From the early medieval times, Westphalia had been ruled by the Archbishop of Köln and noble families. In 1815, the Napoleonic Wars ended after Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. Prussia took control of the province of Westphalia. Many families chose to emigrate to America during the tumultuous decades of the first half of the 1800s. Our Padberg ancestors from the town of Titmaringhausen in Westphalia sought a new life in the United States. Letters from family members settled in the United States encouraged other relatives still in Westphalia to also leave and settle in the US.
The Padberg family in Titmaringhausen lived across the street from the Figgen family. Johann Jodocus Figgen (1780-1845) was married to Catharina Elisabeth Assmuth (1784-1852). Two of their daughters married Padberg brothers. Anna Elisabeth Figgen (1812-unknown), married Johannes Christoph (John) Padberg (1802-1849) on January 28, 1834. A second daughter, Catharina Gertrud Figgen (1816-1879) married Johann Jodocus (1805-1883) on September 9, 1837.
Catharina Elisabeth and Johann Jodocus Figgen and their four sons immigrated in 1841 to St. Louis, Missouri. In 1847, Anna Elisabeth and Johannes Christoph Padberg, Branch B, followed them. They left Titmaringhausen, but settled in Dallas City in Hancock County in Illinois rather than St. Louis. Johannes Christoph died in 1849, two years after arriving in Illinois. (See Branch B for more details.)
Catharina Elisabeth and Johann Jodocus Figgen and their four sons immigrated in 1841 to St. Louis, Missouri. In 1847, Anna Elisabeth and Johannes Christoph Padberg, Branch B, followed them. They left Titmaringhausen, but settled in Dallas City in Hancock County in Illinois rather than St. Louis. Johannes Christoph died in 1849, two years after arriving in Illinois. (See Branch B for more details.)
On August 27, 1855, Catharina Gertrud and Johann Jodocus, left Titmaringhausen and traveled with their five children by wagon to Reda, Westphalia where they caught a train. They arrived in Bremen on April 30th. September 1, 1855, they traveled by train to Bremerhaven and on September 11th, they boarded a two and half mast sailing ship for America. On November 22, 1855, they arrived at the Port of New Orleans and boarded a steamboat for St. Louis. They arrived in St. Louis on November 29, 1855, three months and two days after leaving their home in Titmaringhausen. A story told was that before they left New Orleans, they bought straw hats for each of the four boys. However, when they arrived in St. Louis it was snowing.
Soon after their arrival the two oldest sons, Lorenz and August obtained work at the Goodwin Soap Factory where they were paid $2.50 per week. After three months, Johannes, the third son, obtained a job at the same factory for a wage of $1.00 per day. Several weeks later the two older brothers were given the same high wage.
In June of 1856, Johann Jodocus and Catharina Gertrud and their family moved to Navoo, Illinois on the Mississippi River. Lorenz described it in his diary: “There we stood as if God had forsaken us.” The family moved again in April of 1857 to Pontoosuc, Illinois. Finally, they moved back to St. Louis at the end of 1857. In that year, Anna Elisabeth had another son, August Charles Louis (1856-1880).
The family realized that their lives depended upon their own efforts individually and with the immediate family helping each other. With the new focus the family began to work on building a business that they owned. The brothers started a grocery on Jefferson Street near Broadway. Eventually a strip of land was purchased on the 3000 block of Broadway. Over the next several decades the PADBERG MERCANTILE CO. was constructed. This company was built by the Padberg brothers of Branch A: Lorenz (A1.), August (A2.), John (A3.), and William (A5.). The company advertised itself as CASH Grocers, Wine and Liquors, Hay, Grain, and Mill Feed. The address ran from 3000 to 3011 South Broadway, St. Louis. The most successful period was from the 1890’s into the early years of the 20th Century. In 1859, Catharina Gertrud had her last child, Mary Anna Padberg (1859-1891).
William Padberg (A5.) worked for a short time at Padberg Mercantile and was the first to move away starting a business in Illinois that made wood products and framed pictures. August Padberg (A2.) and his family were next to move from St. Louis. His first move was connected to the Padberg Mercantile business. He moved to Illinois where he became a farmer. The farm produced grain and hay that was shipped and sold at Padberg Mercantile and special seeds and grain that were used in the making of the liquor sold in the Wild Hunter Saloon which was part of Padberg Mercantile Company. Eventually August stopped farming and worked for the railroad. John Padberg (A3.) worked with the company the longest, but eventually retired to sell hardware wholesale. Lorenz and his four sons all stayed and worked at Padberg Mercantile.
In Branch A, four of the five brothers married and had large families. The youngest brother, August Charles Louis (1856-1880), became a Catholic priest and died at age 24. Of the two daughters, Anna Gertrud (1852-1872) never married and died at age 20. Mary Anna (1859-1891) became a nun.
There are many descendants from the 4 brothers. The first, Laurenz Padberg (1838-1922) married Margaretha Fille (1839-1872) and had 3 children: Anna Margaret (1865-1940), Lorenz F. (1867-1943)+, Bernard Aloysius (1870-1939); Laurenz married second time to Mathilda F. Hoevelmann (1847-1929) and had 10 children: Mathilde Bernadine (1874-1875), Aloysius John (1875-1944), John Louis (1875-1876), August William (1877-1934), Mathilda Helen (1878-1880), Francis Henry (1880-1882), Marie Anna Bertha (1882-1958), Joseph Raymond (1883-1932)+, Wilhelmina Gertrude (1886-1920), and John Francis (1892-1942)+.
Family of Laurenz Padberg (A 1.) Back Row: Joseph Raymond (A 1.11), Aloysius John (A 1.5), Lorenz F. (A 1.2), Bernard A. (A 1.3)e Front Row: August William (A 1.7), Gertrude (A 1. 12), Matilda Hovelman Padberg (A 1. Second spouse), John Francis (A 1.13), Laurenz (A 1.), Bertha (A 1.10), Anna Margaret (A. 1.1)
Laurenz and Matilda had four children who died in early childhood: Mathilde Bernadine (1874-1875 A 1.4)), John Louis (1875-1875 A 1.6), Mathilda Helen (1878-1880 A 1.8), and Francis Henry (1880-1882 A 1.9).
The second son was August (Johann Jodocus) (1840-1917) who married Marie Frances Heithausen (1846-1914) and had 7 children: John August (1866-1940)+; Isabel Gertrude (1870-1932) married Robert Lee Riley+; Ella (b. 1872) married Alvin Chandler+; Lorenz (1874-1887), Marie Catherine (b. 1880) married Alphus Black+; Aeurilian Augusta (b. 1884) married E. John Painter+; and Benjamin Henry (1886-1962)+. This family eventually moved to Southern Illinois.
The third son was John (Johannes) Padberg (1843-1931) who married first to Katharina Halada (1849-1873) and had 3 children: Katherine Gertrud (1869-1898) married Francis J. Tiefenbrunn+; John Frederic William (1871-1941)+; and Johanna Auguste (1873-1873). Johannes married a second time to Anna Adelheid Rolfes (1852-1925) and had 8 children: Angela Anna (1876-1968) married James J. Long+; Louis Rudoph (1897-1949)+; Anna Emily (1880-1882); Agnes Anna (1882-1973) married Joseph Aloysius Lucas+; John Albert Joseph (1885-1887); Joseph Henry (Harry J.) (1887-1966)+; Eugene Lawrence (1890-1950)+; and Mathilda Frances (1891-1981) married John Dillon Killoren+.
The fourth son was William (Johann Wilhelm) Padberg (1849-1935) who married Maria Catherina Thamann (1847-1915) and had 7 children: Louis William (1874-1925); William Lawrence (1877-1934)+; August Frederich Edward (1879-1938)+; Albert Theodor (1881-1883); John Joseph (1884-1885); Anna Catherine (1886-1978); and Ida Sophia (1888-1984).
