Casper & Catherine Wagner

WAGNER DIEHL

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 10/15/2010 at 19:50:40

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Casper and Catherine Wagner
By Mae Bell

Casper Wagner was born July 22, 1834, in Holstein, Germany. He came to the United States at the age of seventeen. It is not known if any other members of his family came with him.

He met and married Catherine Diehl who was born March 7, 1841, in Darmstadt, Germany. She left Germany at the age of fourteen and came to the United States. Her brother, Henry Diehl and wife, Kate, lived at Pipestone, Minnesota.

Casper and Catherine lived in Carroll County, Illinois, for sixteen years. They later moved to the Territory of South Dakota where he ran cattle on free range. There were no fences so their daughters, Anna and Ida were sent out to help herd the cattle. Sometimes they were out on the range when a storm came up and they were afraid of lightning. They had heard people say that lightning never strikes in the same place twice, so they would go to a brown spot where lightning had hit before.

The winters were cold in South Dakota and the houses were not insulated and the snow could drift through the cracks. Mr Wagner made a type of stove that they could burn straw in. The girls also picked up cow chips to use for fuel.

Mr Wagner and his family moved in 1877 to a farm north of the present town of Moville. Their youngest daughter, Alice, was born north of Moville and where they lived until the death of Casper, August 15, 1884.

They had nine daughters and Caroline died at the age of two.

After Casper’s death, Catherine was left with five children at home, ages five to fourteen years. Three of the girls went to stay with their sisters and their uncle.

Casper and Catherine taught their daughters to work and take responsibility.

Catherine later remarried Mr Kidd and moved to Nebraska to make her home.

Catherine had a stroke and passed away October 1913.

The eight living daughters were:
Mary who married John H Wright, a prominent farmer north of Moville, with great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren living around Moville.
Elizabeth married Charley Crofoot and they live at Ponca, Nebraska.
Catherine married Charles Wright and they made their home at Moville.
Rosa married Frank McKee and they moved to Wisconsin;.
Anna married James Harding and in 1902, they moved from Moville to O’Neill, Nebraska.
Ida married William G Bell, Jr, and they had a restaurant at Moville, later moved to Nebraska and in 1914 they moved to the state of Missouri.
Emma married William E Kidd and they live in Nebraska.
Alice married Fred Parker and they live at Moville.