When William H. Wagner was born on 31 March 1881, in Menomonie, Dunn, Wisconsin, United States, his father, Hellmuth Friedrich Christian Wegner, was 39 and his mother, Sophie Louise Marie Gess, was 33. He married Mary Weiss on 2 August 1902, in Menomonie, Dunn, Wisconsin, United States. They were the parents of at least 5 sons and 1 daughter. He died on 3 August 1957, in Dunn, Wisconsin, United States, at the age of 76, and was buried in Menomonie, Dunn, Wisconsin, United States.
Do you know William H.? Do you have a story about him that you would like to share? Sign In or Create a FREE Account
+1 More Child
A federal law prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers. The Act was the first law to prevent all members of a national group from immigrating to the United States.
A fire erupted on January 10, 1883, at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee. The fire began at 4:00 am in an elevator shaft and raced up through the building. The fire spread so quickly that many could not escape. General and Mrs. Tom Thumb, stars of P.T. Barnum's circus, were guests in the hotel at the time of the fire. A firefighter reached them by ladder and they were able to escape safely. The exact number of deaths remains unknown as the hotel register was destroyed in the fire, however, the death toll is estimated between 75-90.
President William McKinley was shot at the Temple of Music, in the Pan-American Exposition, while shaking hands with the public. Leon Czolgosz shot him twice in the abdomen because he thought it was his duty to do so. McKinley died after eight days of watch and care. He was the third American president to be assassinated. After his death, Congress passed legislation to officially make the Secret Service and gave them responsibility for protecting the President at all times.
German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) (also Wägner): occupational name for a carter and (in some dialects) a cartwright, from an agent derivative of Middle High German wagen ‘cart, wagon’, German Wagen. This surname is also established in many other parts of Europe, notably in France (Alsace and Lorraine), Britain, Poland, and Denmark. In Hungary it is mostly spelled Wágner and Vágner. In Russia, Czechia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Slovakia it is also found in the Slavicized form Vagner . Compare Wagener , Waggener , and Wagoner .
Dutch and perhaps also English: occupational name from Middle Dutch waghenaer ‘carter’ (compare 1 above). The Dutch word is not known to have been borrowed into English before 1600 but the surname Wagner is recorded in Norfolk (England) from 1379, perhaps a substitution of the Dutch word for Middle English wainer. Compare Waggoner .
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
Possible Related NamesAs a nonprofit, we offer free help to those looking to learn the details of their family story.