An Accidental Shooting, a Monster Yam, and Dead Honey Bees
An accidental shooting, a monster yam, and dead honey bees—how can these things be related? Well, they didn’t happen to one person, but they all were once newsworthy stories about members of the Hagenbuch family!
The first story comes from the Friday morning edition of the Salt Lake Semi-Weekly Tribune. On August 20, 1897, the following was reported:
Boise, Ida. Aug. 17—Peter Lubken, the eight-year-old son of Mrs. George Lubken was accidentally killed today by Walter Hagenbaugh, about the same age.
The Hagenbaugh boy had a small rifle, and in some way discharged it so that the ball struck his companion in the head.
The wounded boy lived several hours.
Research shows that Walter Edgar Hagenbuch was born on August 1, 1889 in Idaho. His parents were Johannes Egbert Hagenbuch (b. 1858) and Mary Jane (Killcup) Hagenbuch (b.1866). Walter was mentioned in a previous article about The Five Families—different groups of Hagenbuchs that immigrated to America. According to that piece, Walter’s father, Johannes, was from Hainfeld, Germany and arrived in the United States in 1880.
Newspaper article from the “Salt Lake Semi-Weekly Tribune” covering Walter Hagenbuch’s rifle accident, 1897
Walter isn’t a descendant of Andreas Hagenbuch (b. 1715), and it isn’t known how his family group is related to ours. That said, Hainfeld is only about 60 miles from the place where Andreas lived in Germany, suggesting that Walter may be a distant cousin.
Walter married Flora Opal Todd (b. 1886) on October 6, 1916. The couple did not have any children. He died on August 4, 1962 in Multnomah County, Oregon and is likely buried in that place.
The next story comes from the Allentown Morning Call on October 20, 1904:
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson P. Ludwig have returned from their Western trip bringing with them a fine product of Western soil in the shape of a monster sweet potato or yam, raised on the farm of Henry Hagenbuch, of Eudora, Kansas, a former Allentonian. The yam is a foot long and weights nearly three pounds. Mr. Hagenbuch is a brother of Mrs. Ludwig.
Unlike Walter, Henry J. Hagenbuch is a descendant of Andreas. Henry was born on May 16, 1857 to George Hagenbuch (b. 1833) and Barbara (Voelker) Hagenbuch (b. 1830) in Allentown, Pennsylvania. His family line is: Andreas (b. 1715) > Henry (b. 1737) > Jacob (b. 1765) > Jacob (b. 1797) > George (b. 1833) > Henry J. (b. 1857). Henry’s father, George, and uncle, Charles H. (b. 1827), relocated from Allentown to Eudora, Kansas in the 1870s.
Newspaper story from the “Allentown Morning Call” about Henry J. Hagenbuch’s yam, 1904
Henry followed in the early 1880s with his first wife, Marsella A. (Yost) Hagenbuch (b. 1858), and daughter, Mary “Mayme” (b. 1879). He would later divorce and marry Mary Ludwig (b. 1866) in 1884. The couple had a son together, Harry G. Hagenbuch (b. 1886). In Eudora, Henry J. ran a butcher shop that was located at 800 Main Street.
The newspaper article mentions Mrs. Wilson P. Ludwig. She was Henry’s younger sister, Mary C. Hagenbuch (b. 1858). Mary lived in Allentown with her husband, Wilson (b. 1857). Henry J. Hagenbuch died on October 20, 1946, and is buried in Eudora City Cemetery, Douglas County, KS.
Henry J. Hagenbuch’s meat market in Eudora, Kansas, c. 1904. From left to right: Mary (Ludwig), Henry J., and Harry G.
The final story ran on August 24, 1907 in the Wilkes-Barre Record:
Bees Drowned in Honey—A peculiar incident, which is said to be without parallel, occurred at the apiary of Frank Hagenbuch of Berwick, when the honey in two of the bee hives collapsed and before the accident was discovered the thousands of bees in the two hives were drowned or smothered in the sticky material.
Frank Wesley Hagenbuch was born on June 14, 1880 to Charles Wesley Hagenbuch (b. 1844) and Sarah K. (Seybert) Hagenbuch (b. 1847). According to the 1900 census, he lived with his mother and siblings in Berwick, PA. His father, Charles, had died in 1881. Frank’s family line is: Andreas (b. 1715) > John (b. 1763) > Michael (b. 1799) > Charles Wesley (b. 1844) > Frank Wesley (b. 1880). Portions of this family line were featured in a previous article.
Newspaper piece from the “Wilkes-Barre Record” about Frank Hagenbuch’s bees, 1907
In 1912, Frank married Ethel Mae Faust (b. 1889). At the time, he was working as a clerk. The couple had one son together, Frank Faust Hagenbuch (b. 1914). Frank Wesley Hagenbuch died on October 18, 1960 and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Berwick, PA.
It is always fascinated to peruse old news stories about relatives—those we can place on our family tree and some we cannot. Whether accidental shootings, monster yams, or dead honey bees, these anecdotes add color to the lives of our ancestors and paint a richer portrait of their histories.
