Joseph Joachim Hagemann

Joseph Joachim Hagemann was the fourth child (of eight) born in the village of Machtsum (east of Hildesheim in the Province of Hannover) to Johann Dirk Jacob Hagemann (1790-1859) and Anna Maria Catharina Kollman (1798-1848). Of the eight children, only four survived infancy. Johann and family farmed about 20 acres of land near Machtsum. Joseph was not the oldest son and was, therefore, not in line to inherit the German farmland. Consequently, he left Germany for America in the early 1850s. He settled into the German farming community at the edge of Limestone Township in Peoria County, IL. He married first Theresa Rohmann in Peoria on 25 April 1854 and they had twin girls, Magdalena and Catherina, born 4 March 1855. In 1855 Joseph became a U.S. Citizen. Tragedy struck in 1859 when his wife, Theresa, died. Her burial spot is unknown. Two years later he married Louisa Winkelmann on Jan. 8 1861 at St. Joseph's church in Peoria. Five additional children were born to them between 1862-1873. All were baptized at St. Joseph Catholic. Joseph had an active role in the formation of this church. In addition, he was engaged in town-to-town peddling of small merchandise from a horse-drawn wagon. By 1880 he owned a small grocery store in Peoria. About 1883 Joseph, his wife, and four surviving children at home (Anna Mary, Mary Louise, Christian J., and Henry) moved to the Whitman County area near Uniontown WA. Catherina and Magdalena (children from first marriage) were already in the Washington Territory. Here he settled on 40 acres of property and raised wheat and barley. In addition, he built a small "box house" measuring 12 by 24 feet. He continued to farm on a small scale until old age forced them to move to Uniontown. Louisa died at age 65 in 1901 and Joseph died four years later in 1905 at age 78. Life in America was a struggle; the Civil War, the financial banking issues of the 1890s, the drought conditions, and the on-going cholera issues of the time. His entire estate was valued at less than $1000, but he left behind a rich legacy and ultimately over 500 descendants in the states of WA, ID, OR, and CA. He and his wife are buried at the cemetery of St. Boniface in Uniontown. There are no known photos of Joseph or his wife, Louisa Hagemann.