| Notes |
- ?b?Information given by Freda Swanson and Otto Nagel about their parents, Edward and Mathilda Nagel:?/b?
Edward Nagel was a soldier in the Bismarck's army in Germany. He did not fight in a war but was involved with protecting Germany along the Polish border and along the French border. In one skirmish on the Polish border, Edward's helmet was slashed but his scalp was left untouched. A photograph of him in his army uniform remained in Otto Nagel's house until his death.
Mathilda had scarlet fever at the age of 3. As a result, she had a leaky heart for the remainder of her life. Nevertheless, she bore 7 children and lived to the age of 92. When she was 20, she came from Germany to Chicago. The family tradition says that Mathilda later sent money to her first cousin (Edward Nagel) in Germany so that he also could come to America. They were married shortly after he arrived in Chicago.
Mathilda had blonde hair and blue eyes, but Edward had darker hair and brown eyes.
Elsie and Bill, the oldest children, attended a German Lutheran school in Chicago, where they learned to speak, read, and write in both German and English. The church they attended also had services in both German and English. When Freda was a little girl, her parents owned a large house. They rented the upstairs to a woman with two boys. Ma Nagel took care of the boys while their mother worked. One February day, the boys were playing with matches and started the house on fire. Edward Nagel came home and saw that the roof was on fire. He went in and told his wife to get all the children out. Mathilda was nursing Eddie at the time. She got all of the children out, while Edward went upstairs to get the two boys out, as their mother was at work. The house burned so badly that they had to live elsewhere while it was being rebuilt. The Nagels lived with relatives, and the upstairs family lived with some of their relatives. After the fire, the Nagels began to think that it would be better to live in St. Charles.
The Nagels moved from Chicago to St. Charles about 1905 when the Heinz brothers moved their glass factory. Being tired on the big city, they bought a 66-acre farm on the east side of St. Charles. The farm was located at the present site of the Tin Cup Pass at the intersection of Kirk Road and Route 64 (which was gravel at that time). The house was located where the Firestone shop now stands. They had a horse named Dick who was blind in one eye.
Bill Nagel built a teeter-totter for his younger siblings. Once, Freda was on it with her cousin Martha Nagel from Chicago, but Freda fell off and broke her arm. The scar was visible on her wrist for most of her life.
Edward Nagel soon realized that he was not cut out to be a farmer. They sold the farm in 1914 for $6,500 and moved to 376 E. Illinois Avenue in St. Charles. Later, they moved to 313 South 11th Avenue, where Edward and Mathilda both lived until their deaths. Edward worked for the Heinz brothers' glass factory (owned by his brothers-in-law) as the maintenance engineer because he knew a lot about boilers.
Elsie and Charlie Dau had a large wedding in the Nagels' parlor, after which they rolled up the carpets and had a dance. Freda was 8 at the time, and stayed up to watch the dancing as long as she could. The dancing lasted all night, so Freda and all of Charlie's siblings went to bed, all lying crossways in a big bed.
When Freda was 12, the age when Lutherans would normally attend confirmation classes, the German Lutheran church in St. Charles did not offer confirmation. Finally when she was 15, Pa Nagel decided that she needed to go, so he sent her to confirmation classes at the German Lutheran church in Batavia. She and Bessie Haines would take the streetcar to Batavia in the evening for confirmation.
Edward Nagel was musically talented, and played the organ very well. Mostly, he played church hymns, although he did not play in church. His brother Dick played the fiddle equally well. Dick often came out from Chicago to visit in St. Charles, and the two brothers would make music together. Freda sat down at the organ and showed that she could play songs without any lessons. After that, Edward bought her a piano, and she joined Edward and Dick in their music sessions. Elsie later gave this piano to her daughter Edna.
After Freda and Edgar were married and Edgar was working at a car dealership, Edward bought his first car through Edgar at the dealership. Mathilda was against the idea and, at first, would not ride in the car with him. He never had a driving lesson, but just got in the car and began to drive without knowing how. Once, he took Mathilda and Dora with him in the car to visit relatives in Chicago. Dora was so afraid of his poor driving that she refused to come back with them, so she took the 3rd rail to Geneva.
Edward died of stomach cancer, which supposedly resulted from his falling from a ladder. The cancer was discovered during an exploratory surgery in November 1928. He was an employee of McCormick Machine Company at the time of his death. Mathilda spent her last two weeks at Valley Rest, a nursing home in St. Charles, where she died of pneumonia.
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The records of the Evangelische Kirche at Stojentin, Kreis Stolp in Pomerania show the baptism of Therese Mathilda Heinz, born June 17, 1864, baptized June 26, 1864. The parents were Heinrich Heinz, cartwright (maker or wagons), of Czierwienz, and Auguste born Burow. Godparents were Carl Nagel, day laborer from Lischnitz (probably her mother's brother and her future father-in-law), Johanna Reetz, maid from Czierwienz, and Caroline Jacobi, maid from Neitzkow. (The birthdate disagrees with her death certificate and gravestone, both of which show June 1, 1864. She did not use the name "Therese" after migrating to Illinois. But this is obviously the same person that we know as Mathilda Heinz Nagel of Illinois.)
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?b?From Germans to America, Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports
?/b?Edited by Ira. Glazier
Vol. 51, p327 & 335 Mathilde Heinz, Age 20, F, from Hesse, on ship "Lloyd Nurnberg", left from Bremen, arriving in New York, May 26, 1885, and later arriving in Baltimore, May 28, 1885. [Since she was not travelling with any family members, there is no way to determine if this is our Mathilda. However, this was the only Mathilda Heinz in the passenger records who was of the correct age and arriving in the correct year. If this is our Mathilda, then she was just short of her 21st birthday.]
Vol. 53, page 410 Edward Nagel, Age 24, Merchant, on ship "Main", left from Bremen, arriving in Baltimore, November 24, 1886. [This seems very likely to be our Edward Nagel. His date of arrival is shown as 1885 in the 1900 census, but 1886 in the 1910 census.] This detail is also available at www.castlegarden.org. The place of last residence shows as "Unknown"
(Ellis Island was not yet open at the time Mathilda and Edward arrived.)
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?b?U.S. Census Records?/b?
The 1900 census shows the Nagel family living at 713 W. 22nd Place in Chicago consisting of: Edward Nagel, head of household, white male, born Dec 1862 in Germany, married 13 years, came to the U.S. in 1885, naturalized, teamster, can read, write, and speak English, owns home with a mortgage. His wife, Mathilda, white female, born June 1864 in Germany, married 13 years, mother of 4 children, 3 living, came to the U.S. in 1884, can read, write, and speak English. Elsa, daughter, born Oct 1888 in Illinois, at school. Wilhelm, son, born Oct 1890 in Illinois, in school. Frida, daughter, born Nov 1898 in Illinois.
The 1910 census shows the family living at 376 E. Illinois Street [now Illinois Avenue] in St. Charles consisting of: Edward Nagle [sic], head of household, age 47, married 23 years, born in Germany, came to the U.S. in 1886, naturalized, engineer in "stationary" industry. Lillie, his wife, age 45, mother of 7 children, 6 living, came to the U.S. in 1884. William, son, age 19, born in Illinois, employed as "cutter" in glass industry. Freda, daughter, age 10, born in Illinois. Dora, daughter, age 7, born in Illinois. Otto, son, age 2 2/12, born in Illinois.
The 1920 census shows the family living on Perkins Avenue in St. Charles consisting of: Edward Nagel, head, age 57, came to the U.S. in 1886, naturalized in 1891, working as engineer in a factory. Mathilda, his wife, age 55, came to the U.S. in 1884, naturalized in 1891. William, son, age 29, working as a glass cutter in a factory. Freda, daughter, age 21, working as [illegible] in piano factory. Edward, son, age 19. Dora, daughter, age 17, clerk in a factory. Arlo [sic], son, age 11, in school. There is no "Perkins Avenue" in St. Charles today, but it may have been the same as the present-day 11th Avenue.
The 1930 census shows 2 families living at 313 11th Avenue in St. Charles. First is the Swanson family, headed by Edgar, and secondly the Nagel family headed by Mathilda and including her sons Edward, 29, and Otto, 22. Mathilda is shown as the owner of the house valued at $7000.
In the 1940 census, she is listed as mother-in-law in the household headed by Edgar Swanson, at the same address.
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?b?
Naturalization Record?/b?
Edward Nagel of 713 22nd Place, Chicago was naturalized March 24, 1896. Certificate # 13428. Born in Germany. Witness Henry Brunnig, 827 S. Halstead St. (House was renumbered in 1908 as 2844 22nd Place.)
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?b?
Obituary of Edward Nagel?/b? (from the St. Charles Chronicle, January 10, 1929):?b?
?/b?Edward Nagel, 66 years old, passed away Saturday night after an illness lasting more than two months.
He was born in Kreiss Gotzloff, Germany, December 11, 1862. He came to America in 1888 [sic], settling in Chicago. On August 13, he was married to Miss Mathilda Heinz.
Mr. Nagel came to St. Charles in 1905 when the Heinz Cut Glass Company, with whom he was associated for many years, came here. He was with the cut glass company up to a few years ago when he went with the Globe Music Company.
Mr. and Mrs. Nagel were blessed with a family of seven children, one of whom preceded him in death.
Surviving him are his widow, three sons, Otto, William, and Edward and three daughters, Mrs. Freda Swanson, Mrs. Elsie Dau, and Mrs. Dora Johnson, all of St. Charles; a brother Richard of Chicago; three sons-in-law; six grandchildren; and a host of friends.
The funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at 2 o'clock at St. Mark's Lutheran Church. Rev. W. F. Theiss officiated. Burial was in North Cemetery.
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?b?Mrs. Mathilda Nagel Celebrates 90th Birth Anniversary?/b? (Clipping from the St. Charles Chronicle)
Mrs. Mathilda Nagel, 313 S. Eleventh Ave., whose 90th birth anniversary occurred on Tuesday, June 1, celebrated the occasion on Sunday, May 30 at a family gathering at the home of her son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Otto Nagel, 1108 Western St., Geneva. A delicious dinner was served in the Nagels' spacious and attractive back yard.
A resident of this community for the past 49 years, Mrs. Nagel came to this country from Germany. She is a member of St. Mark's Lutheran church.
She is the mother of six children, all St. Charles residents; Mrs. Elsie Dau, Mrs. Edgar Swanson, Mrs. Arthur Johnson, William Nagel, Edward Nagel and Otto Nagel.
Other members of her family include six grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and two brothers, Otto Heinz of St. Charles and Emil Heinz who resides in Oakland, Calif.
Mrs. Nagel was the recipient of many gifts, cards and flowers from relatives, friends and neighbors."
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?b?
Obituary of Mathilda Heinz Nagel?/b?
St. Charles -- Mrs. Mathilda Nagel, 92, 313 S. 11th Ave., died unexpectedly early this morning at the Valley Nursing Home. She was born in Germany June 1, 1864, and came to the United States at the age of 20.
She married Edward Nagel Aug. 13, 1887, in Chicago, and moved to St. Charles in 1905, where she was the oldest member of St. Mark's Lutheran church.
Survivors include three daughters, Mrs. Elsie Dau, Mrs. Freda Swanson and Mrs. Dora Johnson, all of St. Charles; three sons William and Edward of St. Charles, and Otto of Geneva; a brother, Otto Heinz of St. Charles; seven grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband and one daughter.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday from the Yurs Funeral Home. The Rev. Herbert Reischauer will officiate with interment at Union Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home Saturday.
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?b?Death Certificate for Mathilda Nagel?/b?
Mathilda's death certificate was filed on March 2, 1957 in Kane County, Illinois. It indicates that she died after 3 days of suffering from pneumonitis (bilateral). She had been at Valley Rest for 2 weeks prior to her death, and in St. Charles for 52 years. The attending physician was Dr. R. Hoskins of St. Charles.
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1862 - 1929 (66 years)
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