Christian Wagner (1849-1933)
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54. Christian Wagner, son of Jacob and Barbara (Eicher) Wagner, was born 28 October 1854 in Binningen, Basel, Switzerland. He died 5 March in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah and was buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah. He married 1879 in Brown County, Minnesota, Anna Augusta Scheef.
They were the parents to 15 children:
1. Alice Kate Wagner b. 3 September 1880 Altamont, Deuel, South Dakota
2. William Henry Wagner b. 20 October 1881 Altamont, Deuel, South Dakota
3. Rosa Barbara Wagner b. 11 September 1883 Altamont, Deuel, South Dakota
4. Rickie Ella Wagner b. 1 December 1884 Altamont, Deuel, South Dakota
5. Fredrick James Wagner b. 31 May 1886 Altamont, Deuel, South Dakota (died age 17)
6. Edith Lillian Wagner b. 25 November 1887 Altamont, Deuel, South Dakota
7. Mamie Lou Wagner b. 31 March 1890 Cleveland, Bradley, Tennessee
8. Edward Christian Wagner b. 11 April 1891 Sequatchie, Marion, Tennessee
9. Marilla Sophia Wagner b. 2 December 1892 Sequatchie, Marion, Tennssee
10. Ruth Ada Wager b. 24 February 1894 Sequatchie, Marion, Tennessee
11. Esther Pearl Wagner b. 15 December 1896 Sequatchie, Marion, Tennessee
12. Benjamin Harrison Wagner b. 1 September 1897 Sequatchie, Marion, Tennessee
13. Helen Gould Wagner b. 15 March 1899 Sequatchie, Marion, Tennessee (died at 5 months)
14. George Franklin Wagner b. 17 December 1900 Sequatchie, Marion, Tennessee
15. Maud Odell Wagner b. 6 July 1902 Sequatchie, Marion, Tennessee (died age 9)
Timeline-
1849- Christian Wagner, know as Chris or Christ (pronounced Chris-t), was born 28 October 1849 in Binningen, Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland, (need proofs) to Jacob Wagner and Barbara (Barbe) Eicher. He was one of 7 children.
1864- Immigration- Christian was 14 years old when his family applied for passports- Colmar, Haut-Rhin, France 20 February 1864 and again in 8 March 1864. They were living in Mulhouse, France (microfilm record) at the time and all children were listed as being born in Binningen, Switzerland and Barbe born in St. Louis, Aspach, France. On the passport includes his mother, Barbe Vagner age 50 (Farmer), Joseph Vagner age 19, Jean Vagner age 17, Christe Vagner age 14, and Catherine Vagner age 7.
They arrived in New York City on 13 April 1864 from Liverpool, England with a stop in Queenstown, Ireland.
(I have not been able to find him on 1870 census records.)
He may have lived in Ohio at one time; 1870 Census I find Jacob Wagner, Christian's brother, living in Wayne Ohio; Their Mother is also living with Jacob.
He may have lived in Ohio at one time; 1870 Census I find Jacob Wagner, Christian's brother, living in Wayne Ohio; Their Mother is also living with Jacob.
1879- Christ married Anna August Scheef on 31 May 1879 in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota. (Requested marriage certificate 1/28/22)
So after their marriage, they moved to Deuel County, Dakota Territory. These counties are right next to each other, although in different states. His neighbors are on one side is his brother, Jacob and family, on the other side is his sister, Catherine and her family (Simon Brenizer) along with their mother Barbara.
1880- Christ is living in Goodwin, Deuel, Dakota Territory. He is 29 years old, a farmer and Anna is 21.
Homestead- did the family stake a homestead claim and if so, were they one of the lucky few to prove up on it? Additional research is needed.
1888- From the history of his daughter Rosa, we learn about the great blizzard of 1888. Christ's brother-in-law was living on the farm with the family. Hugo (Anna Augusta Scheef's brother) went out to take the cattle down to the lake for water. The sky was clear with only one small cloud, but within minutes the weather changed, the wind started to blow and the snow started to fall so fast they couldn't see anything. Christ dressed in a fur coat, cap, boots and gloves went out calling and whistling, thinking Hugo could hear him, and he nearly froze. When the storm had finely ended, Hugo was found, not very far away, frozen to death; along with eight of the cattle frozen standing. They buried Hugo in a snow drift until the ground thawed enough to dig him a grave. The snow was so deep that rabbits ate the tops of the trees. This was the great blizzard of 1888 killing over 500 people living in the Dakota's, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Most of them were children not able to get home from school. The day started out clear by lunch time it was snowing so hard that you couldn't see a foot in front of you. Some teachers tried to lead the children home and died with the children in the storm.
In the spring of 1888 the family moved to Cleveland, Tennessee and livied there for almost two years. Mamie (daughter of Christ) was born there, later they moved on to Sequatchie, where Christ got a job at a sawmill. They lived near the Sequatchie River for a few years and the whole family became sick with Malaria. Rosa got yellow jaundice and chilled (?) all summer.
1888- From the history of his daughter Rosa, we learn about the great blizzard of 1888. Christ's brother-in-law was living on the farm with the family. Hugo (Anna Augusta Scheef's brother) went out to take the cattle down to the lake for water. The sky was clear with only one small cloud, but within minutes the weather changed, the wind started to blow and the snow started to fall so fast they couldn't see anything. Christ dressed in a fur coat, cap, boots and gloves went out calling and whistling, thinking Hugo could hear him, and he nearly froze. When the storm had finely ended, Hugo was found, not very far away, frozen to death; along with eight of the cattle frozen standing. They buried Hugo in a snow drift until the ground thawed enough to dig him a grave. The snow was so deep that rabbits ate the tops of the trees. This was the great blizzard of 1888 killing over 500 people living in the Dakota's, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Most of them were children not able to get home from school. The day started out clear by lunch time it was snowing so hard that you couldn't see a foot in front of you. Some teachers tried to lead the children home and died with the children in the storm.
In the spring of 1888 the family moved to Cleveland, Tennessee and livied there for almost two years. Mamie (daughter of Christ) was born there, later they moved on to Sequatchie, where Christ got a job at a sawmill. They lived near the Sequatchie River for a few years and the whole family became sick with Malaria. Rosa got yellow jaundice and chilled (?) all summer.
In 1899, they moved to a farm on Cumberland Mountain, where eight more children were born. Marilla (daughter of Christ) remembers: "We moved away when I was about 7 years old to a large fruit farm on the rolling hills of the Cumberland where my father owned a large tract of timber land. Our home was a large two-story house set in the middle of a yard of beautiful flowering trees and bird houses. It was made of rustic logs with large rooms and a huge fireplace at one end of the living room. I loved the winter evenings around the fireplace. There was always singing and sometimes stories until we were sent to bed. The kerosene lamps were filled every day and the chimneys were sparkling and clean.
Our neighbors lived quite away from us so we had to make our own amusement. We played games such as hide-and-seek and follow-the-leader but mostly we sang. My brother Bill had a little accordion and my brother Fred liked to make instruments with wire. Oh, we had lots of fun. Each child had his work to do every day and every one worked without an argument. My parents were very strict but kind. We loved them and respected their word. Early to bed and early to rise was the motto of the day. Father always had the family together at meal time even if it was too early for little kids at breakfast. We would get up early to churn fresh butter for breakfast. I remember lying down on a bench to sleep until it was my turn to make 100 strokes on the churn while the other one slept. Then came breakfast. hot biscuits, cereal, pancakes with maple syrup, gallons of fresh milk and a pitcher of thick cream. Oh, that was a happy time! We would run through the long wet grass to the spring house. The spring house was a little house with a stream running through the middle where the milk and butter were kept cold. We weren't members of any church but always went to Sunday School at the Methodist Church. I loved the stories and was given pictures of Jesus which I prized dearly. One of my sisters joined some church when she got married. At one time we children all learned the ten commandments from memory. Father would never join any church because he couldn't find what he was looking for until about 1902 when he heard of some young missionaries in our community. He went to hear them explain the principles of the gospel. he became interested at once and invited them to our home. They were treated dreadfully by other people. One was ridden on a rail and thrown in the river. They were threatened with tar and feathers but ended up being pelted with eggs and tomatoes. After several months we were baptized. Father, mother and seven children were all baptized on November 12, 1902 in Foster Falls near Tracy City, Tennessee. From that time on we had Sunday School, Sacrament and Fast Meetings in our home. There we learned the principles of the gospel. In the mission field you really feel the spirit of the gospel. A few of our friends and neighbors came to Sunday School but they didn't belong to the church until after we left Tennessee. Spring in the south is really a sight one never forgets. The fields are covered with violets and along the streams in the woods you will find ferns and trailing arbutus. The hillsides are a riot of color with rhododendron, azalea, dogwood, mountain laurel and the apple, peach and plum trees are all in bloom. The little bubbling springs and caves of mystery with ferns and moss and all dripping wet were all there to explore. The tinkle of cow bells and the bark of the dogs as the cows were brought from pasture to be milked were all a part of the days routine. Once in awhile there would be a forest fire. Sometimes it would burn for days. In the fall we hauled wood to be sawed and split for winter use, having no coal we used loads of wood. Girls and boys alike did what we could and the wood house was full at last. The fun time was harvesting. We gathered nuts from the many hickory and walnut trees, also chestnuts, and in the spring we picked berries of all kinds, blackberries, huckleberries, dewberries, raspberries and strawberries, to put up for the winter. On rainy days we thrashed beans. My brother, Fred, who was 18 years old, fell down stairs and fractured his skull. He passed away April 15, 1904, just before we moved to Salt Lake City. We had many missionaries live at our home. One was ill for three months while mother was a nurse to him; he had malaria. He was so grateful for all she did he remembered her as mother Wagner until he died. My oldest brother, William, and sister, Mamie, came to Salt Lake a year before we did. Mamie married a missionary, Ernest Harker, from Taylorsville, Utah. We came to Salt Lake in 1905. My brother, Will, met us at the station where we stayed until he and father found us a place to live at 122 West 2nd North. It was so beautiful. We were tired from our trip and it had a lovely bath tub. We lived in the 19th Ward and Washington school district.
My father sold his beautiful home and possessions and barely received enough money to pay for our train fare to Utah. The man who bought it never paid what he owed and father had nothing to fight with so he lost it. He said many times that he was much better off than the man who cheated him out of his money. "
By 1890 Jacob and Christ have moved to Bradley Co. Tennessee. Christian is listed on a voters roll in 1892.
1900 Christ is in Marion County, Tennessee and a farmer. He give his birth date as Oct 1850, Switzerland and is 49 years old. He has been married 21 years. He came to this country in 1858--42 years in this country. (This information is wrong based on immigration records).
Our neighbors lived quite away from us so we had to make our own amusement. We played games such as hide-and-seek and follow-the-leader but mostly we sang. My brother Bill had a little accordion and my brother Fred liked to make instruments with wire. Oh, we had lots of fun. Each child had his work to do every day and every one worked without an argument. My parents were very strict but kind. We loved them and respected their word. Early to bed and early to rise was the motto of the day. Father always had the family together at meal time even if it was too early for little kids at breakfast. We would get up early to churn fresh butter for breakfast. I remember lying down on a bench to sleep until it was my turn to make 100 strokes on the churn while the other one slept. Then came breakfast. hot biscuits, cereal, pancakes with maple syrup, gallons of fresh milk and a pitcher of thick cream. Oh, that was a happy time! We would run through the long wet grass to the spring house. The spring house was a little house with a stream running through the middle where the milk and butter were kept cold. We weren't members of any church but always went to Sunday School at the Methodist Church. I loved the stories and was given pictures of Jesus which I prized dearly. One of my sisters joined some church when she got married. At one time we children all learned the ten commandments from memory. Father would never join any church because he couldn't find what he was looking for until about 1902 when he heard of some young missionaries in our community. He went to hear them explain the principles of the gospel. he became interested at once and invited them to our home. They were treated dreadfully by other people. One was ridden on a rail and thrown in the river. They were threatened with tar and feathers but ended up being pelted with eggs and tomatoes. After several months we were baptized. Father, mother and seven children were all baptized on November 12, 1902 in Foster Falls near Tracy City, Tennessee. From that time on we had Sunday School, Sacrament and Fast Meetings in our home. There we learned the principles of the gospel. In the mission field you really feel the spirit of the gospel. A few of our friends and neighbors came to Sunday School but they didn't belong to the church until after we left Tennessee. Spring in the south is really a sight one never forgets. The fields are covered with violets and along the streams in the woods you will find ferns and trailing arbutus. The hillsides are a riot of color with rhododendron, azalea, dogwood, mountain laurel and the apple, peach and plum trees are all in bloom. The little bubbling springs and caves of mystery with ferns and moss and all dripping wet were all there to explore. The tinkle of cow bells and the bark of the dogs as the cows were brought from pasture to be milked were all a part of the days routine. Once in awhile there would be a forest fire. Sometimes it would burn for days. In the fall we hauled wood to be sawed and split for winter use, having no coal we used loads of wood. Girls and boys alike did what we could and the wood house was full at last. The fun time was harvesting. We gathered nuts from the many hickory and walnut trees, also chestnuts, and in the spring we picked berries of all kinds, blackberries, huckleberries, dewberries, raspberries and strawberries, to put up for the winter. On rainy days we thrashed beans. My brother, Fred, who was 18 years old, fell down stairs and fractured his skull. He passed away April 15, 1904, just before we moved to Salt Lake City. We had many missionaries live at our home. One was ill for three months while mother was a nurse to him; he had malaria. He was so grateful for all she did he remembered her as mother Wagner until he died. My oldest brother, William, and sister, Mamie, came to Salt Lake a year before we did. Mamie married a missionary, Ernest Harker, from Taylorsville, Utah. We came to Salt Lake in 1905. My brother, Will, met us at the station where we stayed until he and father found us a place to live at 122 West 2nd North. It was so beautiful. We were tired from our trip and it had a lovely bath tub. We lived in the 19th Ward and Washington school district.
My father sold his beautiful home and possessions and barely received enough money to pay for our train fare to Utah. The man who bought it never paid what he owed and father had nothing to fight with so he lost it. He said many times that he was much better off than the man who cheated him out of his money. "
By 1890 Jacob and Christ have moved to Bradley Co. Tennessee. Christian is listed on a voters roll in 1892.
1900 Christ is in Marion County, Tennessee and a farmer. He give his birth date as Oct 1850, Switzerland and is 49 years old. He has been married 21 years. He came to this country in 1858--42 years in this country. (This information is wrong based on immigration records).
On the census with Christ is:
Anna age 40
William Wagner age 18- Oct 1881 South Dakota
Rosa Wagner age 16- Sept 1883 South Dakota
Rickie Wagner age 15- Dec 1884 South Dakota
Frederick Wagner age 14- Mar 1886 South Dakota
Edith Wagner age 12- Nov 1887 South Dakota
Mamie Wagner age 10- May 1890 Tennessee
Edward Wagner age 9- April 1891 Tennessee
Marilla Wagner age 7- Dec 1892 Tennessee
Ruth Wagner age 5- Feb 1895 Tennessee
Esther Wagner age 3- Dec 1896 Tennessee
Bennie Wagner age 2- Sept 1897 Tennessee
Anna states she's the mother of 13 children with 12 living.
He lived on top of Cumberland Mountain near Whitwell, Tennessee on a large farm as an overseer for one fourth of the land. He had the part with the house. The Marion Co. newspapers told a lot about his life. They talk about the crops he was growing, the marriage of his daughter Alice, the death of his son Fred, and a good-bye to the family when they left for Utah. The people greatly respected and liked the Wagner family. There was an ad in the news paper even for Wagner and Pryor grapes.
1902- Christ and his family joined the church and were baptized the 12th day of November 1902, Rosa was in Chattanooga at the time, was baptized the last day of December 1902 in a little creek, having to break the ice.
They had as many as 20 Mormon Elders in the Wagner home at one time. One of them was the man Rosa would marry, Thomas Lawrence. Christ built a large room, which they called the Mormon Room and it was used by the Elders. They would hold Sunday School there. They did this for about three years until Chris and his family left and when to Utah in 1905.
1902- Christ and his family joined the church and were baptized the 12th day of November 1902, Rosa was in Chattanooga at the time, was baptized the last day of December 1902 in a little creek, having to break the ice.
They had as many as 20 Mormon Elders in the Wagner home at one time. One of them was the man Rosa would marry, Thomas Lawrence. Christ built a large room, which they called the Mormon Room and it was used by the Elders. They would hold Sunday School there. They did this for about three years until Chris and his family left and when to Utah in 1905.
In April of 1904 Chris's son Fred became ill and died. Then April 20, Rosa left for Salt Lake City to marry her Missionary, Thomas Lawrence
1905-A newspaper article announcing their departure for Utah said one of the main reasons why they left Tennessee was because "The continued unfavorable seasons for fruit and vegetable raising in this section is largely responsible for their move. They depended on the production of fruits and vegetables to make a living on their mountain place six miles west (can't read the next word), but for the past three years the crops have been cut off by frost or drought nearly one-half. This year the majority of the fruit was winter-killed, hence the prospects were very discouraging, and they resolved on a move." (Article is dated August 24 1905.)
1910-- The Wagners are living at 961 West 5th South, Salt Lake City, Utah. Christ is a cement worker. Anna is working as a dressmaker for a private family. Marilla age 17 a hairdresser, Ruth age 16 a labor at a candy factory, Esther age 14, Benjamin age 12 George age 9 and Maude 7. Anna says she's the mother of 15 children with 13 living.
1920-- The Wagners lived at 965 South 900 West, Salt Lake City Utah; Christian is head of the house a carpenter age 70, his wife Anna age 60, and their son George age 19. The census say, he immigrated in 1864. They own their home. He naturalized in 1879. His native language is French. He is a house carpenter.
1930-- The Wagners lived at 469 North Main, Salt Lake City, Utah-- he is still a carpenter. Christian is the head of house age 80 and a house carpenter and not employed at this time, lives with wife Anna age 70. He says he immigrated in 1864. Age at marriage he was 29 and she was 19. He was born in Switzerland, his parents were born in France they spoke French before coming to this country.
(They moved a lot--they could have been renters)
1933- Christ died 5 March 1933 in his home at the age of 83 (318 West North Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah) of heart trouble. He was a contractor and carpenter. He was active in his church and a devoted Temple worker for ten years.
I went and looked up the address listed in the history above through the Salt Lake County Assessors Office. The house has been torn down and is now a parking lot. It would have been a short walk from the Salt Lake Temple where he was a temple worker.
To Research-
1905-A newspaper article announcing their departure for Utah said one of the main reasons why they left Tennessee was because "The continued unfavorable seasons for fruit and vegetable raising in this section is largely responsible for their move. They depended on the production of fruits and vegetables to make a living on their mountain place six miles west (can't read the next word), but for the past three years the crops have been cut off by frost or drought nearly one-half. This year the majority of the fruit was winter-killed, hence the prospects were very discouraging, and they resolved on a move." (Article is dated August 24 1905.)
1910-- The Wagners are living at 961 West 5th South, Salt Lake City, Utah. Christ is a cement worker. Anna is working as a dressmaker for a private family. Marilla age 17 a hairdresser, Ruth age 16 a labor at a candy factory, Esther age 14, Benjamin age 12 George age 9 and Maude 7. Anna says she's the mother of 15 children with 13 living.
1920-- The Wagners lived at 965 South 900 West, Salt Lake City Utah; Christian is head of the house a carpenter age 70, his wife Anna age 60, and their son George age 19. The census say, he immigrated in 1864. They own their home. He naturalized in 1879. His native language is French. He is a house carpenter.
1930-- The Wagners lived at 469 North Main, Salt Lake City, Utah-- he is still a carpenter. Christian is the head of house age 80 and a house carpenter and not employed at this time, lives with wife Anna age 70. He says he immigrated in 1864. Age at marriage he was 29 and she was 19. He was born in Switzerland, his parents were born in France they spoke French before coming to this country.
Ann was born in Illinois, her parents were born in Germany.
(They moved a lot--they could have been renters)
1933- Christ died 5 March 1933 in his home at the age of 83 (318 West North Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah) of heart trouble. He was a contractor and carpenter. He was active in his church and a devoted Temple worker for ten years.
To Research-
Naturalization-
Minnesota, Yellow Medicine County, naturalization records, 1850-1956 (FamilySearch- images online) https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/2524826?availability=Family%20History%20Library
1870 Census- is he in Ohio?
Newspapers:
The continued unfavorable seasons, for fruit and vegetables raising in this section is largely responsible for their move. They depended on the production of fruits and vegetables to make a living on their mountain place six miles west of here, but for the past three years the crops have been cut off by frost or drought nearly one-half. This year the majority of the fruit winter-killed, and three successive frosts during the spring finished up the balance, even the wild blackberries which are supposed to be exceptionally hardy, were killed. Hence prospects were very discouraging, and they resolved on a move. We hope they find what they seek in their new location, and will have a full measure of success. In the party were Mr. and Mrs. Chris Wagner, Miss Edith Wagner, and Rilla, (Marilla) Ruth, Esther, Ed, Ben, George and Maude Wagner, Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Pryor, and children Annie and Ruth.
Chris Wagner, before moving to Utah, pays his subscription a year in advance.
News paper ad:
GRAPES!
The Famous Niagara Grape from the Sequachee, Vineyards, which took the First Prize at the CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION at Nashville, Tennessee, 1897
Vines raised from cuttings now ready for delivery. It is proved to be the Best Grape for this section
20,000 for sale....at $3.00 per 100
in lots less than 50,....5 cents each
PRYOR & WAGNER
