Merchant. Inventor of the Department Store. Early proponent of advertising. Pioneer in marketing. U.S. Postmaster General serving under President Benjamin Harris (1889-1893). And a philanthropist, with an eye on aiding the poor.
John Wanamaker put his 1st first Department Store – also America’s first – in Philadelphia in 1875. Before long he expanded to New York City, then internationally to London & Paris.
He was widely known for his honesty & high ideals. He was awarded the R.W. Grand Master Medal (later known as the Wanamaker Medal) for being “a public spirited citizen, a lover of all people, and devoted to doing good.”
The Wanamaker Family Tree
Building businesses must have come naturally to Wanamaker, as he had builders in his DNA. He was the son of bricklayer John Nelson Wanamaker & Elizabeth Kochersperger. His family was in the bricklaying business for multiple centuries; in fact, my common ancestor with him is Johann Conrad Wannemacher, born in 1658 in the city of Darmstadt, Hessen, who brought his trade of bricklaying to the village of Bierbach, Saarland, as it was repopulated after the Thirty Years’ War.
Here is exactly how I’m related to John Wanamaker –
Common ancestors: Johann Conrad Wannemacher & Jeanne (Johanna) Plaideur
My 9th great-grandparents, John’s 4th great-grandparents
MY FAMILY’S BRANCH
Daughter: Anna Margaretha Wannemacher, born 1684, married Johannes Weber
Daughter: Anna Eva Weber, born 1710, married Peter Moser
Daughter: Catharina Barbara Moser, born 1739, married Heinrich Rechin
Son: Martin Rechin, born 1781, married Magdalena Schmitt
Daughter: Gertrud Rechin, born 1803, married Jacob Weber — immigrated to Buffalo, NY USA
Son: Jacob Nicolaus Weber, born 1840, married Catharina Gräbel— immigrated to Buffalo, NY USA
Daughter: Elizabeth Weber, born 1880, married Edward Hilburger
Daughter: Margaret Hilburger, born 1905, married Eric Romane
Daughter: Rita Romane, born 1933, married Kenneth Kanalley — my grandparents
JOHN WANAMAKER’s BRANCH
Son: Johann Peter Wannemacher, born 1689, married Eva Margaretha Deutsch
Son: Johann Georg Wannemacher, born 1720, married Elisabeth Köppel — immigrated to Lehigh Township, PA USA
Son: Henry Wannemacher, born c1756, married Maria
Son: John Wanamaker, born 1787, married Anna Hahn
Son: John Nelson Wanamaker Sr., born 1811, married Elizabeth Kochersperger
Son: John Nelson Wanamaker, Jr., born 1838 — my 5th cousin, 5 times removed
The above lineages are based on years of research that I personally conducted, including a thorough examination of German parish records. The Wannemacher family is found in Darmstadt, Zweibrücken & Blieskastel parishes, among others. Records in Bierbach state clearly that Conrad (born in 1658) was from Darmstadt. There are a few other branches of Wannemacher & Wanamaker/Wannamaker families from Darmstadt that settled in the United States, with one branch settling in New Jersey and another in Buffalo, NY. It is believed that they’re all related.
A fellow Wannemacher researcher Sherry Koshney Downard brought Conrad‘s line all the way back to a Hengin Wanmecher, born about 1450, who lived in Darmstadt “with substantial possessions, including wine gardens, meadows & farmhands.” He is my 15th-great-grandfather (yes, 15 greats!). More on the Wannemacher family, including info on an ongoing Y-DNA project led by Julia Wannamaker, can be found here.
Related:
- John Wanamaker | Wikipedia
- John Nelson Wanamaker (1838-1922) | WikiTree
- John Wanamaker/Wannamaker & His Ancestors | RootsWeb
- The Wannemacher Wanamaker Family: Germany to America, from New Jersey to Upper Canada | FamilySearch
Let’s Connect: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or 📧
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Craig Kanalley 
68 responses to “Notable Kin: John Wanamaker (1838-1922)”
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