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Joseph Berger and Sarah Ann Nagle

 

Joseph Berger, the next-to-the-youngest child of Johannes and Catherine (Kauffman) Berger, was born in 1818, probably on or around February 26.  He might have been baptized Jacob Joseph Berger or Joseph Jacob Berger, in keeping with German custom, as there are some records of a Jacob Berger that might refer to the same person.

Sarah Ann Nagle was born October 1, 1823 to Jacob and Magdalena (Wise/Weiss) Nagle.  She was baptized Sallyann November 23, 1823 at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran church in Boyertown, Berks County, Pennsylvania.  Salome is the German equivalent of Sarah, and Sally is a diminuitive form for either.  Hannah is a German form of Anna, and some references to a Hannah Berger might refer to Sarah Ann.

Joseph Berger and Sarah Ann Nagel married on April 23, 1842.  They had five children, four sons and a daughter, and lived in the area of Upper Tulpehocken, Berks County, for the first fifteen to twenty-one years of their marriage.  In the years 1851 to 1853, Joseph suffered an illness which limited his ability to work for the rest of his life, and Sarah lost the use of her right hand in 1859.  They left Berks county and moved at least five times before settling in Pottsville in 1882 where they lived the remainder of their lives.  Joseph died on or shortly before September 24, 1893; Sarah died September 20, 1909.

Childhood of Joseph Berger

No birth or baptismal records for Joseph have been found, but the biography for Morris C. Berger in Historical and Biographical Annals of Berks County Pennsylvania (Morton L. Montgomery, 1909) refers to a family bible that contains a February 26, 1818 birthdate for Joseph Berger.  The existence of the bible has not been confirmed, but the 1818 birth year agrees with all of the references to Joseph's age which have been found, including his age at death, the Federal Census, Berks County Orphans Court records, and the Civil War pension records for his son, Jacob.

Joseph grew up in a Pennsylvania German community, probably with German as his first language.  German was the dominant language in the church his family attended and probably the entire community.  German was almost certainly the language spoken at home.  His father's will was written in German, and in 1834 at the age of sixteen, Joseph signed his name in the German script on the Orphans' Court records for the appointment of his guardian.

The family belonged to St. Michael's Church in present-day Tilden township.  No record of Joseph's confirmation  was found.  For the probable year of his confirmation, 1834, the church record notes that there was a group confirmed, but there is no list of confirmants' names.  Joseph's sister Anna Maria was confirmed at St. Michael's in 1830, and his brother Benneville in 1836.

Both of Joseph's parents died when he was 14 years old.  His father died March 26, 1832 and his mother died eight months later on November 29, 1832.  Joseph Berger is listed among the children of John (Johannes) Berger, deceased, in the transfer of the family property to the oldest son John in 1834.  In the Berks County estate records for Valentine Kaufmann (1834), Joseph is also listed as one of the children of Catherine Kaufmann intermarried with Johannes Berger, both deceased (click here for an image of the original petition).

Pennsylvania Orphans Court records show that on August 15, 1832, Christian Berger, probably his uncle, was named as Joseph's guardian.  This does not necessarily mean that Joseph lived with Christian Berger, because the primary responsibility of a guardian was to oversee the child's finances.  In fact, the guardianship in this case was assigned before his mother died.  Orphaned minor children from other families have been found in the Federal Census records living with families other than their guardian's.  We cannot be certain where Joseph lived between the time of his parents' death and his marriage in 1842, but he most likely remained at the family home with his eldest brother, John.

Childhood of Sarah Nagle

Sarah spent the early years of her childhood in Boyertown, but by 1840 her family was living in Upper Tulpehocken township, probably near the border of Upper Bern township.  The 1840 Federal Census shows a Jacob Nagle family living in Upper Tulpehocken.  Sarah's brother, William, was confirmed at St. Michael's church in Upper Bern, now Tilden Township, in 1842.  The obituary of Jacob Nagle, in the July 25, 1843 edition of the Reading Adler, states that he was a miller in Tulpehocken.  No record of property owned by Jacob Nagle has been found.

Joseph and Sarah in Berks County, PA

Joseph and Sarah probably first met sometime after the Nagles moved into the Upper Bern/Upper Tulpehocken area.  Between their families being members of the same church, and their fathers probably doing business together (Joseph's father was a farmer and Sarah's a miller) they would have had many opportunities to see each other.

Joseph Berger and Sarah Ann Nagel married on April 23, 1842 at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Reading.  There is no record of why the wedding was held there, but that church might have been chosen to accommodate a large group or perhaps to make it an extra special event, or even both.  Joseph and Sarah were both living in the Upper Bern area at the time, but Sarah had several relatives - aunts, uncles, and cousins - who lived in Reading, and at least one, a cousin, was a member of the Trinity Lutheran congregation.

In 1843 Jacob Nagel, Sarah Ann's father, died unexpectedly and the Berks County estate records show that his son-in-law, Joseph Berger, served as executor of the estate. Berks County Orphans Court records show that Joseph Berger petitioned for guadians for three minor children (all under the age of fourteen) of Jacob.

The 1900 Federal Census states that Sarah had five children, four of whom were still living.  Their first child, William Henry, was born January 4, 1844.  It was the second child, Jacob J. born October 19, 1846, who was the child referred to as deceased in the 1900 Census.  The other children were Charles F. born May 18, 1850; Jefferson born December 8, 1854; and Sarah Louisa born April 8, 1857.  No record of the meaning for the middle initials of Jacob and Charles have been found.  It is likely that Jacob was Jacob Joseph after his father, which would also coincide with the theory of Joseph's full name. Another possibility for Jacob's middle name is John or Johannes after his Berger grandfather.  Charles F. was probably Charles Franklin since William Henry, the oldest son of Joseph and Sarah, had a son named Charles Franklin.  Sarah Louisa evidently went by the name Louisa.

Joseph and Sarah apparently spent the first fifteen to twenty-one years of their marriage in, or around, Upper Tulpehocken Township, Berks County.  Joseph and Sarah baptized Jacob in 1846 at St. Michael's church, Tilden Township, and Sarah Louise on July 25, 1857 at Zion Blue Mountain church, Strausstown.  The 1850 Federal Census for Upper Tulpehocken lists a Joseph and Mary Berger (almost certainly intended to be Sarah) with sons William, Jacob, and Charles F.

Joseph was listed as a "huckster" - someone who sells produce - in the 1850 census.  Shortly afterward, however, he must have started a venture as a miller.  In 1854, Joseph Berger, miller, and Sarah his wife sold 169 acres in Upper Tulpehocken Township to William Reber.  They had purchased the land in 1851.

A Family on the Move

Sometime after Sarah Louisa was born in 1857, the family moved to Danville, Montour County, Pennsylvania, where brothers William and Jacob were living when they enlisted in the Pennsylvania Volunteers in October 1863.  The time of the family's departure from Berks County, or whether they lived somewhere else in between, is unknown.  Joseph is not listed in the 1860 Federal Census index for Pennsylvania and, so far, a he has not been located in a manual search of the census records for several areas, even though he and other family members appear in later census records.  In April 1866, the family moved to Shamokin, Northumberland County where sons William, Charles, and Jefferson later married and started their own families.  Joseph and Sarah moved three more times: to Helfenstein, Northumberland County in November 1868, to Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County in April 1877, and to Pottsville, Schuylkill County in November 1882.

In 1883, Sarah Berger of Pottsville applied for a mother's pension in regard of her son, Jacob, who had died of "severe diarrhea" contracted while interred as southern prisoner during the Civil War.  The couple's moves between 1864 and 1883 are recorded in the application papers for the pension.

The pension file also provides the probable reason for the family's many moves. Documents related to the pension application indicate that Joseph suffered an illness which limited his ability to work for the rest of his life. He was treated for a "white swelling" or abcess in 1852 and 1853 by Dr. Jacob Tryon, who submitted an affidavit about the illness in support of the pension application. Records in the pension file also state that Sarah was without the use of her right hand after 1859. The causes for these ailments are not indicated, but the records clearly state that Joseph's ability to work was impaired thereafter.

The deed transfer in 1854 probably indicates the sale of his business as well as property; Joseph's illness having forever changed his fortune.  In the 1870 US Federal Census for Cameron Township, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, his occupation is listed as laborer.  In the both the 1880 census for Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County, and the 1890 census for Pottsville, Middle Ward, Schuylkill County, his occupation is also given as huckster. In the mother's pension application records, Sarah reveals Joseph's income for the period of 1864 through 1883:

These are the statements which I took from my husband's Ledger, one part of the time was the cigar business and part in the milk business, and at present he is selling Music boxes.

1864 - $225     1868 - $244     1872 - $309     1876 - $209     1880 - $212
1865 - $320     1869 - $325     1873 - $340     1877 - $258     1881 - $210
1866 - $329     1870 - $428     1874 - $310     1878 - $360     1882 - $215
1867 - $247     1871 - $375     1875 - $273     1879 - $255     1883 - $200

Pottsville

Joseph and Sarah spent the remainder of their lives in Pottsville, where they were members of the First Reformed Church (now the First United Church of Christ).  Joseph was appointed an officer of the church several times and served consecutive terms from January 1, 1888 through January 1, 1893.  Their oldest son William was also an officer for several years, even though he lived in Shamokin at the time.  Joseph is listed in the 1890, and 1891-92 Pottsville city directories, but the 1893-94 directory lists "Sarah Berger, wid Joseph".  (The 1890 Pottsville directory was derived directly from the 1890 census.) 

The records of the First Reformed Church of Pottsvile indicate that Joseph died on, or shortly before, September 24, 1893.   The church records show a date of September 24, 1893, but it is not clear whether the date refers to the death or the funeral.  (This is true for all of the death/funeral records at that time.)  The church records also note that Joseph was 74 years, 6 months, and 25 days old when he died.  Adding Joseph's age at death to the February 26, 1818 birth date listed by Montgomery results in a death date of September 23, 1893.  Joseph's grave has not been located, yet.

Sarah died September 20, 1909.  Her funeral was held in St. John's Church in Shamokin, where her sons William and Jefferson were both members.  Her death certificate and Farrow Funeral Home records note that she was buried in Pottsville, but her grave has not yet been found.  Presumably, she is buried with Joseph.


   

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