H0017 · A life in the study

Robert Lucius Hegnauer

Born at Prairie City in 1887 and died at Banning in 1969.

born 11 Nov 1887 at Prairie City, Bates died 14 Dec 1969 at Banning, Riverside

Robert Lucius Hegnauer was born on 11 November 1887 near Prairie City, Bates County, Missouri, the youngest son of the Swiss immigrants Leonhard Hegnauer and Susanna Katharina Hirschi, and he died at Banning, California, on 14 December 1969.1, 2, 3, 4 Through his father he was a grandson of Luzius Hegnauer, who had brought his family from Igis, in Graubünden, to America in 1856.5, 6 A graduate in agriculture of the University of Illinois, Robert spent much of his working life at Wells, in southern Minnesota, as a teacher, seed-house manager, cattle buyer and grain salesman, and his last years at Banning, where he was the city's treasurer from 1960 until his death.7, 1, 8, 9, 10

Bates County and Appleton City

Robert grew up on the family's farm in Pleasant Gap Township, where the 1900 census found him, aged twelve and at school, living with his parents and his brother Leonard. His mother had borne seven children, five of whom were then living.4 His brothers and sisters, Mary, Christian, Leonard and Katherine, had all been born by 1880, seven or more years before him.11 A studio portrait of the family, taken about 1905–1910, shows Robert as a young man in a bow tie, placed between his parents.12, 13

About 1906 his parents retired from the farm to Appleton City, just over the county line in St. Clair County, and in April 1910 Robert, still single, was living there with them.14, 15 He graduated from the Appleton City Academy at the same time as Lotta Donnell; "it was here that the love affair had its beginning," a Marshall newspaper later wrote.16 His 1917 draft card seems to record earlier cadet service of three years at a Missouri military academy, with the rank of second lieutenant of infantry, but that part of the card is only partly legible.1

Urbana

In 1909 Robert entered the College of Agriculture of the University of Illinois at Urbana.7 On Tuesday, 9 August 1910, he married Lotta Alice Donnell at her parents' home in the College Addition of Marshall, Missouri. Her father, the Rev. G. J. Donnell, performed the ceremony, under a licence issued at Marshall the day before.17, 16 Lotta had spent the previous winter as a student at Missouri Valley College. The Marshall Republican called the groom "an able and splendid young man" and reported that the couple would go back to Urbana so that he could complete his studies.16

In October 1911 the young couple were living at 1111 West Stoughton Street, Urbana, and Lotta was gathering the names of other students' wives for the Dames' Club, a club for the wives of university students.18 She studied music at the university herself as a special student in 1912–13.7 Robert belonged to the Agricultural Club and served on the staff of the Illinois Agriculturist, and he appears among the seniors of the class of 1913 in the 1914 Illio. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in agriculture.19, 7

Wells, Minnesota

By 1915 the couple had settled at Wells, in Faribault County, southern Minnesota. Wells had been founded as a railway village in 1869 and named after the maiden surname of Mrs. Clark W. Thompson. Within a few years twenty or more flowing wells had been bored in and near the village, the most remarkable in a large region of southern Minnesota, although no one had known of the water when the name was chosen.20 In 1915 Robert joined Doric Lodge No. 87, A.F. & A.M., of Wells; he remained a Freemason for the rest of his life.10 Their first son, Robert Lucius Jr., was born at Wells on 25 January 1916.21 The university's directory of 1916 lists Robert as a teacher at Wells, in its geographical section as well as its alphabetical list,7, 22 and when his father died at Appleton City that autumn, the Appleton City Journal named him among the survivors as living at Wells, Minnesota.14

When he registered for the draft in 1917, Robert was managing the seed house of the Minnesota Seed Corn Company in Wells. The registrar described him as of medium height and build, with brown eyes and dark brown hair, and he claimed exemption as the support of a wife and child.1 By January 1920 he was a cattle buyer on his own account and owned his house in Wells, with a mortgage. The household was Robert, Lotta, Robert Jr., aged three, and a baby, Leonard Donnell, who had been born at Wells on 4 October 1919.8, 23 Leonard was baptised on 9 May 1920 in the Presbyterian church at Alden, in neighbouring Freeborn County.24

By April 1930 the family had moved to Minneapolis, where they rented a house at 4849 Ewing Avenue South. Robert was travelling for the grain and feed trade, and the boys were fourteen and ten.25, 26 The marriage did not last. On 20 November 1930 a Faribault County newspaper reported that the court had granted a divorce in the case of "Hegnauer vs. Hegnauer", very probably theirs; the report does not say whether Robert or Lotta had brought the suit.27 Lotta stayed in Minneapolis, where the 1940 census found her, divorced, with their son Leonard.28 Two days after the report, on 22 November 1930, Robert married Blanche Estelle Isherwood in Cass County, North Dakota.29 Blanche, born in 1892, had a son, Vincent Hack, from an earlier marriage.30, 10

By 1935 Robert was back in Wells.9 In February 1936 a Robert Hegnauer, probably he, was master of ceremonies at the town's Paul Bunyan basketball tournament, a match of Fats against Leans, and told the Wells Mirror: "The house will be a sellout; 90,000 people attending."31 In 1940 he and Blanche were renting a house on Washington Avenue South, where he sold grain and feed on his own account.9 In April 1942, at fifty-four, he registered in the fourth of the war's draft registrations, the "old man's registration" of men from forty-five to sixty-four, which was meant not to find soldiers but to take stock of the nation's manpower.2, 32 He was then working for the Frank Brothers Distributing Company of Mapleton, in Blue Earth County, and his hair had turned grey.2

“The house will be a sellout; 90,000 people attending.”

Banning, California

By April 1950 Robert and Blanche had moved to Banning, in Riverside County, California, where at sixty-two he was teaching in a grade school of the city school system.33 Banning lies in the San Gorgonio Pass, between Mount San Gorgonio and Mount San Jacinto; the railroad had replaced the stagecoach there in 1876, and the town was long known as "Stagecoach Town, U.S.A."34 In 1954 Robert was registered to vote as a Republican at 94 Prince Street.35 By 1955 he was secretary-manager of the Banning Chamber of Commerce, and that September he announced an "Aesop Olympics", a hare-and-tortoise race, to be staged in the middle of October.36 In 1960 he became Banning's city treasurer.10 In September 1961 he signed a city legal notice as "Treasurer of the City of Banning",37 and in January 1968 he sought a third term.38 He held the office for the rest of his life.10

Blanche died on 20 January 1969.10 Robert died eleven months later, on 14 December 1969, aged eighty-two, at Banning, where he lived at 225 West Ramsey Street.3, 39, 10 His funeral was set for Wednesday, 17 December, at Wiefels & Son Chapel, with two ministers and his brother Masons of San Gorgonio Lodge No. 668 to officiate. He was buried beside Blanche in San Gorgonio Memorial Park, under a flat bronze marker bearing both their names.10, 40, 30 He was survived by his son Robert Jr. of Kelso, Washington, his stepson Vincent Hack, two sisters-in-law, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.10 His younger son, Leonard, had died at St. Paul, Minnesota, on 5 October 1950.41

Life in time

with the history around it
First World War
Second World War

11 Nov 1887

Birth , Prairie City, Bates, Missouri, United States

proven Sources 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 30 , 39 , 40

How we know

Prairie City on his 1917 draft card; Bates County on his 1942 card. His parents' farm was in Pleasant Gap Township, post office Prairie City.

His World War I draft card, which he signed, gives 11 Nov 1887 at Prairie City, Mo.; his 1942 draft card gives 11 Nov 1887 in Bates County, Mo. The California death index (with his mother's maiden name, Hirschi) and the Social Security Death Index give 11 Nov 1887, Missouri, and the 1900 census gives Nov 1887. His grave marker reads 1887, and his obituary gives his age as 82 in Dec 1969. No birth register entry or baptism has been found; Prairie City was the post office for his parents' farm in Pleasant Gap Township.

Hover or tap a point, or use the arrow keys. The colour of each point is its grade.

Places in this life

10 places, in order

The map appears as you reach it.

  1. 1 Prairie City, Bates Birth 11 Nov 1887
  2. 2 Pleasant Gap Township, Bates Residence 1900
  3. 3 Urbana, Champaign Education between 1909 and 1913 · Residence 17 Oct 1911
  4. 4 Appleton City, St. Clair Residence 1910
  5. 5 Marshall, Saline Marriage 9 Aug 1910
  6. 6 Wells, Faribault Freemason 1915 · Occupation 1916 · Military service 1917 · 6 more
  7. 7 Minneapolis, Hennepin Residence 1930
  8. 8 Faribault County, Minnesota Divorce Nov 1930
  9. 9 Cass County, North Dakota Marriage 22 Nov 1930
  10. 10 Banning, Riverside Residence 1950 · Residence 1954 · Occupation 1955 · 4 more

Hollow markers are placed approximately, at the town, county or region.

Family

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The evidence 25 facts with their grades, 45 sources, and the research notes

Facts

Fact Date Place Grade Sources
Birth 11 Nov 1887 Prairie City, Bates, Missouri, United States proven 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 30 , 39 , 40
Residence 1900 Pleasant Gap Township, Bates, Missouri, United States proven 4
Education between 1909 and 1913 Urbana, Champaign, Illinois, United States proven 7 , 16 , 19
Residence 1910 Appleton City, St. Clair, Missouri, United States proven 15
Marriage with Lotta Alice Donnell 9 Aug 1910 Marshall, Saline, Missouri, United States proven 16 , 17 , 25
Residence 17 Oct 1911 Urbana, Champaign, Illinois, United States proven 18
Freemason 1915 Wells, Faribault, Minnesota, United States proven 10 , 30
Occupation 1916 Wells, Faribault, Minnesota, United States proven 7 , 22
Military service 1917 Wells, Faribault, Minnesota, United States proven 1
Occupation 1917 Wells, Faribault, Minnesota, United States proven 1
Residence 1920 Wells, Faribault, Minnesota, United States proven 8
Residence 1930 Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, United States proven 25 , 26
Divorce Nov 1930 Faribault County, Minnesota, United States proven 25 , 27 , 28 , 29
Marriage with Blanche Estelle Isherwood 22 Nov 1930 Cass County, North Dakota, United States proven 2 , 9 , 10 , 29 , 30 , 33
Residence 1935 Wells, Faribault, Minnesota, United States proven 9
Residence 1940 Wells, Faribault, Minnesota, United States proven 9
Residence 1942 Wells, Faribault, Minnesota, United States proven 2
Military service 27 Apr 1942 Wells, Faribault, Minnesota, United States proven 2
Residence 1950 Banning, Riverside, California, United States proven 33
Residence 1954 Banning, Riverside, California, United States proven 35
Occupation 1955 Banning, Riverside, California, United States proven 36
Occupation between 1960 and 1969 Banning, Riverside, California, United States proven 10 , 37 , 38
Candidacy 19 Jan 1968 Banning, Riverside, California, United States proven 38
Death 14 Dec 1969 Banning, Riverside, California, United States proven 3 , 10 , 39 , 40
Burial about 17 Dec 1969 Banning, Riverside, California, United States proven 10 , 30 , 40

Research notes

  • Sources: His marriage licence and wedding notice, the 1916 university directory, both draft cards, the 1930 divorce report, the 1936 Wells Mirror page, the 1961 city notice and his obituary were read on the images. The North Dakota marriage of 1930 is known only from indexes. The historical background is from Warren Upham's Minnesota Geographic Names (1920), the National Archives and the City of Banning.
  • Identity: The records are linked as one man as follows. (1) The 1900 and 1910 censuses place Robert L. in the household of Leonhard and Susan Hegnauer.4, 15 (2) The 1910 marriage licence and wedding notice name Robert L. Hegnauer of Appleton City, a University of Illinois student.17, 16 (3) The 1916 university directory joins that student (agriculture 1909–13, of Appleton City) and his wife Lotta Alice to Wells, Minnesota.7 (4) The 1917 and 1942 draft cards at Wells give the same full name and birth date, 11 Nov 1887, in Prairie City and Bates County, Missouri.1, 2 (5) The 1920 and 1930 censuses show him with Lotta and the sons Robert and Leonard Donnell.8, 25 (6) The California death index gives the same birth date and his mother's maiden name, Hirschi.3 (7) His Banning obituary says he was a native of Missouri and had been a member of the Masonic lodge at Wells since 1915.10
  • Name: He is Robert Lucius on both draft cards and in the 1914 Illio, and Robert L. or R. L. elsewhere. Every record seen spells the surname Hegnauer. "Hegenauer" (Ancestry's index of the 1916 directory, whose page prints HEGNAUER for him), "Heqnauer" (1950 census index) and "Robert T" (a 1920 index variant) are indexing errors.
  • Birth: 11 Nov 1887 in all the records that give a full date. His 1917 card gives Prairie City and his 1942 card Bates County. The family farm was in Section 36 of Pleasant Gap Township, and Prairie City was its post office (see his father's profile). No birth register entry or baptism has been found; Bates County birth registers of the 1880s and the records of the German Reformed church near Prairie City have not been searched.
  • Military academy: His WWI card records prior service of three years as a "II Lieutenant", infantry, at a Missouri "Mil[itary] Academy". The academy's name is partly illegible. Wentworth Military Academy at Lexington is only a guess. As he graduated from the Appleton City Academy,16 the cadet training may have been there. The card image and the history of the Appleton City Academy should be checked.
  • WWI registration date (conflict): The registrar's report on his card appears to be dated "May 3[0?]th 1917". The first registration of the war was held on 5 Jun 1917 for all men between the ages of 21 and 31,42 which included him, so a date in May is unexpected. The reading may be wrong, or the registrar may have misdated the card. The military fact is therefore dated only 1917.1
  • Residence in 1916 (conflict): The Rockville Booster obituary of his father, reprinted in Nov 1916, says Robert lived in Illinois.43 The Appleton City Journal's obituary says Wells, Minn.,14 as do the 1916 university directory (teaching at Wells; its geographical section files him and his wife under Wells, Minnesota), his son's birth at Wells in Jan 1916, his 1917 draft card and his lodge membership at Wells from 1915.7, 22, 21, 1, 10 Wells is accepted. The Booster's "Illinois" was probably out of date, from his student years (1909–13).
  • First marriage date: The Saline County licence return and the Marshall Republican ("Tuesday", i.e. 9 Aug) agree on 9 Aug 1910.17, 16 The Newspapers.com Marriage Index gives 16 Aug 1910; that is an extraction error and is not used.
  • Divorce (the fact certain; date, county and plaintiff from one report): That the marriage ended in divorce is certain: Robert remarried on 22 Nov 1930, and Lotta, the informant, is "divorced" in the 1940 census.29, 28 The only evidence for the date and place is the Courier-Sentinel's list of cases at the Faribault County court term, 20 Nov 1930: "Hegnauer vs. Hegnauer—Divorce granted plaintiff".27 It gives no given names, no decree date and no plaintiff. The attribution to Robert and Lotta rests on the rare surname, on the county where they had lived from about 1915 until at least 1920, on their marriage still existing in April 1930, and on Robert's remarriage two days after the report.25, 29 A caution: in April 1930 the couple were living in Minneapolis (Hennepin County), not Faribault County, and Lotta stayed in Minneapolis (1935 and 1940). So either Robert had moved back to Faribault County by the autumn of 1930 (he was at Wells by 1935), or the suit was brought there on an earlier domicile. The only other Hegnauer couple known in southern Minnesota, his nephew Christian Herman Hegnauer and his wife Emma (see his profile), lived in rural Bates County, Missouri, in 1935 and at Mapleton, Blue Earth County, by 1940. Their 1930 residence has not been checked, but they are an unlikely alternative. The divorce file of the Faribault County district court at Blue Earth should name the plaintiff and give the grounds, the decree date and the custody of the two sons. Minnesota is said to have barred remarriage for six months after a divorce at that time, which might explain the North Dakota wedding; this is unconfirmed context, not evidence.
  • Second marriage: Known only from two indexes (22 Nov 1930, Cass County, North Dakota); the record has not been viewed.29 It should give Blanche's name at the time. His 1969 obituary names a stepson, Vincent Hack, so Blanche had an earlier marriage (see her profile).10 The 1940 census index gives Blanche's birth as about 1893 in Minnesota, against 18 Dec 1892 at Jackson, Michigan, in the family tree; that is a question for her profile.9
  • Wells, 1936 (probable): The Wells Mirror of 6 Feb 1936 quotes "Robert Hegnauer (Master of Ceremonies)" on the town's Paul Bunyan basketball tournament.31 He is taken to be Robert Sr., who gave Wells as his home in 1935 and was living there in 1940.9 His son Robert Jr. was living in rural Scott County in 1935 and in Minneapolis in July 1936 (see his profile). The item gives nothing else to identify him, so the attribution is probable.
  • Arrival in Banning: His obituary calls him an 18-year resident of Banning, which would mean arriving about 1951. But the 1950 census found him there in April 1950, in the same house as a year before. The obituary's figure is probably approximate.10, 33
  • Death and burial: The California death index gives Riverside County, not a town. Banning, his home, is the place given by Find a Grave; the death certificate has not been seen.3, 40 The burial date is inferred from the funeral date given in the obituary (Wednesday 17 Dec 1969), so it is recorded as "about".10 The Newspapers.com Obituary Index's burial place "Jit San" is an extraction error for San Gorgonio.
  • Son Leonard's baptism: Leonard was baptised at the Presbyterian church in Alden, Freeborn County, although the family lived at Wells. The register writes dates month first (a neighbouring child was born "6-16-18"), so "5-9-20" is 9 May 1920.24 Lotta's father, the Rev. George J. Donnell, was a Presbyterian minister who "was once in the Mankato, Minn., presbytery", according to his 1936 obituary.44 Whether he served the Alden church about 1920 is worth checking.
  • 1911 Illio: An Ancestry yearbook index entry, "R L Hegnauer", 1911 Illio, "Ag Club, members", links to a page (p. 233) that does not show him, so it has not been used. His membership of the Agricultural Club is confirmed by the 1914 Illio.19
  • El Dorado Springs, 1909 (possible, not proven): The El Dorado Springs News of 17 Jun 1909 names "Robert Hegnauer", with Arthur Hays and Miss Mabelle Reid, as the employees of its mechanical department who would take charge of the paper while the editor was away for his health.45 Robert Lucius, then twenty-one and single, is the only Robert Hegnauer known in that part of Missouri at the time (El Dorado Springs, in Cedar County, is about 35 miles south of Appleton City), and he entered the University of Illinois that autumn. But the item gives nothing else to identify him, and no second item has been found, so it is not used as a fact.
  • Not him: The 1895 plat of Pleasant Gap Township, "L. Hegnauer" in Sec. 36, is his father's farm. A member tree gives his father's name as "Leonhard C Hegnauer"; no record supports the "C".
  • This profile is part of the Hegnauer one-name study.

Working notes

  • old tree 165462681 @I252150909199@ "Robert Lucius Hegnauer Sr."
  • m. (2) Blanche E. Hack 22 Nov 1930, Cass Co., N.D. (marriage index); R. L. Hegnauer and wife Lotta, deed index; petitioner in the William Passer estate, Wells, Minn., 1916 (FamilySearch full text)

Sources

  1. 1

    "U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918," database with images, Ancestry.com, Robert Lucius Hegnauer, Faribault County, Minnesota, serial 1552, no. 142: home Wells; born 11 November 1887, Prairie City, Mo.; manager of seed house, Minnesota Seed Corn Co., Wells; wife and child; registrar's date read as "May 3[0?]th 1917"; image 005253030_05869; citing NARA M1509. Also "United States, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918," FamilySearch. FamilySearch record 7BFY-8SN2

  2. 2

    "U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942," database with images, Ancestry.com, Robert Lucius Hegnauer, serial U 691, registered 27 April 1942, Wells, Faribault County, Minnesota: born 11 November 1887, Bates Co., Missouri; employer Frank Brothers Distributing Co., Mapleton, Blue Earth Co., Minn.; contact Mrs. R. L. Hegnauer, Wells; brown eyes, gray hair; images 44474_10_00008-00651 and -00652; citing National Archives at St. Louis, Record Group 147, fourth registration, Minnesota, box 554. Also "United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942," FamilySearch. FamilySearch record QKCC-3J84

  3. 3

    "California, U.S., Death Index, 1940–1997," database, Ancestry.com, Robert L Hegnauer, born 11 November 1887, Missouri; died 14 December 1969, Riverside County; mother's maiden name Hirschi; Social Security number issued in Minnesota. Also "California, Death Index, 1940–1997," FamilySearch. FamilySearch record VP21-KQV

  4. 4

    1900 U.S. Federal Census, Pleasant Gap Township, Bates County, Missouri, E.D. 18, sheet 11, dwelling 225, family 230, Robert L. Hegnauer (son, born Nov 1887; student) in the household of Leonhard Hegnauer, with his mother Susan K. and brother Leonard; citing NARA T623, roll 839; database with images, Ancestry.com.

  5. 5

    "Switzerland, Catholic and Reformed Church Records, 1418–1996," database, FamilySearch, baptism of Leonhard Hegnauer [his father], 25 April 1843, Igis, Graubünden; born 25 April 1843; parents Luzius Hegnauer and Margreth Bernet. FamilySearch record 6F8C-L4C6

  6. 6

    "New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820–1957," database with images, Ancestry.com, manifest of the ship Chase [Chace], Le Havre to New York, list dated 30 September 1856 (the ship arrived 29 September), lines 155–161, "Hegemann" family: Lucie 36, Marguerite 37, Johann 15, Leonhard 13 [his father], Christian[e] 10, Martin 8, Christian 5, Swiss; citing NARA M237, roll 167; image NYM237_167-0280 (ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7488/images/NYM237_167-0280).

  7. 7

    "U.S., School Catalogs, 1765–1935," database with images, Ancestry.com, University of Illinois Directory (1916), p. 292: "Hegnauer Robert Lucius (ag 1909-13 BS) Teach Wells Minn (Appleton City Mo)", followed by his wife, "Mrs Lotta Alice (Mrs R L) (sp mus 1912-13 Also Mo Valley Coll) Home Wells Mich" [Minn.]; indexed as Hegenauer; image 32761_1020704762_0971-00425.

  8. 8

    1920 U.S. Federal Census, Wells, Faribault County, Minnesota, E.D. 89, sheet 18A, Robert L. Hegnauer (head, 32, born Missouri, parents born Switzerland; cattle buyer, own account; home owned, mortgaged), wife Lotta A. (30), sons Robert L. (3) and Leonard D. (0); citing NARA T625, roll 828; database with images, Ancestry.com.

  9. 9

    1940 U.S. Federal Census, Wells, Faribault County, Minnesota, E.D. 22-31B, sheet 6B, household 149, Washington Avenue South, Robert Hegnauer (head, 52, married, born Missouri; salesman, grain and feed, own account; college, 4th year; rented, $30; residence in 1935 Wells) and his wife Blanche; citing NARA T627, roll m-t0627-01920; database with images, Ancestry.com. Also "United States, Census, 1940," FamilySearch. FamilySearch record KSKT-PRW; Blanche FamilySearch record KSKT-PR4

  10. 10

    "Rites for City Treasurer Slated," Record-Gazette (Banning, California), 16 December 1969, p. 1: Robert L. Hegnauer, 82, of 225 W. Ramsey St., Banning city treasurer since 1960, retired school teacher, native of Missouri, 18-year resident of Banning, member of Doric Lodge 87 AF&AM of Wells, Minn., since 1915; services Wednesday at Wiefels & Son Chapel; interment in San Gorgonio Memorial Park beside his late wife Blanche, who died 20 January 1969; survived by his son Robert Jr. of Kelso, Wash., a stepson, Vincent Hack, of San Antonio, Tex., two sisters-in-law, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; image, Newspapers.com (newspapers.com/image/688565858; clipping newspapers.com/article/record-gazette-rites-for-city-treasurer/171597771). Indexed in "U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index," Ancestry.com (burial place garbled as "Jit San").

  11. 11

    1880 U.S. Federal Census, Pleasant Gap Township, Bates County, Missouri, E.D. 160, dwelling 72, Leonard Hagn[a]uer [his father] [indexed "Lenerd Waguner"] (37, farmer, born Switzerland), wife Susan, children Mary C., Christian, Leonard and Susan [Katherine]; citing NARA T9; database with images, Ancestry.com.

  12. 12

    Studio portrait of Leonard Hegnauer, his wife Susanna Katherine (Hirschi) and their children Mary, Leonard, Christian, Katherine and Robert Lucius (b. 1887, placed between his parents), about 1905–1910, its provenance given as a Stadler relative in Switzerland; shared by MaggieOhio, Ancestry member tree 9815048, 16 September 2012.

  13. 13

    Portrait of Robert Lucius Hegnauer as a young man, about 1905–1910, cropped from the Hegnauer family portrait; shared by MaggieOhio, "Robert Lucius Hegnauer," Ancestry member tree 9815048, 18 September 2012.

  14. 14

    "Passing of a Pioneer: Leonard Hegnauer, Well Known German Citizen Succumbs to Paralysis After Brief Illness," Appleton City Journal (Appleton City, Missouri), 9 November 1916, p. 1 (son Robert of Wells, Minn.); image, Newspapers.com (newspapers.com/image/863313858).

  15. 15

    1910 U.S. Federal Census, Appleton Ward 2, St. Clair County, Missouri, E.D. 124, sheet 7A, dwelling 171, family 174, Robert L. Hegnauer (son, single) in the household of Leonard Hegnauer, with his mother Susan; citing NARA T624, roll 801; database with images, Ancestry.com.

  16. 16

    "Hegnauer-Donnell," The Marshall Republican (Marshall, Missouri), 12 August 1910, p. 4: married "Tuesday at 9 a.m." [9 August] at the home of the bride's parents, Rev. and Mrs. G. J. Donnell, College Addition; the groom, of Appleton City, attending the University of Illinois; both graduates of the Appleton City Academy; image, Newspapers.com (newspapers.com/image/201681616). Indexed in "U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index," Ancestry.com, with the wrong date 16 August 1910.

  17. 17

    "Missouri, U.S., Marriage Records, 1805–2002," database with images, Ancestry.com, Saline County marriage licence and certificate, book p. 42: licence issued at Marshall, 8 August 1910, for Robert L. Hegnauer of Appleton City, St. Clair County, over 21, and Miss Lotta Donnell of Marshall, Saline County, over 18; married at Marshall, 9 August 1910, by G. J. Donnell, Minister of the Gospel; image vrmmo1833_c6272-0026; citing Missouri State Archives, Missouri Marriage Records (microfilm).

  18. 18

    "Dames' Club Meeting," The Daily Illini (Urbana, Illinois), 17 October 1911, p. 4: wives of students to send their names and addresses to "Mrs. Robert L. Hegnauer, 1111 West Stoughton Street, Urbana"; image, Newspapers.com (newspapers.com/image/757924109). Indexed in "Illinois, U.S., Newspapers.com Stories and Events Index," Ancestry.com (as The Summer Illini).

  19. 19

    "U.S., School Yearbooks," database with images, Ancestry.com, The Illio (University of Illinois, Urbana), 1914, seniors, class of 1913: "Robert Lucius Hegnauer, Agriculture, Appleton City, Missouri. Agricultural Club; Illinois Agriculturist Staff (2)"; image 43135_b168719_00508.

  20. 20

    Warren Upham, Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance, Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society, vol. 17 (Saint Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 1920), p. 188, "Wells"; digitized copy, Internet Archive, archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog (accessed 27 September 2026).

  21. 21

    "United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936–2007," database, FamilySearch, Robert Lucius Hegnauer, Jr, born 25 January 1916, Wells, Minnesota; parents Robert L Hegnauer and Lotta Donnell. FamilySearch record 6KWM-HZ58 Also "U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007," Ancestry.com, Robert Jr.'s application naming the same parents.

  22. 22

    "U.S., School Catalogs, 1765–1935," database with images, Ancestry.com, University of Illinois Directory (1916), geographical section, Minnesota, under WELLS: "[Hegnauer Robert] L (ag '13 BS) Teach" and, on the next line, "[Hegnauer Mrs R] L (mus '13) Home" (the index entry, record 4419447, is the second line, indexed as "Mrs R L Hegnauer", 1916, University of Illinois, residence Wells, Minnesota) (index and image read 27 September 2026).

  23. 23

    "Minnesota, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940–1947," database, FamilySearch, Leonard Donnell Hegnauer, Minneapolis; born 4 October 1919, Wells, Minnesota. FamilySearch record QLF3-QJWD

  24. 24

    "U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701–1970," database with images, Ancestry.com, Presbyterian Church, Alden, Minnesota, "Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths, 1891–1923," register of baptisms, pp. 140–141: "Hegnauer, Leonard D.," [son] of "Robert L. & Lotta Hegnauer," baptized "5-9-20" [9 May 1920]; images 43102_3421606200_0109-00375 and -00376.

  25. 25

    1930 U.S. Federal Census, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, Ward 13, E.D. 262, sheet 20A, 4849 Ewing Avenue [South], dwelling 319, family 323, Robert Hegnauer (head, 42, married, first married at 22; travelling salesman, grain and feed; rented, $65), wife Lotta (40), sons Robert (14) and Donnell (10); FHL microfilm 2340835; database with images, Ancestry.com.

  26. 26

    "U.S., City Directories, 1822–1995," database with images, Ancestry.com, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1930: Robert Hegnauer (Lotta D), salesman, 4849 Ewing Avenue South.

  27. 27

    "Circuit Court Cases," The Courier-Sentinel (Bricelyn [masthead partly read], Faribault County, Minnesota), 20 November 1930, p. 1, civil cases: "Hegnauer vs. Hegnauer—Divorce granted plaintiff"; image, Newspapers.com (newspapers.com/image/1030815361; filed there under Kiester).

  28. 28

    1940 U.S. Federal Census, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, 516 University Avenue [S.E.], sheet 61A, household 111, Lottie Hegnauer (head, 50, born Indiana, divorced, informant; residence in 1935 Minneapolis; home economist; college, 4th year), with Donnell Hegnauer, 20 [her son Leonard Donnell]; database with images, Ancestry.com (index read).

  29. 29

    "Web: Cass County, North Dakota, U.S., Marriage License Index, 1873–1944" and "Web: North Dakota, U.S., Marriages Index, 1872–2022," databases, Ancestry.com, Robert Lucius Hegnauer, marriage 22 November 1930, Cass County, North Dakota; citing State Historical Society of North Dakota, Bismarck, marriage records. (Index entries attached to his tree profile; not re-read in this pass.)

  30. 30

    Flat bronze grave marker of Robert L. and Blanche E. Hegnauer (1887–1969; 1892–1969), San Gorgonio Memorial Park, Banning, California, with an emblem (probably the Masonic square and compass); photograph copied from Find a Grave and shared by Patricia Adams (Iowa_adams_family), "Robert L. Hegnauer," Ancestry member tree 189857176, 19 March 2023.

  31. 31

    "Opinions Around Town on Event," The Wells Mirror (Wells, Minnesota), 6 February 1936, p. 8, on the Paul Bunyan basketball tournament (Fats vs. Leans): "Robert Hegnauer (Master of Ceremonies): 'The house will be a sellout; 90,000 people attending.'"; image, Newspapers.com (newspapers.com/image/1025548931) (page read 27 September 2026). Indexed in "Minnesota, U.S., Newspapers.com Stories and Events Index," Ancestry.com, record 4887716972.

  32. 32

    National Archives and Records Administration, "World War II Selective Service Draft Cards: Fourth Registration, 1942," reference report RR 929, archives.gov/files/research/military/ww2/draft-cards-fourth-registration.pdf (accessed 27 September 2026).

  33. 33

    1950 U.S. Federal Census, Banning, Riverside County, California, E.D. 33-139, page 8, Prince Street, dwelling 99, Robert L. Hegnauer [indexed "Heqnauer"] (head, 62, married, born Missouri, parents born Switzerland; teacher, general subjects, grade school, city school system; income $3,000 in 1949; college, 4 years), with his wife Blanch[e] E.; roll 3685; database with images, Ancestry.com. Also "United States, Census, 1950," FamilySearch. FamilySearch record 6XG6-CKZQ

  34. 34

    "City of Banning History," City of Banning, California (official website), banning.ca.us/314/City-of-Banning-History (accessed 27 September 2026).

  35. 35

    "California, U.S., Voter Registrations, 1900–1968," database with images, Ancestry.com, Robert L Hegnauer, Banning, Riverside County, 1954: 94 Prince Street, Republican (index; image 61066_i111462-00038 not read).

  36. 36

    "Aesop Olympics: Banning to Stage Ancient Hare-Tortoise Race," The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, California), 9 September 1955, p. 20: announced by "R. L. Hegnauer, secretary-manager of the Banning Chamber of Commerce"; Newspapers.com clipping 184336216 (attached to the Ancestry tree).

  37. 37

    [Notice of sale of a delinquent improvement bond], Daily Record (Banning, California), 26 September 1961, p. 15, dated 19 September 1961 and signed "Robert L. Hegnauer, Treasurer of the City of Banning, Calif."; image, Newspapers.com (newspapers.com/image/748772624). Indexed in "California, U.S., Newspapers.com Stories and Events Index," Ancestry.com.

  38. 38

    "Hegnauer Seeks Third Term as City Treasurer," The Daily Record-Gazette (Banning, California), 19 January 1968, p. 1; Newspapers.com clipping attached to the Ancestry tree (headline only; not re-read in this pass).

  39. 39

    "U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935–2014," database, Ancestry.com, Robert Hegnauer, born 11 November 1887; died December 1969; last residence Banning, Riverside, California. Also "United States, Social Security Death Index," FamilySearch. FamilySearch record V9VY-NW1

  40. 40

    Find a Grave, memorial 202231524, Robert Lucius Hegnauer (11 Nov 1887 – 14 Dec 1969), San Gorgonio Memorial Park, Banning, Riverside County, California (findagrave.com/memorial/202231524). Also indexed in "U.S., Find a Grave Index," Ancestry.com, and "Find a Grave Index," FamilySearch. FamilySearch record 4K4W-B9MM

  41. 41

    "Minnesota, Deaths, 1887–2001," database, FamilySearch, Leonard D Hegnauer, died 5 October 1950, Saint Paul, Ramsey County; born 1919, Wells, Minnesota; parents Robert Hegnauer and Lotta Donnell. FamilySearch record HT6H-BL3Z

  42. 42

    "World War I Draft Registration Cards," National Archives, archives.gov/research/military/ww1/draft-registration (accessed 27 September 2026).

  43. 43

    "Gone to His Reward," obituary of Leonard Hegenauer, reprinted from the Rockville Booster (Rockville, Missouri), November 1916 (son Robert said to live in Illinois); photograph of the clipping shared by jnel126, "Leonhard Hegnauer Obit," Ancestry member tree 154982007, 10 November 2018.

  44. 44

    "Rev. Donnell's Rites Thursday," The Minneapolis Star (Minneapolis, Minnesota), 22 July 1936, p. 7: Rev. George J. Donnell, 81, retired Presbyterian minister, "once in the Mankato, Minn., presbytery"; survived by daughters Faustine and Mrs. Lotta Hegnauer of Minneapolis; image, Newspapers.com (newspapers.com/image/187552746).

  45. 45

    [Editorial note], The El Dorado Springs News (El Dorado Springs, Cedar County, Missouri), 17 June 1909, p. 8: "The employes in the mechanical department, Arthur Hays, Miss Mabelle Reid and Robert Hegnauer, being thoroughly familiar with the situation, have kindly consented to take charge of the paper and business during our absence"; image, Newspapers.com (newspapers.com/image/959124542) (page read 27 September 2026). Indexed in "Missouri, U.S., Newspapers.com Stories and Events Index," Ancestry.com, record 4372755454.