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Below is a family biography included in The History of Washington County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1888.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Joseph Deggendorf is a native of Saltzburg, Austria, and was born October 21, 1833. His father, also named Joseph, was a native of the same place, and was a tanner and leather manufacturer by trade. He married Miss Maria Engle, of the same province in Austria, and they had six sons and one daughter, Joseph being the eldest child. The family remained in their native country until 1850, when they immigrated to America and settled on a farm near Dubuque, Iowa. After a time the father engaged in mercantile pursuits in Dubuque until his death in 1865. Young Joseph received a good education previous to coming to America, and his time was occupied until 1862 in mercantile pursuits in Dubuque. He then removed to St. Louis, and the following two years he was connected with a prominent German newspaper of that city. In 1865 he received the appointment of deputy city comptroller, served two years, and in 1867 was elected comptroller, serving until 1869. He then removed to Washington County and opened a zinc mine and built zinc oxide works, which he operated until 1883, since which time he has been engaged in the real estate business in Potosi. He was married December 24, 1858, in Dubuque, to Miss Henrietta Melcher, a native of the province of Brandenburg, Prussia, who was brought to this country by her parents in 1841, when only four years of age. They first settled near Niagara Falls, N. Y., where they lived until 1855, and then moved to near Watertown, Wis., where they lived until their deaths. Mr. and Mrs. Deggendorf have five children, as follows: Robert C., cashier of the St. Joe Lead Mines’ store; Frank M., Edward J., John E. and Emma A., wife of Norman Robinson.

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This family biography is one of 138 biographies included in The History of Washington County, Missouri published in 1888.  For the complete description, click here: Washington County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

To view additional Washington County, Missouri family biographies, click here

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