William H. Wagner is editor and proprietor of the Deutscher Anzeiger, at Freeport, established there by his father thirty-four years ago. He struggled at first with many difficulties, but after ten years commenced making good headway and has a finely equipped office with all the facilities for steam printing and the materials for doing job work with neatness and dispatch. His paper is issued each Wednesday, and has become indispensable to the people of that section. It is a neat and well-edited sheet and reflects great credit upon its projector, who has labored with such persistence and industry and is now reaping his just reward.

Mr. Wagner was born on the other side of the Atlantic in the Grand Dukedom of Baden, Germany, March 14, 1841. His education was commenced at an early age in his native Province, and in 1852 he emigrated with his parents to the United States. They at once sought the great West and located in Freeport, and in the same year William H. began his career in a newspaper office. He subsequently formed a partnership with his father, William Wagner, Sr., which continued until the death of the latter, in November, 1877, since which time our subject has continued alone.

The business block known as the Anzeiger Building is located on the corner of Galena and Chicago streets, and is a fine two-story brick, completed in October, 1886. It covers an area of 21x100 feet and is mostly occupied by the newspaper and job office of the Anzeiger. This includes two cylinder presses for newspaper work and large bills, and there are smaller presses and the other machinery necessary to a first-class office. Mr. Wagner has developed into a business man of excellent judgment and occupies with his family a handsome home on Carroll street. He was married to Wilhelmine Seyfarth in 1861, and has seven sons, all living.

Contributed by Carol Parrish from Portrait and Biographical Album of Stephenson County, Ill. (1888), p. 575