Haberer Family History and Notes

By Margie Hegert Goyen

Joseph, Leonard, Anthony, Patricia Anne Haberer

The Bauer family (Grace, her father, mother, two sisters and two brothers) traveled to Buffalo, Erie County, New York. It appears that Leonard traveled along with them. There are many Haberer’s in Erie County. I’ll explain this possible connection later (see NOTE). Around 1878 the Bauer’s and Leonard traveled to Peru-LaSalle County, Illinois. This area was heavily populated by German Catholics.

Grace’s brother Michael Bauer and Maria Joseck were married in Peru late in 1878. Leonard and Grace were married on February 9, 1879. Grace was underage and her father Francis Xavier Bauer, signed his permission for her to marry. Both couples were married at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Peru. These were some of the first marriages in the newly completed church. The church is still in use today.

The Haberer/Bauer clan then traveled west to Westphalia, Shelby County, Iowa. This community, founded in 1872, had been advertising for "Good German Catholic Families". The town was St. Boniface Parish and the Parish was the town. It remains much that way even today.

St. Boniface Catholic Church has kept excellent records. This is where we found the first daughter, Theresa, born in 1880 to Leonard and Grace. She died as an infant and is buried in the cemetery behind St. Boniface. Six sons were born to Leonard and Grace during their time in Westphalia. They were:

I have found no records that either Leonard Haberer or Francis Bauer owned land during this period. They may have simply leased land to farm. There is however a Joseph Bauer listed in the records. I am currently researching both Joseph and Francis Xavier Bauer in Iowa.

Around 1892, the Leonard Haberer family headed west to Nebraska. We believe to Perkins County. Grace Haberer told her grandson, Duane Meyers, about crossing Nebraska to a god-awful place. They were not successful in Perkins County. In the book, "History of Perkins County", that period was noted as being exceptionally severe. They had two years in a row of severe drought. The land it seemed was more suited to cattle ranching than farming.

Grace also told of passing the dead children, girls, through the window for burial. They could not leave because they were being quarantined. There were many deaths attributed to diphtheria. I am looking to see if there are any records of the two girls that were born in Perkins County. There was no formal Catholic Church in Perkins County. The families met in homes and a visiting priest came occasionally. The further west you go the fewer records there are for the late 1800's.

Many farmers lost everything and simply packed up and left. It would seem that Leonard and Grace did the same. They left and headed east to Constance, Cedar County, Nebraska. St. Joseph’s Catholic Church was the center of this community. They were once again in a German, Catholic, farming community.

There is a mention of Leonard Haberer, Sr. in "The Story of Constance" (NE). He was one of two men who hauled mail bi-weekly between Hartington and Constance, NE. He was paid 75 cents for the round trip. We do know that the family settled in Constance around 1899, because their daughter Caroline was born on April 10, 1899.

The next children born to Leonard and Grace were:

The last child born was Anton or Anthony, or Grandpa Tony. He was born on March 26, 1906. His father Leonard was 55 years old and his mother was 44. His oldest brother was 24. He was already an uncle. Leonard and Grace had 12 children, but only 9 would survive; seven sons and two daughters. They lost three daughters.

Tony would only know his father for 10 years. His father died in 1916. I am sure that Tony’s older brothers helped to teach him all he needed to learn.

The Bauer family joined the Haberer’s in Constance in the form of Grace’s brother Michael. He and his wife Maria, who were godparents to Joseph & Michael, are noted as parishioners of St. Joseph’s in Constance.

Tony met Julia Marie Felber and they married on January 16, 1928. They rented a farm in Pleasant Valley, outside of Hartington. This is where Patricia Anne was born on October 5, 1928. In 1935 they finally settled on a place, outside of Coleridge, NE near several of Julia’s brothers. Tony farmed and he also was a salesman for DeKalb Seed Corn and Quaker State Oil.

Grandma Grace came to live with Tony and Julia and lived with them until her death. Duane’s accounting of her later years is good. She would travel back and forth between Tony’s place and her daughter Lizzie’s in Yankton. She lived to the age of 85½ years old. Both Grace and Leonard are buried in Constance in St. Joseph’s Cemetery.