10 Finding aid prepared by Sarah Leu and Anastasia Matijkiw through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. Last updated on September 12, 2016. Tri-County Heritage Society
Table of Contents Summary Information...3 Biography/History...4 Scope and Contents... 5 Administrative Information... 5 Controlled Access Headings...6 - Page 2 -
Summary Information Repository Tri-County Heritage Society Creator Wanner family Title Wanner family papers Call number 10 Date circa late 19th century-circa 1980 Extent 1 linear feet Language English Abstract John Reuben Wanner (1864-1932) was born in 1864 in Caernarvon Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In 1886, he married Fannie Grube (1865-1947) in Morgantown, PA (Berks County). They had ten children: Matilda K., Edna May, Elizabeth H., Emma Valeria, Florence G., Jacob Grube, John Reuben Jr., David Stanley, Estella Viola, and Ethelbert H. The Wanner children and their descendants married into various families in the Tri-County area (Berks, Chester, and Lancaster counties in Pennsylvania), including the Bixler, Brower, Finger, Goodman, Guy, Hayes, Peiffer, Rettew, and Sternberger families. Wanner family papers, circa late 19th century-circa 1980s, consist of photographs, personal papers, postcards, memorial and funeral cards, newspaper clippings, and other materials. Other families represented in the collection include the Brower and Finger families, members of who married or were closely associated with members of the Wanner family. - Page 3 -
Biography/History John Reuben Wanner (1864-1932) was born in Caernarvon Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1864 to Jonas Tobias Wanner and Elizabeth Katurah Hertzler. In 1886, he married Florence "Fannie" Grube (1865-1947) in Morgantown, PA (Berks County). They lived and raised their family in Caernarvon Township, Lancaster County. They had ten children: Matilda K. (1887-1972), Edna M. (1889-1990), Elizabeth H. (1890-1969), Emma V. (1892-1938), Florence G. (1894-1961), Jacob G. (1896-1982), John Reuben, Jr. (1898-1980, David S. (1900-1987), Estella V. (1903-1976), and Ethelbert H. (1907-1973). The Wanner children and their descendants married into various families in the Tri-County area (Berks, Chester, and Lancaster counties in Pennsylvania), including the Bixler, Brower, Finger, Goodman, Guy, Hayes, Peiffer, Rettew, and Sternberger families. Levi Diffenderfer Grube (1835-1910) was the son of Jacob M. and Louisa Grube. In 1859, he married Sara Matilda Byler (1840-1915), the daughter of Christian Byler and Elizabeth Richard, in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Levi and Sara Matilda Grube had several children, including Florence "Fannie" Grube (1865-1947), who was born in Morgantown, Berks County. Fannie married John Reuben Wanner (1864-1932) in 1886. Children of John Reuben Wanner and Fannie Grube Matilda Katurah Wanner (1887-1972) married John A. Sternberger and had several children, including Hazel Elizabeth Sternberger (1916-1987), who married George Joseph Brower (1901-1972) in 1948. Edna May Wanner (1889-1990) married Paul C. Knoll. Her sister Estella V. Wanner lived with them in the early 1930s. Elizabeth Hertzler Wanner (1890-1969) married Isaac Arthur Rettew (1887-1939). Emma Valeria Wanner (1892-1938) married Malcom Brady Finger (1892-1972). Malcom had a sister, whose name was also Emma (Emma D. Finger). Another of Malcom's sisters, Lettie, married into the Plank family. Florence Grube Wanner (1894-1961) married Howard Bausch (1892-1967). Jacob Grube Wanner (1896-1982) never married. John Reuben Wanner, Jr. (1898-1980) married Lucie Cliff (1899-1978). David Stanley Wanner (1900-1987) married Laura Fry Wagner (1912-1976). Estella Viola Wanner (1903-1976) was a school teacher in Reading, Berks County. She traveled frequently and never married. Ethelbert Howard Wanner (1907-1973) married Eleanor Helen Guy (1913-1994). Bibliography: - Page 4 -
Family Tree in Wanner family papers. Tri-County Heritage Society. Item viewed in collection, August, 2015. Scope and Contents Wanner family papers, circa late 19th century-circa 1980s, consist of photographs, personal papers, postcards, memorial and funeral cards, newspaper clippings, and other materials. Other families represented in the collection include the Brower and Finger families, members of which married or were closely associated with members of the Wanner family. Families represented in the photographs include the Wanner, Brower, and Finger families. Photographs in the collection include individual and group portraits of family members, several of which are identified. Some of the images are of babies and children, weddings, and other family gatherings. There are a few negatives and at least one tintype. Papers in the collection include a diary from Estella Wanner, 1924-1925; an unidentified diary; a financial notebook; Wanner family school report cards; graduation notices; postcards; memorial and funeral cards; newspaper clippings; and other materials. Administrative Information Tri-County Heritage Society Finding aid prepared by Sarah Leu and Anastasia Matijkiw through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. Sponsor This preliminary finding aid was created as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Access Restrictions Contact Tri-County Heritage Society for information about accessing this collection. - Page 5 -
Processing Information Note Wanner family papers Summary descriptive information on this collection was compiled in 2014-2016 as part of a project conducted by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to make better known and more accessible the largely hidden collections of small, primarily volunteer run repositories in the Philadelphia area. The Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR) was funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This is a preliminary finding aid. No physical processing, rehousing, reorganizing, or folder listing was accomplished during the HCI-PSAR project. In some cases, more detailed inventories or finding aids may be available on-site at the repository where this collection is held; please contact Tri-County Heritage Society directly for more information. Controlled Access Headings Family Name(s) Brower family Finger family Wanner family Geographic Name(s) Berks County (Pa.) Lancaster County (Pa.) Subject(s) Genealogy Local history - Page 6 -