Augustus Joseph Sackett Sr

Augustus Joseph Sackett, probably the son of Maria Schaub (see below), was born in Ohio^G in about 1861.¹ He married in about 1902, Mary Josephine McAlister.¹ Mary was born in Delaware^G in about 1869.¹
     Augustus Sackett's parentage is unclear. He was probably the son of Maria Schaub (born in New Jersey in about 1837) who married in Montgomery County, Ohio, in 1870 John Wager (born in Wittenberg, Germany, in about 1826.)²
     In 1880, Maria, listed as Mary Wager, and Augustus, listed as Agust Wager, were living in Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio^G, in the household of Jno Wager, 53, a brewer. Agust was an apprentice, aged 18 and born in Ohio. He was recorded as "son" along with seven other children who would have been John Wager's children by his first wife who had died in 1868.³
     Augustus's assumed mother Mary was listed in her husband John Wager's census record in 1870 with John's ten children. Augustus's name does not appear but, at the end of the list is Charles Shoup, a schoolboy, aged eight and born in Ohio. "Shoup" appears elsewhere in the records as an anglicized variant of Schaub. Identifying Charles with Augustus, although tenuous, is possible. The age is right, and Augustus is not found elsewhere in 1870, nor is Charles Shoup of this age found in other records.⁴
     Augustus Sackett, probably born Schaub and brought up in the Wager household, was using the name Sackett by 1881 when he was listed as Gus J Sacket, a millwright, in the Dayton, Ohio, city directory. He was listed there until 1892, as Gus J, August J, or Augustus J Sackett. He was in Wilmington, Delaware, by 1894, listed as a millwright, and, in 1895 and 1896, as a machinist.
     Augustus's reason for the adoption of the Sackett name is, at this distance, a matter of conjecture. The name Cyrus Sackett as a possible father has been handed down as family lore. If so, a candidate would be Cyrus Sackett (1837–1911), son of Alexander and Isabell (Preston) Sackett. Augustus's mother may have told him that Cyrus was his father, or he may have been an imaginary construct on Augustus's part. An online tree compiled by a descendant of Augustus's refers to the supposed Cyrus as Augustus's "fantasy father", with the embellishment that he was a war hero who died in the Civil War. Cyrus is, however, a plausible candidate: in 1860, he was living in Sugar Creek, just 12 miles from Mary's home in Dayton.^5,6
     Augustus established a manufacturing business in Baltimore^G in 1897. The business, A J Sackett and Sons Company, is now a world leader in precision blending and coating technology in the fertilizer industry. (See Facebook: A J Sackett and Sons Company.)
     In 1910 Augustus was living at East Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland^G, and was recorded in the census as August J Sackett, a machine manufacturer having his own factory, head of household, aged 40 and born in Ohio. He owned his home free of mortgage. Living with him were his wife Mary, 33, and their children, Joseph, 5, and Walter, aged three.⁷
     In 1920 he was living at Hamilton Terrace, Baltimore^G, and was recorded as Augustus Sackett, a machine maker, head of household, aged 58. He rented his home. Living with him were his wife Mary, 50, and their children, Joseph, 14, and Walter, aged 12.⁸