ERNST WAGNER (d. 1892)

Ernst Wagner, who had suffered a stroke on 28 June, succumbed last Sat. morning.
He was born 08 Mar. 1829 in Hessen-Darmstadt and thus was in his 64th year. In
1849 he joined his parents in setting out for America. On the journey from his
home to the port he had the misfortune of crushing his right arm which had to be
amputated. While he remained under medical care, his parents continued on with
the journey. After he recovered, he came to this country by himself, settling in
Washington County and worked, despite his handicap, on his parents’ farm. In 1854
he married and settled in Manitowoc. (The article details his business ventures and
success.) In 1890 his wife died and he later remarried. He is survived by his second
wife, and from his first marriage he leaves 3 children, all grown and married - two
daughters, Mrs. A. Leubner and Mrs. W. Dicke – and one son, Ernst Wagner. His
funeral, which was attended by a large number of mourners, took place Mon. afternoon
at the city cemetery. “Some of the attendees we noticed were: Mr. Brandt of the firm
Brand & Co., stove manufacturers in Milwaukee; Mrs. G. Hiller of Saukville, a sister
of the deceased; Mrs. F. Poggenburg of Horns Corners; Mrs. E. Koenig of Port Washington;
Mrs. Geo. Kreuter of Plymouth; Mrs. J. Rau of Newburg; Mrs. F. Kreuter of West Bend;
Mr. and Mrs. Gustav Kreuter of Cedarburg; Mr. Edwin Kreuter of Hamilton; and Mr. Henry
Kreuter of Plymouth.
Der Nord Westen, 18 Aug. 1892
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MANITOWOC MEN.
ERNEST WAGNER, SEN. (sic)
The subject of this sketch was born in Hesse Darmstadt, one of the German
provinces, in 1829. In 1848, when the great tidal wave of revolution swept over
Eruope, and drove many of its best citizens to our shores, Mr. Wagner's father
determined to emigrate with his whole family. Mr. Wagner accidentally lost his
arm on his way to the sea-board; this detained him in Europe another year. His
family crossed the ocean and settled in Washington county. When Mr. W. arrived,
he did not find things as his imagination had painted them. His brother had died,
and his father was an invalid who, with two young daughters, was trying to make
a living on a forty-acre farm, covered with forest. Such was his first reception
in America. But the man of energy never shrinks from work; and such a man was
Ernst Wagner. He believed in the trite, but ever true maxim, that "where there's
a will there's a way." With only his left hand to work with, he went at it and
cleared twenty-five acres of the forest, working day and night till his health
failed, and he was compelled to seek other means of earnng a livelihood. Mr.
Wagner has won many a proud success in this world, but nothing reflects more
credit upon him than this period of his life, when he ruined his health in the
attmept to support an invalid father and two infant sisters. In 1854 he came to
Manitowoc, where some friends assisted him in purchasing a lot and building a
shanty upon it. He started a saloon, but soon added a stock of groceries. He
gradually increased his store and in 1874 determined to devote himself exclusively
to the hardware business. How successful he has been in this, the immense
establishment of which he is a part owner, is sufficient evidence. The firm of
Wagner, Rand & Co. is doing the largest business in their line in northern Wisconsin.
Last year Mr. W. visited his native town in Germany, and it must have been a
pleasant visit to him, when he compared his condition now with his condition then.
Such has been the career of a man who by his own energy and perseverance, has
amassed a fortune. His life is a valuable lesson to young men.
Manitowoc Lake Shore Times, Tuesday, November 29, 1881 P. 1
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[cause: paralysis]