William Bohnert and 

Maria Elizabeth Leible

 Paternal Great Grandparents 

WILLIAM BOHNERT was born on September 5, 1845, in Perry County Missouri, the second child to Lucas Bohnert and Klementina Elizabeth Hurst.

William Bohnert

September 5, 1845 - March 28, 1932 and

Maria Elizabeth Leible

July 2, 1857 - July 31, 1912

William was baptized on September 21, 1845 in St. Mary's Assumption Catholic Church, Perry County, Missouri.  


Baptismal Records for William Bohnert

St. Mary's Assumption Catholic Church, Perry County, Missouri

William's parents, Lucas and Elizabeth, were both from the small village of Renchen, Baden, in what is now Germany. Lucas was the son of Melchior Bohnert and Franziska Lauck. Elizabeth was the daughter Lorenz Hurst and Brigitta Hartwig. 


In addition to his parents, Lucas and Elizabeth, William's family included the following:

Children of Lucas Bohnert and Elizabeth Hurst

Full Siblings of William Bohnert

John Bohnert​​​​​​

   • Oct. 22, 1843 - Aug. 27 1844

   • born & died in Perry Co., MO

   • died at 10 months of age 

   • first child by the name, John

William Bohnert

   • Sept. 5, 1845 - March 28, 1932

   • born & died in Perry Co., MO 

   • married Maria Elizabeth Leible

   • died at 86 years of age

Joseph Bohnert

   • Sept. 23, 1847 - Feb. 28, 1907

   • born & died in Perry Co., MO

   • married Selma Herold

   • died at 59 years of age

John Bohnert

   • Oct. 12,1849 - Oct. 1, 1852

   • born and died in Perry Co., MO

   • died at 3 years of age 

   • second child by the name, John

Elizabeth Bohnert

   • Feb. 9, 1852 - Nov. 1, 1852

   • born & died in Perry Co., MO

   • died at 9 months of age​​​

In October of 1852, when William was seven years old, his brother, John, died. John was three years old. In November of the same year, his younger sister, Elizabeth, died at 9 months of age. Then, in December 8, 1852, William's father, Lucas, died as well. We do not know the cause of any of the deaths. Of his entire family, only William, his mother Elizabeth, and his brother Joseph survived.

Only one month after the death of his father, Lucas, William's mother, Elizabeth, remarried to his uncle, (Lucas' brother) Caspar Bohnert. Caspar had also lost his spouse, Francisca Meyer, earlier the same year. Together with his younger brother, Joseph, William moved in with Caspar's family, which included sons (and William's cousins) Ignatz, Charles, Ferdinand, Louis, and daughter, Barbara. 

William's mother, Elizabeth, and her new husband (William's uncle, Caspar) had five additional children, all boys.​​

Children of Caspar Bohnert and Elizabeth Hurst

Half-Siblings of William Bohnert

Anthony "Anton" Bohnert​​​​​

   • Dec. 26, 1853 - July 27, 1937

   • born & died in Perry Co., MO

   • married Rosalia Leible

   • died at 83 years of age

Moritz Bohnert

   • April 21, 1856 - Jan. 22, 1929

   • born & died in Perry Co., MO

   • married Elizabeth Dosenbach

   • died at 72 years of age

Andreas Bohnert

   • Oct. 9, 1858 - June 21, 1859

   • born & died in Perry Co., MO

   • died at 8 months of age

Andrew Bohnert

   • April 28, 1860 - May 21, 1938

   • born & died in Perry Co., MO

   • married Marie Helena Leible

   • died at 78 years of age

August Bohnert

   • Feb. 19, 1863 - Oct. 13, 1891

   • born & died in Perry Co., MO

   • died at 28 years of age

In the ​​1860 Federal Census for the Cinque Hommes Township of Perry County, Missouri,  William (age 13) is shown living in the house with his mother, step-father and nine other children. Both his step-father, Caspar, and his mother, Elizabeth, are noted as coming from Baden. His step-father and older step-brothers are listed as farm laborers. William is listed as having attended school within the year.​

​​​​​​​​​​In the 1870 census, William was listed as living at the home of the Anton Butz farm. However, his name was also listed on the 1870 census as living in the home of his step-father, Caspar Bohnert. He was 22 years of age. The Butz family were also from Renchen and close friends of the Bohnert family. They had no children of their own and, in his Last Will, Anton Butz left everything he owned to his wife and, upon her death, to William, which included a 124.5 acre farm in Uniontown, Missouri. Anton Butz is buried in the cemetery at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Apple Creek, Missouri.

1915 Land Owndership Map showing William Bohnert property 

​Perry County, Missouri, previously owned by Anton Butz

Exerpt and Transcription from "Last Will and Testament"

of Anton Butz

"Third - I give and devise to William Bohnert the above described Real Estate to receive the same as his absolute property after the decease of my herein named wife Helena Butz."

Maria (Mary) Elizabeth Leible was the daughter of Vincent Leible, Jr. and his first wife, Maria Martha Boschert. Elizabeth's father immigrated to America from the small town of Urloffen, Baden-Württemberg, and arrived in the Port of New Orleans on November 31, 1836. On January 14, 1848, when he was 25, Vincent and Maria Martha married in Perry County, Missouri. 

Mary Elizabeth was born on April 2, 1857, in Apple Creek in Perry County, Missouri. On July 26, 1857, she was baptized in St. Joseph Catholic Church in Apple Creek where her parents were members.  

St. Joseph Catholic Church Parish Registry

Baptism of Maria Elizabeth Leible

Mary Elizabeth was the fifth of six children born to Vincent and Maria Martha Leible. In addition to her parents and herself, her family consisted of the following:

Children of Vincent Leible, Jr. and Mary Martha Boschert

Full Siblings of Mary Elizabeth Leible

 ​​Maria Theresa Leible​​​​​​

   • Nov. 29, 1848 - 1901

   • married Ignatius Bohnert 

   • died at 53 years of age

August H. Leible 

   • December 16, 1853 - 1932

   • married Theresa Catharine 

     Hennemann

   • died at 78 years of age

Barbara Leible 

   • Sept. 24, 1850 - Aug. 7, 1859

   • died at 8 years of age

   • buried at St. Joseph Cemetery

     Apple Creek, Missouri

Maria Elizabeth Leible 

   • July 2, 1857 - 1912

   • married William Bohnert 

   • died at 55 years of age

William Leible 

   • February 7, 1852 - 1933 

   • married Catharina Wingerter 

​   • died at 81 years of age

Henry Vincent Leible 

   • Sept. 20, 1860 - 1956

   • married Florence Ann Elder

   • died at 95 years of age

   • named for his father and 

     grandfather

Mary Elizabeth's mother, Mary Martha Boschert Leible, died on February 21, 1862. On April 25, 1864, her father, Vincent, remarried to Helena Riehl. Together the couple had an additional nine children, all half siblings of Mary Elizabeth.

Children of Vincent Leible, Jr. and Helena Riehl

Half Siblings of Mary Elizabeth Leible

Agnes Leible

   • b. April 18, 1865

   • married Louis Alexander Meyer 

   • died in 1944 Perry Co., MO

​   • died at 78 years of age

Rosalia Catharina Leible

   • b. May 20, 1866

   • married Anton Bohnert 

​   • d. February 26, 1951

   • died at 84 years of age

John Moritz Leible

   • b. August 10, 1867

   • married Mary Christina Brown

​   • d. Unknown

Maria Helena Leible 

   • b. March 3, 1869 

   • married Andrew Bohnert

   • named after her mother, Helena 

   • d. Feb. 26, 1896 at 26 years of age

Anna Barbara Leible 

   • b. April 2, 1857

   • married Lawrence Herman Kirn

   • d. Jan. 8, 1893 at the age of 21 

​   • died at 55 years of age.

Josephina Cecila Leible 

   • b. February 17, 1873 

   • married John H. Herold 

   • d. Unknown

Emma Johanna Leible 

   • b. April 7, 1875 

   • married John Lewis Ochs 

   • d. March 21, 1947

Vincent Wendelin Leible 

   • b. July 29, 1877 

   • married Frances Balsman

   • named after his father and both

      grandfathers 

   • d. Unknown

Ludovic "Louis" Anton Leible

   • b. December 8, 1879  

   • d. July 15, 1891

   • died at 12 years of age 

In the 1860 Federal census, the Vincent Leible family were recorded as living in the Cinque Hommes Township of Perry County, Missouri. They remained there after the death of Elizabeth's mother in 1862.​​​ Living next to the Leibles in 1860 was the Casper Bohnert family. The families were both from Baden and knew each other well. 

The 1870 census listed Elizabeth as living in the house with her parents, Vincent and Helen, her full siblings, William, August, and Henry, and her half siblings, Agnes, Rosa, John and Mary. At this time, the census did not record the Bohnerts living adjacent to the Leibles.

On Monday, January 4, 1875, William married Maria Elizabeth Leible at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Apple Creek, Missouri. Reverend Joseph Pope was the celebrant. The documents were recorded in the parish records (in both Latin and English), as well as in the Perry County records.

Marriage Documents for William Bohnert and Mary Elizabeth Leible 

Recorded at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Apple Creek, Perry Co., Missouri

Marriage Certificate for William Bohnert and Mary Elizabeth Leible

Perry Co., Missouri

Four of Vincent Leible's children married children of Caspar Bohnert. In addition to Elizabeth and William, Elizabeth's half-sister, Rosa, married William's half-brother, Anton. Elizabeth's older sister, Theresa, married Caspar's eldest son, Ignatius (Ignatz), and Maria Helen Leible, Elizabeth's half-sister, married Caspar's son, Andrew. Other, slightly less closely related members of the Leible and Bohnert families intermarried as well. Eventually, a total of eight of the the Leible children married into the Bohnert family.

After their marriage in 1875, Elizabeth and William made their home on the property left to William by Anton Butz. Together, they had a large family of 11 children, all of whom were born in Perry County, Missouri. Three of the children died in infancy.

Children of William Bohnert and

Maria Elizabeth Leible

Ida Helena Bohnert

   • March 2, 1876 - April 5, 1876

   • died at 1 month of age

   • baptized by Widow Helena Trapp

Maria Martha Bohnert 

   •  Jan. 16, 1878 - May 11, 1880

   • died at 2 years of age

Maria Theresia Bohnert 

   • Oct. 18, 1879 - Sept. 18, 1965

   • married John Schneier, Sr.

   • died at 85 years of age.

Agnes Barbara Bohnert 

   • Dec. 2, 1881 - Oct.15, 1927

   • married William Hennemann

   • died at 46 years of age

William Ignaz Bohnert 

   • March 27, 1884 - April 21, 1974

   • married Rosalia Wucher

   • died at 90 years of age

Anna Elizabeth Bohnert

   • Jan. 20, 1886 - Nov. 16, 1928

   • married John Francis Ponder

   • died at 42 years of age

Henry August Bohnert

   • April 6, 1889 - Nov. 9, 1955

   • married Mary Eathel Welker

   • died at 66 years of age

Joseph Lucas Bohnert

   • March 1, 1891 - Feb. 3, 1916

   • married Ida Isabella Wucher

   • died of Typhoid Fever at 25 years of age

Clara Agatha Bohnert

   • Feb. 4, 1893 - July 29, 1940

   • married Roman W. Ponder

   • died at 47 years of age

Adella Isabella Bohnert

   • March 26, 1895 - March 6, 1977

   • married Louis William Anselm

   • died at 82 years of age

John Vincent Bohnert

     • June 19, 1899 - March 4, 1971

     • married Sarah Helen Bohnert

     • died at 71 years of age

In the ​1910 Federal Census, William, Elizabeth, and several members of their family were listed as living in Union Township, Perry County, Missouri (on the Butz farm). This was the last census in which Elizabeth was still living. Maria Elizabeth Leible Bohnert died at the age of 55 on July 31, 1912 in her home. She is listed in the St. Joseph's Bruial Records (page 79), St. Joseph Church cemetery, Apple Creek, Perry County, Missouri. There is no marker on her grave.

William Bohnert (center) with his grandsons, Melbourne and Robert Bohnert

William Bohnert 

 Age Unknown

William's last years were spent in the home of his son, John Vincent Bohnert and his wife, Sarah Helen Bohnert and his grandchildren. Our father, James J. Bohnert, had memories of his grandfather sitting in the chair pictured above. Sarah H. Bohnert, our grandmother and the daughter-in-law of William, reminisced often about William's love of reading.

William died on March 28, 1932 at the home of his daughter, Clara and her husband, Roman Ponder, near McBride, Missouri. At the time of his death, he was 86 years old. The cause of death was Lobar Pneumonia brought on by Influenza. He was buried on March 30, 1932 in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Apple Creek, Missouri. A physical search for his grave, done in 2016, was unsuccessful.

Links to Additional William and Maria Elizabeth (Leible) Bohnert Information