From History of Walworth County Wisconsin, Vol. II, by Albert Clayton 
Beckwith, Publ. 1912 - Page 1105-1107
 
JOHN WAGNER.  One of the earliest German families to cast their lot in the 
wilderness of Walworth county some three score years ago and more was the 
WAGNERs and from that day to this they have played no inconspicuous part in 
the affairs of the county, developing good farms and taking an interest in 
general public affairs.  One of the best known is John WAGNER, a leading 
business man and representative citizen of Lyons, the able and popular 
president of the State Bank.
 
Mr. WAGNER was born in Alsace, formerly a province of France, now of Germany, 
on March 17, 1843, and in 1844 he came to America with his parents, John and 
Katharine (DRESCH) WAGNER, he being one of a family of ten children, four of 
whom were born in the old country.  The family came directly to Walworth 
county, Wisconsin, and settled in Lyons township, June 1, 1844, the father 
buying forty acres in the northeast quarter of section 24.  two years later he 
sold out and bought two hundred acres in sections 13 and 24, securing a part 
of this land directly from the government.  There he established his permanent 
home and, through industry and close application, developed a fine farm in due 
course of time and became one of the leading men of that part of the county, 
well known and highly esteemed.  He had bought three small farms that had been 
partly improved, and these with the forty acres of government land constituted 
his farm, one of the best in the township.  The elder WAGNER sold his farm in 
1872 to his son John, of this sketch, and moved to Burlington where he and his 
wife spent their last days, his death occurring on February 6, 1884, she 
surviving until in September 1888.
 
John WAGNER grew to manhood on the home farm and received his education in the 
public schools.  In 1861 he went into the threshing business and for three 
seasons he hired out to the TAYLORS and in 1864 bought an outfit of his own 
and continued threshing with much success until 1896, becoming one of the best 
known threshers in this part of the state, having followed this vocation for a 
period of thirty-five years, wearing out three machines the meantime, 
threshing over both Walworth and Racine counties.
 
Mr. WAGNER was married in 1872 and the same year bought the home farm of his 
father, as stated above.  He kept the farm six years, selling it in 1878, then 
bought another farm of two hundred acres, of which eighty is in section 26 and 
one hundred and twenty in section 23, and there he made his home until May 
1910, when, having accumulated a competency, he moved into the village of 
Lyons, where he purchased an attractive home and here he has since resided.  
In the fall of 1909 he assisted in organizing the State Bank of Lyons and in 
January 1910, he was elected president of the bank, which position he still 
holds, discharging his duties in a manner that reflects much credit upon 
himself and to the satisfaction of the stockholders and the patrons of the 
same, the rapidly increasing success of this popular and conservative 
institution being due in no small measure to his able management.
 
Mr. WAGNER was an ardent Democrat in earlier life, but in recent years has 
been more independent, and he has held various township offices, always to the 
satisfaction of the people.
 
The domestic life of Mr. WAGNER began in 1872, as before stated, when he was 
married to Theresa URSPRUNG,  a daughter of Martin and Anna (WENER) URSPRUNG.  
She was born in Bavaria and came to this county in 1847, when about a year 
old, with her parents, who located on the farm now owned by Mr. WAGNER and 
here they became very well established and were highly respected.  The death 
of Mrs. WAGNER's father occurred in 1853.  Mrs. URSPRUNG survives, living in 
Lyons, being now advanced in years.  She remained with the subject and wife on 
the homestead until 1905.
 
Of Mr. WAGNER's brothers and sisters, only four are now living, one brother 
and three sisters: Mrs. Elizabeth STEPHEN, now of Burlington, formerly lived 
in Montana, where the husband died; Mrs. Mary GRIEBEL, widow of Lawrence 
GRIEBEL, deceased, an old soldier, lives in Milwaukee; Mrs. Josephine DAVID, 
widow of Bennert DAVID, also an old soldier, lives in Burlington; Joseph 
Wagner now lives at Clyde, Missouri.  Mrs. WAGNER has one sister, Agnes, wife 
of Jacob HAHN, of Lake Geneva.
 
Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. John WAGNER, namely: Anna, who 
married Joseph VOELKERING, lives with her parents in Lyons; her husband, who 
was the son of John and Elizabeth (MILLER) VOELKERING, was born in Bloomfield 
township, and his death occurred in 1904.  Emma WAGNER married Jacob HECK and 
they live on a farm in Lyons township, section 23, and have two sons, Joseph 
and Anthony.  Elizabeth WAGNER married John VOGT, owner of about two hundred 
acres of land in the southeastern part of Lyons township, and they have two 
children, Mary and Frederick.  Agnes WAGNER married Anthony EHRHART and they 
live in Lyons township, section 29, and have one daughter, Marcella.  Peter 
WAGNER married Mary MEUSLER and lives on his father's farm.
 
Mr. WAGNER and family belong to the Catholic church and are liberal supporters 
of the same.  He is a leader in his community, a man in whose judgment and 
integrity his acquaintances and friends place the utmost confidence.  He is 
plain and unassuming, but at once impresses the stranger as a man of force and 
action.
 
Submitted by Carol