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BAJUS - HISTORY

Bajus>Phillips>Turner>Paul Turner

GERMANY

    The Bajus family originated in Germany in the area known as Hessen.  Johannes Bajus was born 11 Feb, circa 1754 at Engelthal and married Katharina Krumeck about 1775.  Katharina was born about 1759 on 13 December.  They are buried at Nauheim, Hessen, Germany.  Their  issue was Johann Peter Bajus.  He was born on June 13th, 1795 at Klein-Gerau in Hessen/Germany. Until his father who was a merchant traveling around the country died he had to help him. Then - in 1809 - he left his parent's home and learned distilling. Some years later he returned to his mother and worked as a day-labourer in Nauheim.  There JP Bajus got to know Elisabeth Margarethe Wenz but they could not marry before 1821 when they both were older than 25.Till this time their three oldest children were already born.  JP Bajus was famous in the area around Nauheim for his strength and the speed which he used executing his jobs. So one day early in the year 1824 there was a bet between butchers from Mainz who wanted to know if he could run from Mainz to Frankfurt/Main and back to Mainz (around 40 miles) in less than five hours.   He failed but there were so many people along his way that the newspaper printed several reports of the event.  After two further runs in  Mainz JP Bajus went to Frankfurt/Main and there the very famous Hanau-Run took place on February 15th, 1824. Thousands of  spectators came to the course to admire "the flying man" - so he was called in some newspapers.  All over Germany the newspapers reported on this run, also some newspapers of other European countries reprinted the articles which they got from Germany.  Also the Hessian Grand Duke Ludwig I. heard from the extraordinary runner and he decided to hire him as a running footman. In March 1824 JP Bajus reported for work.  At the end of the 1830s he handed over his job to his oldest son Johannes, he himself remained as a normal footman.  In 1852 JP Bajus undertook his first journey to North America.  He visited his sons Jacob and Peter Wilhelm in Kingston, Ontario/Canada where he wanted to prove if it was possible for him and another part of his family to emigrate, too.  Then he returned to Germany.  In 1856 JP Bajus finally emigrated to Canada with two younger sons.  One year later his wife followed.  They probably lived in the house of their son Peter Wilhelm in Kingston, Ontario.  JP Bajus died in February 1875 and was buried at the St. Mary's Cemetery in Kingston, Ontario on February 18th, 1875.

    Philip Wenz, brother to Elisabeth Wenz immigrated to Canada prior to 1826 and settled at Kingston, Ontario.  He bought the Kinston Brewery and he and his nephews worked the distillery.


CANADA

    From Germany came the Bajus and Wenz families and they settled at Kingston, Ontario.  As mentioned before the Wenz family operated the Kingston brewery and several members of both families worked in the business.  William Bajus married Sarah Phillips.  Descendants are still in the Kingston area and some are in various towns and cities in Ontario, Canada. 


 

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Rev: 2003.11.29