52 Ancestors: Week 32 "32": Anna Maria Aussem

Anna Maria Aussem is one of my 32 3rd-great-grandparents. She was misidentified for years. In a letter that my maternal grandmother Margaret (Schneider) Boe wrote to my uncle, she stated that she was mostly of German descent, but had a French great-grandmother.

My aunt Joan has many family documents and photos. She lent me some to scan, including my the marriage record of my 2nd-great-grandparents Carl Joseph Schneider and Christina Nagel. A handwritten summary of the data accompanied the document.

According to the handwritten summary, my 2nd-great-grandmother Christina Nagel's mother was Anna Marie Aupin. The assumption had been made that her mother was of French ancestry because the surname Aupin seems to be French.

Although the family believed that Anna Marie's surname was Aupin, I saw something different when I looked at the original document.

My knowledge of German helped me when I looked at this document. I knew about the German letter eszett (ß). I could see how it might be confused with the letter p. Someone unfamiliar with this letter would not read it as ss. I thought it was more likely that Christina Nagel's mother's name was Anna Maria Aussem. Further research in German records showed that I was right. Anna Maria's surname was Aussem, not Aupin, and she was of German descent, not French.

Anna Maria Aussem was born on 15 October 1815 in Kendenich, Rhein-Erft, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. She was the daughter of Mathias Aussem and Theresia Erp (also given as Erles). Kendenich is now part of Hürth.

Birth registration, Anna Maria Aussem. Hürth (Rheinland). Bürgermeisterei. Zivilstandsregister. Stadtarchiv Hürth.

On 1 February 1837, Anna Maria married Wilhelm Esser, a farmer from Hürth. He was the son of Peter Esser and Margaretha Horst.

Marriage registration, Wilhelm Esser and Anna Maria Aussem. Hürth (Rheinland). Bürgermeisterei. Zivilstandsregister. Stadtarchiv Hürth.

Marriage registration, Wilhelm Esser and Anna Maria Aussem. Hürth (Rheinland). Bürgermeisterei. Zivilstandsregister. Stadtarchiv Hürth.

Wilhelm and Anna Maria's son Peter Esser was born on 10 March 1838. Wilhelm Esser died on 20 April 1839. He was only about 23 years old.

On 17 March 1845, Anna Maria gave birth to an illegitimate son, Mathias Aussem. Her son's father was my 3rd-great-grandfather Johann Nagel. Perhaps Johann and Anna Maria could not obtain permission to marry sooner. Johann may not have been financially secure enough to support a wife, stepson, and any additional children that might be born. Mathias was later known as Mathias Joseph Nagel. He took his father's surname after he was legitimized as a result of his parents' marriage.

Johann and Anna Maria married on 31 August 1848, more than three years after the birth of their son Mathias.

Marriage registration, Johann Nagel and Anna Maria Aussem. Hürth (Rheinland). Bürgermeisterei. Zivilstandsregister. Stadtarchiv Hürth.

Marriage registration, Johann Nagel and Anna Maria Aussem. Hürth (Rheinland). Bürgermeisterei. Zivilstandsregister. Stadtarchiv Hürth.

Almost a year after their marriage, on 19 August 1849, Johann and Anna Maria had a daughter, Theresia. Their next child, my 3rd-great-grandmother Christina Nagel, was born in Kendenich on 27 February 1851. Johann and Anna Maria had another daughter, Agnes, on 21 December 1855.

Anna Maria died in Kendenich on 8 September 1861.

Death registration,  Anna Maria Aussem. Hürth (Rheinland). Bürgermeisterei. Zivilstandsregister. Stadtarchiv Hürth.

52 Ancestors: #43 Mathias Joseph Nagel

Mathias Joseph Nagel, my 2nd-great-grandmother Christina Nagel's older brother, was born on 17 March 1845 in Hürth, Rhein-Erft, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. His name at birth was Mathias Aussem. His parents, my 3rd-great-grandparents Johann Nagel and Anna Maria Aussem, did not marry until 31 August 1848. It was necessary to obtain permission to marry. At the time of his birth, Anna Maria was a widow. She had a son, Peter Esser, from her marriage to Wilhelm Esser. Perhaps Johann was not seen as being capable of financially supporting a wife, stepson, and new baby at that time. 

Mathias immigrated to the United States, and he married Mary Hill on 20 June 1873 in St. Louis, Missouri. When they married, he became a stepfather to Mary's daughter Martha, from her previous marriage to Josiah Howard. After their marriage, Mathias and Mary took a trip to Germany, probably to visit his family.  When they returned, they sailed from Bremen, Germany to New York on the Weser, and arrived on 11 August 1873. The couple lived in Jefferson City, Cole County, Missouri, and had three children together: John (born 5 March 1875), Sarah (born 11 January 1877), and Mathias (born 15 October 1878). 

Mathias worked as a landscape gardener; his father had also been a gardener. By 1875, he had a nursery business at the corner of Madison and Dunklin Streets in Jefferson City, Missouri. When the Missouri governor's mansion in Jefferson City was remodeled in 1887, he laid out the grounds. According to the September 1887 issue of the Gardeners' Monthly and Horticulturist, he had one of the most beautiful Sago palms west of the Mississippi River.

Mathias sold his nursery to Hugo Busch and Charles Purzner in 1890, and in 1891, for health reasons, he and his family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He initially leased property, but then purchased 500 acres of land. In 1892, he decorated the Catholic churches with wreaths and evergreen strings. By 1894, he was shipping caña agria (also called canaigre) to Germany. In 1899, he built a sanitarium on his property, which consisted of three five-room stone houses. Patients came to stay to regain their health.

In 1900, Mathias and his sons struck a quartz ledge with ore containing gold and copper.

In 1914, a two-page article on the Forestry Service which had been written by Mathias was published in the Congressional Record, vol. 51, pages 11517-11518.

Mathias died in Santa Fe on 11 July 1922 and was buried on 15 July 1922 in Rosario Cemetery.

Mathias Aussem birth registration. Hürth (Rheinland). Bürgermeisterei. Zivilstandsregister, 1800-1875. Geburten 1833-1845. International Film 1237622. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Genealogical Society of Utah, 1978, 1979, 1981.

Mathias Nagel and Mary Hill marriage record, St. Louis, Missouri, 20 June 1873. Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. Original data: Missouri Marriage Records. Jefferson City, MO, USA: Missouri State Archives. Microfilm.

New Mexican, 6 June 1891

New Mexican, 17 December 1892

New Mexican, 7 March 1894

New Mexican, 31 August 1899

New Mexican, 30 April 1900

American Forestry, vol. 20, 1914. Available from Google Books.

Mathias Nagel family, about 1910. I think my great-great-grandmother Christina (Nagel) Schneider, sister of Mathias, is also in this picture.

52 Ancestors: #38 Johann Nagel

Johann Nagel (my 3rd-great-grandfather) and his daughter Christina (my great-great-grandmother)

My 3rd-great-grandfather Johann Nagel was born in Hermülheim, Rhein-Erft, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany on 19 April 1814. He was the son of Peter Nagel and Christina Leÿ. His birth was registered in Hürth. Hermülheim is now part of Hürth. At the time of his birth, Hürth was occupied by French Revolutionary troops, so his birth record is in French.

Jean Nagel birth registration. Hürth (Rheinland). Bürgermeisterei. Zivilstandsregister, 1800-1875. Geburten 1800-1831. International Film 1237620. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Genealogical Society of Utah, 1978, 1979, 1981. 

On 31 August 1848, Johann married my 3rd-great-grandmother Anna Maria Aussem.

Marriage registration, Johann Nagel and Anna Maria Aussem. Hürth (Rheinland). Bürgermeisterei. Zivilstandsregister, 1800-1875. Heiraten 1846-1875. International Film 1237627. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Genealogical Society of Utah, 1978, 1979, 1981. 

 Anna Maria Aussem was the widow of Wilhelm Esser and had a 10-year-old son, Peter. Johann and Anna Maria had a son, Mathias (probably named after her father, Mathias Aussem), on 17 March 1845, three years before their marriage. He was born with the name Mathias Aussem, but later used the name Mathias Nagel. After their marriage, three daughters were born in Kendenich, Rhein-Erft, Nordrhein-Westfalen (now part of Hürth): Theresia (born 19 August 1849), my great-great-grandmother Christina (born 27 February 1851), and Agnes (born 21 December 1855).

Johann Nagel's second wife was Anna Maria Klein. They had twins, Anna and Johann Nagel, born in Kendenich on 27 Dec 1862.

I have photos of my great-great-grandmother Christina Nagel which were taken in Bonn in 1871 and 1877, and she married in Bonn in 1878. Johann Nagel and his family may have moved to Bonn sometime between 1862 and 1871.

Christina and her husband Carl Joseph Schneider moved to Remagen, Ahrweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany after their marriage. Johann Nagel and Anna Maria Klein moved there as well. Johann was a baptismal sponsor for his grandson Johann Schneider (my great-grandfather) on 10 December 1878 at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Remagen.

Johann was a Gärtner by trade. In addition to meaning gardener, the term also meant a farmer who owned only a little land who cultivated fruits and vegetables, but did not usually grow grains. European Roots Genealogy's list of old German professions provides more information on this trade and others.

Johann died in Remagen on 15 February 1891 and was buried on 19 February 1891.