H0013 : what is this number?
The study's number for this person. Cite it and it will always lead here, whatever the spelling.Bertha Hegnauer
Born at St. Louis in 1878 and died at Appleton City in 1956.
born 25 Oct 1878 at St. Louis, Missouri died 24 Jan 1956 at Appleton City, St. Clair
Life story
Bertha Hegnauer was born on 25 October 1878 in St. Louis, Missouri, the third daughter of Martin Hegnauer, a Swiss-born laborer from Igis in Graubünden, and Mary Gambler, who had been born in Pennsylvania to a Swiss father.1–3 In June 1880 the family was living at 602 South Second Street, near the St. Louis riverfront: Martin, Mary, and their three little girls, Lizzie, "Margreate" (Maggie) and Bertha, aged two. Her brother Martin was born there a few years later.3–4
In 1885 the family moved to Pleasant Gap Township in Bates County, where her uncle Leonhard already farmed (see her father's profile), and that August Bertha's mother died, when Bertha was six.3 Her grandmother, Katharina Gambler of St. Joseph, remembered "the children of my deceased Daughter Mary Hegnauer viz: Lizzie, Margareth, Bertha and Martin" in her will of 1895.5 In 1900 Bertha, twenty-one and single, was keeping her widowed father's home in Pleasant Gap Township with her brother Martin.2
On 5 April 1905, at Butler, Bertha, then living at Rich Hill, married Troy F. Brown of Appleton City, in St. Clair County; the pastor of Butler's First Presbyterian Church performed the ceremony.6 In September 1908 "Mesdames Troy Brown and Lizzie Johnson" went with their father to visit relatives at Carthage, the family of his sister Christina Krattly.7 The Browns had two daughters, Arlene and Wilma.1, 3
When her father died near Rockville in March 1927, "Mrs. Bertha Brown, Appleton City" gave the details for his death certificate, and her husband, "Dr. Troy Brown, son-in-law of Mr. Hegnauer", sent his obituary to the Appleton City Journal.3, 8 Bertha died at Appleton City on 24 January 1956, aged seventy-seven, and was buried in the Appleton City Cemetery.1
“gave the details for his death certificate, and her husband,”
What we know
Proven
- Birth at St. Louis, 1878
- Marriage to Troy F. Brown at Butler, 1905
- Death at Appleton City, 1956
- Burial at Appleton City, 1956
- 4 homes, from the census and other records
What's still open
- Sources. Her marriage licence and certificate were read on the image (27 Sep 2026), as were the 1880 census, her grandmother's will, her father's death certificate and his obituary.
- "Dr". Find a Grave styles her "Dr Bertha H Brown", and her husband was "Dr.
- Mother's name on her death certificate (lead). 2502 (1956), gives her mother as "Marie Gempler".
- Censuses to read. The old family tree attaches 1920 (Hudson Township, Bates County) and 1930 (Butler) census entries to her daughter Wilma; the household heads have not been read and should show Bertha and Troy with their daughters.
Sources
Sources 1–3
1 Find a Grave, memorial 61320308, 1878
2 1900 U.S. Federal Census, Pleasant Gap Township, 1848
3 Appleton City Journal, 1927
Source 4
4 1880 U.S. Federal Census, St. Louis
Source 5
5 Buchanan County, Missouri, 1895
Source 6
6 Bates County, Missouri, 1905
Source 7
7 Rockville Booster, 1908
Source 8
8 Missouri State Board of Health, 1927
More sources are in the evidence below.
Life in time
25 Oct 1878
Birth , St. Louis, Missouri, United States
How we know
1880
Residence , St. Louis, Missouri, United States
How we know
1900
Residence , Pleasant Gap Township, Bates, Missouri, United States
How we know
Apr 1905
Residence , Rich Hill, Bates, Missouri, United States
How we know
5 Apr 1905
Marriage, with Troy F. Brown , Butler, Bates, Missouri, United States
How we know
Mar 1927
Residence , Appleton City, St. Clair, Missouri, United States
How we know
24 Jan 1956
Death , Appleton City, St. Clair, Missouri, United States
How we know
after 24 Jan 1956
Burial , Appleton City, St. Clair, Missouri, United States
How we know
-
1878 Birth
Find a Grave gives 25 Oct 1878, City of St. Louis; the 1900 census gives Oct 1878, Missouri.
Find a Grave gives the full date and the city; the 1900 census (born Oct 1878) and her age of 2 in the St. Louis census of June 1880 agree, and her father's obituary says that his four children, Elizabeth, Margaret, Bertha and Martin Jr., were born in St. Louis, where the family lived until 1885. No birth record has been seen; her 1956 death certificate should confirm it.
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1880 Residence
602 South Second Street. Bertha, 2, born Missouri, youngest daughter of Martin and Mary, with her sisters Lizzie and Margreate [Maggie].
Her parents and sisters identify the household (image read in the survey of her father's records; the family is indexed as "Gignorer").
Source 4
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1900 Residence
Bertha, daughter, 21, born Oct 1878 in Missouri, single, in her widowed father's household, with her brother Martin, 16.
Her father and brother identify the household; the FamilySearch index gives her birth month and year.
Source 2
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1905 Residence
"Bertha Hegnauer of Rich Hill", in her marriage licence.
The licence gives her residence.
Source 6
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1905 Marriage, with Troy F. Brown
Licence issued at Butler on 3 Apr 1905 to Troy F. Brown of Appleton City, St. Clair County, over 21, and Bertha Hegnauer of Rich Hill, Bates County, over 18; married at Butler on 5 Apr 1905 by the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Butler (signature read as Stanley D. Jewell).
The Bates County marriage licence and certificate, read on the image, give the licence of 3 Apr and the marriage of 5 Apr 1905 at Butler. She is "Mrs. Troy Brown" in 1908 and in her father's obituary (1927), which calls Dr. Troy Brown his son-in-law, and Find a Grave names her husband Troy F. Brown.
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1905 Daughter born: Ramona Arlene Brown
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1915 Daughter born: Wilma Elaine Brown
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1956 Death
Aged 77. Her Missouri death certificate (said on Find a Grave to be no. 2502) has not been read.
Find a Grave gives 24 Jan 1956 at Appleton City, with her maiden name Hegnauer, her husband Troy F. Brown and a daughter, Ramona Arlene Brown, which identify her. No death record has been read.
Source 1
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1956 Burial
Appleton City Cemetery.
Find a Grave records her burial in the Appleton City Cemetery; the memorial page and the burial date have not been seen.
Source 1
- proven
- family event
Hover or drag along the line, or select a point and use the arrow keys.
Places in this life
5 places, in order- 1 St. Louis, Missouri Birth 25 Oct 1878 · Residence 1880
- 2 Pleasant Gap Township, Bates County Residence 1900
- 3 Rich Hill, Bates County Residence Apr 1905
- 4 Butler, Bates County Marriage 5 Apr 1905
- 5 Appleton City, St. Clair County Residence Mar 1927 · Death 24 Jan 1956 · Burial after 24 Jan 1956
Hollow markers are placed approximately, at the town, county or region.
Family
Records
Search the archive →Marriages
- 1905–1919 probable Marriage licence registers “(no name recorded)”, mentioned Bates County, Missouri FamilySearch Full-Text · O04098
Deaths and burials
- 31 Mar 1927 confirmed Obituary of father Martin “Troy (Mrs.) Brown”, daughter Appleton City, St. Clair County Newspapers.com · O06114
Census, land and residence
Newspapers
- 11 Sep 1908 confirmed Social item “Troy (Mrs.) Br[own]”, daughter Rockville, Bates County Newspapers.com · O06180
The evidence 8 facts with their grades, 9 sources, and the research notes
Facts
| Fact | Date | Place | Grade | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | 25 Oct 1878 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | proven | 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 |
| Residence | 1880 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | proven | 4 |
| Residence | 1900 | Pleasant Gap Township, Bates, Missouri, United States | proven | 2 |
| Residence | Apr 1905 | Rich Hill, Bates, Missouri, United States | proven | 6 |
| Marriage with Troy F. Brown | 5 Apr 1905 | Butler, Bates, Missouri, United States | proven | 1 , 3 , 6 |
| Residence | Mar 1927 | Appleton City, St. Clair, Missouri, United States | proven | 3 , 8 |
| Death | 24 Jan 1956 | Appleton City, St. Clair, Missouri, United States | proven | 1 |
| Burial | after 24 Jan 1956 | Appleton City, St. Clair, Missouri, United States | proven | 1 |
Research notes
- Sources: Her marriage licence and certificate were read on the image (27 Sep 2026), as were the 1880 census, her grandmother's will, her father's death certificate and his obituary. The 1900 census is an index entry (Ancestry's, attached in the family tree, and FamilySearch's). Her birth date, death and burial come from the Find a Grave index only; the memorial page has not been viewed and her death certificate has not been read.
- Identity: The Bertha Hegnauer who married Troy F. Brown in 1905 is Martin's daughter: she was of Rich Hill, in the county where Martin's family lived; Martin's obituary names his daughter Mrs. Troy Brown of Appleton City and his son-in-law Dr. Troy Brown; she was the informant "Mrs. Bertha Brown, Appleton City" on his death certificate; and Find a Grave's Bertha H. Brown, née Hegnauer, born in Oct 1878 in St. Louis and wife of Troy F. Brown, matches both her 1900 census birth (Oct 1878) and the St. Louis birthplace that her father's obituary gives.6, 3, 8, 1, 2 No other Bertha Hegnauer of that age is known in Missouri.
- "Dr": Find a Grave styles her "Dr Bertha H Brown", and her husband was "Dr. Troy Brown" in 1927.1, 3 Their profession (physicians, osteopaths or perhaps chiropractors) has not been identified.
- Mother's name on her death certificate (lead): The creator of her father's Find a Grave memorial says that her Missouri death certificate, no. 2502 (1956), gives her mother as "Marie Gempler".9 The certificate has not been read. The mother's maiden name Gambler is proved by her grandmother's will and her father's obituary (see his and her mother's profiles); Gempler would be a Swiss form of it.
- Censuses to read: The old family tree attaches 1920 (Hudson Township, Bates County) and 1930 (Butler) census entries to her daughter Wilma; the household heads have not been read and should show Bertha and Troy with their daughters.
- Death certificate: Missouri death certificates to 1974 are free at the Missouri State Archives; her 1956 certificate (no. 2502, if the memorial note is right) should give her parents, her birthplace and perhaps her occupation.
- This profile is part of the Hegnauer one-name study.
Working notes
- STRONG PROBABLE: m. Troy F. Brown 5 Apr 1905 Butler (licence image: of Rich Hill); Find a Grave b. 25 Oct 1878 St. Louis, d. 24 Jan 1956, bur. Appleton City Cemetery; WikiTree Hegnauer-25 now linked to Hegnauer-17/Gambler-23
Sources
- 1
Find a Grave, memorial 61320308, Dr Bertha H Brown, maiden name Hegnauer, born 25 October 1878, City of St. Louis, Missouri; died 24 January 1956, Appleton City, St. Clair County, Missouri; Appleton City Cemetery; spouse Troy F Brown; child Ramona Arlene Brown (findagrave.com/memorial/61320308); as indexed in "U.S., Find a Grave Index," Ancestry.com (index read 27 September 2026; the memorial page not viewed).
- 2
1900 U.S. Federal Census, Pleasant Gap Township, Bates County, Missouri, E.D. 18, sheet 6, dwelling 115, family 118, Martin Hegnauer (born Feb 1848, Switzerland; widowed; farmer), with Bertha, daughter, 21 (born October 1878, Missouri), and Martin, son, 16; citing NARA T623, roll 839; database with images, Ancestry.com. Also "United States Census, 1900," FamilySearch. FamilySearch record M3HK-D8G
- 3
"Martin Hegnauer Dead," Appleton City Journal (Appleton City, Missouri), 31 March 1927, p. 6, Rockville department: married Mary Gambler at St. Joseph in 1875, "settling in St. Louis, Mo., where four children were born, Elizabeth, Margaret, Bertha and Martin, Jr."; survived by "two daughters, Mrs. A. J. Harden, of Rockville, and Mrs Troy Brown, of Appleton City," a son, Martin Jr., "and two granddaughters, Arlene and Wilma Brown"; the notice "was sent to the writer by Dr. Troy Brown, son-in-law of Mr. Hegnauer"; in the same column, "Mrs. Troy Brown and family of Appleton City, attended the funeral of her father"; image, Newspapers.com (newspapers.com/image/863945723).
- 4
1880 U.S. Federal Census, St. Louis, Missouri, E.D. 1, page 4 (Ancestry citation: page 2D), 602 South Second Street, dwelling 14, family 45, Martin Gignorer [Hegnauer], 32, laborer, born Switzerland; Mary, wife, 29, born Pennsylvania; daughters Lizzie 4, Margreate 3 and Bertha 2, born Missouri; enumerated 8 June 1880; citing NARA T9, roll 726; image 4242099-00008; database with images, Ancestry.com.
- 5
Buchanan County, Missouri, Probate Court, Wills and Bonds, Vol. I (1908–1913), pp. 549–550, will of Katharina Gambler of St. Joseph, dated 8 October 1895, probated 18 June 1912: "to the children of my deceased Daughter Mary Hegnauer viz: Lizzie, Margareth, Bertha and Martin Hegnauer together the sum of twenty dollars"; in "Missouri, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1766–1988," database with images, Ancestry.com, images 007631965_00332–00333.
- 6
Bates County, Missouri, marriage licence and certificate: licence issued at Butler 3 April 1905 to Troy F. Brown of Appleton City, County of St. Clair, over the age of twenty-one years, and Bertha Hegnauer of Rich Hill, County of Bates, over the age of eighteen years; certificate that they were married at Butler on 5 April 1905 by the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Butler (signature read as Stanley D. Jewell); in "Missouri, U.S., Marriage Records, 1805–2002," database with images, Ancestry.com, Bates County record images 1903–1911, image 77 (image read 27 September 2026; indexed under "Froy F Brown", also "Troy Foster Brown").
- 7
Rockville Booster (Rockville, Missouri), 11 September 1908, p. 8: "Martin Hegnauer of Pr[airie] City who, in company with [his] daughters, Mesdames Troy Br[own] and Lizzie Johnson, went [on a] visit to relative[s] and friends [at] Carthage, returned Satur[day]"; image, Newspapers.com (newspapers.com/image/1000726752).
- 8
Missouri State Board of Health, certificate of death no. 7203, Martin Hegnauer, 27 March 1927, Rockville Township, Bates County; father Lucius Hegnauer, mother Margaret Barnet; informant Mrs. Bertha Brown, Appleton City; Missouri State Archives, Missouri Death Certificates, 1910–1975 (sos.mo.gov/images/archives/deathcerts/1927/1927_00007400.PDF).
- 9
Find a Grave, memorial 142891158, Martin Hegnauer Sr. (1848–1927), Rockville Cemetery, memorial text by its creator: "Widower of Mary (Marie Gempler - listed on Missouri dc 2502 of daughter Bertha Hegnauer Brown)" (findagrave.com/memorial/142891158).