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Individual Page


Family
Marriage: Children:
  1. George Vest Waggener: Birth: 21 JUN 1885 in Rush Tower, Jefferson Co., Missouri. Death: 26 SEP 1963 in Tucson, Pima Co., Arizona

  2. Mary "Cet" Lucetta Waggener: Birth: 10 JAN 1889 in Rush Tower, Jefferson Co., Missouri. Death: 03 AUG 1968 in Atlantis, Palm Beach Co., Florida

  3. James Richard Waggener: Birth: 31 JUL 1891 in Rush Tower, Jefferson Co., Missouri. Death: 01 SEP 1977 in San Leandro, Alameda Co., California

  4. Minna "Min" Moore Waggener: Birth: 16 MAR 1894 in Rush Tower, Jefferson Co., Missouri. Death: 21 JUN 1984 in Palm Beach Co., Florida

  5. Dorothy "Dot" Alice Waggener: Birth: 09 DEC 1896 in Puxico, Stoddard Co., Missouri. Death: 30 DEC 1985 in Winter Park, Orange Co., Florida

  6. Harry David Waggener: Birth: 14 MAR 1900 in Bonne Terre, St. Francois Co., Missouri. Death: 21 OCT 1990 in Tequesta, Palm Beach Co., Florida


Sources
1. Title:   1910 United States Federal Census
Page:   Year: 1910; Census Place: Crystal, Jefferson, Missouri; Roll: T624_792; Page: 26A; Enumeration District: 0033; FHL microfilm: 1374805
Author:   Ancestry.com
Publication:   Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006;
2. Title:   1900 United States Federal Census
Page:   Year: 1900; Census Place: Perry, St Francois, Missouri; Roll: 887; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0095; FHL microfilm: 1240887
Author:   Ancestry.com
Publication:   Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2004;
3. Title:   1920 United States Federal Census
Page:   Year: 1920; Census Place: Detroit Ward 4, Wayne, Michigan; Roll: T625_805; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 147; Image: 991
Author:   Ancestry.com
Publication:   Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;
4. Title:   1870 United States Federal Census
Page:   Year: 1870; Census Place: Plattin, Jefferson, Missouri; Roll: M593_783; Page: 312B; Image: 629; Family History Library Film: 552282
Author:   Ancestry.com
Publication:   Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2009;
5. Title:   1930 United States Federal Census
Page:   Year: 1930; Census Place: Lake Worth, Palm Beach, Florida; Roll: 328; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 27; Image: 124.0; FHL microfilm: 2340063
Author:   Ancestry.com
Publication:   Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2002;
6. Title:   Web: Michigan, Find A Grave Index, 1805-2012
Author:   Ancestry.com
Publication:   Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;
7. Title:   1860 United States Federal Census
Page:   Year: 1860; Census Place: Plattin, Jefferson, Missouri; Roll: M653_626; Page: 480; Image: 12; Family History Library Film: 803626
Author:   Ancestry.com
Publication:   Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2009;
8. Title:   U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
Author:   Ancestry.com
Publication:   Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2011;
9. Title:   Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002
Author:   Ancestry.com
Publication:   Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2007;
10. Title:   U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Author:   Ancestry.com
Publication:   Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;

Notes
a. Note:   Jesse David Waggener was the 7th of 11 children, born to his parents Reuben Garnett and Mary (Moore) Waggener on December 30, 1850. He was born and grew up on their farm, which was about three miles west of the town of Rush Tower, in Plattin Township of Jefferson County, Missouri. It was reported that around April of 1878, Jesse went out west on horseback to look for gold in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He apparently traveled with several companions, including one named Ashbaugh. One story from the family was that they were traveling along an old wagon trail, when they came upon a broken down and abandoned wagon. On the side of the wagon was a crude sign saying, "California or Bust". Jesse apparently got down and wrote under the sign, "Busted by God". Jesse and his partners apparently discovered a claim with gold on it, staked it out, and went into the settlement to register their claim. When they returned two or more men had moved in and replaced their stakes with their own. Apparently a fight broke out. Jesse raised his gun to shoot one of the claim jumpers, but couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger. There are apparently a couple versions of this story, but they all have the same ending, Jesse and his partners left and returned to Missouri with nothing to show for their efforts. In about March of 1881, Jesse was appointed Road Overseer by the Jefferson County Court and he seems to have done this for a couple of years. In July of 1883 he was appointed a Deputy Sheriff. There was a story in the newspaper in January 1884, about Jesse capturing an escaped prisoner and bringing him back into custody. It was reported that as they traveled to the Black Hills, Jesse's partner Ashbaugh was writing to Annie Kenner. When Jesse returned to Missouri, he went and looked up Annie. Apparently the first time he saw her, she was riding on horseback in a deep woods, on her way to the bank with a bag full of gold coins. Annie and Jesse ended up getting married on June 11, 1884, in the St. James Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. At the time of their wedding, Jesse was 34 years old and Annie was 24. They were reported to have left the day after their wedding for Sulphur Springs, Texas, where they were apparently planning to make their new home. They reportedly only stayed there about two months before returning home to Jefferson County. It was reported that after the wedding, Jesse needed a horse or team and wagon, so he asked his father to give him one in lieu of leaving him any money or property in his will. Reuben died about six months after Jesse and Annie were married. I know that Jesse and Annie lived in Rush Tower until about 1896, and I am fairly certain that they lived in the house that was originally built there in about 1839, by Jesse's grandfather, Reuben Garnett Waggener. Jesse had been born and grew up in that house. After the death of Reuben, Jesse's brother Stokely Thomas Waggener purchased the house and property from their widowed mother. He apparently rented the house and farm to Jesse and Annie, and they apparently farmed it. From the newspaper stories of the later 1880's, Jesse apparently also worked some of this time as a Road Commissioner for the Jefferson County Court. I believe that Jesse and Annie's first four children were born there in Rush Tower: George Vest in 1885, Mary Lucetta "Cet" in 1889, James Richard "Dick" in 1891 and Minnie Moore "Min" in 1894. According to family lore, Jesse was never very enthusiastic about farming or apparently very good at it. Presumably this was part of the reason why they left the farm in Rush Tower in 1896 and moved to Puxico in Stoddard County, in southeastern Missouri. Reportedly in Puxico, they lived in a house with a big barn and lot, and Jesse bought and sold cattle and other livestock. Their fifth child, Dorothy Alice “Dot” was born there in December of 1896. Jesse was reported to have had a reputation of being a good trader of cattle and horses. There was family story that Jesse would take the cattle to the St. Louis market, on a flat bottom "cattle boat". On one of those trips, a neighbor who was subject to epileptic seizures came with Jesse. The man reportedly had a seizure on the boat, slid under the boat's railing, and flopped into the river. They apparently never did find the man, there in the "muddy Mississippi". Apparently this business didn’t work too well either, and Jesse found either another job or an additional job as a bartender in one of the saloons in Puxico. This proved to be an even bigger problem as Jesse reportedly started drinking a lot, and Annie did not like this at all. This was apparently in 1898 and the United States had just declared war on Spain, and they were recruiting soldiers for the Spanish American War. Jesse, who was in his late 40’s and with five children, volunteered for the army. Reportedly when Jesse came home and told Annie about this, she said she was actually glad he had done this, as she thought it would be better than him tending bar. When Jesse left to go into the army, Annie and the five children went to live with her parents, William Bryant and Mary Malinda (Swink) Kenner, in their home and farm on what was known as Kenner’s Hill, just north of the town of Festus, back in Jefferson County, Missouri. It is not known how long Jesse served in the army, but it was probably a year or less. His military career was said to have ended abruptly when he had a sun stroke during training and he received a medical discharge. Sometime after Jesse returned from the army, they moved to the area of Bonne Terre in nearby St. Francois County, Missouri. I believe that they lived there for a couple of years and that Jesse worked there for the St, Joseph Lead Company. On the 1900 Federal Census, Jesse and family are listed as living in Perry Township in St. Francois County, Missouri, and Jesse is listed as a lead miner. Jesse and Annie's youngest son Harry was born in Bonne Terre, in St. Francois County, in March of 1900. Jesse was reported to have worked hand shoveling rock onto a conveyor belt, that fed a crusher, and the lead was extracted from the crushed rock. He also took care of the mules that they used in the lead mines. Sometime after the birth of Harry in 1900, Jesse and Annie moved to the town of Elwood, Madison County, Indiana. This was over 300 miles northeast of Festus. Reportedly, Annie’s brother, Thomas Kenner, had moved there and was working for the American Tin Plate Company. He apparently got Jesse a job at that company and they decided to move there. Reportedly the job didn’t turn out to be as good as expected, as it was just general labor. Although the family reportedly struggled to live there, I believe they remained there in Elwood for at least five years. I know that the children attended school there and that some of the older ones spent some of their summers living with their grandparents the Kenners back near Festus on Kenner’s Hill. I also know that their oldest son, George Vest had started working for the Pittsburg Plate Glass Company in Crystal City, near Festus, and he lived with the Kenners. Reportedly, Jesse also worked for the Pittsburg Plate Glass Company, in Elwood. Jesse and Annie left Elwood and returned to the Festus area in about 1907 or 1908. Jesse apparently then worked for a while for the Pittsburg Plate Glass Company in Crystal City. There is a story in the family, about how Jesse apparently lost his job there. The company was apparently run by "Northerners" from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The top man had a big house, and apparently his wife drove around in a buggy driven by a black man, who the wife would often sit next to in the front of the buggy. Jesse apparently talked about this at work, and he was reportedly fired when he referred to the wife as a "nigger lover." When they moved back to the Festus area, Jesse and Annie reportedly lived at some time with Annie’s parents, the Kenners, and also rented a home nearby. Besides farming and other businesses, the Kenners owned a rock quarry in the side Kenner's Hill. According to my grandfather, Jesse worked for a while in the rock quarry, feeding rock into the rock crusher and taking care of the mules. On September 29, 1909, Annie’s parents gave Jesse and Annie an acre of land near to their house on Kenner’s Hill, which was just north of Festus. According to family lore, Jesse and Annie borrowed $3000 from the Citizen's Bank of Festus, and built a house on that property. The Kenners lived on the top of the hill and Jesse and Annie were just a bit down the hill. Reportedly they could see the Mississippi River from their homes on the hill. In a newspaper blurb about one of their daughters hosting a party in February of 1913, it was mentioned that the party was in their home on Kenner's Hill. I have managed to locate the Waggener house, which is still standing although the front porch has been removed. The current address 221 N. 9th Street, Festus. According to family lore, Jesse apparently had some kind of a problem with drinking. This must have caused some of his employment problems, and also caused other problems for the family. He also apparently had some kind of personality problem, which could have been related to the drinking problem. In his account, Harry called him a reprobate, and talked about how mean he could be towards Annie. Jesse also apparently had some sort of break with his brother Stokely, who specifically wrote in his will that Jesse was to get nothing from his estate, although he effectively gave the same amount he gave to his other siblings, to his sister-in-law Annie. With Jesse’s problems, Annie was apparently forced to do a lot of extra stuff to help raise their large family. She reportedly earned money at times by raising chickens and selling eggs, and taking in laundry. She also peddled women's hats, corsets, and brassieres, to rural women, by going door to door in a buggy. In 1915, their son Dick had been having a lot of trouble finding steady employment as an electrician in the Festus/ St. Louis general area. He heard about a lot of work in Detroit, Michigan, which was experiencing a massive industrial boom at the time. Dick reportedly rode a freight train there and arrived there looking for work in April of that year. It turned out that there were a lot of jobs there and when he wrote back to tell his family how he was doing, his sisters Min and Dorothy decided to come join him. They also found jobs and by 1918, all their other siblings as well as Jesse and Annie had joined them there. On the Draft Registration Cards for sons Vest and Harry, both dated September 12, 1918, they both list their address as 985 John R. Street, Detroit, and they both list their parents as their nearest relatives at the same address. On the 1920 census in January of that year, the family is living in a house at 208 Bethune Ave. West, Detroit, Michigan. Their son Dick and his young family were living around the block at 120 Lothrop Ave. Jesse apparently worked for a few years in the Studebaker auto plant, when they first got to Detroit. He was listed as a Retired Farmer on the 1920 census, so I'm not sure if this was before or after that. It was reported they let him go for being too old. Later in 1920, all the children except apparently Dick, got together and bought a house in Highland Park, at 201 Farrand Park. Jesse and Annie and all the other kids except Dick lived together in that house, at least for a few years. Both Min and Dorothy were married there in 1922. In about 1928, Jessie and Annie went to live in Lake Worth, Florida, and the family sold the Highland Park house. Reportedly they were in Florida for about seven years. I have located Annie and Jesse there in Lake Worth in the 1930 census, living at 127 N. L Street, with their oldest granddaughter Ruth Waggener. Apparently in 1935, Jesse’s health had declined significantly and the family brought him and Annie back to Michigan to live. Apparently Jesse suffered from heart disease as well as senility Reportedly the people who had bought the Highland Park home in 1928, had lost it during the Depression to the bank, and their daughter Dorothy and her husband Pete Dillman had bought it back, and moved there to live. When Annie and Jesse returned to Michigan in 1935, they lived there with them there in that house. Shortly after they returned to Highland Park, on December 13, 1935, Jesse died in the 201 Farrand Park home. The story is he had just gotten up and dressed, and walked across the room to Annie, and dropped dead. Apparently just before or after Jesse passed away, they learned that Annie had contracted Tuberculosis. Reportedly she was in a sanitarium for about year. Annie lived another two and a half years before she passed away on June 8, 1938, reportedly in a sanitarium in Detroit. Rick Waggener =================== From the 1860 Federal Census of Jefferson County, Missouri; Plattin Township, Avoca Post Office; taken October 14, 1860; household #84. Jesse is listed with his parents and family: Jessey Wagoner; age- 10, male, born- Missouri ================== From the 1870 Federal Census of Jefferson County, Missouri; Plattin Township, Hillsboro Post Office; taken June 6, 1870; Jesse is listed with in his parents household, #104: Waggoner, Jesse, age-19, male, white, works on farm, born-MO ================= From "The Jefferson Democrat" newspaper of Hillsboro, Jefferson, Missouri; sent to me courtesy of Charlotte Maness: ****** FRIDAY, 28 OCTOBER 1876 - The following are the judges of election appointed by the court: Rush Tower,--P.R. ENGLAND, Jesse WAGGENER and Jno. N. CONN. (P.R. England is probably a kin to the husband of Jesse’s sister Elizabeth England and John N. Conn probably is a child of John N. Conn, and both were probably neighbors of Jesse's parents, Reuben and Mary Waggener. RW) ****** FRIDAY, 26 APRIL 1878 - W.J. HARRISON and Wm. GOULLY started to the Black Hills Tuesday morning, to work the mining claim they have there. Scribe POSTEN, Jesse WAGGENER and Peter BRANDS accompanied them. (This must have been the trip to the Black Hills noted above in Jesse's biography. -RW) ****** FRIDAY, 18 MARCH 1881 - COUNTY COURT - March Term, 1881 - Jesse D. WAGGENER was appointed road overseer in place of B.F. ENGLAND, and Chas. KNORPP in place of Wm. KLEINSCHMIDT. ****** FRIDAY, 20 MAY 1881 - COUNTY COURT - Funds in the dirt road fund distributed as follows: J.D. WAGGENER, overseer, dist 18 22.25 ****** FRIDAY, 17 MARCH 1882 - COUNTY COURT - March 7, 1882 - Overseers settlements were approved, of J.D. WAGGENER, Jas. A. LAFFON, Wash. STEPHENS, Joshua COLE, Geo. STEVENS, E.F. WILSON, R.C. OUTMAN, Frank GRIMM, D.A. THOMPSON, Geo. MUNROE, Xaver ARNOLD, Geo. MARTIN and J.J. ENGLEBACH. The others were continued till first Monday in April. ****** WEDNESDAY, 11 JULY 1883 - Jesse WAGGENER has been appointed deputy sheriff and entered upon the discharge of his duties. He will stay with Mr. WEAVER. ****** WEDNESDAY, 8 AUGUST 1883 - Jesse WAGGENER and William CLARK had a wrestle in the courthouse hall, last Monday. Jesse is young and strong, but the old man was too much for him. ****** WEDNESDAY, 3 OCTOBER 1883 - Sheriff WEAVER lost no time in ridding our county of the expense of keeping the convicted men in jail. Court closed last Thursday and on Friday morning he started, accompanied by Jesse WAGGENER, Lausen FRAZIER and Jesse CLARK, as guards, taking George ROOKER, George DONALDSON, Wm. MITCHELL, Luther McVEY, Charles MILLER, Fred. BROWN and John MARSDEN to the penitentiary. They are sentenced to two years each, six of them for grand larceny and one for felonious assault. Of the seven only one was a citizen of this county. This is the largest delegation ever sent up from this county. ******* WEDNESDAY, 23 JANUARY 1884 - Sammy BRADFIELD was sent up from Crystal City for a six months' term in the county jail. Before his time was one-third out the Sheriff sent him after a bucket of water, and he was about four months getting back. that he was not as long gone as was Sam SLICK, when hie daddy sent him after a back leg, is probably not his fault. Deputy Sheriff WAGGENER gobbled him up the other day and brought him back. ****** WEDNESDAY, 7 MAY 1884 - A drove of Mexican ponies were driven through here, last week, Jesse WAGGENER bought one, but has since traded it to Assessor MOTHERSHEAD. ****** WEDNESDAY, 18 JUNE 1884 - Licensed to Marry - Jesse D. WAGGENER and Anna KENNER ============== From the JEFFERSON WATCHMAN; De Soto, Jefferson, Missouri; transcribed by Charlotte Maness: ****** FRIDAY, 13 JUNE 1884- MARRIED - Mr. Jesse WAGGENER of Rush Tower and Miss Anna KENNER of Festus were married in St. Louis, last Wednesday, and have gone to Texas on a bridal tour. Both parties are well known and much esteemed by a large number of friends, whose best wishes will accompany them through their new life. ============== From Jefferson Co., Missouri; MARRIAGE VOLUME 1 1881-1885; P. 228: Jesse D. Waggener of Crystal City, Jefferson Co., Mo. over 21 Annie Kenner of Crystal City, Jefferson Co., Mo. over 18 10 June 1884 license; married on 11 June 1884 by J. H. Smart, MG at St. Louis, Mo. ==================== More from "The Jefferson Democrat" newspaper of Hillsboro, Jefferson, Missouri; sent to me courtesy of Charlotte Maness: ****** WEDNESDAY, 18 JUNE 1884 - Jesse D. WAGGENER, late deputy Sheriff, and Anna KENNER, daughter of W.B. KENNER of near Crystal City, were married last Wednesday, the 11th inst., at the St. James hotel, St. Louis, Rev. SMART officiated. They left next morning for Sulphur Springs, Tex., where they expect to make their home. Jesse was one of our most popular young men, and we are sorry he has left the county. We wish him and his wife success, wherever they may go. ****** WEDNESDAY, 30 JULY 1884 - Jesse D. WAGGENER checks back from Sulphur Springs, Texas, for the Jefferson DEMOCRAT. He expresses himself as well pleased with his new home, though he evidently still feels lonesome away from his old friends in this county. Jesse is a young man who will make friends wherever he goes, and we wish him abundant success. ****** AUGUST 20 1884 - Jesse D. WAGGENER and wife have returned from Texas. They liked the country and people down there, but had such bad health they could not stand it any longer. ****** WEDNESDAY, 11 NOVEMBER 1885 - COUNTY COURT - Report of road commissioner, on survey and location of new county road in Plattin township, from Rush Tower and Potosi road to Rush Tower and Hematite road, was approved and continued till next regular term, to await report of Jurors appointed to assess damages. Jesse WAGGENER, John L. WEAVER and John N. CONN, Jr., were appointed as such jurors. ****** WEDNESDAY, 11 AUGUST 1886 - COUNTY COURT - J.D. WAGGNER, J.N. CONN and John L. WEAVER, commissioners appointed to assess damages on road from Potosi and Rush Tower road to Hematite, were ordered notified to make their report. ****** WEDNESDAY, 9 MAY 1888 - COUNTY COURT - Also new road from public road in sec7 tp30 r7, west over lands of Joseph GRIFFIN, A. BARNES, W.R. DONNELL, R. BROADHENT, John DRURY, Jas. BRIERTON, John CONN, J.D. WAGGENER and others, to Rush Tower church. ****** WEDNESDAY, 3 OCTOBER 1888 - COUNTY COURT - Leo LYNCH, Henry BAILEY and H.F. McMULLIN were appointed to assess damages to J.D. WAGGENER, John N. CONN, John DRURY, R. BROADHENT, A. BARNES, W.B. WEAVER and James BRIERTON, by location of road over their lands. ================= From the book "Genealogy of the descendants of John Gar, or more particularly of his son Andreas Gaar, who emigrated from Bavaria to America in 1732," by John Wesley Garr and his son John Calhoun Garr; published in 1894: Jesse is listed as person #5859 and Anna is listed as #12673. Jesse is listed with his parent's family on page 211: __________________________________________ Name Birth Death __________________________________________ Jesse D. Waggoner Dec. 30, 1850 Anna Eliza Kenner May 4, 1862 m. June 11, 1884- Mo., St. Louis George Vest May 21, 1885 Mary Lucetta Jan. 10, 1888 James Richard July 31, 1891 Minnie Moore Mar. 16, 1894 (At the time of the publishing of the book, in 1894, Jesse is listed as living in Rush Tower, Jefferson County, Michigan. I am fairly certain that they were living in the house that was formerly owned by Jesse's parent's and in which Jesse grew up in.- RW) ================== From the 1900 Federal Census of St. Francois County, Missouri, Perry Township, (not a city), taken June 4, 1900, District #95, page 4A; ancestry.com, St. Francois #95, image 7 of 56: Household #67, family #70, no address listed; Waggener, Jesse D.; head of household, 6 children, male, born- December 1850, age-49, married 16 years, born-Missouri, father born-Virginia, mother born- Kentucky, occupation- Lead Miner, working, r/w's, renting house (not farm) ----- Anna E.; wife, female, born- May 1860, age- 40, married 16 years, mother of 6 children- all living, born-Missouri, parents born- Missouri, r/w's ----- Vest G; son, male, born June 1885, age- 16, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, 8 months in school, r/w's ----- Cetta M; daughter, female, born- January 1884; age- 11, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, 8 months in school, r/w's ----- Richard J; son, male, born- July 1892, age- 8, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, 8 months in school ----- Minnie M; daughter, female, born- Mar. 1894, age- 6, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri ----- Dorothy A; daughter, female, born- Dec. 1896, age- 3, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri ----- Harry D; son, male, born- Mar. 1900, age- 2/12, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri (St. Francois County is almost directly south of Jefferson County. The area was a big mineral mining area, including lead mines, and Jesse is listed as a lead miner. Youngest son Harry was born in this area, 2 1/2 months earlier. -RW) ================== From the Call-Leader (Elmwood, Indiana), Friday August 31, 1906, page 1: Explosion Of Natural Gas Tears Up Residence Escape of Occupants An explosion took place at Nineteenth and South A street yesterday afternoon that might have proven a fatal one. As it was the house was badly damaged. J. D. Waggener and family were moving into the Mrs. Austill property at the above stated place, and his son Richard was endeavoring to locate a gas leak. The place between the weatherboarding and plastering was filled with gas, and as soon as the boy struck a match an explosion followed. The plastering was blown off and the rear of the house was moved four inches off the foundation. The windows were demolished and a stove and kitchen cabinet and other pieces of furniture were destroyed. Mr. Waggener and son were severely burned about the head and face and their escape from death is a little short of miraculous. A carpenter who was erecting a porch on the kitchen also narrowly escaped from a falling chimney, by jumping to a place of safety. The damaged house will be repaired at once by the owners and in a short time made as good as new. (I have never heard this story before, but I am pretty sure that this is Jesse and his son Richard. Apparently the extent of the injuries was exaggerated. I found another story from Elwood, from April 1907 mentioning that Mrs. J. D. Waggener held a "green tea" for the first ward Christian church ladies, at 1902 South A street. From the description of the house in the explosion story, I believe this was the same house, meaning they moved back in or continued to live here until at least then. These stories confirm that they were in Elwood, Indiana in 1906 and 1907.- RW) ================= The following indenture is located in Jefferson County Deed Book 68, page 7 and is dated September 29, 1909. It is for the sale of one acre of land on Kenner Hill, north of Festus, Missouri. The sale was between "William B. Kenner and Mary M. Kenner, his wife," and "Annie E. Waggener, wife of J. D. Waggener & her heirs." It is described that she paid $100 for the property, but according to family lore, this was a gift from Annie's parents, and the property was just down the hill from the Kenner's house. Also according to family lore, Annie and Jessie subsequently borrowed $3000 from the Farmer's and Merchant Bank of Festus, and build a house there, which they lived in until they left Festus for Detroit in 1918. The description of the property in the indenture is as follows: "All of Lot number nine (9) in W. B. Kenner Subdivision of N. W. cor. of U.S. Survey No. 160, Township 40 Range 6 E. described as follows to wit: Beginning at the S.E. corner of lot No. 8 in said Subdivision belonging to Charles Jennings, thence N. 16 degrees W. 208 1/2 feet along and wth the East line of said lot 8 to the N. E. thereof, thence N. 74 degrees W. 208 1/2 feet, thence S. 16 degrees E. 208 1/2 feet, thence S. 74 degrees W 208 1/2 feet to place of beginning, containing one acre." (The house still stands, although the front porch as been removed. It is located at 221 N. 9th Street, Festus. Annie and Jessie subsequently sold the house and property in 1924.-RW) ================== From the 1910 Federal Census of the City of Festus, Joachim Township, Jefferson County, Missouri, district 33, sheet 26a, page 136, taken May 12, 1910, household 552; from genealogy.com: Wagoner, Jess D.; head of household, male, age- 59, married 26 years, born- Missouri, father born- Tennessee, mother born- Kentucky, occupation- farmer/ farm, r/w's, rents home/ home is a house ------ Anna E.; wife, female, age- 48, married 26 years, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, occupation- none/ housework, r/w's ------ George V.; son, male, age- 24, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, occupation- Machinist/ factory, r/w's ------ Mary L.; daughter, female, age- 21, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, occupation- Teacher/ school, r/w's ------ James R.; son, male, age- 18, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, occupation- factory, r/w's ------ Minnie M.; daughter, female, age- 16, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, in school, r/w's ------ Harry D.; son, male, age- 10, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, in school, r/w's (Jesse and Annie are living nearby to the household of Jesse's sister Mary Lillie and his brother James Henry. They are apparently not too far away from the households of Jesse's brother Stokely, Annie's brother William, and Annie's parents, William and Mary Kenner. I assume this is the house on Kenner Hill, north of Festus. -RW) ================= From the 1920 Federal Census of Detroit City, District 14 (part of), 4th Ward (part of), Wayne County, Michigan, district 147, sheet 8A, taken January 19-20, 1920, household 164, address- 208 Bethune Ave. West; from ancestry.com, image 15 of 17: Waggener, John D.; head of household, rents home, male, age- 69, married, r/w's, born- Missouri, parents born- Kentucky, occupation- Retired Farmer ------ Annie E.; wife, female, age- 58, married, r/w's, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri ------ George V.; son, male, age- 33, single, r/w's, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, occupation- Tool maker/ Auto Parts ------ Harry D.; son, male, age- 19, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, occupation- Cable Officer/ Telephone Co. ------ Lucetta M.; daughter, age- 31, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, occupation- Teacher/ School ------ Minnie M.; daughter, age- 26, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, occupation- stenographer/ Western Electric ------ Dorothy A.; daughter, age- 22, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, occupation- Stenographer/ Casting Co. Smith, Robert L.; lodger, male, age- 34, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, occupation- Toolmaker/ Auto Parts Reddick, Robert; lodger, male, age- 22, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, occupation- ?? Machine/ Automobile Co. Taylor, Frances K.; lodger, female, age- 20, single, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri, occupation- Book Keeper/ Electric Co. (Listed around the block at 120 Lothrop Ave. is the household of son James Richard Waggener. Jesse's name and the birth locations of his parents are in error. I believe that the three lodgers are all friends of some sort from Missouri. -RW) ================ From the Polk's City Directory for Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, 1920-21, page 2241: Waggener, Jesse D.; house 201 Farrand Ave., Highland Park (Also listed as living there are Dorothy, George, Harry, Minnie, and Lucetta.-RW) ================ From the Polk's City Directory for Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, 1921-22, page 1973: Waggener, Jesse D., boards 201 Farrand Pk., Highland Park (Also listed as living there are Minnie, George, Harry, Dorothy, and Lucetta.-RW) ================= I found a Warranty Deed in Jefferson County, Missouri Deed Book 97, page 569, and is dated October 22, 1924. It is the sale of the one acre of property originally purchased by Annie (or given to her) from her parents William B. and Mary M. Kenner, on September 29, 1909. (See record above.) This is the location of the family home for Jesse and Annie, until they moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1918. The current address of the house is 221 N. 9th Street, Festus. The deed is between "Annie E. Waggener and J.D. Waggener, her husband, of the State of Michigan" and "John Vineyard and Mary Vineyard, of the County of Jefferson in the State of Missouri." The selling price was $3,600. The description of the property was word for word identical to the description given above in the 1909 document. Curiously, the house which was built after the 1909 land purchase, is not mentioned in this document.- RW ================= From the 1930 Federal Census of Lake Worth City, Palm Beach County, Florida, district 50-27, sheet 8a, taken April 18, 1930, household 200, address: 127 N. L St.; from ancestry.com image 15 of 37: Wagener, Jesse D.; head of household, rents home/ $3 (or 30), male, age- 79, married, 33 years old at 1st marriage, r/w's, born- Missouri, father born- Kentucky, mother born- Virginia, occupation- none, not a veteran ------ Annie E.; wife/ head, female, age- 69, married, 23 years old at 1st marriage, r/w's, born- Missouri, parents born- Missouri ------ Ruth; granddaughter, female, age- 12, in school, r/w's, born- Michigan, father born- Missouri, mother born- Michigan (Ruth is the daughter of Jesse and Annie's son Dick, who were living in Royal Oak, Michigan at the time. RW) ================ From Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011: From Polk's West Palm Beach, Palm Beach and Lake Worth (Palm Beach County, Florida) City Directory 1935, page 406, Lake Worth City Directory: Waggener, Jesse D (Annie E) householder 301 North M Street (The was the year they returned to Michigan due to Jesse's failing health, and in which he died in December.- RW) =============== Jesse and his wife Annie are buried in the Roseland Park Cemetery, 29001 N. Woodward Ave., Berkley, Michigan 48072. Their graves are in Section 31, plot 330. This is 4 rows east of the Pieta statue and about 5 plots north. Jesse's headstone reads: Father Jesse David Waggener Dec. 30, 1850 - Dec. 13, 1935 =============== From an interview with Harry David Waggener (b. 1900 d. 1990) and his wife Elsie Gregg by Phil (son of George Vest Waggener) and Elaine Waggener, made in August of 1979. Here are some excerpts that talk about the family of his parents, Jessie and Annie Kenner Waggener. The entire transcript of the entire interview is included in the notes for Harry: “Harry: Kenner was my mother's maiden name. They lived on a hill called Kenner’s Hill. They were very respected in the community, and they were one of the first settlers in that area. Phil: Near Festus? Just above Festus. In fact, when my mother and father and all of us kids moved there, Grandpa Kenner gave us an acre of land. My dad borrowed three thousand dollars from the Citizens Bank there and he built a house. It was up on a hill overlooking the Mississippi River. It was just down a little ways from the Kenners’ house. They were on top of the hill and we were down the hill just a little ways. This was the only house in that area. All that area was subdivided into lots later on. The Kenner family were pioneers in that area. When I was a boy I used to go up there and milk cows and they would give us a can of milk. I would carry the milk home. Before we got our house built we lived with them. Aunt Kate (Genevieve Kate Kenner, who married Charles A. Baker) was there. She had been divorced from her husband named Charlie. She had a daughter named Mary (Baker, b. 1904), and Mary and I played a lot together. We were the only two kids around there. We practically lived between the two places, the Kenners and our home. (This had to have been around 1908 to 1912) Phil: My dad had left by that time? Your dad, Vest Waggener, had moved there with us. He worked at the Pittsburgh Plate Glass factory. He was a toolmaker. The reason the factory was there because it was on the Mississippi River and in the foothills of the Ozarks, which was full of silica sand, and that's what they made glass out of. There was enough silica sand there, they said, to last anyone's life. Dick worked there too. He was an electrician. I imagine that's where he learned his trade. They called your dad “piss ant.” I don't know how he got that name, but that's what they called him. After we lived there a while, Vest went to Alton, Illinois, and worked there for Eden Washing Machine Company. He would come home on weekends. There was a train running from St. Louis to Festus. One of the things he did was he bought a pool table. We had it in the living room and everybody learned to play pool. That was one of the big things-we all went to the Christian Church, or the Methodist Church or Baptist Church, and every once in a while they would have a-they had no regular minister but they would bring ministers in from out of town. There was a family that used to come there and hold revivals called the Park family. He was a preacher and she played the organ and the daughter sang. In the summertime we had nothing to do there but to take a walk. We would take that pool table out on the front lawn and play pool some evenings. This preacher preached several sermons about that, about how the Waggeners were going to hell. There were a lot of other preachers who came there. One of them went around with Lucetta for a while. One Saturday night the church caught fire and burned down. My mother, the Kenners, and some other people around there who were pioneers in that church built a new church. My mother was very instrumental. They built it out of cement blocks. It was the first block building in that area. That church is still standing there. She was very proud of that. They had a furnace in there that seldom worked. We went to church then. We went to Sunday school and stayed for church and went back at night. Of course my dad never went to church. I understand, though, that when he came to Michigan-you remember Edgar DeWitt Jones, don't you? Phil: Yes, I do. I met him. Harry: Your dad and I went to meet him at the train when he first came to Michigan. He came from Bloomington, Illinois, and he took over that Christian Church there down on Third Street in Detroit. He used to visit us. My mother was the main pillar in that church too. When she died, they buried her from that church, which was unusual, because they thought so much of her. I understand that the church made a memorial for her somewhere there. Anyway, Edgar DeWitt Jones baptized my dad. I didn't see it. When he died, Edgar DeWitt Jones preached his funeral. We had the funeral from our home in Farrand Park. That was because my mother was sick and couldn't go to the funeral home or anything. I think your dad (inaudible). When Jones preached a sermon he wrote it all out and memorized it. I think that when I visited your dad in Arizona he showed me a copy of the sermon he preached at the funeral. One of the things he said was that my dad was the only one who ever called him DeWitt. We kind of got away from Festus, didn't we? I never did learn to play pool good, but Min got real good, and Cet got good. A lot of other people came there and played a game called Model(?) pool. Cet was a school teacher there. She taught in the MacNutt School-a one-room school out in the country that had all the grades, the first to the-I don't know. That was the first school that I went to. Later Dorothy went to Cape Giradeau (south in Cape Giradeau Co.) to learn to be a school teacher, and she taught for one year. She never did like teaching school. She had a belt that she used to control the kids. Elsie: What else can you tell about your father? Harry: I don’t know the whole story, but somehow he went out to the Black Hills and discovered gold. He and another fellow-I guess there were three of them-had a mine and it was doing pretty good. This other guy was trying to cheat him out (inaudible). Dad had a rifle and took a bead on him but couldn't kill him. So they lost the mine. Your dad [George] told me this story. You know that Mississippi bottom land-it flooded one year and ruined the corn crop. But dad got a bunch of hogs and put them out there to root out that corn and fatten up. He made as much money on that as he would have with the corn. He [Jesse] wanted to go into the (inaudible) business. My mother told him she would rather he would go into the army than to go into the (inaudible) business-so that’s what he did. He was in the Spanish-American War. He got a pension from that for a long time. I don't think he got it for being in a battle; I think he got a sun stroke. Elsie: He got it during a parade, and they sent him home. He was never even out of the United States. Harry: You know, they lived in Florida a long time-in Lake Worth. Elsie: Seven years. Harry: That’s where he started getting sick. They couldn't live there any more, and the family got together and decided to bring him up [to Detroit]. They sent me down there to bring him back. We got a compartment on a train. Every once in a while on the way he would say “Where are we?” I'd say “We're coming into Texas” and he’d say “That's a big place.” I don't know how many times he would say that. That's where he was mustered out of the army. He was kind of on the decline and his kidneys were going bad. Elsie: Hardening of the arteries. Harry: and he wasn't all there. There was a mirror in this compartment, and he looked at it and said “Who is that guy?” One night he got up to go to the bathroom, I guess, and he went outside and was roaming up and down the train, and the porter came to get me and I had to go get him and bring him back. He went to Farrand Park, and that's where he died shortly after that. You know my mother was taking care of him and she contracted TB. She went to doctors, but they never suspected she had tuberculosis [until] they couldn’t do anything about it. Elsie: You either recovered or you died. She was 75. Harry: She was in a sanitarium about a year. All the family took turns going there to sit with her in the afternoons. Phil: When did your dad leave the farm? Harry: I don’t know. That was before my time. The first I knew he was working at the Pittsburgh Plate Glass factory in Elwood, Indiana. Then we moved from Elwood to Festus and built that house. After that he never had a regular job that I know of. He did odd jobs. Phil: How did you get in the telephone business? Harry: Through my sisters. Dick came to Michigan first-on a freight train. He got a job as an electrician, working on the Keokuk dam (in Iowa). Then Min came up and got a job with Western Electric. Then Dorothy came up and she got a job with Western Electric too. She met a man by the name of (inaudible). You see Western Electric and the telephone company were pretty well connected. He was in the construction department of the telephone company and they were looking for people-this was in 1917, and I was 17 years old. This guy got me a job. Elsie: Western Electric is where Min met Pete and she married him. And Dorothy had a job there, and the day I went to work for Western Min and Pete were getting married. There was a notice on the bulletin board saying hat everyone was invited to the wedding. And that's where I met Harry. I was 18. Harry: Finally the whole family got to Detroit, and we couldn’t rent a place that was big enough for us. So we went to Highland Park and five of us bought the house at 201 Farrand Park. All of us but Dick lived there together for several years, including some other friends from Festus who had come up there to live. One was a friend of George’s who had worked with him in Crystal City. That was unusual for all of us to live together. Then my mother and father came, and Uncle Tom also came and lived with us for a while. There was only one bathroom in that house. Once when I came home at night and didn't have a key, I climbed on the porch and opened a window and walked over Dorothy and Minnie who were in bed. Phil: Was your dad a farmer for a while? Harry: Evidently, before my time. But we always had a big garden. One thing my dad did, he would go and wait on sick people. Even when they had smallpox and things like that and were quarantined, he would go there and take care of them… When someone died people would sit up with [the body] all night. I sat up all night with my grandmother. We went to the graveyard in a horse and buggy. That was 1916. Phil: What kind of guy was Jesse D.? Harry: He was a reprobate. He treated my mother a lot worse (inaudible). She was active in her church. This church class she went to had quilting parties. They would go to different houses and make quilts. She would have those women [in her house], and he would go in there and tell them that she didn’t feed him and wouldn’t do this and that-to all those strange women. But I never heard her say one word against him. Elsie: We went there one day and he was sitting on the front porch, and we asked him where Annie was. He said “I don't know, she just goes and doesn’t tell me where she's going.” Well, she was up at the church quilting and she did tell him. Harry said “Why don't you divorce her?” and he said “I'm thinking about it.” And he could hardly go across the street without her. Harry: When we were coming back from that train ride [from Florida], he had weak kidneys. When we got off the train and went in the waiting room he did not want her to go in the ladies’ room. He wanted her to go in the men’s room with him. He would raise hell, too. =============== Jesse's death certificate was posted on-line by the State of Michigan: Michigan Department of Health Certificate of Death File no. 682 7821 Place of death: 201 Farrand, Highland Park, Wayne County, Michigan Name: Jesse D. Waggener Residence: 201 Farrand, Highland Park Sex: male Color: white Marital status: married Spouse: 84 years, 11 months, 13 days Occupation: farmer/ retired 15 years Birthplace: Rush Tower, Mo. Father's name: Reuben Waggener Father's birthplace: Lexington, Ky. Maiden name of mother: Mary Moore Mother's birthplace: Lexingtion, Ky. Informant: Lucetta Waggener Address: 210 Farrand Ave. Burial: Roseland Park, Dec 16, 1935


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