by Doug Bontz
Who’s buried in Sunset Hill Cemetery?
| March 2024 Article 2 Warrensburg, Missouri |
Pioneer Family Offers Numerous Services in Early Years
The following outlines important stages in the Heberling Family’s success in Warrensburg and beyond. It was a bit difficult to find detailed information about the various improvements and growth of the businesses owned by Jacob, but the following is an attempt to give readers a sense of the history. This history also includes information about other family members, particularly about Jacob’s and Mary’s children. I do not know whether genealogists will appreciate this format, but using a creative license as a former journalist, I express an appreciation of Warrensburg’s History and some of the great people who walked the paths we walk today.
The Heberling Brothers started arriving in Warrensburg two years after the town’s founding in 1855. John Bradley Heberling was the first to arrive in 1857. Jacob, William, and Catherine immigrated from Germany in 1868, and Frederick in 1870.
The Heberlings were very hard-working, intelligent, and enterprising people, and offered numerous services to Warrensburg and Johnson County, Missouri. Jacob and Frederick were shoemakers and set up shop making and selling shoes. Jacob opened a shoe store and repair shop and eventually founded a shoe factory in the community. John was a butcher and raised livestock. He also provided block ice for iceboxes. William helped Jacob but raised livestock.
The Arrival to America
Jacob Heberling at age 27 immigrated to America along with his wife, Eleonore, 29; son, John Wilhelm, six months; Catharine, 20, Jacob’s sister; and Wilhelm (William), 17, Jacob’s younger brother.
The five German citizens boarded the “Hansa and Deutschland” ship in Bremen, Germany, and arrived in New York, New York on May 18, 1868. (Ellis Island was not open until 1892.) 1
Jacob began making and selling shoes as soon as he came to Warrensburg. In this research, there is no information on whether his language skills gave him trouble. Perhaps, he knew English, but there is no information found that talks about his schooling in Germany. There may have been other German-speaking citizens in Warrensburg at the time to help them.
The Heberling Shoe Factory
In the early days, Jacob and brother Fred opened a store on Pine Street. The Star Theater opened in the same building some years later. He and several bench workers made the shoes by hand. He eventually moved to a storefront on Holden Street, but the owners of the building decided to put his sons in the shoe business, which was in direct competition with Jacob. So, not to have that happen, again, Jacob had a two-story building, which included a basement, constructed in 1885. The following story came out of that project.
The Standard-Herald, November 26, 1885
While some workmen were excavating for the foundation of Heverling’s new building, on Market Street, Monday, a charge exploded, sending the stones flying in all directions. One fell on the roof, of Mrs. Moddy’s kitchen, tearing a large hole in the roof, and badly frightening the old colored cook, who fell upon her knees and began to pray, thinking the end of the world was at hand. Another stone fell in Fullam’s lumber yard, doing considerable damage. The damage to both places will amount to about $150. No one was hurt.2
In 1891, Jacob started digging the foundation for a new building on Market Street, and in 1894, he opened a shoe manufacturing company, where he employed six men and an on-the-road salesman. He purchased new, modern equipment that year attempting to increase production. He also added a new building to the company, and four years later he installed a new gasoline engine to run machinery at the plant.
In 1899, the Tipton, Missouri shoe factory merged with the Warrensburg factory, which called for an additional building. It was reported that Jacob employed 50 men in Warrensburg at that time.
The Journal-Democrat, November 3, 1899
Warrensburg has a lead-pipe sinch on one of the biggest shoe factories in the State. The concern recently burned out at Tipton, which California was trying to get, has thrown its order, experience, and business to Warrensburg and will become a part of the Heberling factory in this city.
William Heberling and one of the Tipton men are on their way to Boston to purchase machinery to increase the capacity of their plant to 600 pairs of shoes per day. While this is being done, a building is being erected here on the lot just east of the present factory to receive the new machinery. Eight or ten skilled factory hands are moving their families here from Tipton and everything is being put in readiness to make shoes and make ‘em fast.3
The very next year, the manufacturing business was incorporated and became one of the biggest shoe manufacturers in Missouri. But that was to be short-lived. In 1901, an investor from Fort Smith, Arkansas came to Warrensburg to discuss a move of the factory to his community. The man explained that his town had numerous investors who wanted to purchase the plant. After several months of negotiating, Jacob and his investors, sold. It was a done deal. The Fort Smith investors bought most of the Heberling shares.
Warrensburg newspapers did not print the reason for the sale but according to the Fort Smith, Arkansas newspaper,the reasons for the sale were that Warrensburg did not have ample shipping facilities and that the cost of production was much higher because of costly coal prices. It also stated that Missouri was meeting too much competition in the shoe-making industry.4
The Warrensburg factory was gone, but Jacob and his sons temporarily maintained a small amount of stock in the Fort Smith Shoe Company.5, 6
The shoe store, on Holden Street, however, remained in business. It was operated by Jacob, Otto, and Adolph.
Unexpectedly, in 1922, Jacob collapsed and died in Otto’s arms at the store. Otto and Adolph kept the store open for 23 more years before selling it.
In 1945, they sold the store to Brown Shoe-Fit Co. a company out of Iowa. Today, the store on Holden Street is still the Brown Shoe Fit and has been at that location for 79 years. Even in all the changes downtown, there is the remnant of the once-prosperous Heberling Family.
Wives and Children of Jacob Heberling
Jacob married Eleanora Heberling in Germany. Despite both having the same last name, they were not related. They had one son, John Wilhelm, who came with them to America at six months of age. He died during their first year in Warrensburg in 1868. Eleanore died the next year. They are both buried in the Heberling section of Sunset Hill Cemetery in Warrensburg.
In 1873, Jacob married a local woman named Mary Magdalena Behron. She was born September 15, 1855, in Dunkirk, New York. She came to Warrensburg in 1870.7 There is no information found telling why she moved to Missouri. Her family Americanized their name to Barron/Baron. Mary died in 1910 and is buried at Sunset Hill Cemetery.
Mary Magdalena (1873-1873) was the eldest daughter who died at childbirth. She is buried in Sunset Hill Cemetery in the Heberling section.
William Georg (1875-1965) was the eldest child of Jacob and Mary. He and his brother, Jacob Heberling, Jr. moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas to manage the factor after selling the Warrensburg facility.8
In 1920, William was living with his father and younger siblings in Warrensburg, Missouri on Shotwell Street. He later moved to Los Angeles, California, and lived there for over 20 years. He is buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California.9
William, who was instrumental in getting the company sold, and his brother Otto, prepared the equipment and traveled to Fort Smith to help in setting up the factory. William and his son, however, stayed in Fort Smith to operate the plant. Otto returned to work at the Heberling Shoe Store.
In 1904, there arose a disagreement between the Fort Smith stockholders in the direction they wanted the plant to go, which was not to the agreement of William, so William “divorced” himself from the company and returned to Warrensburg. I suspect his shares were sold to the Fort Smith Shoe Company.10 He eventually moved to Los Angeles, California where he remained until his death at the age of 91 in 1965. He married Georgia Bartram Suber in 1923. William was 48 years old at his only marriage. Both are buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Glendale, California.11
Jacob “Jake” Benjiman Heberling (1877-1945) worked with his father but also worked for a shoe store in Columbia, Mo. He permanently moved to Columbia from Warrensburg in 1909. He worked for C. B. Miller’s Shoe Store until buying F & M Shoe Parlor in 1917. Heberling’s Shoe Store was in business until bankruptcy in 1928.12 He was in the shoe business for over 30 years in Columbia, Missouri. There is a break in his timeline but a report shows he had a shoe repair shop in 1941. He died from a heart attack on May 11, 1945. He married a Warrensburg girl, Mamie D Denton in 1902. They are buried in the Laurel Oak Cemetery, in Windsor, Missouri.13
Julia Manetta (1879-1963) She married Eugene Bragg Anderson in 1901. He was a photographer and dry cleaner. Sometime between 1920 and 1930, they moved to California. They are both buried at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California.14
Robert F. P. (1881-1883) died at a young age. It is unknown what caused his death. He is buried in the family section of Sunset Hill Cemetery in Warrensburg, Missouri.
Lillian Lee (1883-1899) “Jacob Heberling and wife, were darkened by the death of their second daughter, Lillian Lee, aged 16 years, two months and 18 days.”15 She had been sick for days with Typhoid Fever. She succumbed to it on July 8, 1899. She is buried in the Heberling section of Sunset Hill Cemetery in Warrensburg, Missouri.
Adolph (1885-1964) worked for his father in the factory as a boy and helped in the retail business.16 He and a man called Nick Greim went to purchase a shoe store in California. However, on their way to the Golden State, Adolph heard his father had died, so he turned around and barely made it back in time for Jacob’s funeral service and burial.17He married a Warrensburg girl, Clara Opal Cross, in 1933. It is unknown why Adolph waited until age 48 to get married.18They eventually divorced. After he and his brother sold the shoe store to Brown Shoe Fit, they moved out of the state. They both eventually moved to the Jacksonville, Florida area to open up another shoe store. Adolph is buried in Oaklawn Cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida.19, 20
Otto Bismark (1888-1960) stayed beside his father throughout the years, except during his time in the military in World War I. Otto had applied twice to go into the military but he was turned down by the military board because of his bad teeth. He must have gotten his teeth fixed because he passed on the third try.21 He was stationed in Columbia, South Carolina before going overseas.22 After the war, in 1921, he married Eula Bettis in her hometown of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Eula attended the Missouri State Normal School in Warrensburg. They resided in Warrensburg until the sale of the shoe store in 1945, when they moved to Pleasant Grove, Arkansas a year later. Soon they moved to Jacksonville, Florida, and with his brother, Adolph, opened a shoe store. Otto died in 1960. He and Eula are buried in Oaklawn Cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida.23
Frances M. (1890-1951) was the youngest child of Jacob and Mary Heberling. She married Lester J. Scott in Jackson County, Missouri. Lester lived in Cleveland, Ohio. They made their home in that place. Between 1930 and 1942 they moved to New York, New York. Both died in that city. They are buried at Acacia Masonic Memorial Park Cemetery in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.24
Conclusion
The German Heberling Family made a great impact on the history of Warrensburg, Missouri. Their joys, happiness, tragedies, loss, and lives were shared across the ages. I had no way of knowing if there are still family members remaining in Warrensburg, today. I’m not sure any of Jacob’s and Mary’s children live here since all of their children left Warrensburg after they sold the shoe store in 1945. They were a grand family, and I hope this documents their paths even if it was just a little bit.
| THE HEBERLING FAMILY in WARRENSBURG | |
| Jacob Heberling (1841-1922) &Eleonore Heberling (1839-1869) John Wilhem (1867-1868) & Mary Magdelena Baron (1855-1910) Mary M. (1873-1873)William G. (1875-1965)Jacob “Jake” B. (1877-1945)Julia M. (1879-1963)Robert F. P. (1881-1883)Lillian L. (1883-1899)Adolph (1885-1964)Otto B. (1888-1960)Frances M. (1890-1951) | Frederick Heberling (1834-1893)& Katherine Simon (1848-1926)Another brother, Fred, did not arrive in America until April 25, 1870. Fred was also a shoemaker and joined his brother in the business, but later moved to Chicago, Illinois.25 Fred, Jr. (1870-)Otto S (1871-)Amelia (1873-)Charles (1875-1931)Albert (1878-1904)Frank E (1880-) |
| John Bradley Heberling (1836-1917)& Caroline Rittman (1850-1934)John Bradley Heberling immigrated in 1855 but didn’t move to Warrensburg until two years, later. He was a long-time Warrensburg cattleman and butcher, in business for more than 40 years until his death on April 20, 1917. Margaret 1869-1942John Jr. (1870-1951)Henry (1872-1958)Joseph W. (1874-)Frank Lewis (1877-1942)Earnest (1879-1944)Iren (1882-)Lydia (1889-1970) | William H Heberling (1851-1931) &Carolina Volk (1854-1915) George Edward (1880-1934)William Henry, Jr. (1883-1955)Ida Ann (1888-1935) |
| Catherine “Kate” Heberling (1849-) &Fred Ringer (1842-) Henry (1882-)George (1886-)Charles (1891-) | |
The Heberling Section at Sunset Hill Cemetery
An interesting note by the writer: I did not know before I began to put this document together that I was presently living in the very spot where Jacob Heberling’s house once stood.
Bibliography
1. NEUFORTH, KAREN P. Passenger List: N.G.S.S. Hansa, Bremen to New York, 18 May 1868. In Germanic Genealogist (Augustan Society, Torrance, CA), issue number 34, pp. 695-702 [also in Omnibus, vol. 11 (1990), pp. 129-136]; vol. 10:2 (issue number 38), pp.
2. “Badly Scared,” The Standard-Herald, November 26, 1885, p. 1, Warrensburg, Missouri, https://www.newspapers.com/image/694574835/?terms=heberling&match=1.
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11. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/85421531/william_g-heberling: accessed March 24, 2024), memorial page for William G Heberling (4 Jan 1874-11 Aug 1965), Find a Grave Memorial ID 85421531, citing Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA; Maintained by Sonya Stewart (contributor 48505807).
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Johnson County (MO) Historical Society 