Wolterman Genealogy - Week 25

John Reger (spelled Rieger in Germany), father of Joseph Reger about whom I wrote last week, was born 1 July 1832 in Huettlingen, Jagstkreis, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Johannes, as he was baptized, was the 7th of 8 children born to Joseph and Ursula (Strobel) Reger.

The 1910 census record indicates that John emigrated to the United States in 1853 when he was about 21 years old. I haven’t found immigration information on him, so I am not sure if he came over with his entire family or not. But his parents and surviving siblings did settle in the same area as him, which was Carroll Township, Cambria County, Pennsylvania.

In 1858, John married Josephine Fehrenbacher in Carrolltown, Cambria County. He was 26 and she was 19. They had the following 13 children: Anna born and died 1859; Katrina born 1862; Joseph born 1863; Bertha born 1864; Ellen born 1865; Rinehart born 1868; Phimemina born 1869; Josephine born 1871; Mary born 1873; Johanna born 1874; Ann born 1876; Emma born 1878; and Charles born 1879. The first 4 children were born in Pennsylvania, and the remainder in Norfolk, Renville County, Minnesota.

John made his living as a farmer, and the on the 1900 census he indicated that he owned his farm. Josephine died at the age of 61 on 3 August 1901 in Park Rapids, Hubbard County, Minnesota.  She was buried at Straight River Township Cemetery.

Josephine Fehrenbacher Reger's stone

John Reger;s stone

John later moved to North Dakota, where the 1910 census showed him to be living with his daughter Anna and her family in Ellsbury, which is located in Barnes County. He died at the age of 90 on 3 November 1922. He is buried in the Page Cemetery which is located in Cass County, North Dakota.

Wolterman Genealogy - Week 24

Joseph C. Reger, my husband’s maternal great-grandfather, was born 12 August 1863 in Carroll Township, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. He was the 3rd of 13 children born to John and Josephine (Fehrenbacher) Reger.

Carroll township is located north of the center part of Cambria County, which is about 80 miles east of Pittsburgh. In 1880 the township had a population of 1,295. The main town in the township is Carrollton, and when the Reger family lived in the area it was surrounded by many prosperous farms. There were also saw mills, horse breeders, a couple of flour mills, a blacksmith who also manufactured buggies and wagons, and many livestock operations.

When Joseph was about 2 years old, his family moved to Norfolk Township, Renville County, Minnesota. By the 1880 census, 18-year-old Joseph was working on the farm of Michael Nell in Elk River Township, Sherburne County, Minnesota. This was about 120 miles from where his dad farmed, which makes one wonder why he left the area. As the oldest son, it would seem his father would need his help on the family farm.

While I have not located a marriage record for Joseph, the 1900 census indicates he married Catherine Duffy in 1885. The Duffy family also farmed in Renville County, but in neighboring Birch Cooley Township. Joseph and Catherine had the following children: Mary Francis born 1886; James Patrick born 1890; Alfred Clement born 1891; John Edward born 1893; Christina Agnes born 1895; Catherine Regina born 1897; Joseph Lawrence born 1898; Gertrude Helen born 1900; and William Francis born 1902.

By the 1930 census, Joseph, Catherine and Gertrude owned a home at 3005 Queen Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Joseph was employed as a watchman at a garbage plant. Looking at Google maps, it appears that their house as well as a couple of others, was torn down to make way for new houses. By 1940, only Joseph and Gertrude were living in a home owned by Joseph at 3009 Queen Avenue. He indicated that they had lived there in 1935 as well. This house has also been torn down.

Catherine died 15 June 1934 in Minneapolis. She was 72 years old. Joseph was 91 when he passed on 27 May 1955 in Hennepin County, Minnesota.

Wolterman Genealogy - Week 23

This week I am shifting over to Christina Agnes Reger, who was my husband’s maternal grandmother, and I’ll work my way back through the Reger side of the family. Christina was born 13 October 1895 in Birch Cooley, a township in Renville County, Minnesota. She was the 5th of 9 children born to Joseph C and Catherine (Duffy) Reger.

Alfred Reger's
stone

When Christina was 22, her brother Alfred died of pneumonia in Meuse-Argonne, France while serving in WWI. Christina lived with her parents and siblings until she was 25 years old. At that time she met and married Joseph John Pfeffer. Their life together was covered in a previous post, which can be found here.

She was 82 when Joseph died in 1977, and 89 when she passed on 9 November 1984 in Fairfax, Renville County, Minnesota.

Pfeffer family in Fairfax 1947, Christina in 1984, and Christina's stone