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Wilhelm Edward Fiegenbaum

and

Maude Mary Montgomery

Wedding

8 October 1901

Transcription of article

Cupid's Captives.

For some time it has been rumored in Oregon society that one of our most popular young ladies, who from young girlhood has grown up in our midst, was about to pass from the paternal roof to take her light and joy to the home of another - We refer to Miss Maude, niece of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Montgomery, of this city. The rumor developed into a fact as appeared by the wedding invitations that were issued. The happy bridegroom is Edward Fiegenbaum, a jeweler of Geneva, Nebraska, and who several years ago was engaged in the same business in our city.

The church was neatly decorated in festoons, the altar being banked with potted palms and other plants. Just before the arrival of the wedding party, Miss Gertrude Stock sang a beautiful love song, "Answer," by Robyns.

The ceremony was performed at the Presbyterian church, and promptly at 11 a.m., Tuesday, October 8th, 1901, the bridal party entered, preceded by the ushers, Messrs. Dr. Jonas Whitmer and Charles Zachman, and attendants, Miss Leona Schulte and Charles Bunker. The party passed down the aisle to the chancel to the music of Mendelssohn's wedding march, played by the sister of the bride, Mrs. Henry Fiegenbaum. Underneath a large monogram in red and green stood the contracting parties, while the bride's pastor, Rev. Henry A. Sawyers, spoke the words that made these two very excellent young people, husband and wife.

Upon the benediction being performed the bridal party retired to the strains of a beautiful march, and they and relatives repaired to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery where a reception and luncheon was given, and at 1:20 p. m., Mr. and Mrs. Fiegenbaum took their departure for a brief bridal trip, and after October 20th will be at home at Geneva, Nebraska, where the groom has just completed a cozy cottage.

The bride was attired in a beautiful gown of castor bean de soisee, trimmed elaborately in lace medallions and embroidered chiffon. The maid of honor wore a handsome gown of castor cloth, with pink and brown trimmings.

The bridal presents were numerous and handsome, evincing the high regard in which they are held by their friends. Both young people are very popular with a large circle of friends, and all unite in wishing them the very best the world affords.

Those present from a distance were: Mrs. Louis Fiegenbaum and daughter, Inez, and Mrs. S. Schickley, of Geneva, Nebraska; Mrs. Clarence Pickenbrock, of Ellston, Iowa; Mr. Fred Sexauer, of Ankney [sic], Iowa; Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Montgomery, Mound City; Mr. and Mrs. E. M. Austin, Forest City; Mr. Hi Montgomery and children, of Skidmore; Rev. H. Fiegenbaum, St. Joseph.

Source: "Cupid's Captives" in The Holt County Sentinel (Oregon, Missouri); Friday, 11 October 1901; page 4, column 2.

Digital copies accessed through Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers (The Library of Congress) in November 2011.

The original article in the newspaper appeared in a single column. The digital image has been presented here in two columns to conserve space.

Notes

The Bride

The bride was Maude Mary Montgomery, daughter of David and Hannah (Davis) Montgomery. Over the years, The Holt County Sentinel often included short notices that Maude, often identified as Mrs. W. E. Fiegenbaum or Mrs. Ed Fiegenbaum, had returned to Oregon, Missouri, to visit with Mr. and Mrs. Robert Montgomery. Occasionally the Montgomeries were identified as her parents rather than the uncle and aunt they were. I currently have very little information about the Montgomery family and cannot explain why the birth parents do not play a more prominent role in the adult lives of Maude Mary and her sister, Nellie Blanche.

The Groom

The groom was Wilhelm Edward Fiegenbaum, the tenth and last child born to Rev. Friedrich Wilhelm and Louisa (Otto) Fiegenbaum. Edward established a jewelry business at Oregon, Missouri in 1892 (for a time, his "shop" was located inside the J. C. Philbrick drug store). His brief one or two line ads appeared frequently in The Holt County Sentinel (Thomas Curry, son of James Barnes & Mary Ellen (Philbrick) Curry, was a part owner of the newspaper and was married to Christina Wilhelmina "Mina" Fiegenbaum, daughter of Rev. Heinrich Hermann and Clara C. (Kastenbudt) Fiegenbaum; Thomas Curry & Edward were "cousins"). In February 1897, Edward moved his business to Geneva, Nebraska. The Holt County Sentinel often noted when he returned to Oregon, Missouri to visit his parents and friends.

The Groom's Parents

At the time of his marriage, Edward's parents, Rev. Friedrich Wilhelm and Louisa (Otto) Fiegenbaum were living at Oregon, Missouri. Friedrich had been the pastor of the local German Methodist Episcopal Church from 1892 to 1896. In 1896, poor health - he was suffering from "Lagrippe or Malaria Fever" - forced him to retire. I do not know if by 1900 he was again active in church work. In October 1902, he and Louisa had moved to Wathena, Doniphan County, Kansas. Louisa died there in 1911, and Friedrich in 1914.

Sister & Brother & Family

Maude's sister played the wedding march during the ceremony. As was typical of this newspaper during the time period, as a married woman she was identified by her husband's name, as Mrs. Henry Fiegenbaum. Nellie Blanche Montgomery had married the groom's brother, Heinrich F. Fiegenbaum, at Oregon, Missouri, on 3 October 1900. Following his graduation from the University of Kansas in 1893, Henry, as he was known, served the public schools at Holton, Kansas for a few years (The Holt County Sentinel sometimes referred to him as Prof. Henry Fiegenbaum, the principal). He was briefly the chief clerk in the Burlington Route's freight office at St. Joseph, Missouri, before moving in 1901 to Lawton, Oklahoma Territory, to engage in the hardware business. Henry and Nellie's first child, Frances Louise Fiegenbaum (later the wife of Rueben J. Claussen), was born in Lawton in 1902. Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory were combined and on 16 November 1907, as Oklahoma, became the 46th state to enter the union. Before that date, the Henry Fiegenbaum family had relocated to Springfield, Sarpy County, Nebraska; their second child, Roberta Grace Fiegenbaum, was born there on 12 July 1906. She married Clyde William Martin.

Guests

A number of guests had traveled some distance to attend the wedding and they are listed by name. I am acquainted with some of them.

Mrs. Louis Fiegenbaum and daughter, Inez, ...of Geneva, Nebraska. This was Luella May (Shumway) Fiegenbaum, wife of Louis Theodore Stephan Fiegenbaum, a son of Rev. Friedrich Wilhelm and Louisa (Otto) Fiegenbaum and the groom's older brother. At the time of the wedding Louis was a druggist at Geneva, Nebraska. Inez Maude Fiegenbaum was Louis and Luella's only child; she would have been 12 years old at the time. In 1913 she married Arthur Ernest Ewing.

Mrs. Clarence Pickenbrock, of Ellston, Iowa was Emily Louise Sexauer, the wife of Clarence Pieckenbrock (as I have spelled the family name in my genealogical database). Emily was the groom's niece. Her parent's were Mathew Sexauer and Wilhelmine Christine Elizabeth Fiegenbaum, a daughter of Rev. Friedrich Wilhelm and Louisa (Otto) Fiegenbaum and Edward's sister.

Mr. Fred Sexauer, of Ankney [sic], Iowa was very likely Fredrick Jacob Sexauer, Emily Louise Sexauer's brother. In 1906 or 1907 he married Nora Pearl McClung at Kalispell, Flathead County, Montana. Fred and Nora were life-long residents of Polk County, Iowa, except for the first 6-8 years of their marriage when they farmed at Wawota, Saskatchewan, Canada. Their first child, Lester Adolph Sexauer, was born at Wawota. He married Alice Nottingham.

Rev. H. Fiegenbaum, St. Joseph was the groom's uncle, Rev. Heinrich Hermann Fiegenbaum. Like his brother, Friedrich Wilhelm Fiegenbaum, Henry had also served the German Methodist Episcopal Church at Oregon, Missouri; as well as the one at nearby St. Joseph, where he was living at the time of the wedding. Heinrich Hermann, Friedrich Wilhelm and their two brothers were all pastors in the German M. E. Church. Their two sisters had married pastors in the same denomination. As was typical of the clergy in this Church, they moved frequently from charge to charge and traveled extensively throughout the middle of the country, venturing as far west as Washington and Idaho. There are documents listed below which give more details about the lives of these siblings.

50^th Wedding Anniversary

In 1951, Wilhelm and Maude celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary at Geneva, Fillmore County, Nebraska.