My Trails into the Past

Ludwig Wilhelm Wollenweber (1822-1873), my husband’s 2x-great-grandfather, had interactions with the courts while living in Louisville, Kentucky. It mostly had to do with his occupation of selling liquor. Newspaper articles give us some clues. Court record minutes give us the proceedings, but not the details. In the 1860s, Louis ran a saloon at 90 West Market Street, between Third and Fourth Street. Here is a map showing the Market Street between Pearl & Fourth Street. Not sure why Third was called Pearl here. [1] His saloon was often the place for meetings. The Second Ward Democratic Club held their meeting at Wollenweber’s. [2] He was an inventor and manufacturer of cures. An ad for his “Celebrated Stomach Bitters,” is here: [3] He received patent no. 132,424 for a “Medical compound” made up of “angelica root, calamus root, gentian, herb absinthe, Peruvian bark, orange peel, nutmegs, cloves, laurel leaves, and anise seed, all added to a one-fourth barrel of soft water, previo...

Not all people who end up in court commit crimes and experience punishment. Here’s a short tale of my husband’s great-great-grandfather who lived either in Jeffersonville, Indiana, or Louisville, Kentucky, which was just across the Ohio River. Ludwig “Louis” Wollenweber, my husband’s 2x-great-grandfather, was a saloon owner in Louisville, Kentucky in the 1860s and 70s. In 1861, he appeared in the local city directory on four pages, where he was really covering his bases on his cliental: selling wines and liquors on 520 E. Market Street manufacturing bitters at n.s. Market between Jackson and Hancock sirup manufacturer at 520 E. Market and wines and liquors wholesales at 520 E. Market. [1] Four years later his saloon was at 90 Market near 3 rd and lived at the same address. [2] Running an establishment dealing with liquor or tobacco involved regulations. Licenses and special taxes had to be paid. It turns out that if one is late in paying, the court gets involved. This happen...