August Witt (2/11/1886 to 3/16/1944 at age 58) and Anna Hagedorn Witt (3/3/1891 to 3/5/1987 at age 95)
Married November 26, 1912 when August was 26 and Anna 21. August and Anna had four children:
Freda Witt Kutz (January 9, 1914 – January 11, 2008) 94 years old - wife of Ben Kutz
Wilbert F. Witt (March 7, 1915 – June 8, 1980) 65 years - husband of Josephine Kuklenski Cochran
Leona Witt Henderson (August 8, 1917 – August 7, 2004) 86 years old - wife of Robert Henderson
Francis Leo Witt (October 16, 1925 – October 28, 2006) 81 years old - husband of Mildred Bellm
August married Anna, who grew up on a nearby farm. Theirs was the first marriage in the new St Mary's church. He farmed the property now owned by Jim and Pam Witt Barchak, his granddaughter. Gus turned to making white lighting (whiskey) during prohibition in order to pay his mortgage and provide for his family. His wife went to talk to the priest before she allowed him to make the whiskey. He hid the still and white lighting under the corn crib when it wasn't in use. Times were very hard and money was very scarce. People from Monett and other would drive out to the dry creek west of the current Jim and Pam Barchak home near Ben Witt's place. They would park and go under the little bridge on a dry creek to buy their bootleg whiskey.
Later revenue agents searched the house. Agents searched every inch of the house. At one point Grandma Kate Henneman Hagedorn told them to "search der slop bucket". Freda was a young girl. She was scared to death during the search because she feared they would take their Dad to prison. She was embarrassed to talk about this until very late in her life. Gus died of pneumonia during WW II. His son Wilbert Witt was serving in WWII in Iran the time.
Wilbert died in 1980 in a tractor accident on the old Frank Witt place which he had purchased. Even though he was critically injured he drove his tractor back to his home on some of the same road as Bernard's driverless team.
Married November 26, 1912 when August was 26 and Anna 21. August and Anna had four children:
Freda Witt Kutz (January 9, 1914 – January 11, 2008) 94 years old - wife of Ben Kutz
Wilbert F. Witt (March 7, 1915 – June 8, 1980) 65 years - husband of Josephine Kuklenski Cochran
Leona Witt Henderson (August 8, 1917 – August 7, 2004) 86 years old - wife of Robert Henderson
Francis Leo Witt (October 16, 1925 – October 28, 2006) 81 years old - husband of Mildred Bellm
August married Anna, who grew up on a nearby farm. Theirs was the first marriage in the new St Mary's church. He farmed the property now owned by Jim and Pam Witt Barchak, his granddaughter. Gus turned to making white lighting (whiskey) during prohibition in order to pay his mortgage and provide for his family. His wife went to talk to the priest before she allowed him to make the whiskey. He hid the still and white lighting under the corn crib when it wasn't in use. Times were very hard and money was very scarce. People from Monett and other would drive out to the dry creek west of the current Jim and Pam Barchak home near Ben Witt's place. They would park and go under the little bridge on a dry creek to buy their bootleg whiskey.
Later revenue agents searched the house. Agents searched every inch of the house. At one point Grandma Kate Henneman Hagedorn told them to "search der slop bucket". Freda was a young girl. She was scared to death during the search because she feared they would take their Dad to prison. She was embarrassed to talk about this until very late in her life. Gus died of pneumonia during WW II. His son Wilbert Witt was serving in WWII in Iran the time.
Wilbert died in 1980 in a tractor accident on the old Frank Witt place which he had purchased. Even though he was critically injured he drove his tractor back to his home on some of the same road as Bernard's driverless team.
August Witt (2/11/1886 to 3/16/1944 at age 58) and Anna Hagedorn Witt (3/3/1891 to 3/5/1987 at age 95)
Married November 26, 1912 when August was 26 and Anna 21. August and Anna had four children:
Freda Witt Kutz (January 9, 1914 – January 11, 2008) 94 years old - wife of Ben Kutz
Wilbert F. Witt (March 7, 1915 – June 8, 1980) 65 years - husband of Josephine Kuklenski Cochran
Leona Witt Henderson (August 8, 1917 – August 7, 2004) 86 years old - wife of Robert Henderson
Francis Leo Witt (October 16, 1925 – October 28, 2006) 81 years old - husband of Mildred Bellm
August married Anna, who grew up on a nearby farm. Theirs was the first marriage in the new St Mary's church. He farmed the property now owned by Jim and Pam Witt Barchak, his granddaughter. Gus turned to making white lighting (whiskey) during prohibition in order to pay his mortgage and provide for his family. His wife went to talk to the priest before she allowed him to make the whiskey. He hid the still and white lighting under the corn crib when it wasn't in use. Times were very hard and money was very scarce. People from Monett and other would drive out to the dry creek west of the current Jim and Pam Barchak home near Ben Witt's place. They would park and go under the little bridge on a dry creek to buy their bootleg whiskey.
Later revenue agents searched the house. Agents searched every inch of the house. At one point Grandma Kate Henneman Hagedorn told them to "search der slop bucket". Freda was a young girl. She was scared to death during the search because she feared they would take their Dad to prison. She was embarrassed to talk about this until very late in her life. Gus died of pneumonia during WW II. His son Wilbert Witt was serving in WWII in Iran the time.
Wilbert died in 1980 in a tractor accident on the old Frank Witt place which he had purchased. Even though he was critically injured he drove his tractor back to his home on some of the same road as Bernard's driverless team.
Married November 26, 1912 when August was 26 and Anna 21. August and Anna had four children:
Freda Witt Kutz (January 9, 1914 – January 11, 2008) 94 years old - wife of Ben Kutz
Wilbert F. Witt (March 7, 1915 – June 8, 1980) 65 years - husband of Josephine Kuklenski Cochran
Leona Witt Henderson (August 8, 1917 – August 7, 2004) 86 years old - wife of Robert Henderson
Francis Leo Witt (October 16, 1925 – October 28, 2006) 81 years old - husband of Mildred Bellm
August married Anna, who grew up on a nearby farm. Theirs was the first marriage in the new St Mary's church. He farmed the property now owned by Jim and Pam Witt Barchak, his granddaughter. Gus turned to making white lighting (whiskey) during prohibition in order to pay his mortgage and provide for his family. His wife went to talk to the priest before she allowed him to make the whiskey. He hid the still and white lighting under the corn crib when it wasn't in use. Times were very hard and money was very scarce. People from Monett and other would drive out to the dry creek west of the current Jim and Pam Barchak home near Ben Witt's place. They would park and go under the little bridge on a dry creek to buy their bootleg whiskey.
Later revenue agents searched the house. Agents searched every inch of the house. At one point Grandma Kate Henneman Hagedorn told them to "search der slop bucket". Freda was a young girl. She was scared to death during the search because she feared they would take their Dad to prison. She was embarrassed to talk about this until very late in her life. Gus died of pneumonia during WW II. His son Wilbert Witt was serving in WWII in Iran the time.
Wilbert died in 1980 in a tractor accident on the old Frank Witt place which he had purchased. Even though he was critically injured he drove his tractor back to his home on some of the same road as Bernard's driverless team.
Family Members
Siblings
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
