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Adolph Heinrich Fiegenbaum
and
Margaret (McKee) Fiegenbaum
Family Photos
Fiegenbaum – Mckee family
- From left to right:
- Margaret (McKee) Fiegenbaum; Grace Gertrude Fiegenbaum; Adolph Heinrich Fiegenbaum
According to a very brief biographical sketch of Adolph Heinrich Fiegenbaum published in 1880, 1 Adolph was living on his father's farm, superintending the farm work and teaching school in Ankeny, Polk County, Iowa. He was also justice of the peace for Crocker Township. The sketch did not mention his wife, Margaret McKee, whom he married in July 1880.
A few years later, Adolph and Margaret were living in Washington, D.C., where their only child, Grace Gertrude was born in June 1883. Adolph lived the rest of his life in the District, working as a clerk in the War Department. I have no idea how the family got from Iowa to the nation's capital.
One of the places they lived early in their stay in Washington was in the area of the Capitol.
A gold bar breastpin has been stolen from the residence of Adolph H. Fiegenbaum, No. 408 East Capitol street.
Source: Washington Post, Monday, 14 January 1889; p. 8, column 2.
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408 East Capitol Street, Washington, D.C.
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St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 3rd Street, SE & A Street, SE, Washington, D.C.
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In May 2012, Susan Block, Parish Administrator at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, generously allowed me to examine the church registers. With her guidance, I was able to learn a number of things about the family of Adolph Heinrich and Margaret (McKee) Fiegenbaum.
Their daughter, Grace Gertrude Fiegenbaum, was confirmed at the church in the confirmation class of 9 April 1896. A note added to that entry in the register at a later date by another hand recorded that Grace Fiegenbaum was also known as Mrs. Vinal (her married name, see below) and that she had transferred her membership to "All Saints Chevy Chase Oct 1917." It is assumed that this refers to All Saints Episcopal Church at 3 Chevy Chase Circle, Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815. 2
An entry on a different page in the same record book indicates that "Maggie Feigenbaum" [sic] had also transferred to Chevy Chase. There was no date recorded to show when the transfer of membership took place, nor was the church to which Maggie transferred mentioned by name. This reference is no doubt to Margaret (McKee) Fiegenbaum and reflects the fact which is confirmed by other sources, such as census enumerations and burial records, that later in their lives Grace's parents lived near (at 5435 Connecticut Avenue, NW) or with (at 3810 Jenifer Street, NW) their married daughter. Both addresses are only blocks away from the border between Washington, D.C. and Chevy Chase, Maryland, and All Saints Episcopal Church. 3
Grace Gertrude Fiegenbaum and George Wood Merwin Vinal were married at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on 19 November 1913 by Rev. Caleb R. Stetson. 4
Rev. Caleb R. Stetson also officiated at the baptism on 25 June 1916 of George and Grace's son, Frances Ellsworth Vinal, born on 2 September 1915. 5
We could not locate a baptismal record for Grace in the parish registers, but very surprisingly there was a record that on 26 April 1914, Adolph H. Fiegenbaum, who it was noted had been baptized, was "confirmed by bishop in St. Mark's." 6 Adolph would have been 59 years old. In 1916, two years after his confirmation, Adolph was elected a vestryman at St. Mark's Episcopal Church. 7
Although I have not yet found the record, it seems very unlikely that Adolph was not also confirmed in the German Methodist Episcopal Church at a younger and more conventional age. Adolph's father was an active pastor in that denomination, as were all of his father's brothers.
Notes
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The History of Polk County, Iowa, Containing a History of The County, Its Cities, Towns, &c., Biographical Sketches of Its Citizens, War Record of Its Volunteers In The Late Rebellion, General And Local Statistics, Portraits of Early Settlers And Prominent Men, History of The Northwest, History of Iowa, Map of Polk County, Constitution of Iowa, Miscellaneous Matters, &c., &c. (Des Moines, Iowa: Union Historical Company, 1880), page 989.
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St. Mark's Records; Book 2; page 227, entry 471. Grace Fiegenbaum's confirmation; her married name; transfer of church membership.
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St. Mark's Records; Book 2; page 215, entry 46. Transfer of church membership for "Maggie Feigenbaum" [sic] .
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Marriage of George Wood Meridin [sic] Vinal and Grace Gertrude Fiegenbaum in Marriage Records, 1913-1940; page 33. Compare with St. Mark's Records; Book 3; page 186.
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St. Mark's Records; Book 3; page 58, entry 960. Baptism of Frances Ellsworth Vinal.
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St. Mark's Records; Book 2; page 189, entry 968. Confirmation of Adolph H. Fiegenbaum.
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Washington Post, Monday, 1 May 1916; "Additional results of elections of vestrymen and other officers of Episcopal churches have been announced as follows:...." p.14, column 6.