Wagnerd
Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, embracing
Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties, State of Washington",
published by Western Historical Publishing Co., 1904.
DAMIAN WAGNER is certainly to
be classed as one of the early pioneers of Lincoln county, since he located
here in 1883, over twenty years ago. He has labored assiduously since
those early days of settlement in all the stages of development through
which the country has passed, ever doing well his part in development and
upbuilding as a capable and faithful citizen. Mr. Wagner now dwells
about six miles south from Wilbur where he has a magnificent estate of
eight hundred acres. The nucleus of this was taken as a homestead
and a timber culture claim in the days when the coyotes were the chief
companions of the hardy pioneers who weathered the rebuffs of nature to
bring under the pale of civilization this fertile country. Mr. Wagner
wrought with wisdom and continuity of purpose and the result is that he
is now one of the highly respected citizens, possessed of a fine competence,
and a man of influence.
Damian Wagner was born in Baden, Germany,
on May 27, 1845, being the son of Leanhard and Katherine (Wagner) Wagner,
both natives of Germany. The former came to Illinois when our subject
was an infant and there the father was soon recognized as one of the prominent
men as he had been in his native land. Our subject received his early
education in Belville, Illinois, and at the time of the outbreak of the
Civil War, he enlisted in Company H, Ninety-seventh Illinois, being in
the Thirteenth Army Corps of the Second Brigade. He served with distinction
under General Andrews in the Mobile and Red River Campaigns and at the
close of the war received an honorable discharge. He then gave his
attention to the quieter occupation of tilling the soil in Illinois, then
came on to Missouri, and finally in 1883, as stated above, he located in
Lincoln county, Washington. In addition to general farming, Mr. Wagner
gives considerable attention to raising first class blooded stock and has
a fine herd at the present time.
In Missouri, in 1874, Mr. Wagner married Miss
Christine Beck, a native of Germany, and to them have been born the following
children, Katherine, Caroline Drumheller, George, Ledwine, Lenhard, Annie,
deceased, Robert, deceased, Charles, deceased, and Frank.
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