VOEGELI, Tobias

History of Northern Wisconsin. Chicago: Western Historical, 1881, p 168

Tobias VOEGELI, Postmaster, Fountain City [Buffalo County, Wisconsin], was 
born 06 December 1832 in Switzerland. He came to America, landing in New 
York City 29 April 1855. For a few years he stayed in New Glarus, Green 
County [Wisconsin]. In 1857 he removed to this village [Fountain City], 
where he has since lived. In 1864 Mr. VOEGELI enlisted in Company D, Ninth 
Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered out on 03 June 1865. He was 
employed as a carpenter and builder until 1874, when he was appointed 
Postmaster.

Tobias VOEGELI married Ann R. WICHSER, also a native of Switzerland. They 
have four children: Thomas, Fred, Kate, and Henry. [The VOEGELI family, 
surname possibly read as VOGELI, was enumerated in the 1880 census of 
Fountain City, Buffalo County, Wisconsin: Tobias, forty-seven, Postmaster, 
born in Switzerland, from his census age about 1833, to parents also born 
there; his wife, Anna R., also forty-seven and born in Switzerland to parents 
born there; and only two of their children: (1) Kate, nineteen, single, 
Deputy Postmaster, born (about 1861) in Wisconsin; and (2) Heinrich (Henry 
of the biography), eleven, born (about 1869) in Wisconsin.]

[The gap in age between Kate and Heinrich can be explained by Tobias 
VOEGELI's service in the Civil War, which was officially over in early April 
1865. In 1880 if one went up the Mississippi River along its east bank from 
Fountain City, the next two concentrations of population were Buffalo City 
and Alma. The son Thomas, not enumerated with his parents in Fountain City, 
is listed in the 1880 census of Alma, surname possibly able to be read as 
VOEGELE: Tobias VOEGELI, twenty-three, single, teacher, also born in 
Wisconsin. Submitter did not locate Frederick VOEGELI in the 1880 census. 
He could have been deceased, or his given name may be deceiving, since men 
were often known by what was actually their middle name, e. g., John 
Frederick would be called Frederick. The given name Frederick may have also 
appeared in another form, such as Fritz, Friederick, or Fridolin. The 
German-Swiss pronunciation of "VOEGELI" makes it sound as if it begins with 
"F" and contains a long vowel, like "fay-glee." There are VOEGELI in the U. 
S. who spell their surname FEGLEY. Was Ann R. WICHER, the wife of Tobias 
VOEGELI, related to Jacob WICHER of New Glarus, Green County, Wisconsin, who 
died in 1894? Both the VOEGELI and WICHSER surnames also appear in Green 
County records. Bracketed material added by submitter (who is not 
researching these surnames) to support and clarify information given in the 
biography and to raise questions.]

Submitted by Cathy Kubly