Mittalbargar

Internments at Black Walnut Cemetery 

Johann Christof Mittalbargar, Sr.  22 July 1788—9 February 1859 

Christiana Mittalbargar 04 March 1806—20 January 1852

Maria Mittalbargar 21 February 1838—02 December 1858 

Leopold Mittalbargar 12 March 1838—12 March 1852 

Thomas Mittalbargar 18 January 1821 – 5 September 1850

George W. Deney 28 July 1861—06 July 1873 

James Mittalbargar ?? –31 January 1861 (Foot stone only found as of 2022)

Marchal Mittalbargar ?? –15 August 1867 

Elizabeth Mittalbargar 19 October 1865—9 August 1866

Those family members buried at Black Walnut include the immigrant, Johann Christof Middleburgh, son of Christoph Salomon and Christiana Gottliebin Rahm Middleburgh, born July 22, 1788, in Enzweihingen, Wurttemberg, Germany. Johann’s second wife, Christena unknown, was born March 4, 1806, most probably in Germany. She died January 20,1852. Two of their ten children, Mariah/Maria and Leopold, were buried in the cemetery as was a grandson, George W. Deney/Denny, born July 28, 1861, to John and Martina/Martena Middleburgh Denny. Johann Christof, Senior’s first wife, Maria Margaretha Schwarz, was born October 5, 1792, in Gueltingen, Germany. The two were married November 2, 1814, in Enzweihingen, Wurttemberg, Germany, and had a son, Philipp Jakob, born March 17, 1815, in Enzweihingen, where also he was christened on March 19. Philipp Jakob died on February 26,1816 and was buried in Enzweihingen. Perhaps Maria died about the same time in Germany because Johann and his second wife’s first child, Johann Christof, Junior (1817-1882), was born in Leesburg, Loudoun, Virginia, the destination of the family emigration in June 1817.

Between 1830 and 1840, Johann Sr. and his family moved from Virginia to Portage des Sioux, St. Charles, Missouri. John C. Jr.’s obituary stated that the family arrived in Missouri in 1830. However, John C. Sr. was identified in the 1830 U.S. Census as living in Cameron, Loudoun, Virginia. By 1836, he was listed on the 1836 Tax List of St. Charles, Missouri.

John C. Jr. (1817-1882) married Lucinda Mallerson, daughter of Elijah and Merinda Robins Mallerson (1819-1878), in 1841, probably in St. Charles. Together, they had five children—Maria Merinda, John Newton, William Clinton, Elizabeth S., and Mary F. John C. and John Newton were active in St. Charles affairs. The Opera House and Dry Goods Store at 311 North Main was operated by J.N. and J.C. Mittelberger. SCCHS Board member, Justin Watkins, commented, “Not just the Opera House but also the St. Charles Fair and Driving Park Association property (now Blanchette Park) and the former Emmaus property which John Newton was associated with through his marriage to Mary Boyse.

In his article. “Staying on Track: St. Charles and the North Missouri Railroad,” from the SCCHS Heritage, January 2018, Justin wrote: “By this time, the mayor of St. Charles was John C. Mittleberger, who had succeeded Alexander in 1872. A native of Virginia of German descent, Mittelberger came to St. Charles County when he was young. He married Lucinda Mallerson in St. Charles County and settled on a farm. In 1860 Mittelberger moved to St. Charles and joined with Christopher Weeke in operating the Northern Mills, a partnership which lasted four years. Mittelberger then left the business and founded a dry goods store, J.C. Mittelberger & Son (in partnership with his son John Newton Mittelberger). In addition to his business ventures, John C. Mittelberger was a stockholder in the St. Charles Car Company and served on its board of directors.”

Thomas was born in 1821 in Virginia. On August 20, 1850 when the 1850 Federal Census was taken, he was residing with his elder brother John and working as a farmer. He was 28 and single. By September 5, 1850 he would be dead. (while Gone But Not Forgotten shows a death year of 1856, the cemetery stone year of 1850 is confirmed by probate file #2377 located at SCCHS.) Thomas is buried at Black Walnut Cemetery and his was the only gravestone in that family found still standing in 2020 during the restoration. While the cause of Thomas’ death is vague, a doctor was in attendance from September 2 until his death on the 5th. The Probate file contains an inventory of Thomas’ estate which included livestock and acres of corn, wheat, and apples, so Thomas was not without resources.

Margaret Elizabeth was born about 1825 in Virginia and died in 1907 in Rock Island, Illinois. On August 4, 1859, she married Welcome Arnold Robbins, son of Moses and Abigail Cook Robins. He died in March 1868 after which Margaret Elizabeth married Henry Palmer Hull (1831-1919) on August 4, 1859, in St. Charles. He was a bank president in Rock Island, IL where the couple made their home. Margaret Elizabeth had no children.

James S. was born in 1826 in Loudoun, Virginia.  In 1865 he married Margaret Stakes (1836-1868) in St. Charles. Together they had two children—Elizabeth (1866–) and Mary (1868-1869). After Margaret’s death, James S. married Charlotte Ballner (1843-1912), widow of Johan Frederick Schumann. Charlotte and Johann Frederick had two children together—William and Julia. Charlotte and James S. together had one son, James Solomon Mittelberger (1873-1918) who committed suicide by carbolic acid poisoning. James S., a farmer most of his life, died in St. Louis on February 20, 1900. Charlotte died in 1912 in St. Charles.

Jacob was born about 1827 in Virginia. He married Louisa Ann Robbins, daughter of Moses and Mary Best Robbins, on November 11, 1852, in St. Charles. The couple had six children together. Jacob had died before the 1870 U.S. Census was conducted because Louisa Ann was living and keeping a farm in East St. Louis, St. Clair, Illinois with her six children and a farm laborer. She died in St. Louis on January 13, 1924, of gangrene of the left leg.

Martena/Martina was born October 18, 1832, in Louden, Virginia. She arrived in St. Charles County with her mother and father and siblings. The exact date is still arguable. John C. Middleburgh, Jr.’s obituary identifies the date as 1830, even though an 1830 U.S. Census record has them living in Virginia. If Martena was born in Virginia also, then a narrow date for the move would be between her birth in 1832 and her brother’s birth in 1835 in Missouri. Martena grew up in St. Charles, perhaps even attended school since she reported on U.S. Census records that she could read and write. On February 20, 1855, she married John Denny in St. Charles. Together they had four children, of whom George is the only one buried at Black Walnut Cemetery, please see Deney family biography for information. John died in November 1862 leaving Martena with four children to raise. John was buried in All Saints Church Cemetery in St. Peters, Missouri. Martena married Henry H. Davis at 1^st Presbyterian Church in St. Charles, MO on November 5, 1867. To the couple were born Harriet (1868-) and James H. (1871-1928). By 1880, the family had moved to St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri where Harry, at age 40, was a railway streetcar conductor. Henry died after 1880 because by 1900 Martena was living with her son, James H. a single man of age 28 who was an office clerk. Martena was listed as a widow with three living children. Martena continued to live with James, even after he married Virginia Boyse in 1905 and started a family.  The 1920 census showed her remaining with them. On May 23, 1921, Martena died of chronic nephritis and was buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis.

Mariah/Maria was born about 1835 (tombstone reads 1838) in Missouri but died in 1858 and was buried in Black Walnut. She died single and without children.

Leopold was born March 12, 1838, in Missouri but died March 12, 1852. He was buried in Black Walnut Cemetery. He died single and without children.

George was born about 1836 in Missouri. By 1860 both of his parents had died. Consequently, in 1860 he was living in Portage des Sioux with his brother James and a bound boy, James Burnam. The brothers were farmers. George owned real estate valued at $2000. By 1870 much had changed for George. He was married to Sally Davis and together they had had a son, James, who died in 1861, a daughter, Elizabeth, who died in 1866, another son, Marchal, who died in 1867, and a son, Thomas, born in 1869. Thomas married Sadie Johnson in 1905 in Moline, Illinois and died in Muscatine, Iowa in May 1916. The couple had no children. Newton Davis was born to  George and Sally in 1872. The family was living in Rock Island, Rock Island, Illinois with George’s sister, Elizabeth Robbins, widow of Welcome A. Robbins. George farmed. In 1873, George was a dealer in flour and feed in Rock Island, with an office on Eagle Street. By 1877, George died. Sally married John Johnson, an older man who was also a farmer, and the family lived in Portage des Sioux, St Charles Missouri. Thomas and Newton were living with the family as were John and Sally’s children—Daisey, Bax, and Samuel. By 1910. Sally, a widow, was living with her son, Thomas, and his second wife, Sadie, in Muscatine, Iowa.

Catherine, born in 1842 in Missouri, is lost.

Augusta, the last child of Johann and Christene, was born October 14, 1845. in Missouri. When Augusta was seven, her mother died. Six years later, at age 13, her father died. The 1860 U.S. Census for St. Charles showed her living with her sister, Margaret Elizabeth and her husband, Welcome A. Robbins. The couple was comparative wealthy with no children of their own. They would seem to be likely guardians of someone like Augusta. Augusta may have moved in with the couple after her mother died or perhaps only after her father died. On November 23, 1865, Augusta married David Baird in St. Charles. By 1870, the couple was living in Portage des Sioux with their two sons, John and James, and perhaps her brother, James, and another man, William Mitelberger. Eventually David and Augusta had together five children—John Thomas (1866-1927), James (1869-1923), Carrie E. (1871-19520, Etta (1877-1953), and Mae (1883-). Between 1910 and 1920, David and Augusta moved to St. Louis County, where he continued to farm. At that place on June 13, 1926, David died. Augusta had previously died on March 11, 1925, of pneumonia. Both are buried in Valhalla Cemetery at Bel-Nor.

Philip L. Rhea Ed.D. – July 2021

Note: The information, i.e., surname spellings and birth/death dates, published in the list of burials is synonymous with the information either on cemetery records or tombstones. The family researchers acknowledge that surnames often are diversely spelled and that dates of birth and death rely on anonymous sources.