examining physician for the City of Philadelphia. When  differences between Osteopathic and Medical training programs blurred, Bert was disappointed. He remained philosophically committed to Osteopathy for his entire life.

A family man: During his college days, he met Virginia Stauffer at a church event, decorating the Christmas tree. She approached him as and asked if she could help him. "She has been helping me ever since", he was fond of saying and that was certainly true. They officially became engaged in storybook fashion on Christmas Day 1939 and were married in 1941. Bert and Virginiaraised two children and enjoyed  4 grandchildren whom they loved dearly. Bert and Virginia were a team.

With Virginia early in their courtship

A great shot of the young couple

With Baby Wini

The family in 1958


Another wedding day in 1978

Bert with grandson Nathan in "his chair" in the living room of their home at 6608

Bert with last grandchild Ricky, taken in 1989, the year before Bert's death

I take several  lessons from Bert's life. He had virtues that I find increasingly rare in the 21st century: he found his life's ambition early and never swayed from it;  he had an inquisitive, active mind that spanned many disciplines; he tackled anything he began with vigor and dedication. 

Bert and Virginia on one of several trips to California to see the family

The disappointment in Bert's life was that he died too young. He was devoted to taking care of Virginia in their later years, and was seemingly the healthier of the two until he died quite suddenly of sepsis at 75.  He died just as they approached their 50th wedding anniversary, a good long run but not long enough for either of them. Virginia outlived him by 8 years, but his death took a toll on her that she never really overcame.

Gravestone at George Washington Memorial Park just outside Philadelphia

We remember you, Dad and Grandpa. We'd like to live our lives up to the standards you held for yourself.

John and Elizabeth Wagners' gravesite

A quick note to say that I found John and Elizabeth Wagners' grave sites yesterday at Ivy Hill Cemetery. They have a sizable stone there which I will try and show you in this post. I am working off of a phone so limited in my powers.

If you recall, John and Elizabeth were the parents of August, Harry, Amelia and Luther. They were the original immigrant family from Germany in 1850. They are captured in that one family photo with the 3 generations. I am still working on whether any parents came along with John and Elizabeth.

And now for the photo:

Unfortunately the front was in shadow and I was working off of a phone. But it nice to know that they are memorialized and easy to find. The cemetery is on Easton Road just off of 309 near Arcadia University.

I am in town for another week helping my mother so hope to find more data while I am here.

Mystery Hero in Wagner Photo Collection

The Mysterious John W Williams

I devote this entire post to just one photo which brings more questions than answers.

In John's photos, where I have based a lot of my research, the resides a photo of a Civil War Veteran.

Here is the photo:

I had assumed all along that it was an old Keller relative; many of them fought in the Civil War. And in my imagination, the shape of face looked a bit like Sarah Keller.

So last month, cousin Nancy sent me notes that she had copied from her mother Mildred's recollections. Each of John's photos from the CD is listed by number, with Mildred's recollections of who is who. A very helpful piece of paper!

And on that paper, Mildred identifies this gentleman as John W Williams, who received the Congressional Medal of of Honor in 1843. The photo was taken when he was 72 years old, and is dated November, 15, 1915 (according to Millie).

So a few things about that:

• The Civil War did not begin until 1861. Something does not wash.
• If this gentleman is 72 in the photo, he was born in 1843. That makes sense for a Civil War vet.
• I cannot find any family members at all named Williams. 
• There are, however, plenty of John Williams from the Civil War, and even more than one who were awarded the Medal of Honor. Notes of each of them follow:

1. John W Williams

Birth:	1820
Death:	Nov. 21, 1893
Husband of Clara A. Williams. Father of Susanna Williams Carney, and father-in-law of William Harvey Carney, Civil War Hero, and first African-American recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Family links:  Spouse:   Clara A. Williams (1825 - 1876)  Children:   Susanna Williams Carney (1846 - 1916)* *Calculated relationship
Burial: Oak Grove Cemetery New Bedford Bristol County Massachusetts, USA Plot: Section LL, Lot 78

2. John Williams (born 1832, date of death unknown) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Joint Expedition Against Franklin.

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Born in 1832 in Blair County, Pennsylvania, Williams was still living in that county when he joined the Navy. By October 3, 1862, he was serving as a seaman on theUSS Commodore Perry. On that day, as the ship steamed down the Blackwater River during the Joint Expedition Against Franklin, Virginia, Williams remained at his post despite heavy fire. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor six months later, on April 3, 1863.^[1][2]

Williams' official Medal of Honor citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Commodore Perry in the attack upon Franklin, Va., 3 October 1862. With enemy fire raking the deck of his ship and blockades thwarting her progress, Williams remained at his post and performed his duties with skill and courage as theCommodore Perry fought a gallant battle to silence many rebel batteries as she steamed down the Blackwater River.^[2

3. 

WILLIAMS, JOHN

• Rank and organization: Boatswain's Mate, U.S. Navy
• Entered service at: New York, N.Y.
• G.O. No: 17, 10 July 1863

Citation: Captain of an 11-inch gun aboard the U.S.S. Mohican during action of the main squadron of ships against the heavily defended Forts Beauregard and Walker on Hilton Head, and against ships of the Confederate Fleet, 7 November 1861. Cool and courageous at his battle station, Williams maintained steady fire against the enemy while under the fort batteries during a 4-hour engagement which resulted in silencing the batteries of the forts and in the rout of the rebel steamers. 

4. 

WILLIAMS, JOHN

• Rank and organization: Captain of the Maintop, U.S. Navy
• Accredited to: Louisiana
• G.O. No.: 11, 3 April 1863

Citation: Serving as captain of the maintop of the U.S.S. Pawnee in the attack upon Mathias Point, 26 June 1861, Williams told his men, while lying off in the boat, that every man must die on his thwart sooner than leave a man behind. Although wounded by a musket ball in the thigh he retained the charge of his boat; and when the staff was shot away, held the stump in his hand, with the flag, until alongside the Freeborn.

So there we have it. More mysteries. How this man's photo found itself in with Wagners (virtually all other photos in that collection are identified relatives), we will never know. Unless someone reading this knows something. 

Three generations of John Wagners Detailed

Three generations of John Wagners: What do we know and how?

This post will be devoted to getting straight the various generations of John Wagners out there who are a direct line to August. There are three of them (plus his brother J Harry). Here is what we know and can surmise:

In 1801, a John (probably Johann) Wagner was born in Baden, Germany. A year later, his future wife Caroline was born, also in Baden. There are many Johann Wagners documented in Karlsruhe, Baden. I can't separate them at this point. We do have the 1860 census:

Here we see that John was a stone mason, that he lived in the 20th ward of Philadelphia and was 59 years old.  Son John was 38.

We pick up the story in the 1870 census: 

Son John is now 49; original John and Caroline have probably passed on. Their death certificates have not yet been located, but certainly they exist. Their son John (father of August and the 3rd John) is 24 (putting his birth at 1846).

Now on to the 1880 census. 

Parents John and Louisa are empty nesters now, living at 3548 Germantown Road, in the back. They are 58.

Son John has married Elizabeth; they are each 35, and have two children, John Harry, and Louis. These are August's older brothers.  August came along in 1881. The family lived on N. 29th Street.

Almost all records of the 1890 census were destroyed in a fire. City records may remain, but are not yet digitized. They will be forthcoming.

We have a record of John's death certificate, dated 1899. He is buried at Ivy Hill Cemetery along with Louisa. Louisa died in 1884.

Now to 1900, a year where the census started asking more detailed questions: 

John and Elizabeth (ages 54 and 55) are shown with their four children, Harry, Louis, August and Amelia. They live at 2462 N 31st Street and own their own home. John reports that he has lived in the US for 52 years, which is close to the 1850 date of immigration we assume. Parents were born in Baden, children all in the US. John calls himself a wagon builder, Harry is a lawyer, Louis a painter and August a salesman. From her on in, we enter the modern era and data comes easier.

We have census data for each decade up to 1940.

John died in 1925; Elizabeth in 1927.

And here is a photo of the 4th John (Harry) Wagner, a lawyer and August's brother (thanks to Aunt Mildred for the ID):

Apparently this Harry's son (also Harry) was the law partner of Uncle Richard. And I think there is yet another John Harry in the next generation.

I think this is enough data to digest in one sitting. There are certainly gaps: I have a record of a 5 year old John Wagner emigrating from Havre aboard the Duchess d'Orleans but that is sketchy. Could be another John Wagner. And I cannot prove that all of these three generations arrived together. But I worked back from John, father of August. If indeed John came in 1850, he had to come with his parents, John and Louisa. And if John and Caroline are the grandparents, it is logical that they came at the same time. So far, the links to John and Caroline are only through the census. We will need a ship's manifest or German data to prove this. All of these people were born in Baden, a very popular birthplace for German-American immigrants.

Last, I must admit that Louisa's maiden name of Steiner is second hand information. Many people have these Wagners as a part of their tree, and when they cite information that looks genuine, I take it. That's how I got Steiner. It could change. 

Immigration Points for the Wagners

Immigration and the power of exponential growth

When I started this research, I was trying to answer one narrow question: when and from where did my family first enter the United States? From that has sprung all of these people and all of this history.

But today I wondered how far I have come in answering that question.

To start, I should mention the challenge of exponential math. This never occurred to me when I began this search.

Descendents grow exponentially going backward. For every generation back, each person has two parents. So depending upon how many generations we are talking about, the formula for # of people is:

2 to the power of x, x being the number of generations.  So I have 

2 to the first parents 
2 to the 2nd grandparents
2 to the 3rd great grandparents, etc.

The way I have things organized in my mind, each of us has 4 lines of family, two from our father and two from our mother. This assumes we make a new tree for each of our grandparents. At least this is the way I have chosen to organize things. 

For my grandmother's parents, for example, the family I knew best as a child, I call that the Ellis/Krumm tree and to date that tree has 1,000 people and about 300 photos in it, not to mention all sorts of other source materials. These people are the ancestors of my grandmother on my mother's side, and are one of four lines in my family.

How this plays out with the Wagners

Now I started out thinking that I would deal strictly with Wagners in this tree.  I knew that the Rubrechts ran deep, and that scared me a little. But it did not take long for me to be dragged into the Rubrecht quagmire, partly because the Wagner side ended fairly quickly with an 1845 immigration from Germany (I am now finding that it may have been even later, in 1868). Data is conflicting,

The Rubrechts/Kellers are another deal entirely. Without looking very hard, I was able to go back 8 generations multiple times. Here's what that means:

If Ed is 8 generations down from the original families (and there are lots of them), he has

2 to the 8th

direct parents/grandparents. That comes to 256. This does not count siblings, inlaws, cousins, etc. which makes number counts in these trees really high.

But we have eliminated half of them (the ones from his mother's side). Virginia's family would be another tree (or two trees, really). We are down to 128. 

If I had stuck with the Wagners, this would be easy. That would take numbers down to 16 for the four generations living here after immigration. I know that the Wagners immigrated in the 4th generation up from Ed (August's parents were immigrants). I have data on the Wagners going back to the 6th generation, but the last two were in Germany. We know definitively that August's parents came here from Baden. So that line has a limited number of grandparents, at least American ones.

Even the Rubrechts have a manageable line so far. They go back 6 generations only and I have not found the immigration point yet. The names are Rubrecht and Fusselman and so far are all Pennsylvanians. 

But John Rubrecht married Sarah Keller (Alice's parents), and the Keller line runs very deep in American history.  Not only can I find data going back 8 generations, but I can find that data for multiple branches. The  Millers, Kellers, Klines, etc are very well documented. 

I could find no one in that entire line who married outside of the German heritage. and virtually no "recent" immigrants. There might be some, but I have not found them yet. And the further back I go, the less likely that people married outside of their church/ethnic circle. (Now I know why all three of my children had blond hair!)

Here is a quick view of the Keller tree, for example, which would be Alice Rubrecht's grandfather Joshua Keller's tree:

It's hard to read, but I am making the point that just from that one great great grandparent, we have 6  grandparents from the 8th generation. The Miller tree looks similar (that would be Joshua's wife, Elizabeth). 

I'm trying to figure out a way to display these trees that are easy to see.  Working on that. 

Summary

The Wagners immigrated from Baden Germany in the mid-19th century. August's family was 100 % German.

The Rubrechts go back in Pennsylvania history for 6 generations, but the immigration point has not been found. 

The Kellers/Klines/Millers (and more) immigrated from Germany, but 4 or 5 generations before the Wagners did. Because each generation doubles in numbers of grandparents, we have a very large number of potential immigrants in this trail. It will take time to document all of them. So far, they all look to be German.

And last, here is Paul's SAR application, which shows at least one line of Revolutionary War activity for the Kellers. I think there are more.

Grave Photos of Alice and August Ancestors

Where Are They Now?

Since I began this research last year, I have changed my attitude about graves and graveyards completely. Where I once found them to be sterile space, all but ignored, I now find them to be hallowed ground and respect that they are enduring symbols of lives well lived. And too often, grave stones are all we have left to remember a life.

Quite remarkably, many grave stones of Wagners and Rubrechts not only survive and are documented, but they have been photographed by Grave tenders from many organizations, primarily Find A Grave. In this post, I'll print photos of the graves I have found:

August Wagner and Alice Rubrecht

August and Alice were buried in the Rubrecht family plot at Immanuel Leidy Cemetery in Souderton.

They are buried alongside their infant son John (1909) who lived for one week.

Alice had four brothers, and two of them are in Souderton: Morris (and his wife May), and Luther, who died young:

Alice's brother George Keller Rubrecht became a pastor and lived in the midwest most of his adult life. He is buried in Lincoln, Nebraska along with his wife at Wyuka Cemetery:

I have not yet located brother Paul's grave, nor that of his wife, but they died in Philadelphia. They may be in Souderton, but I have no documentation as yet.

And of course, Alice's parents are in Souderton as well:

Most of you are aware that Alice's family goes way back in American history. With little effort, I was able to find graves of her grandparents,great grandparents and beyond. Alice's mother's parents: Joshua S. Keller  and Elizabeth Miller Keller (St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery in Orwigsburg):

Joshua parents' graves are also located (Daniel Keller and Catherine Schmidt Keller) in St. John's Cemetery, Berks County:

And, Elizabeth Miller's parents are buried in Berks as well, at St. John's Cemetery in Hamburg (Peter Miller and Elizabeth Kline Miller):

Peter Miller's parents were Revolutionary War participants:

George Miller (1754-1815) and Susannah Alspach Miller (1765-1824). They are buried in Hamburg, Berks County

Following is the inscription on Susannah's grave: In Memory of Susan Miller - Consort of George Miller - She was born Dec'br 31th AD 1765 - died March 10th 1824 - aged 58 Years 2 Months & 9 days - Farwell Children dear......

According to these cemetery records, George's parents are also buried there with the following information:

Johann Jürg (Hunter George) Muller was born on March 21, 1721 the son of John and Mrs. Muller in Baden-Durlach, Germany.

Johann Georg Muller emigrated from Feldkirchen near Neuwied in the village of Gonnersdorf . The Furst Wied Archives in Neuwied, notes the emigration, 
April 24, 1744 of Johann Georg Muller with his wife and 2 children from 
Gonnersdorf on the ship Aurora. They arrived in Philadelphia, Pa on October 8, 1744.
The name on the ship's Manifest was Johan Jorg Muller

Johann married Anna Margaretha about 1753 in Windsor Twp., Berks Co., Pa.

Johan Jorg Muller had five children, George Miller, Philip Miller, Jabob, John and Magdalena. 

And Susan's mother is buried in Berks also at the St. Paul's Smoke Chirch in Edenburg, Berks.

Her inscription reads (in German): translation - Here rests Maria Dorothea Rauschin - she was born 20 Dec'br 1744 - died the 27 July 1803 – was old 58 year 7 months 7 days - she lived with Henrich 34 years in marriage begat 8 sons 2 daughters

- Deborah (Vetrone) Long 

And believe it or not, researchers have found Maria's mother's grave as well:

Anna Margaretha Klein Reber 1720-1787, buried in Zion's United Church of Christ Cemetery in Shoemakersville Berks, with the following inscription:

Inscription:

Dieser im Gott ruhet de

Mitschwester Namens

Margaretha REBERIN

Wurde gebohren

1720

Sie zeugte in 43 Jahr

iger Ehe 13 Kinder

dasso ---------------- lebens

5 Sohn u. 6 Toch

Sie Starb nach 3 Jahrigen

im 1----------------- 27 Sept

1787

Ihres alters ------------

So I count graves for 6 generations beyond Alice Rubrecht. Remarkable. Enough of the Rubrechts for awhile . . .

The Wagner side came to the States generations later; August had two brothers and a sister.

Older brother John is buried in St. Paul's Episcopal Church graveyard in Elkins Park along with his wife Annie:

Louis is buried at Mt Moriah Cemetery in Yeadon. I know quite a bit about this cemetery since many of my Ellis ancestors are buried there. Once a proud shrine, the cemetery was orphaned, had no owner, and is now a ward of the state. It is terribly overgrown, but a volunteer organization has made great inroads to restore it. Part of the cemetery contains military graves, and that section is kept well.  Mt. Moriah is an interesting story in its own right. I have visited there twice and dug around looking for stones. The organization tending it is very devoted.

August's sister Amelia died in Philadelphia but I have not located her grave site.

August's parents John and Elizabeth are buried at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia but I have no photo of their stones as yet.

Most of the ancestors mentioned above had children and grandchildren, brothers and sisters, and many of them probably have photographed graves. In time, we will fill in more blanks.