Felix MAURATH

Felix* MAURATH was born on the 20th of May, 1815 in the northern Black Forest village of Unzhurst (which was annexed in 1972 by the neighboring town of Ottersweier), in the state of Baden, Germany, just a few miles northeast of the city of Strassbourg, France. He first came to America as a stowaway on a boat at the age of 18, and was soon followed by his parents and brothers and sisters. They first arrived at New York in 1833 and made their way to Cleveland, Ohio. They migrated downstate, stopping at Columbus and Newark, before finally settling in Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio. Felix ventured on to Cincinnati, where he worked on the Ohio river with a cousin Bernhardt MAURATH, who was later a tobacco grower and cigar maker, and who later owned the first baseball team of Newark, Ohio. Another cousin Michael Maurath, was one of Ohio’s early German beer brewers, first in Columbus and then Newark. One of Michael’s grandsons was Max MORATH (name change), the well-known ragtime piano player and radio host.

Felix’s travels often took him to the St. Louis, Missouri area, and in the mid-1830's he settled in Ridge Prairie (O'Fallon), St. Clair County, Illinois, across the Mississippi river from St. Louis. He married Barbara JACOB at St. Louis in the Old Cathredral on May 21, 1839. Barbara or "Barbe" was born in the town of Vieux-Lixheim, Lorraine, France, and her family had also come to Cincinnati and then to St. Clair County, IL. Felix and Barbara's first son Denis was born in the Spring of 1840. Barbara later died after giving birth to their next child Melania, who also later died. Denis would later be killed in action as a Union cavalry soldier and a member of General "Fremont's Body Guard", in the “engagement” known as "Zagonyi's Charge" in Springfield, MO on October 25, 1861, supposedly the first cavalry sabre charge of the Civil War. Felix later married Barbara's younger sister Catherine Josephine JACOB, in October, 1844 at (old) St. Mary’s Catholic Parish, Cincinnati, Ohio. They married again, after St. Mary’s supposedly lost their original marriage record, on December 29, 1850 at St. Vincent DePaul in St. Louis.

In 1842, Felix moved from St. Clair County, IL. to the Soulard area in south St. Louis (then known as "Frenchtown") and built a house on Buel St. (now called S.10th St.) between Marion and Park, directly behind historic St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church located on 9^th St. at Park Ave., which still stands today as an historic landmark. The Germans and French harbored animosities against one another, that fermented through the centuries, especially because of their struggles back in Europe to control the area between the two countries known as Alsace-Lorraine. Animosities increased in Frenchtown, as more and more Germans immigrated into the area in the 1830's and 40's. As a result, Frenchtown was a volatile area during the Civil War in St. Louis, as the French (for the most part) sided with the South and the Germans sided with the North. Frenchtown thus, had it's own little Civil War, and this was especially troublesome for the mixed German-French marriage of Felix and Josephine. In 1852, Felix left the river life and became a "drayman" or wagon hauler in St. Louis. He was later supposedly contracted as a "wagoner" for the Union Army during the Civil War in St. Louis, and it's believed that he may have brought the body of his son Denis back home for burial, in either St. Louis or in Millstadt, Illinois. A memorial military stone for Denis rests next to the grave of Felix in St. James Cemetery just north of Millstadt.

The Germans and French continually retaliated against one another in Frenchtown with muggings and killings (see John Rodabough’s book “Frenchtown”), and in 1864, as Confederate General Price's invasion of St. Louis seemed imminent, Felix decided to move his family out of dangerous Frenchtown and back to St. Clair County, Illinois. They settled on a 200 acre farm located on the south side of the Zingg Rd., just northwest of Millstadt. Josephine’s older sister Jeannette JACOB had married Jean-Baptiste “John” ROHR in 1840 at St. Vincent DePaul in St. Louis, and the Rohr’s had earlier settled on a large farm just northeast of St. James Cemetery, north of Millstadt. The ROHR family had come to America from the town of Rimling, Lorraine, France.

Felix spent the remainder of his life in Millstadt, supposedly as a "gentleman Latin farmer". Felix and Josephine became very active in St. James Catholic Parish in Millstadt. They insisted that all of their sons receive college educations, a real accomplishment in those days. Of their surviving children; Anton “Tony” married Elizabeth “Lizzie” BAIRD, whose parents Evan and Polly (Miller) Baird were early settlers of Millstadt; Maria Rosalie “Rosa” married Dr. William LARK; Maria Melanja “Melanie” married Nicholas WISROCK, and they moved to Ft. Worth, Texas; Sophie Emma married Henry DEKEN; Felix, Jr. married Louise HANGS from Chillicothe, Ohio; Elisabeth “Lizzie” married Nicholas WITZER, and they moved to Ft. Worth, Texas; Bartholomieu “Barthol” married Ida BRIESACHER; Louis “Louie” married Carmelitta “Carrie” ROOS; Robert married Christina “Tina” WIEGAND; and Emil married Mary “Mamie” SMITH. Other local families who intermarried with the Maurath’s were Besse, Brown, Dinges, Haggemann, Leveling, Motz, Stoeckel, Struel, Touchette, Wienhoff, Wyckoff and others. The Maurath’s lived in Millstadt until the 1950’s, and some descendants still live in and around the area.

Felix Maurath died on Christmas Day, 1897, and is buried in St. James Cemetery, Millstadt. His bride of 53 years, Josephine Jacob Maurath died in 1909 and is also buried in St. James Cemetery. The struggles and heartaches of 19^th century American immigrants is apparent in this family story, and so this posting is dedicated to all families, who suffered great losses during the times of our terrible Civil War. May God continue to spare and bless America and American families from future calamities on our soil.

Note: Felix Maurath is not to be confused with another cousin, also named Felix Maurath, whose ancestors had left the area around Unzhurst and settled near Odessa, Ukraine around 1804. Felix Maurath of Odessa (area around Josefthal and Marienthal) was forced to fight as a soldier in the Russian Army during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Shortly thereafter, he and his family fled Russia as refugees to America and settled in Kansas. He later migrated to Great Falls, Montana, where he died and is buried. Some of his descendants remained in Kansas and others went into Canada. The family of Johnny Weissmueller, the first Tarzan, intermarried with this Maurath family.

PHOTO: John Maurath of St. Louis, MO, has a photo of Felix dated late 1890's, from the family collection of Barbara (nee MAURATH) ST. CLAIR, currently residing in Santa Barbara, California. Barbara's father was Joseph Albert MAURATH, grandson of Felix and Josephine. Joseph was born and raised in Millstadt, but his parents moved to Dearborn, Michigan, where Joseph met and became good friends with Edsal Ford. After graduating from school and learning to become a machinist, Joseph went to work for Henry Ford, and he became responsible for making the tools that made the parts for all the new cars coming off of the new assembly line, answering directly to Henry Ford.

* "Felix", from the Latin, meaning "the happy one" (even despite all of his losses and life tragedies).

Submitted by great-great-grandson, John Louis MAURATH.

This version revised April 2009.