Christian Boehner

Name: Christian Boehner Company: D, Invalid Corps (Veteran Reserve Corps) Transferred to Invalid Corps September 22, 1863
Birth Date: January 20, 1830 Place: Rudersberg, Jagst, Wuerttemberg (Germany)	Mustered In Date: March 5, 1862 Rank: Private Age: 32 Residence prior to military service: Wuerttemberg (Germany); Waconia, Carver County, Minnesota (1860) Vocation prior to military service: Farmer
Death Date: June 25, 1914 Place: Carver County, Minnesota Burial: Faith Rutz Lake Cemetery (Faith Lutheran Church Cemetery), Waconia Township, Carver County, Minnesota	Mustered Out Date: Unknown Rank: Private Age: Unknown Residence following military service: Waconia, Carver County, Minnesota (1880) Vocation following military service: Farmer

Christian Boehner Biography and Civil War Narrative

Christian (or Christof) Boehner was born January 20, 1830, in Rudersberg, Jagst, Wuerttemberg (Germany), the son of Jakob and Anna Maria (Weller) Buehner. Rudersberg is located about 17 miles (28 kilometers) northeast of Stuttgart, Germany. Christian had two younger brothers, Johann Jakob (born in 1831) and Gottlieb (born in 1834). On August 28, 1858, Christian married Dorthea (aka Dora, Doris) Ehlerman in Mayer, Carver County, Minnesota. Dorthea was born June 2, 1838, in Hannover (Germany). At the time of the 1860 US Census, 30-year-old Christian was living and farming in Waconia, Carver County, Minnesota. With him was his 21-year-old wife, Doris, and his one-year-old son, Frederick (probably also known as Jacob; born on June 28, 1859 in Minnesota).

On March 5, 1862, Christian entered Company D of the 5th Minnesota Regiment as a Private. He was 31 years old. He was transfered to the Invalid Corps on September 22, 1863.

The Invalid Corps (or the "Veteran Reserve Corps" as it would be renamed in 1864) was intended to provide noncombat military duties for disabled soldiers. Christian Boehner was eventually assigned to Company 138 of the 2nd Battalion, which was organized at Alexander Barracks, St. Louis, Missouri, on February 9, 1864. Members of the 2nd Battalion were more severely handicapped than those in the 1st Battalion and were assigned to hospital service. Between 1863 and 1866, more than 60,000 individuals served in the Veteran Reserve Corps. Company 138 was mustered out by detachments between August 10 and December 31, 1865.

In 1880, Christian and Dorthea were still living in Waconia, Minnesota, and Christian was still farming. Living with them were nine children:

Sophia Elizabeth (age 14, born February 23, 1866)
Ida (age 12, born November 6, 1867)
Christian Frederick (age 10, born July 6, 1869)
Lydia (age 8?, born June 7, 1870; would marry Hugo Kusske in 1889; would die February 6, 1943, in Carver County, Minnesota)
Carolina (age 7, born August 1, 1873)
Ana/Annie (age 5, born December 18, 1875, twin)
Frederick (age 5, born December 18, 1875, twin)
Otto (age 3, born December 14, 1877; would marry Tillie Hasse in 1899)
William/Wilhelm (age 6 months, born December 14, 1879)

In all, Christian and Dora had 13 children. Additional children include Catherina (born July 10, 1862), Clara (born November 12, 1881, twin), and Karl Albert (born November 12, 1881, twin).

Dorthea Boehner died in March 25, 1898. Christian died on June 25, 1914, in Carver County, Minnesota, and is buried in Faith Rutz Lake Cemetery (Faith Lutheran Church Cemetery), Waconia Township, Carver County, Minnesota. Dorthea may be buried with Christian in Faith Cemetery.

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