Atzenweiler

by

History of Mary Magdalina Wanner Wagstaff

“Our Mother”

by Edna Leona Wagstaff Owen

Our mother, Mary Magdalena Wanner was born September 12, 1873 at Atzenweiler, Neckarkreis, Wuerttemberg. Wuerttemberg is one of the States in the divided German nation.

Mother is a daughter of Johann Georg Wanner and Anna Maria Schmid, and was given the name of Maria Magdalina. After the family came to the United States, mother adopted the American spelling of Mary Magdalina which she used the remainder of her life.

Our mother and her brothers and sisters were very fortunate to have parents who were honorable, upright hard working people who loved their children and worked very hard to see that they got the very best they could. Both parents believed in God and had a strong faith that their prayers would be answered in providing them with the blessings they needed. They belonged to the Luteran Church, and tried to teach their children correct principles.

Mother was the 3rd child in a family of 10 children – 5 boys and 5 girls; two of her brothers died at an early age in Germany.

Between the ages of 7 and 8, mother took care of her younger brothers and sisters while her mother and father were working in the fields. She was told to get the children to sleep; and when they woke up she would bring them to the fields to their parents. She was anxious for the children to settle down and get to sleep, so she would hold her finger tips over their eye lids thinking this would make them go to sleep but when she took her fingers off they would be wide awake.

Mother started school at the age of 8 years and graduated when she was 14. She did not go to school after that.

From the age of 10 until 13 she herded cows on a big hillside. The family lived on a farm and everyone had to help. Their father was gone a great deal of the time as a road overseer, or working in the Black Forest to make a little extra money to help increase the family income. Mother had to do a lot of hard work such as getting wood from the canyon to use for fuel to heat the house and to cook with.

Another of her jobs was to lead the cows that pulled the plow. She also piled hay and gathered grain in the fields. Most of the work was done by hand and much of the time the hay was piled on the fence so it would dry.

A 9 years of age she learned to knit and she became very proficient in this art. She knitted all her life supplying her own family with socks, etc. She knitted scarfs, caps, socks and sweaters for the soldiers during both World War 1 and 2. Among the things she knitted was a beautiful white shawl for my first baby. She also knitted two choice sweaters for my husband, one of which he has been wearing on many occasions for over 40 years and it is still in good condition. He still uses it and it has been very useful to him throughout these 40 years.

When she was 11 years of age, she could not walk for a time because of a problem with her leg. At this time, it was necessary that she be put in a baby buggy and pushed 5 or 6 miles to see the doctor.

She went to the city of Ravensburg to work when she was 15 years of age. She took care of children, did washings, ironing, helped with the cooking as well as other household tasks. While working at this job, mother developed a sore on her hand which required that she be hospitalized for two or three weeks.

During the year 1891, mother’s father brought some missionaries to their home. These missionaries were representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These missionaries were Jacob Zollinger from Providence, Utah, John Hassenfritz of the Bear Lake area, and John Federley of Salt Lake City, Utah. Incidentally, I got to meet Jacob Zollinger, a very fine man. After my marriage, whenever I sent to the Temple, Brother Zollinger was there.

After the missionaries had been teaching them the gospel for some time, the family became very much interested and decided they would like to join the church. Some of the family that were old enough were baptized in October, 1891, and became members of the only True Church. This brought peace to their minds and joy to their hearts. It didn’t take long for this family to decide that they wanted to leave their native land and come to the United States where they could have religious freedom and better opportunities for their family to provide for their wants and needs. Not so long after this, the oldest son came to this country with some returning missionaries. This was Uncle George.

In the spring of 1893 her mother and father made preparations to take their family to America. When all was ready, they said good-bye to their relatives, friends, their home and native land.

They rode the train for one day after which they took a boat up the Rhine River. After being on the boat for 3 or 4 days, they took the train for another day which took them to the North Sea. At the north sea they got on a large boat to go to Liverpool, England. The Sea was very rough and stormy. It took them another day to reach Liverpool where they boarded a big ship and sailed for America. They were on the ocean about two weeks before they reached New York where they stayed for two or three days. Then they took the train and started across the continent for Salt Lake City, Utah. They stopped at Chicago, Illinois for one day and one night; then continued on their way. After they got to Salt Lake City, they continued on their journey to Franklin, Idaho, arriving there the 18th June 1893. After their long hard tedious journey, they were all happy and anxious to get settled in their newly adopted homeland.

They were met by their brother George and Fred Nuffer with a team of horses and a wagon. They also brought a buggy with horses. They went to Fred Nuffer’s place in Cub River where her brother George had been working. They stayed at Nuffer’s place about one week. Her father soon started to look for a place to buy and settle down. He decided to take a trip over to the Bear Lake side to see what he could find. Grandpa took mother with him on this trip. They walked across mountains and had to cross the Cub River which was very swift and difficult for them to wade across. They spent one miserable night in the mountains listening to the bears growling. They saved some of their bread to give the bears in case they bothered them.

The next Sunday after arriving in Franklin, they all went to church in Glendale and had their membership records moved to that ward. The Ward Clerk in Glendale was William Addison Wagstaff who later became mother’s husband. Grandpa Wanner soon bought the home and farm of John Nuffer in Glendale. Grandpa and Grandma lived there a number of years and then sold it to their son Fred. Later he sold it to his son Bertus.

In a short time Mrs. Fred Nuffer got mother a job in Logan, Utah, doing house work for a lady by the name of Robin. Mother could not speak the English language at this time but with the help of this good family she was able to understand and speak a little.

Mother worked for the Robin’s until 1894, at which time she went to work for a family by the name of Card. She worked at Card’s about six months. She then returned to her home in Glendale for awhile. After a short rest, she went to work at the Section House in Preston, Idaho, helping a lady cook.

In April 1895, she went to General Conference of The Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. While she was there, she found a job doing housework for a banker by the name of Shutler (we are not sure of the spelling). Mother stayed at this place until November and then went home again for a while. Some time later mother worked for some people in Preston, Idaho, by the name of Hale. In 1896 mother returned to Logan and worked for a family by the name of Bishop.

In the spring of 1896 her mother wrote her and told her that her sister Louise was going to be the “Queen of May Day” celebration to be held in Glendale and she would like her to come home and be there on this occasion. Mother decided it would be fun and decided to be there.

On the day of the celebration mother accepted the invitation of William Addison Wagstaff to have lunch with him which seems to have been a big turning point in mother’s life. After they had their lunch they went for a stroll together. It appears that it was at this time that he proposed marriage to mother.

In a few days mother returned to her job in Logan, Utah. On 11 June 1896 W. A. took Mary’s sister Louise to Logan to take over her job so she could come back to Glendale to make preparations to be married. The next day they went to Preston to pick out material for her wedding dress and selected a cream cashmere trimmed in white silk. Her Tiara had orange blossoms on it. Looking at her picture now I think it must have been just beautiful.

On 16 June W. A. and Mary went to Logan with a wagon load of grain to sell for her father. After they got to Logan they purchased a plain yellow gold wedding band. She stayed with her sister Louise that night and on Wednesday 17 June 1896, W. A. and Mary were married for time and eternity in the Logan Temple by Marriner W. Merrill, The President of the Logan Temple. They spent their wedding night in Logan and returned to Glendale the next day, June 18th. That night Mary’s father and mother gave them a wedding supper at their home.

James, Annie, and Mary Wanner Wagstaff

Then mother went to live in the home where her husband and his mother resided. It was a log house with a dirt roof. This home was located about 5 miles North East of Preston, Idaho, in an area that is commonly called Glendale Flat. Mother took charge of the house and cared for her mother-in-law who had very serious leg trouble.

Right from the start mother worked side by side with her husband getting in the hay and grain. All the water for washing, bathing, drinking, etc. had to be hauled as they had no water on their place. Their cattle were driven to Worm Creek to drink. This Creek was about a mile from their home.

26 January 1897 mother’s first child was born, a tiny premature son. He was named George William. Our Dad held this tiny infant on his lap and fed it with a medicine dropper. He did everything he could to save his life but he passed away after 9 days.

Their second son named James Addison was born 24 June 1898; and 28 December 1899 her first baby girl, Annie Eliza was born. Our Dad and Mom and Dad’s mother were so very happy to have a son and a daughter to bless their home.

Back row: Willard, William, Annie, Parley, Maria, Jesse. Front row: Elsie, Edna, Herbert.

During the early part of mother’s married life, she worked in the Relief Society. Mother loved working in the Relief Society and did her part to make it a success.

In 1900 they moved to a two-room log house with a dirt roof. This house was located one mile from their first home. This move was made so they could be where there was water. This was a big help as they now had water from a well for culinary use as well as other things. Here they were able to have a nice garden with currants, both black and red, as well as gooseberries and raspberries. They could also have shade trees and fruit trees. I am sure this was a great blessing to them.

August 28, 1901, a son Wilford John was born. This made four children for them including the one who died. Dad and Mother were happy to have a family and Dad’s mother was thrilled to think she was now getting some grandchildren. Our Dad’s mother had a very sad time raising her family; our Dad being the only one of 4 children who lived to maturity.

Our Mother and Dad gave Dad’s mother kind and loving care for many years. She continued to have poor health. She was especially afflicted with varicose veins. Those finally turned into ulcers on her legs which had to be bandaged. One of their old neighbors has told us that she had her legs bandaged each day for over 35 years. She finally passed away in the early morning hours of December 2, 1902, and was buried in the cemetery at Glendale, Oneida County, Idaho.

The 9th of April 1903 Parley Leroy was born; and on 23 June 1903, our 22 months old brother Wilford John was drowned in a ditch just north of the house. Many people came from all around to help them at this sorrowful time in their life.

Children continued to come to bless this humble home and 3 March 1905 Willard Lesley was born. On 9 January 1907 Jesse Oleen was born. The 11th of November 1908 Herbert Spencer was born. Mother had now given birth to 7 sons and 1 daughter. She was very busy caring for them, her husband and home, as well as participating in church activities.

During the summer of 1909, they built a new house which had two rooms down and two rooms upstairs. It had a singled roof and later on was pebble-dashed.

It was in this home on a beautiful Sunday morning, 10 July 1910, the next child, a girl with hazel eyes and blond hair Edna Leona was born. The family as well as the Glendale Ward were delighted to see this baby girl come to the home where there were 7 sons and only 1 girl. 7th of August 1912 another daughter, Elsie Magdalina came to bless this home.

On the 19th of March 1913, sorry struck this home when their son James who had been ill a lot of his life passed away and was buried in the Glendale Cemetery.

On the 25 of March 1913 Mother had a patriarchal blessing by Patriarch Wm. Daines. This was a big comfort and a joy to Mother in later years.

The 8th of July 1915 Mother had her last child, a son she named Albert Wanner. Mother had a very difficult time at this birth and she was ill a long time after.

After Mother’s parents moved to Logan in 1910, she frequently went to visit them and did Temple work.

Very often Dad and Mom would drive their team and wagon and later a buggy to Preston; leave them there in the tie-yard and catch the U.I.C. to Logan to do two sessions at the Temple; then back to Preston to get their team; drive home about 4 miles. After Mother was married, she took every opportunity that came her way to go to the Temple. She loved to do this and it brought her great joy to be engaged in the Lord’s work.

Mother loved the outdoors and kept a beautiful garden and flowers; tended chickens and worked with her husband and children in the fields.

September 1918 Dad and Mom took their 3 daughters and youngest son Albert to Brigham City, Utah on the U.I.C. for Peach Day. They all had a delightful time, and enjoyed the trip very much.

During the summer of 1919 Dad and Mom and their 3 daughters and Albert again went on a visit. This tie to see Mother’s sister Pauline, who lived in Gentile Valley. They went in the white top buggy, and followed the road through the Bear Rivers narrows. This was a very narrow road and there was only a few places where people with teams could pass. Our Mother was very nervous going through the narrows. Dangerous things always made Mother worried and nervous. Mother was frightened when thunder and lightning storms were close to us, where she could see and hear it.

September 1919 Dad and Mother again took their 3 daughters and baby son on a trip. This time they took the train and went to see and learn more about where our Dad and lived and worked. They first went to Evanston, Wyoming, then Almy, Croydon and Ogden. They visited with many relatives and friends in Evanston, Almy and Croydon. Dad lived at both Almy and Croydon before coming to Idaho in 1884. For many years Dad wanted to take Mother on this trip to show her where he had lived and to meet some of his relatives and friends he had made before going to Idaho. This trip was the happy fulfillment of that wish.

Ogden, Utah was our last stop and while there Dad and Mother purchased the farm and home of his cousin and her husband Albert Phipps. This farm is located in West Weber, about five miles west of Ogden. It is an 80-acre irrigated farm. Less than half of which turned out to be good farm land.

Soon after they returned home, the news spread around that the Wagstaff family would soon be moving. Many friends and neighbors came to help in preparation for the move.

Before leaving Glendale, Mother’s good friend and neighbor Elizabeth Owen gave our family a nice going away party. Also the Glendale Ward did likewise and gave the folks a rocking chair as a token of their love and appreciation. After my brother Herbert got married, Mother gave the chair to him.

Mother had now lived in Glendale for over 25 years. She had many friends and neighbors that she loved and appreciated so much. In some ways she did not like to leave all they had worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get. Mother loved her home which had 3 new rooms added. They were now quite comfortable.

I’m sure Dad and Mother had given great thought to this venture before making the final decision to go away and start over in a strange kind of farming and among people they did not know. On the other hand they had become convinced that the move would provide better opportunities for their children. They did have 8 living children they loved with all their heart and soul. They also had great love and respect for each other. These things together with their strong testimony that Heavenly Father would bless them if they did what was right. They put their trust in God and bravely faced the future in their new environment. Little did they realize just what trials they would have to go through — even before they completely settled in their new home.

So it was in October 1919, Dad, Parley and Willard headed from Glendale to Ogden, Utah, with teams, wagons, and white top buggy loaded with family possessions. Jesse and Herbert stayed home and did the milking and tended animals. Parley and Willard stayed in Ogden, and Dad came back to Preston on U.I.C. With the help of faithful neighbors, the rest of the family possessions, cattle, chickens and furniture were put on the freight train and Dad went with them on to Ogden. Mom, us girls, Jesse, Herbert and Albert went on U.I.C. Little did he realize that when he arrived in Ogden, the officials would not let him take his animals home but quarantined them. It was a great shock to Dad when he had to pay over $1,000.00 for feed and care before he could get his animals. It is laughable now, but it wasn’t then when somehow the chickens got loose and were running all over the railroad yard with people trying to catch them. It must have been quite a sight to watch people scrambling around chasing chickens.

Our Dad left a paper in his own hand writing describing a few of the experiences our family had after we got to Ogden. The paper stats that in November 1919, the next month after we got there, Annie and Elsie came down with the Small Pox. Shortly after all the other children also came down. Dad and Mother had all 8 of us in one room and gave us patient loving care. I am sure it taxed their strength and was a great cause for worry and anxiety for them.

We had scarcely got over the Small Pox when all the children, Mother and Dad got the Influenza. We were a very sick group and our Mother was especially bad as she had Asthma along with the flu. Dad also got it but stayed up on his feet, caring for the rest of us and doing the chores. Our sister Annie and Anna Gregersen were working at a cafe in Ogden and roomed together and both of them had the flu. Our Dad went over to Ogden in the buggy every other day to take care of Annie and Anna and take them food. It became evident to our Dad that Anna was getting worse so he sent word for her parents to come. Annie and Anna were great friends and it was a great loss to Annie when her dear friend passed away 14 February 1920. I sometimes wonder how our Dad held up to the terrible work load and responsibility that was placed upon him at this time. Mother was worried about our Dad through all this.

When we first got to Ogden, we joined the Wilson Ward and Mother was put in as Relief Society Teacher. In August 1921 we joined the West Weber Ward. Before we joined the West Weber Ward, the Wilson Ward gave Mother a party and a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Mother was soon put in as a Relief Society Teacher. She continued to be a teacher until she moved to Ogden in 1935.

In June 1921 Mother and her three daughters went on a trip to Logan, Preston, Glendale and McCammon. In McCammon we visited with mother’s brother Gottlob and family. In Glendale we visited with old friends and neighbors and in Logan with Mother’s sisters and her parents.

In December 1921 Mother’s sister Pauline passed away and left her little family without a mother.

In September 1922 Uncle Wills family all got Typhoid Fever. Our Mother believed in being her brothers keeper so she took this family into one room of her home and nursed them back to health, except Annie who was in the hospital. After they got over this terrible disease, Mother continued to take care of the baby boy for some time.

In the ensuing years Mother continued her activities in taking care of her family and supported her husband in his work, church, etc. Mother loved to have chickens and she usually had a flock — this enterprise besides furnishing eggs and meat for her family helped out in providing extra income. She was active in Relief Society and regular in her attendance at Church and in paying her dues.

In January 1931 her daughters Edna and Annie went to Logan to attend the Utah State Agricultural College. This meant that Dad and Mom were alone except for Elsie, Albert, Herbert and Jesse who had come home again. That winter they did considerable visiting of friends and neighbors and Dad helped them with their genealogy. It was during the winter and spring that three old friends passed away and mother and dad attended their funerals — John Dobbs in Logan, Henry D Auger in Lewiston, and Mother’s dear friend and neighbor in Glendale, Elizabeth Owen.

Mary Allsop Wagstaff (1826-1902) with William and Mary.

Little did Mother realize at the time that it would be less than a month when she would lose her devouted companion. Her husband had an operation for stomach ulcers in the Dee Hospital in Ogden the 29 May 1931 and passed away from Post Operative Pneumonia on 31 May. This was a terrible shock to Mother and she grieved very much. There was nothing for her to do except to go on alone without her companion. Life was hard for Mother at this time but she had all the loyal support her sons and daughters could give her. They all loved their Mother and did what they could do lighten the burden. Mother grieved long and hard over the loss of her dear husband but in time found her way to continue life and plan for the future.

Mother stayed on the farm and with the help of her children operated the farm the best they could. THe depression was on in full force and money was hard to come by. Through sheer frugality and wise management, they started to come out on top.

In January 1935, Mother, Annie and Elsie said good-bye to the farm and moved into Ogden. At first they moved into a rented house. They lived in two different rented houses.

In May 1939 Mother purchased a home at 2069 Jackson Ave in Ogden and this was her last home. Mother was comfortable in this home and she enjoyed having a little leisure time in which she could enjoy her flowers and listen to her favorite programs on the radio — Myrt and Marge was one of her specials — it all seemed so real to Mother.

20 December 1940 Mother’s oldest daughter Annie Eliza passed away. I am sure Mother missed Annie as Annie had been confined to the home with heart trouble for several years, during which time they had a lot of opportunity to enjoy each other.

In September 1941 Mother was honored on her birthday when her family gave her a dinner party at which time many of her children and grandchildren were present and Mother enjoyed it very much.

September 1943 an open house was held for her 70th birthday when many of her friends and relatives came.

April 1942 Mother had a serious operation from which she seemed to make a good recovery. FOr quite a few years after this Mother appeared to be in reasonably good health.

Time moved on for Mother as it does for us all. She had seen two world wars in which the people of her home land were heavily involved. I am sure Mother realized that many of her relatives were in action. She said little but seemed to think a lot about it. She had witnesses great changes in the lives of people including transportation, cars and trucks; telephones were beginning to gain in popularity and the radio was in almost every home. It was a thrill to Mother when she got her refrigerator. Tractors were in common use in farming and much of the back-breaking work was now done with machinery.

July 31, 1952 Mother had a mild stroke but was never confined to her bed completely. It did make a change in her life and I think she realized it. 23 of October 1952 after 3 months illness, Mother passed away at her home.

She had always been a hard working, devoted wife and Mother. She served as a Relief Society teacher for over 50 years. She paid her tithing, fast offerings and other donations. She kept her love for her family and her faith in God to the very end.

Her funeral was held 27 October at the Lindquist & Sons Mortuary in Ogden, Utah. It was a lovely funeral with lots of flowers and many friends and relatives attended. She was buried beside her dear husband in the cemetery at West Weber, Weber County, Utah.

THis little history of Mother was put together many years ago by her 3 daughters with her help in relating facts to us. Elsie brought it up to the time of Mother’s death.

I feel there is much more that could and should be said but I am sure each of her children have their own personal remembrances, as well as some of the grandchildren, but I would just like to add a little more that I don’t think has been mentioned.

I don’t remember a time when Mother did not have a lot of beautiful flowers. Geraniums that blossomed all winter long. She had morning glories, pansies, sweat peas, portulacas, pinks and others to mention a few.

Mother always made her laundry soap which was so good to use in cleaning the farm work clothes and so beautiful and white. She made many batches of soap for each of her married children as well as some of her neighbors.

When Dad and Mother killed a pig for home use, Mother worked so hard helping Dad cut it up, cure it and make delicious link sausages; and the head cheese she made was the best. There was always a piece of pork given to the neighbors.

She always churned her butter while on the farm and it was very good butter.

After we went to Ogden, Mother had a hot bed where she raised tomato and cabbage plants for themselves and others to plan in their fields.

Mother was a good cook and made the best bread, pies, rice pudding and soups. Oh! they were so good. When we had the threshers they always liked to be at our place for meals as they enjoyed the delicious meals Mother put on.

She loved to have her neighbors, friends and married children drop in for a good meal — and no one ever dropped in unexpected but that they were treated to a real meal or a snack.

After we moved to Ogden, it was the joy of her life to return to Preston to visit her dear friends, relatives and neighbors, and Dad somehow always found the necessary money so she could do that.

Mother was always clean and neat when she left home to go any place. She had beautiful long black hair that stayed dark until her death. She had a unique way of putting up her hair — hair styles changed but Mother’s never did. Many people commented on her lovely hair and the unique way she fixed it. Mother also had beautiful hats which she loved very much.

I would like to relate a little incident that happened in the summer of 1918. It was when we had a total eclipse of the sun. We did not have a radio or television and the paper hadn’t come. I guess Mother did not know the eclipse was coming. Dad had gone to town. I don’t know where the others were but Elsie, Albert, Jess and I were home with Mother. It started to get dark, then darker and darker. She became very excited and thought the end of the world was coming. She dashed out to gather the precious eggs — it was totally dark in the cop and the chickens had gone to roost. Mother was so relieved when it all passed over and the sun came out and best of all Dad came home.

One day during World War I, Dad was sitting at the breakfast table reading the paper. We knew, of course, about the German submarines sinking many of our food ships. Dad said rather nonchalantly, “Well, some more sugar has been sunk.” Mother became very excited and said, “Where?” Dad said, “In my postum,” and let out a roar.

Mother suffered with asthma most of her adult life and we all did everything we could to help out when she had a bad attack. Many mornings I remember Dad calling to us, “Come on and get up. Mother is sick.” We all rallied around and kept things going while she was down. If someone lit a match and let it burn, it would always bring on an attack of asthma. Many times when Mother was fighting for her breath we would all be frightened and I remember one time I ran to Bishop Ed. Bingham’s place to get him to come and administer to her.

Dad was always so kind, considerate and helpful to her especially when she was will; and her children were also.

Mother had a unique laugh and when something struck her as funny, she could really laugh. In a crowd you could always pick out Mother’s laugh. Several years at the July 24th celebration in West Weber she took the prize for laughing the longest and hardest. One year the prize was a leg of lamb; another time a beautiful Jordinere.

I remember that Mother had a pet lamb she loved and took very good care of it. She went to Logan for a few days to visit her mother. She wrote a letter home to use in English, but as a joke also wrote a note in Germany. We could not read the note so took it to a neighbor lady who could read German. The note said “Be sure and take good care of my lamb.” We all got quite a thrill out of this.

It was important to our Mother and Dad to see to it that each of their children were baptized in the Logan Temple. All their children were baptized except the last two. 30 March 1915 Dad and Mother took Jesse to Logan with the horse and buggy so he could be baptized. Then they stayed at grandpa’s and grandma’s home one night. When they couldn’t go they sent the children with Annie on the U.I.C. electric train.

At a George Washington party in the Glendale Ward, Vern Nelson tells this story. Mother was sitting on the front bench and Vern had to recite a poem. It was

Of all the girls in this world,

I’d marry none for riches,

I’d marry one six inches tall,

So she couldn’t wear my britches.

Vern changed the poem to read necktie instead of britches. Everyone expected him to say britches. He said Mother started to laugh and he had never seen anyone laugh so hard in his life.

A few years ago Meda Nelson Robinson told me as long as she lives she will never forget the blue and white granite kettle Mother used to make sandwiches in for us kids to eat between Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting when there was a little recess. They were usually just break and butter or sometimes a little sugar sprinkled on them, and always a cub cake with little currants in. She said that when Mother got the kettle out, that she and some of the ward kids would sally up to Mother hoping for at least a cup cake. She said sure enough Mother always had plenty and she would always get one, and how good they were.

Mother was kind and compassionate and believed that true happiness in life comes from serving others. Her friends and neighbors were often beneficiaries of her goodness, and if there was a new baby or sickness or sorrow in a home, she always found time to put on a clean apron and take a loaf of fresh baked bread, a pie, or fresh berries or something from her garden to cheer them.

She never lost sight of the purpose of life and the reasons for coming to America.

She abhorred cruelty to animals or humans.

She always had little sayings to put over a point such as “If a string is in a knot, patience will untie it. Patience can do many things; have you ever tried it.”; or “If there is a will, there is a way”; or “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.”

When Mother passed away, she did not leave many possessions and no riches; but she did leave a legacy far superior to earthly things, and I’m sure we as a family appreciated that.

Mother had her dub of joy but she also knew sorrow. As I have raised my family, we had our share of sickness, accidents and near deaths and it has made me think about Mother. She must have been in great anxiety and pain over the loss of three of her children before they reached maturity.

Dad and Mother really loved each other and were always happy with each other. Dad got so much joy out of buying her special little things when she was ill such as oranges, or a can of oysters, or a bottle of soda water. They worked together as a team in whatever they did. Whether it was in the garden, cutting and curing meat or whatever, they enjoyed being together. They both enjoyed going in a cafe and having a snack like a hot beef sandwich or root beer and a sweet roll.

Mother really suffered and grieved deeply over the loss of her husband. Dad was just 70 and Mother 57 at the time. Many times we have found Mother out back of the house crying as if her heart would break — many times she was heard to say “If only papa was here.”

Mother is long since gone, but those of us who remember have a MEMORY that is SWEET and LASTING.

by

Researcher’s Story of Germany and our Ancestors

This is a story that was included with the documents I received from Golden Andra’s family. I thought I would share and preserve it for whatever value it might have. It appears to jump between multiple writers.

“Dear Cousins:

“At our reunion last year 16 June 1979

“William Andra Jr. President of the Wanner – Schmid Family Organization, introduced Trudy Schenk as our new genealogy researcher, Trudy says “guten-tag,” which means “good-day,” in german. William ask his wife Edith to ask her Norwegian researcher if she knew a german researcher, she said yes her name is Trudy Schenk. So William & Edith met Trudy, was very impressed with her, so they called Jess Wagstaff and told him they were coming up to see me. They took me out to dinner and told me about Trudy, and ask me to come to Salt and meet her, so I did this was the 26 Feb 1979, and after having a nice talk with her we hired her to be our researcher that same day. We pay Trudy $5.00 per hour, which is very reasonable as researcher’s wages go.

“Trudy was born in the next county west and a little north of Atzenweiter (which is near Gruenkraut) where our Grandparents lived. They moved there after Uncle George and aunt Christenia were born at Holzgerlingen. Trudy was born at Kenzingen, Baden, Wuert. and came to Utah when she was 20 yrs. old. So she knows the German Language as well as the Country.

“Trudy attended our reunion 16 June 1979 in Logan, Utah and told us about the history of our Ancestors.

“Trudy says: once again I wish to emphasize to you how hard working Jess and Edith are. Edith types your Family Group Sheets clear into the night, sometimes when William is away with his work she types all night, to keep your genealogy work going. I think I’m really blessed to work on the WANNER – SCHMID genealogy, very, very blessed. I feel these films of the Wuerttemburg records was filmed by the Church, because of a certain reason, those People was waiting, up there, to have their Temple Work done for them. These are the only Lutheran records we have of the whole state of Wuerttemberg and others are not to come until a year or more or maybe never before the Church may get back to filming there, they just don’t let people come in and take films, so anyway I feel you are a very blessed people and your Ancestors who have gone on will love you for the money you spend in putting Their Names into the Temple.

“You have heard of the new Extraction Program that the Church is doing I’m sure, and that the Prophet is telling us that we should do four generations, Well! he has also told us to lengthen our stride, I ask someone who is in charge of the Extraction Program down there and they told me, that Wuerttemburg isn’t even on the list, hasn’t even been approved yet for Extraction, your Ancestors would have to wait for years yet, until that work could be done by the Church. Of course the Church is still depending on the people that have family organizations like yours. There are not many of them among the Mormons in Utah or any where, that have a organization like you do and you ought to be contratulated for this. but anyway because of this you have been able to do many, many, names I think thousands of names that you have been able to do, to get the Temple Work done.

“I have made a copy of an original map of Germany. I have made a little circle for my home town which is Kenzingen, (its on the west, up from Freiburg.) I have made a little square for Gruenkraut and Atzenweiler, where your family came from to America. And a little cross by Isny, the original place where the Wanner family originated in the 1200 A.D. 1200 century and then I underlined the little towns where the people came from in the 1500 century on. The 1500 century is how far the records go back in Germany. These little towns are Holzgerlingen Breitenstein, all the villages where your people come from.


“The Pastors keep very good records even in those yrs. and yet sometimes they are very difficult to read, you set there and pray, so that you don’t make a mistake because some of these records are very hard to decipher, some are dark, spilled ink over them, soe of them have burned edges, some of them have gone through wards, some of them through many wars, so those people like you are very lucky that those records are still available.

“There is a larger scale map and all the little towns are underlined where your Ancestors on the Pedigree came from. Here is the 15 Generation Pedigree Chart that shows the Pedigree of the Wanner line we have gone across the front and the back can be filled up also as we have gone that far back and even more, there is just that information here in Salt Lake. Trudy Had Bill and Jess hold up this chart so it could be seen. Maria Catharina Schweitzer is our Grandmother’s Grandmother. This is where Trudy started working.

“If you would go to Germany and do the research there, you would have to go from Village to village, you would have to make appointments with the Pastors to get into the church to read the books you could only go when they were available, usually the Pastors teach school or religion classes after school, so you would have to wait until they were available or their secretaries were available and its much harder to do the research over there than it is here where if I want to go to a different Village I just get a different film if I need to know more.

“William Andra says when Trudy first started we just had the first two rows on the chart done, now in four months Trudy has done all the rest, plus some on the back. Jess Wagstaff says Trudy started with our Grandmother’s Grandmother. And that we can get the 15 generation charts for 50¢, and you will never get any fun out of doing your genealogy unless you get a 15 generation pedigree chart and fill in the names as you get the sheets. Down at the library the other day this sign hit me right in the eye, it says, “The Greatest responsibility in this World that the Lord has Laid Upon Us is to Seek after Our Dead.” by Joseph Smith.

“Now Trudy says – – I agree with Jess, its really the greatest responsibility – and the only reason they started the four generation program is because many people didn’t want to do anything, so they thought if they made it easy on them and just given them four generation to do they would do it, and you would be surprised how many people don’t have anything done yet. Yes we were told this is part of Our SALVATION, this is what we were told YOU CAN NOT GET THERE UNLESS THIS WORK IS DONE.

“I have made up a little history of the Wanner and Schmid Families, that I have found in books in the records the Pastors have keep, Now the Pastors usually didn’t give much information about private things the only things you can find is He was born he died, they were married and where, on such and such a date and that is about it. Only if something special happened to one of the members of these people then maybe you can find they died a certain death or if something happened, there, was an illegitimate child or somebody made a mistake, then you could be sure it was written there. They were a very religious people and they believed in excommunication, you might not believe this, if someone did something wrong they were excommunicated, from the Lutheran church, this was very interesting to me.

“I made a couple of copies of this little history of the Wanner’s, I wanted you to know that in Germany the Wanners were known as tub makers, in the Germany language a tub is known as “wanne,” and don’t laugh at my “W” I have to say Vanners like they do in Germany. The wanne is a bath tub, not only a bath tub but a wooden tub, they used them to make wine, they used them in bakeries, they used them to wash their laundry, or anything like that, thats where the Wanners got their name from, because they were the first people to make these tubs. “Jess wanted to know if they bath the same day after making their wine?” Ha! Ha! I tell you when they bath, none of them had bath rooms, they maybe bath once a week, they brought the tub into the kitchen, they had to heat the water on the stove, with wood they got by themselves out of the woods, and so they had it much harder than we did. But they had more time then we do. “Jess said thats exactly the way we did it when I was a kid,” and then someone spoke up and said “all seven or eight.”

“I found a “Coat of Arms,” of the Wanners, and I found it actually in some of your pedigree line in a book that was printed, I don’t know by who, but the reference is all there. There is a Coat of Arms, of the Wanners and one of the Hillers, there also on the pedigree line, and this tells you that the Wanners were tub makers. That they came also from a tiny little place of ISNY, that is also on the map, and went up after the reformation to the Lutheran church to help the Baptist Lutheran church in Holzgerlingen and other villages around there. The little man on the “Coat of Arms” is holding a yellow tub in his hands, it is a wanne in Germany therefore they were called the WANNERS.

“Now Jerry Wagstaff has done of the research earlier and he had done it out of the family registers, family registers have been put together by some of the Pastors later than when the actual deaths, birthers, or marriages happened and sometimes the Pastors made mistakes because they went by the original books and made up these families, so if you find a sheet now that has two more Names on, then Jerry did before, it wasn’t that Jerry made the mistake it was the Pastors that made a mistake earlier maybe two hundred years ago, I wanted you to know that. “Than Jess thanks Trudy and said that when Jerry copied some of the first sheets he had to pay the Pastors secretary to be with him while he made the copies.” Trudy said I’ve done research before, it isn’t easy to do research over there.

“Yet you have two lines that we don’t have records on here in Salt Lake they have not been able to be filmed and these will have to be done from Germany, if you want to go on with the NOTTERS and the NONNENMACHERS and I went to the officials to see if they were going to do them, and they said no, they didn’t have any cameras right there now and we don’t know when we will have them, so maybe later on I’ll have to go to Germany to finish them or engage someone over there, if I go to Germany I can sleep in my home town and won’t have to pay anything.

“O.K two little instances that has happened to the Wanners, the Pastor wrote in that I thought was interesting, the Wanner of your pedigree had gone to another village with his horse and on his way home he went into a Inn to eat something and he had his youngest son on back of his horse and when he went out of th eInn to get back on his horse shome how the horse got scared it jumped and he fell down and was killed right there. In another little instance the Pastor wrote down one of the Wanners went with another man to help cut down trees and wasn’t careful enough and when the tree fell he was in the way and killed by the tree, another that was interesting one of the children was born blind, I had never seen that in a record before, I thought that was interesting that the Pastor made a special point to put that down.

“I wanted you to know that these people were a very religious people because of it they joined the reformed church, the Lutheran church, they were all Catholic or something else by then but when the Lutheran church become the state church they joined them and one instance I read that they believed in the Millennium, this was in the 1520 and it was quite interesting to find out that they did not know what the Millennium was but they new that the Lord had something in store for them and it was called the Millennium and they didn’t know what it was. One made the remark, I want the Pastors to preach without getting any money for it, I want there to be Apostles like they were in the time of Jesus. I thought that was interesting so you can see they were always Truth Seekers they waned to find something better than what they had.

“Now you can look on the Wanner lines lots of them were Mayors, of the town, they were Janitors, they were city Counselors, and always in every family there was one or two of them that would have something to do on the city council and be leaders of the town, some Weavers, Shoemakers, sheep herders, there was a Doctor, there was two Ministers, School Teachers, and I found in a book of those early years it had pictures of people in their shops, it showed how they used to do it and I made a copy so you can look at them. The pictures don’t come out very good, pictures of these and the “Coat of Arms” and the history can be made of the Wanners.

“Now if you want you can ask me something you would like to know about or you can make comments: William Andra Sr was born in east Germany and he said it sometimes it rain so much that they had to hang the hay on the fence to dry. Trudy said also the grain and corn. Edna W. Owen said that her mother used to tell about the Black Forest, Trudy said there was two Black Forest and she lived between them.

“Then someone said they took brooms and swept the paths in the forest. Trudy said yes and that they had paths all through the forest but over here one has to follow the roads. She said also that on Saturday they would sweep the streets so they would be clean for Sunday. That last year when she came home from Germany the streets and yars around their place were so dirty, she said to her husband whats the matter with people? Don’t they live their country and homes? She was disgusted with them!

“Now I’m sorry but this is as much as I have where Trudy is answering your questions. If you can remember more, please write it down and mail it to me and I’ll write it up for everyone. THANK YOU. Jess.

“THIS HAPPENED TO TRUDY IN 1980

“Trudy says as she was working in the Library one day she went to get some tapes, she picked out one looked at it and said I don’t want this one, so she set it aside, picked out three she wanted went to leave and noticed the first tape and said to herself well I’ll take it along. After she got what she wanted off of the three taps, she went to get up and noticed that first tape, so she said I wonder whats on it, so she put it on the machine turned it on and had just gone a little ways and to her surprise – there was her Grandmother’s record – before her Mother died she had looked for three years for her Mother’s record and could not find it, she had been looking in the wrong area for it. Trudy said she cried – she went to Relief Society and told the ladies what had happened and they all cried with her. THIS WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE TO TRUDY! She told me to tell you about it. Jess.

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History of Wilhelmina Wanner Bodrero

Another history given to me from the collection of Golden Rulon Andra. “History of Wilhelmina Wanner Bodrero” with the subheading “Our Mother” by Laura Bodrero Nungesser.

LaMont Call, Wilhelmina Wanner Bodrero, Barbara Bodrero Call

“Our mother, Wilhelmina Wanner Bodrero, was born in the last summer of 1887 on September 12th in Atzenweiler Neckarkreis Wuerttemberg, Germany.

“Wilhelmina is a daughter of Johann George Wanner and Anna Maria Schmid. Mother was the tenth child of the ten children born to the family of five boys and five girls.

Wanner Family about 1895, Wilhelmina is the youngest.

“A small baby, mother was told that during her first year of life she was continually sick. A neighbor lady also had a little girl about the same age as mother. Her baby was always healthy. Each day the neighbor lady would come to see how mother was doing and each visit she would tell mother Wanner that her baby would never live. But sadly, the neighbor’s child died when she was about a year old, while at this time mother is still well and healthy at the young age of ninety-five.

“It is difficult for mother to remember her life in Germany because she was very young, but she remembers what her mother has told her. Mother’s father was a road supervisor and owned a little land. He also acquired a few chickens and some cattle in which the whole family had to tend to. Their life in Germany was very hard, and they were also poor.

“Mother was nearly four years of age when the missionaries came to their small home in Germany one day. it was not too long after being taught by the missionaries that the family, grasping the truthfulness of the gospel, became converted. Her brother, George, was the first to be baptized and soon after came to America with two missionaries. Nearly two years later the rest of the family was able to come to America. Mother was baptized in America August 1896.

“Mother remembers the journey to America. The first experience was riding for some time on an open train, then boarding a small boat. This small boat transported their family and whatever few possessions they held with them to a large ship, accommodating a very large deck. During the long watery voyage, mother and a young brother, Gottlob, would play on the huge deck and one day they found big, heavy barrels filled with juicy cherries. These were the first cherries she remembers eating.

“Mother was told that the journey on the ship lasted two weeks before the shores of New York finally brimmed the horizon. They stayed in New York City two days and nights before boarding a train for Chicago. When they arrived in Chicago, they lodged for a day and night, then journeyed by train westward until they reached the small f arming community of Franklin, Idaho. It was at this place, the final end of their migration, where mother’s brother George, along with horse and buggy, met them at the train stop. Accompanied by George’s employer, Fred Nuffer, they loaded into the wagon and drove off toward the Idaho community known as Glendale. Since George knew a lot of people such as the Nuffer family in Glendale, they too decided to establish their residency there.

“Within a short time they were able to purchase a little land with a small rock home. The rock home had one large room. Adjoining the house was a root cellar with a floor on top of it. This is where the children slept under the roof made of dirt. The large room in the rock home served as living quarters for the family and also as a bedroom for mother and father Wanner. Mother’s brother George worked in the rock quarry and as time went on, he helped his father add two more rooms to the rock house. This was a welcomed addition indeed!

“As the youngest child in the family, mother had a lot of time to play for the first two or three years in Glendale. Gradually, though, she had to start helping more around the house and farm. Father Wanner would cut and rack the hay and afterwards mother would follow the wagon and gather up the hay that the rack hadn’t caught.

“Mother attended school in a one room school house in Glendale. As with many schools in the early 1900’s, children of many ages met together and were taught by one teacher. Very little individual help was given. Every day mother would walk to and from school. At times in the winter, her father would take her to school by horse and buggy. Mother and her family also attended school in Glendale.

“For a couple of years, mother helped her father trap squirrels. In the mornings, her father would set ten to twelve traps in the brush bordering the fields. The government, upon seeing the ears for proof, would pay so much per pelt. One year they made $14.00.

“Life was hard on the farm. They had no refridgerator so a small addition to the rock home was built for the purpose of keeping things as cool as possible. Water was packed from the spring nearby in every season. The milk was also carried into the house and poured into large pans. While other chores were attended to the milk would set and later the cream skimmed off and churned into butter. The butter and the eggs gathered from the hens, were taken tot he market store in Preston and exchanged for other food. Later, mother Wanner bought a separator to separate the milk and cream. The separator had to be turned by hand everytime the milking was done. It was mother’s job to help turn the separator and churn the cream into butter. Mother also picked red raspberries from their raspberry patch. These juicy, plump berries were also taken to market and sold for a dime a quart.

“When mother was eleven years old, her sister Christine gave birth to another baby. mother walked two miles every day to help care for Christine and the tiny newborn. She would bathe the baby as well as feed and tend the other children. Each day she recalls running fear past badger holes along side the road, for everyone she knew had said badgers were very mean. To her relief, the badgers remained in their deep, dark caves each time she quickly passed. For two weeks she cared for her sister Christine and her new baby. For this sweet service she was given a tiny china cup.

“Father Wanner bought a farm in Whitney, Idaho when mother was in her early teens. She rode a horse to Whitney from Glendale, a seven mile trip, to help in the sugar beets and to lead the horse on the hay derrick. Then she would return to Glendale to do her given chores. Once, while herding the cows, she was riding a bridled horse without a saddle. The horse jumped a big ditch and mother fell off, hitting the ground hard. She law there a long time before she could regain her strength. The horse, sensing her helplessness, did not move but stood by her side until she could manage to get up onto his back and ride him home. This terrible fall hurt her hip severely and has given her a lot of trouble and pain for many years.

“When mother was around seventeen her father sold the Glendale farm to her brother Fred and the Whitney farm to her older brother George. She and her family moved to Preston where her father had a new home built and waiting for them.

“While living in Preston, mother attended the Oneida Academy for one year and took a sewing class. Every Sunday, her family and other German families met in each other’s homes to hold their church meetings. During the week, mother did house work for several neighbors. She did her best and worked hard. Before too long, mother was asked by a certain man from Logan, who had helped plaster their new home in Preston, to come and care for his wife when their baby was born. She did; and also worked for Mrs. Beech, who had a grocery store on Center and 4th West (by the canal) in Logan. It was later known as the Canal Grocery.

“One day the circus was coming to Logan and father Wanner decided he would like to see it very much. So mother and her parents boarded the train and traveled to Logan to see the circus. It was during this holiday that she formally met Moses Bodrero, whom she had seen a couple of times, as her sister Louise was married to his brother Jeffery. Not until this time, however, had they been properly introduced. Moses went to the circus with mother and her family, and after this first meeting they began to date. Mother continued to live and work in Logan for two or three months until she was called home to Preston when mother Wanner became very ill and needed her. mother and Moses corresponded with each other. Moses even rode the Bamberger to Preston several times to see mother. Their courtship lasted almost a year, and then on a cold winter day, December 18, 1907, they were married for time and eternity in the Logan Temple.

“They established their home with father’s parents on 3rd North and 5th West in Logan. This home was very small. It did not have any electricity or indoor plumbing. It was hard work caring for father’s parents as well as her other household demands. A very special occasion was near that would also keep mother busier than ever. A year after their marriage, they were blessed with a newborn son. They named him Earl. Their next baby was a healthy girl and they decided to call her Mae. As years followed, they were again blessed with two more sons, Floyd and Kenneth. During this time, father and mother continued living in their father’s parents and taking care of them, but when Earl was a year old, Father’s dad passed away. This was a sorrowful event and mother Bodrero remained in the home with them for she needed special love and care.

“After living in the little old home for twelve years, father decided to tear the home down and build a larger one. Before the new home was finished, mother was expecting her fifth baby. Since the new home was not completed in time for her delivery, she gave birth to their little daughter int he shanty (a small shed). Father and mother named this new baby daughter, Hazel.

“This long-awaited new home was larger and modernized with electricity and indoor plumbing. Life was easier and better for mother and her growing family. Sometimes mother would have a neighbor, by the name of Millie Shaw, come and help her take care of the babies. Following her little girl, Hazel, two more daughters were born, Clara and Laura. And later still, another sweet daughter and son joined their family. They named this new baby girl Barbara and their son was blessed and given the name Ivan. This made a total of nine children they happily received into their loving care.

“In the year 1910, mother and father Wanner moved from their home in Preston, to a home in Logan. Mother was now able to see her parents more often and they, in turn, became better acquainted with their grandchildren. Sadly though, int he year 1922, during the cold month of February, father Wanner passed away.

“When our sister, Clara, was six years old, she came down with Diphtheria and was not expected to live. However, with the good, faithful love and care from mother and father, she overcame the disease. Meanwhile, the older children stayed with their grandmother Wanner so they could continue going to school.

“Mother and father were one of the first in Logan to purchase a table radio and it was enjoyed a lot by the family. Together they would sit at night listening to the programs and music.

“After working seventeen years at the sugar factory, father had acquired by this time some land. So he left the sugar factory and became dedicated to the farm with the help of mother and the children.

“Mother recalls having a couple of sleeping babies in the baby buggy and helping father in the farm when a loud whistle suddenly blew, announcing to everyone the end of World War I. It was a happy day for all!

“Mother worked very hard in those early years, helping on the farm, caring for the children, cooking meals and caring for the house and mother Bodrero. Mother Bodrero had lived with them for twelve years following the death of her husband but then decided to move in with father’s sister. She was cared for by father’s sister a few months and then quietly passed away.

“When the new home was built, chicken coops were also constructed and each spring mother and father would order hundreds of baby chicks. Often mother would be found late into the night and early morning caring for these little chicks. Mother also loved to work in the vegetable and flower garden. She would gain joy and satisfaction through bottling a lot of fruits and making jams and jellies. For many summers, she and father and the smaller children would pile into the Essex (the family car) and go to Honeyville or Deweyville to pick or purchase ripe melons and other fruits.

“Among the other activities mother loved doing were sewing strips of rags together and making throw rugs. She was constantly quilting in her spare moments. The quits were framed and set in the dining room ready for her eager handiwork throughout each day.

“Mother also had made many friends around the neighborhood and she would visit them often. One family in particular, by the name of Mr. and Ms. Fred Speth, had come from Germany and had settled in College Ward. Mother and father became close friends with them and would visit them frequently.

“Mother was a dedicated visiting teacher in the ward and she, father and the children would attend all meetings on Sunday. She and father also attended the temple periodically, doing the work for the dead.

“Mother remembers in those days there was not a variety of events to attend, but they did go to some silent movies and German socials. They would visit heir relatives as often as possible. Mother’s sister, Mary lived in Ogden, Louise resided in Logan, Fred in Glendale, George and Christine in Preston and her youngest brother, Gottlob, lived in Inkom, Idaho.

“These good years swiftly flew by and when Earl turned twenty-one, he was called on a mission to the mid-western states. He served three years in the mission field. Missionaries served two and a half years at the time he was called, but he was given the duties of District President, therefore he continued to serve an extra six months. When he was released, he wrote to mother and father asking them to arrange things so he could meet him in Denver, Colorado. From there they would take a little tour through the Black Hills of Dakota, and on through Yellowstone Park and then home. They were able to do this, taking their youngest child Ivan with them.

“Father was able to buy a piece of land two blocks north of their home on Fifth North and Fifth West. He began making plans to build a new home on part of this land. In the spring of 1942 this dream was accomplished and mother and father moved into their second new home. At the time of this move, most of the children were married and had moved into homes of their own.

“Mother had more time to do other things so she became interested in embroidery. She would spend many hours embroidering pillowcases, scarfs, and quit blocks and soon became very good at this hobby. The handiwork is beautiful, and much of the work has been given as gifts to her children and grandchildren.

“Inspite of the fact that mother was very sickly as a child, she has enjoyed a very healthy life. There was a time in her early sixties, however, that an operation was needed, and during this trying illness her life was nearly taken. Our comforting Lord was with her as well as the faith and prayers of her loved ones and her life was spared.

“A few years later, when most people mother and father’s age would be retiring, they instead decided to be adventurous and investigate the possibilities of buying some land in the state of Washington that the government was issuing. This territory is situated near a small rural community called George; also not far from the little town named Quincy.

“Taking along their son, Ivan, they took a trip to Washington and purchased enough land for a productive farm. During the next few years they would spend the summers in Washington and winters in Logan. This was a very happy time for mother and father. Suddenly though, during the winter of 1962, father became very ill and passed away on December 19, 1962, one day following their fifty-fifth anniversary.

Bodrero Family in 1957, Front (l-r): Moses, Wilhelmina, Clara; Back: Laura, Mae, Floyd, Kenneth Ivan, Earl, Hazel, Barbara

“Mother became very fond of the farm and land in Washington, and decided to continue the work there with the help of Ivan and Clara. A circumstance in the fall of 1967, however, took the life of Clara, another sorrowful event in mother’s life. To keep herself busy, she decided to stay on the farm in Washington and help Ivan around the home and care for a small garden. For the next few years she would occasionally visit her sons and daughters and their families in Utah. These visits were always a great pleasure for her and them as well.

“Fourteen years following the death of her dear mate and nine years after the passing away of Clara, she again bereaved the loss of her eldest son Earl, who was taken from this life on December 10, 1976. Because of her strong testimony in the Lord, Jesus Christ, and in the hereafter, she remained very faithful and upheld her strength during these difficult experiences, and therefore has continued with her life. Mother has had a very strong testimony of the Gospel and faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, and in there hereafter all of her life.

“At this time, mother is fairly well. her interest in life never diminishing, she spends most of her time embroidering quilt blocks and has also joined a lapidary (rock collecting and polishing) club. The club has monthly meetings and annual festivals that she attends. She still gardens and cares for a thriving strawberry patch. These are a few of the activities she enjoys most.

“Mother still owns the home in Logan on 5th North and 5th West, but she spends more of her time in George, Washington. mother’s brothers and sisters have passed away many years ago, but she remembers them through her many nieces and nephews. Along with her 7 surviving children, she is a grandmother to 43 grandchildren, 110 great grandchildren, and 4 great great grandchildren.

“In loving tribute, Mother exemplifies in her pioneer spirit an indominable character who loves to be doing something all of the time. True to her faith, she honors the Lord and His commandments. Alert, busy, and enjoying the work she does; this is how we will always remember our Mother.

Mary Andra, Unknown Couple, Verna Wanner, Bill Andra, Willard Wanner, Norma and Kenneth Bodrero, Wilhelmina Bodrero
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History of Pauline W. Crossley

This history came into my hands from Golden Andra’s collection. A received a large stack of family history from his family. I am reviewing and making them available in this format. I typed this one about Pauline as typed, misspellings and errors too.

Pauline Wanner and Wiliam Henry Crossley

“This history was compiled August 3, 1993, by J. Allyne Kemp Crossley from two seperate histories, a story written by her son, Richard and information obtained from various family members, at a special request for he 1993 Wanner Reunion, which celebrates the 123rd year of the Wanner family.

“Pauline Wanner Crossley, daughter of Johann George and Ann Maria Schmid Wanner, was born in Atzenweiler, Neckarkreis, Wuertthemberg, Germany on April 1, 1884. Wuertthemberg, being one of the states of the divided nation of Germany. At the time of her birth, she joined a family of seven brothers and sisters, she being the eigth child. Following her birth two more children came to the family making a total of ten children: five boys and five girls, two of which died at an early age, while the family was still in Germany.

“Pauline and her brothers and sisters were very fortunate to have had parents who were honorable, upright, and hard-working people, who loved their children and worked very hard to see that they got the very best that they could provide. Both parents believed in God and had a strong faith that their prayers would be answered in providing them with the blessings they needed. They belonged to the Lutheran Church, and tried to teach their children correct principles.

“Sometime during the year of 1891, Johann, Pauline’s father, brought some missionaries to their home. These missionaries were representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they were Jacob Zollinger [1845-1942] from Providence, Utah; John Hassenfritz, from the Bear Lake area, and John Federly of Salt Lake City, Utah.

“After the missionaries had been teaching them the Gospel for some time, the family became very interested and decided they would join the Church. Some of the family were old enough to be baptized and they became members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in October 1891. Pauline waited until after the family arrived in America to be baptized on January 7th 1897, just three months before her 13th birthday. Joining the Church brought peace to their minds and joy to their hearts. It did not take long for the family to decide that they wanted to leave their native land, and come to the United States, where they could have religious freedom and better opportunities for their families, and to provide for their wants and needs.

“Not long after their baptism, some of the missionaries were preparing to return to their homes in the U.S. and Johann and Maria decided to send their older son, George to America with them, he’d be the first member of the family, to come to this country.

“In the Spring of 1893, Pauline’s parents began making the preparations to take the rest of their family to America, saying “Good-bye” to all their relatives, friends, and their native land.

“They had to ride the train for one day, afterwhich they took a boat up the Rhine River which took three of four days, then they took another train for another day, which took them to the North Sea. Here they got on another boat which was larger than the first, which would take them to Liverpool, England. The sea was very rough and the weather stormy, so it took another day before they reached Liverpool, where they boarded a big ship to sail to America.

“They were on the ocean for about 2 weeks, before they finally reached New York, where they stayed for two or three days. From New York, they took the train once again, and started their journey across the American Continent, for Salt Lake City, Utah, having to stop in Chicago, Illinois for one day and night. After arriving in Salt Lake City, they then continued their long and tedious journey to Franklin, Idaho where they arrived on the 18th of June 1893, all being very happy, and anxious, to get settled in their newly adopted homeland.

“They were met by their brother, and son, George and Mr. Fred Nuffer. Mr. Nuffer invited George, and all of his family to stay at his home, until they could find a place of their own, which was about one week.

“The Sunday following their arrival in Franklin, they all went to church, traveling to Glendale, where they had their membership records moved to, from the Branch in Germany.

“Grandpa Wanner soon bought the home and farm of John Nuffer’s in Glendale and the family lived there for a number of years before buying a home in Logan, Utah.

“Pauline worked hard on the farms that her father had bought – he bought several for his family to run. The members of Pauline’s family were all good workers and they all strived very hard to make a go of it, in this new land. Each of them was also very diligent in working for their beliefs, for their church, and for their Savior, Jesus Christ – including Pauline – she was a member of the Relief Society Presidency, while her children were still young she would take the “Black-top” and make many trips down to Thatcher.

“Not too much is known about Pauline’s romances, as a young lady, but her daughter, Annie, remembers hearing Pauline talk about a young man that she was engaged to, prior to Pauline’s engagement to her Dad, who was killed in an avalanche – Pauline only talked about it a few times.

“Pauline Wanner and William Henry Crossley, were married in the Logan Temple on December 14th 1904; Pauline was 20 and Will was 26 at the time, they both had dark brown hair but Will’s was curly.

“Will’s parents were John and Eliza Clements Crossley, he was born the 16th of October 1878 at Weston, Idaho and was baptized May 7th 1887. He had only one older brother, named Emanuel; one half brother, Levi, also lived with them while they were at home.

“To Pauline & Will were born four girls and five boys. Their first child, a beautiful baby girl, whom they named Florence, was born about 1905, she lived for about one year, then died in a very tragic fire. About one year later, another little girl was born whom they named Violet, she lived only two weeks; a third little baby girl, named Fern, was born on May 25th 1908 and she lived for only a few hours. Pauline was out helping to put up hay when a load tipped over on top of her, bringing the baby too soon. A 4th little baby girl, Annie Laurie, who’d be their only living daughter, was then born on April 30th 1909. *(According to Annie’s birth certif., she was born in March).

“Following the birth of Annie Laurie, the family grew with the addition of the boys, each arriving about two years apart from one another. Joseph Henry, arrived on April 14th 1911; Richard Wanner on January 27th 1913; Albert John was born June 28th 1915; Clarence William, who everyone knew as “Virgil” was born March 18th 1917; he died September 6th 1984, and is buried in McCammon; and then Cyril Chester was born on October 28th 1919. These children brought lots of joy to their mother, and I’m sure that had she have lost Annie, her only living girl, she would have just laid down and died right then —

“The Pioneer immigrants had to make many sacrifices and endure many tragidies in order that they could live their faith and belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ – many having to leave their homeland and their families, worldly goods, even suffering sicknesses and surviving near starvation and freezing temperatures – But I can’t imagine the pain and heartache of having to watch a home that I’d help build with my own hands, be destroyed in a fire, along with a very precious baby daughter – Florence, when she was only about a year old.

“Pauline and Will had both dropped-off to sleep, forgetting to turn off their coal-oil lamp, and since the wick was bad, it filled the room with smoke as it burned – which woke Will up. He was so sick from the smoke, he couldn’t stand up to talk, he had to crawl about one block, or more to the neighbors, who ran back and were able to get Pauline out of the house – but because of all the excitement and all the turmoil, they forgot about Baby Florence. When Pauline came to all she said was, “The Baby! The Baby!” But it was too late!

“The folks said that another fire happened on the homestead, in Thatcher, at the middle place, because the children decided to build a bon-fire behind the stove in the kitchen – they said it was because the fire had ruined everything so bad, that that was their reason for building their last home, on the homestead, and also a reservoir.

“Will’s older brother, Emanuel, had moved to Thatcher on a homestead, about two years before he and Pauline decided to move – He was finally persuaded and he moved his family to Thatcher, where they homesteaded the place which adjoined his brother’s.

“All of Pauline’s children had a hard “row to hoe” while they were growing up – some made sure that they got a small education and others didn’t but all-in-all nothing was easy for them –

“The children would go barefooted a lot when they were little. One day their Dad noticed that the cows were down in the “stubble” so he instructed the children to go and get them, (they were barefooted, as usual). Annie’s little feet were so tender that with each step she took, the stubble scratched them, and caused them to bleed and each added step brought more scratches, and more bleeding, so she tried to take her time, being as careful as she could so that the rough stubble wouldn’t hurt her feet anymore than they were already hurting. Her Dad got really upset that she took so long to go and help get the cows (he didn’t realize her suffering).

“Then, there were the times when the children would get lost, even on their own place – One day the children were up in the pasture, watching their Dad put in fence posts for a fence, so he could fence-off the pasture. (The children were probably helping as well). One of the boys got tired, so he wandered away from the rest and laid down in the BIG, TALL brush and went to sleep. The whole family hunted and called – but he wasn’t found until sometime after dark.

“Earlier, when the family lived by the “WHEEL GATE”, Joe and Annie went wandering in the TALL Sage Brushes, east of their place. Most of the neighbors must have hunted all over, until the “wee” hours of the morning before they finally found them – the Sage Brushes were so HUGE, that they were just right for the children to make their own little “houses” in them.

“Pauline and Will were strict parents, and living on a farm wasn’t an easy life, to be sure, and everyone needed to work to help: the children even had their responsibilities on the farm —

“Joe and Annie, for example, had to go after the cows, on the hilly pasture land, (there were lots of trees and vegetation). One day, they had just got the cows going along the “cow-trail” through the hills and a bobcat began to follow them and they were scared to death!! After running the cows for awhile, Joe was right behind the cows, Annie next, and then their dog – the dog finally tangled with the bobcat and he took off through the trees – were they ever glad to get back home!

“Another time, Annie went out to take her brother, Richard, a sandwich, when a big buck decided to turn on her and Joe – the only one that could control him was Richard – the buck wouldn’t hurt him.

“Besides his farming – Will also had a “Threshing machine” and he’d go out and do threshing for other farmers, which gave his family a little added means for flour and cereal – He’d always take a load of wheat, by wagon, down to Preston, to have ground into flour and cereal.

That was the end of page 4. It seemed to be an abrupt end, but I cannot tell if there were more pages to the history or not.

by

Wanner-Schmid Wedding

Jakob and Salome Schmid are pleased to announce the marriage of their daughter Anna Maria to Johann, son of Johann and Anna Wanner.  Johann and Anna were married 6 June 1870 in Holzgerlingen, Böblingen, Württemberg.

Anna Maria Schmid was the third child of three born to the marriage of Jakob Frederick Schmid (he went by Frederick) and Salome Notter on 21 January 1849 in Holzgerlingen.  Solome was 38 years old when Anna was born and died two and a half years later in Holzgerlingen.  Anna’s father, Jakob, then remarried to Agnes Margarete Hasenmaier in 1852.  Unfortunately, Agnes passed away a year and half later when Anna was barely over 3 years old.  Jakob remained single as far as we know and raised the two girls and boy on his own afterward.  Jakob was a weaver.  Anna likely had few if any memory of either of her mothers.  Anna was christened the same day she was born.  Below is a picture of St. Mauritius’ tower in Holzgerlingen where Anna was christened.  This tower has been there since the eleventh century.

St. Mauritius Church in Holzgerlingen where Anna Schmid was christened

Johann Georg Wanner was the fourth child of five born to the marriage of Johann Friedrich Wanner and Anna Maria Marquardt on 18 October 1845 also in Holzgerlingen.  He was christened the next day in the same church as Anna.

St. Mauritius

St. Mauritius from the nave looking toward the chancel.  Inside this church is where Johann Wanner was christened

Holzgerlingen is a small town and it is very likely that Johann and Anna knew of each other growing up if not more personally.  Johann and Anna were married 6 June 1870 in the same church in which they were christened.

The altar of St. Mauritius in Holzgerlingen where Johann and Anna were likely married

The altar of St. Mauritius in Holzgerlingen before which Johann and Anna were likely married

Johann and Anna welcomed a baby boy named after his father on 29 October 1870.  Young Johann Georg was christened the next day in the same church, likely before a congregation seated in the below nave.

The chapel/nave of St. Mauritius where family sat for generations if not hundreds of years attending church

The chapel/nave of St. Mauritius where family sat for generations if not hundreds of years attending church

Johann and Anna welcomed Christina Wanner 30 March 1872 in Holzgerlingen.  She was christened on 1 April 1872.

The train platform at Holzgerlingen

The train platform at Holzgerlingen

Between 1872 and 1873 Johann and Anna moved to Grünkraut, Ravensburg, Württemburg.  This is about 50 miles to the south.  We don’t know why they moved to this tiny town.  It was in Grünkraut that Maria Magdalena Wanner was born 12 September 1873.  She was christened 14 September 1873 but I do not know which church the family used in Grünkraut.

Johannas Wanner was born 23 June 1875 and christened the same day in Grünkraut.  He died later that year on 5 November 1875.  He was buried at Atzenweiler according to family records, but I cannot find this place so it must be an area nearby Grünkraut.

Johannas Frederick Wanner came 28 July 1878 and was christened on 3 August 1878.  He died 12 November 1878 and is also apparently buried at Atzenweiler.

On 30 March 1879 Johann and Anna welcomed Luise Sophia Wanner.  Christening followed 6 April 1879 in Grünkraut.

Jakob Frederick Wanner appeared 14 January 1881 with christening 23 January 1881.

Fred told a couple of stories I think proper to share here.  I cannot verify accuracy or the time frame.  “They left the farm work to Grandfather and the children.  They used the milk cows to do the farm work and then would milk them morning and night.  They also got wood from the forest for fuel.  It rained a lot in Germany so the out buildings were connected to the house.  One time Grandma went downstairs to get some fruit.  She reached over and touched something hairy and she thought it was the devil!  It was a cow that had wandered down from the barn.  Dad didn’t talk much about his life as a child but he did say he got a drum for Christmas and then it would disappear about New Years Day and he would get it for Christmas again the next year.  He may have been joking.  The family belonged to the Lutheran Church and was very religious.”

Pauline Wanner arrived 1 April 1884 in Atzenweiler and was christened 10 April 1884 in Atzenweiler.

Gottlop Wanner showed up 18 June 1886 in Kronhalden with christening 29 June 1886 in Atzenweiler.

Lastly, Wilhelmina ended the caravan on 12 September 1887 in Atzenweiler and was christened 19 September 1887 in Atzenweiler.

During the summer of 1890 LDS missionaries visited Grünkraut.  The missionaries apparently visited with Jakob, Anna’s father.  The missionary showed Jakob the Book of Mormon and Jakob took the missionaries home with him.  The missionaries lived with the family for a time and the Wanner family was converted.  Johann Georg Jr was the first to join the LDS Church on 11 July 1891.  Johann Sr, Anna, Christina, and Maria were all baptized 16 October 1891.  Jakob, Anna’s father, joined 22 February 1892.

Johann Jr emigrated to America with Elder Theurer.  They went to his home in Providence, Cache, Utah.  We don’t know who Elder Theurer is, but he helped Johann Georg, now John George, find employment with Fred Nuffer who lived in Mapleton, Franklin, Idaho.  Elder John Theurer had converted the Nuffer family in Germany, so it was likely a sibling of John who helped find John Jr his employment.

In 1893, the family emigrated from Germany.  John, Anna, Christina, Maria, Luise, Fredrick, Pauline, Gottlop, and Wilhelmina all departed Liverpool, England on 3 June 1893 on the Arizona.  They arrived on 13 June 1893 at Ellis Island in New York, New York, New York.  Immediately, the family caught multiple trains through Chicago and Salt Lake with the last stop at Franklin, Franklin, Idaho near where John Jr met them with a wagon.  The family arrived at Franklin on 18 June 1893 where John took them in to Preston.  It was in Preston that Luise, Fred, and Pauline, were baptized 7 June 1894.  Gottlob followed on 6 June 1895 with Wilhelmina 6 August 1896, all in Preston.

The family immediately began to integrate with society.  Christina married Charles August Nuffer 1 February 1894 in the Logan LDS Temple.  John Jr married Eliza Stirland 14 November 1894 in the Logan Temple.

Wanner Family about 1895,

Wanner Family about 1895.  Standing (l-r): Maria (Mary), Christina, Johann (John but went by George), Pauline.  Sitting (l-r): Anna, Jakob (Fred), Luise (Louise), Wilhelmina, Gottlop, Johann (John).

Maria, now Mary, married William Addison Wagstaff 17 June 1896 in the Logan Temple.  Luise, now Louise, married Jeffery Marcelin Bodrero 16 March 1898 in the Logan Temple.  John Jr remarried after divorce to Regina Frederike Nuffer 31 August 1898 in the Logan Temple.  Jakob, now Fred, married Mary Elizabeth Carter 30 September 1903 in the Logan Temple.  Pauline married William Henry Crossley 14 December 1904 in the Logan Temple.  Wilhelmina married Moses Bodrero 18 December 1907 in the Logan Temple.  Gottlop married Rebecca Hicks 16 November 1908 in Preston.

The Wanner family purchased a farm from John Nuffer, a brother to Charles and Regina, near Glendale, Franklin, Idaho.  Fred purchased the farm from them around 1910.  John Sr and Anna moved to Logan where they were living at 791 North 500 East when the 1910 Census was taken (the whole family was in Preston city limits for the 1900 Census).  On the 1920 Census I believe they lived at 304 East 500 North, but the census is unclear exactly what street 304 is on, but going from the pattern of the census taker I believe it is the address I have listed.

Johann Georg Wanner 1921

John died 16 February 1922 of pneumonia in Logan.  Anna listed their address as 272 East 400 North in Logan.  He was buried on the 19th in the Logan Cemetery.  She also died of pneumonia but on 9 December 1929.  She was living at the same address when she passed away.  She was buried 12 December 1929 next to her husband.

Anna Schmid Wanner