Daniel Gamer

Daniel Gamer in United States Germans to America Index, 1850-1897:

• birth: 1848 Germany
• immigration: 12 July 1861 New York.

Daniel Gamer is described as follows in History of Montana, 1739-1885: A History of Its Discovery and Settlement ... ed. Michael A. Leeson (page 1335): "Daniel Gamer, of the firm of Schmidt & Gamer, Butte, was born in Baden, Germany, September 14, 1847, emigrated to the United States in June 1860 [sic]; remained a short time in New York City; removed to Chicago, and six years later to St. Joseph, Mo., where he engaged as clerk; in June 1870 located at Deer Lodge, Montana, in the boot and shoe trade; came to Butte City in 1877 and engaged in the brewing business which he has since continued. Mr. Gamer is a member of the Masonic Order, the IOOF (Lodge and Encampment) and the A. O. U. W. He was married at Deer Lodge, May 4, 1872, to Miss Lena Romig. They have two children, Emma and Albert."

The marriage of Daniel Gamer of Deer Lodge and R.L. Romig of St. Joseph, Mo., was listed in Montana's newspaper The New North-West on May 11, 1872, page 3, bottom center. Ancestry.com's CarlaofMontana refers to Lena as R. Lena "Laura" Romig in her citation of the May 11, 1872 marriage announcement in the New North-West. This would make her most likely the Laura Romick who appears on the 1870 census in the St. Joseph, Mo., household of John P. Fink, Daniel Gamer's business partner in the Deer Lodge, Montana, branches of Jno. P. Fink Boots & Shoes. John P. Fink had a habit of marrying his young female family members to Gamer brothers (including his daughter, Emma M. Fink, to Fredrick Gamer).

Daniel Gamer in 1880 Census for Butte, Deer Lodge, Montana:

• Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
• Daniel Gamer Self M 32 Germany. Occupation: Retail Whiskey
• Lena Gamer Wife F 27 Ohio (Magdalena) FindAGrave: Birth: 1853-Death: Feb. 20, 1939
• Emma Gamer Daughter F 7 Montana. She married Brady Hugh Foreman.
• Albert [C.] Gamer Son M 6 Montana. FindAGrave: Birth: 1874-Death: 1953. Albert was married to Leona A. Gamer.
• Katie Powers Other F 30 Ireland

In 1885, Daniel Gamer sold his interest in the Centennial Brewer of Butte Montana to the company's bookkeeper, Mr. Henry Mueller, and in the 1900 census, he is in Washington State (see below).

In 1889 Daniel Gamer had bought a 34-acre farm with fruit orchards in Berryessa, east of San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. See Santa Clara County and Its Resources, online, pages 284 and 198 (photo). The property included "a modern six-room cottage with bath, and hot and cold water throughout."

See Leopold Schmidt biography re formation of the Centennial Brewery in Butte, Montana by Schmidt and Daniel Gamer. They met in Butte, Montana, the home of many breweries and many gold-seekers in the late 1870s. They formed the Centennial Brewery. Their original wooden brewery had a capacity of only 500 barrels per annum. They later erected a three-story malt house with a capacity of 20,000 bushels, and a steam brewhouse, which increased the capacity to 6,000 barrels per annum. At the time this was the most complete and best appointed mill in the Northwest. The Schmidt-Gamer partnership eventually led Daniel Gamer to become a vice-president of the Olympia Brewing Co. of Tumwater, Washington (see photographs at http://www.brewerygems.com/schmidt.htm).

Four of the Gamer brothers held a reunion in Helena, Montana in 1890: C. L. Gamer, of Chicago, Ill.; Dan Gamer, of San Jose, Cal.; Fred Gamer, of Anaconda, and Gus Gamer, of Helena, were all visitors in our town this week. Dan Gamer is a member of the Gamer & Jacky firm, of this place. The brothers have not all been together for a quarter of a century, and a merry meeting has been the result. -- The Helena independent, August 16, 1890, Morning, Page 2

In the early 1900s Daniel Gamer was the victim of a con-artist selling interests in "spirit mines" in the California foothills (Calaveras) where séance would materialize objects and offer spirit-world communications, including convincing millionaires like Gamer as to their other mining investments. "A public entertainment in Tacoma, Wash., at which I exposed the methods of fake mediums, formed the beginning of the narrative which I am about to relate. Among those who attended the entertainment were Dr. Brady Hugh Foreman and wife, his father-in-law, Daniel Gamer and wife, and A. C. Gamer, a son. Daniel Gamer is vice-president of the Olympia Brewing Company, and Dr. Foreman is a son of Dr. A. L. Foreman of Stockton."

In 1907 Dan Gamer was sued by a "detective" who claimed he had saved Gamer a great deal of money by exposing the spiritualist/seance ruses being used in Calaveras County to lure mining investors. Gamer had let a summons in the case go unanswered, and the petitioner was awarded $10,000. -- Amador Ledger, Jackson County, Calif., December 27, 1907, Page 8.

Daniel Gamer appears in the 1910 census for Tacoma Ward 2, Pierce, Washington:

• Birth Year (Estimated): 1848
• Immigration Year: 1861
• Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
• Dan Gamer Head M 62 Germany (his parents both born in Germany)
• Lina R Gamer Wife F 57 Ohio (her parents both born in Germany)

In the 1920 census for Tacoma, Washington, he appears in FamilySearch.org's transcription, with Lena, as GARNER.

Died in Washington state; buried Lakewood, Washington (FindAGrave)

• Washington State Death Records
• First Name: Daniel Last Name: Gamer
• Date Of Death: 30 Jul 1928, age: 81
• Father Name: Carl Gamer
• Mother Name: Margaretta Webber
• Batch Id: 276448
• Death Place: Tacoma, Pierce Co., Washington
• Spouse Name: Madalena R. Gamer