Josefa Anna (Busch) Regli (1872 - 1951)

Born 9 Mar 1872 in Austria

Wife of Jean LaCrampe — married 1897 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

Wife of Josef Alois Bernard Anton Regli — married 3 Jun 1901 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

Descendants

Died 16 Feb 1951 at age 78 in Ferndale, Humboldt, California, USA

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Biography

In the 1950 census Josephine (age 78) was the wife of Joseph A Regli in Ferndale, Humboldt, California, United States.^[1]

JOSEPHINE ANN BUSCH -LACRAMPE - REGLI

March 9, 1872 - Austria

February 16, 1951 - Ferndale, CA

78 years old

Finding information about Josephine has been very sketchy, and few facts can be verified. She spoke very little of her background and family, giving one a sense that she didn't have a happy childhood. Most all this information came from her daughter Mary, as much as she could recall.

Josephine was born in Austria, the city not known. At this point we only know that her father’s name was John Busch. She came from a large family which was rather poor. She went only to the third grade in school, and then Josephine worked in people's houses at a very early age. Mary, her daughter, remembers a few things she talked about, but her mother guarded her years of growing up in Austria.

She later went to Vienna, Austria, and she also spoke about being in Budapest, Hungary for a short time. About the age of seventeen she came to America shortly after her mother died. Checking census records showed that she first came to America either in 1890 or 1893. She had a brother, Frank, living in Kansas, but we are not sure that she came to stay with him. Later she lost track of him. It is thought that she came directly to the San Francisco Area. During these years it seems she worked in restaurants or hotels, because Mary remembers her ma telling about the special way she had of killing chickens.

About the age of twenty-four, in 1897, she met and married a Mr. LaCrampe in 1897 or 1898 who was a cook in the San Francisco area. They were blessed with a son, Augustine, September 16, 1898. Unfortunately, in March, 1899 her husband died which left Josephine having to work and care for her son alone. She worked as a hired girl in San Francisco for an Irish family named Fahy.

1901 – Josephine Busch Josephine met Joseph A. Regli while working as a cook at the Christen ranch in Colma, CA which is just south of San Francisco. There she cooked for the hired milkers. They were married in St. Anthony's Catholic Church in San Francisco on June 3, 1901. Their attendants were Joseph's brother, Thadaus, and Wilhumina Christen, who lived in San Francisco and owned the ranch in Colma.

Josephine and Joseph supported each other in their hopes, dreams and ideals. They saved their money and planned to travel north to start their own dairy. Joseph's sister, Maria Regli Christen, lived in Ferndale and encouraged them to settle in that area. They packed their belongings and three children and boarded a steamer to Humboldt Bay. They lived with the Edward Christen family until they could get settled.

Josephine was a small, very attractive woman. She had a gentle, quiet personality and a strong faith in God. She complimented her husband's strong, gruff personality and had a sense of caring and nurturing others. She was a natural homemaker and enjoyed raising the family, sewing, but especially gardening. She had a "green thumb" and always had flowers around to brighten the yard. Her prolific vegetable garden was not only a necessity but a special love of hers. Mary and Anne both recall their mother as a happy person, and one who always tried to make things seem special, even if they didn't have much money.

Since her formal education was so limited she insisted her daughters go to college. Education was extremely important to her. She spoke German and little English, so while her seven children were going to school she learned to read English along with them. Although she had a continual desire to learn, she never became a U.S. citizen. On two US census forms it was checked that she was a naturalized citizen. However, in checking records in the Humboldt Co. courthouse, there was no record of naturalization.

When they moved from the ranch on Witman Lane and into town they were a half-block from the church. This allowed Josephine to attend daily Mass - which she treasured. She had Rose and Bernard next door and the LaCrampes near-by, also. Most of the grandchildren were able to visit every Sunday after church.

Their youngest daughter, Margaret, who had gone to study in the convent in Orange, CA returned home and helped Joseph and Josephine in their late years. Several small strokes left Josephine weak and feeble for quite some time. During 1949 a severe stroke kept her bedridden for more than a year. She had been diagnosed as having arteriosclerosis for about ten years. Grandma left this world to be in God’s hands the following spring, on February 16, 1951. She joined her husband Joseph and son August, who had died at the young age of forty-nine in 1947. An old-country custom of the Wake was held in the home and a vigil held by family members. She is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Ferndale, next to her husband of forty-nine years.

Margaret continued to live in the Washington St. house for several years until she sold it.

What a loss! However, they have passed on many precious and essential values, especially their work ethics, to the next generation. Joseph and Josephine left behind:

As of June, 2010 she has the following descendants:

7 Children 22 Grandchildren 57 Great-grandchildren 99 Great - great grandchildren 42 Great – great – great grandchildren

Biography by Pat Cahill ^[2]

Research Notes

DNA evidence suggests a relationship between Josefa Busch Ramert and Josefa Busch Regli. It is probable that Josefa Ramert is the aunt of Josefa Regli.

Also looking at relations to Frank Busch

Sources

1. ↑ 1950 Census: "1950 United States Federal Census"
   National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Ferndale, Humboldt, California; Roll: 1314; Page: 4; Enumeration District: 12-62
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 62308 #258569560 (accessed 29 January 2024)
   Josephine A Regli (78), wife, in household of Joseph A Regli (89) in Ferndale, Humboldt, California, USA. Born in Austria.

   Name	Sex	Race	Age	Status	Relation	Occupation	Birth Place
   Joseph A Regli	M	White	89	Married	Head		Switzerland
   Josephine A Regli	F	White	78	Married	Wife		Austria
   Margaret L Regli	F	White	34	Never married	Daughter		California

2. ↑ Pat Cahill, Regli Family Biographer