28 July 2018

Theodore Johann Fiegebaum

1861 — 1945

Obituaries

Early Nebraska druggist is dead

T. C. [sic] Fiegenbaum, 1  one of the early druggists of Nebraska - he was No. 25 on the state registry - died Sunday afternoon after an illness of two days.  He would have been 84 in November.

Born in St. Paul, Minn., he was educated in Iowa, and after graduating from Wilton high school he taught for a few years and then took up pharmacy in Montana.  Coming to Nebraska in 1887, Mr. Fiegenbaum built and operated his own store at Hampton.  He was in business in Lincoln from 1890 to 1906, when he bought a store in Western.  Retiring from the drug business in 1917, he was on the staff of State Auditor George W. Marsh from then until 1925.  Two brothers were in the same business, Lou S. at Geneva and Ben 2  at Western and at Lincoln.  Both preceded him in death.

In 1902 Mr. Fiegenbaum went to Alaska with Harry Look, his business partner, for the benefit of his health, and spent a year panning gold and also working as a pharmacist.  He was married in 1889 to Miss Nellie Erlenborn at Mendota, Ill.  She survives him, with their daughters [sic], Martha, 3  both of the Nebraskan hotel.  He also leaves a sister, Mrs. Emma Miller of Wathena, Kas., and two brothers, Edward W. of Geneva and Henry of Omaha. 4   Mr. Fiegenbaum was a member of the Methodist church at Western and of Trinity Methodist in Lincoln, and was affiliated with the Royal Highlanders.

Source: Nebraska State Journal (Lincoln, Nebraska); Monday, 20 August 1945; page 1, column 3 (near bottom). A number of type-setting errors found in the original have been "corrected" here.

For death notices in which the deceased is identified as Theodore J. Fiegenbaum, see in the same publication: Monday, 20 August 1945, page 6, column 3 (transcribed below); Tuesday, 21 August 1945, page 10, column 4; Wednesday, 22 August 1945, page 8, column 3; Thursday, 23 August 1945, page 14, column 4.

A nearly identical version of this obituary was published in the Nebraska Signal (Geneva, Fillmore County, Nebraska) on 23 August 1945. A transcription of that obituary was shared with me by Jane Michel.

Deaths

FIEGENBAUM – Theodore J. Fiegenbaum died Sunday.  He leaves his wife, Nellie, one daughter, Miss Martha, Lincoln, two brothers, W. E., Geneva Neb. and Henry, of Omaha, and one sister, Mrs. Emma Miller, Wathena, Kas.   Wadlows. 5 

Source: Nebraska State Journal (Lincoln, Nebraska); Monday, 20 August 1945; page 6, column 3.

Notes

  1. Other sources, most importantly his marriage license, indicate that the middle initial was J., not C. See also the brief death notice which was published on a later page in the same issue of the same newspaper.

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  2. In 1917, the promotion of a drug inspector by the Kansas State Board of Health prompted the search for his replacement. Benjamin Friedrich Fiegenbaum was the successful candidate for that position./p>

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  3. As far as I know, Theodore J. and Nellie M. (Erlenborn) Fiegenbaum were the parents of only one child, Martha T. Fiegenbaum (1904-1960). I interpret the word sisters as one of the type-setting errors found in this obituary and believe it should have appeared in the singular.

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  4. In this obituary, the brother's given names are arranged as Edward W. In the death notice which appeared in the same issue of the newspaper (and included on this web page), the given names are reversed - W. E. - which is the order I believe is correct. It is the order used for his own obituary. Notice that the The Nebraska Signal avoided this problem in its version of Theodore's obituary.

    Wilhelm/William Edward grew up in Kansas and was influenced by his brother, Louis Theodore Stephan Fiegenbaum, "a pioneer druggist at Geneva, Nebraska," to move his jewelry and optical business from Oregon, Missouri, to Geneva, where he shared space in Lou's pharmacy until he could establish his own presence in town.

    Brother Henry - Heinrich F. Fiegenbaum - was also a pharmacist among other pursuits and finally settled down in Nebraska.

    One gets the impression that the Fiegenbaum brothers - Theodore, Edward, Henry, Lou and Ben - were a close-knit group.

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  5. The word "Wadlows" appears to refer to Cecil E. Wadlow, a local mortician and funeral director. He ran a advertisement lower down in the same column of this page of the newspaper.

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Death of T. C. Fiegenbaum

T. C. Fiegenbaum of Lincoln, one of the early druggists of Nebraska--he was No. 25 on the state registry--died Sunday afternoon after an illness of two days.  He would have been eighty-four in November.

Born in St. Paul, Minn., he was educated in Iowa, and after graduating from Wilton high school he taught for a few years and then took up pharmacy in Montana.  Coming to Nebraska in 1887, Mr. Fiegenbaum built and operated his own store at Hampton.  He was in business in Lincoln from 1890 to 1906, when he bought a store in Western.  Retiring from the drug business in 1917, he was on the staff of State Auditor George W. Marsh from then until 1925.  Two brothers were in the same business, Lou S. at Geneva and Ben at Western and at Lincoln.  Both preceded him in death.

In 1902 Mr. Fiegenbaum went to Alaska with Harry Look, his business partner, for the benefit of his health, and spent a year panning gold and also working as a pharmacist.  He was married in 1889 to Miss Nellie Erlenborn at Mendota, Ill.  She survives him with their daughter, Martha, both of the Nebraskan hotel.  He also leaves a sister, Mrs. Emma Miller of Wathena, Kas., and two brothers, Edward of Geneva and Henry of Omaha.  Mr. Fiegenbaum was a member of the Methodist church at Western and of Trinity Methodist in Lincoln, and was affiliated with the Royal Highlanders.

Mr. Fiegenbaum was known to a number of Geneva people through visits here.

Source: The Nebraska Signal, of Geneva, Fillmore County, Nebraska; 23 August 1945. This transcription and citation generously provided by Jane Michel.

Brief Genealogy

Theodore Johann Fiegenbaum's family

Nellie M. Erlenborn's family

Fiegenbaum - Erlenborn family

More Resources