Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2023
George Henry Vierling was born Jan. 28, 1821, in Großwallstadt, Miltenberg, Bayern, Germany. His parents were Heinrich Henry Vierling and Johanna Ulrich Vierling (1791-1847). George Henry’s grandparents were Gottfreid Vierling (1746-1819) and Maria Gerthrudis Zahn Vierling (1759-1814); and Andreaus and Magdalene Ulrich.
When George was 29 years old, he emigrated to America, and settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1851. According to Joan Schaefer, he came here with his brothers, Michael and Frank, and sister Barbara. George Henry Vierling (called Henry) married Anna Mary Frieze in Boston on Nov. 9, 1852. Anna was born Nov. 5, 1835, in Hofstetten, Eichstatt, Bayern, Germany.
In fact, over several years, starting at the arrival in Baltimore on Aug. 15, 1833, people from Großwallstadt moved to America, becoming settler-colonists, to Boston and later to Eagle Creek and Shakopee, Minnesota. Among those on the passenger lists include Fleickensteain, Geis, Gigerich, Rein, Rippberger, Spielman, and Vierling, according to Großwallstadt (Grosswallstadt) Immigration by William C. Scherer in 2022.
Henry and Anna soon had their first daughter, Mary, in Boston. George, who was a musician, moved to Annapolis, Maryland seven months after the wedding, where he enlisted in the Navy as a musician, according to an article by Lucille B. Hummell. He played the violin and several brass instruments, according to Joan Schaefer at ancestry.com on May 18, 2001. Though the normal term of enlistment was three years, Henry was discharged after one year due to his poor health.
In 1854, Henry, Anna, and Mary moved to Eagle Creek Township, now part of Shakopee. After nine years, they moved to Shakopee in 1862. They built a home in on Third Street, just east of St. Mark’s school. They had 12 children.
According to Lucille B. Hummell, “Henry was a natural born musician and had an intense love for music, placing it next to his love for his church (Catholic) and his wife. He was a skillful player of the violin (since he was 12 years old) as well as several brass instruments. The well-known Vierling Band played its own compositions for arrangements of other compositions. For nearly a half century, Henry entertained with his violin.”
Several years later, Henry added the Vierling Cigar Shop in the rear of the home. It was also a shoe shop for a short time. Louis Winters, a cigar maker, helped set up the cigar business with Henry.
One of the most famous brands was the “Diamond-S” cigars. The cigars were advertised by a bit of home scenery, christened after a famous home brand of flour, and appreciated in Shakopee. The Vierling cigars were of such a uniformly good quality that they advertised themselves, and the factory had a flourishing trade not only in Shakopee, but in neighboring towns and in the Twin Cities.
Henry used the best fillers in the different grades, and returned to the factory all trimmings and other waste rather than use them to his profit and to the deterioration of his goods. According to an article in the Scott County Argus, careful buying of stock, having workmen who were experts in the goods, and skilled management of the business brought a fair measure of reward.
Henry Scherer, who was recovering from a near fatal knee injury, worked at Henry’s cigar store in 1879.
John Velz and Joseph Coller served as apprentices at the cigar making trade, though they did not follow the business. Henry’s two sons, John and George, continued manufacturing the C.O.F. and White Lily cigars, according to Scott County Argus, Oct. 7, 1897.
When John Vierling died, the old shop was abandoned as a cigar factory, but the house portion continued to be used as a residence. In February 1935, the house and business were torn down, destroying the landmark, according to the Shakopee Argus Tribune, Feb. 21, 1935.
Anna Mary Frieze Vierling died March 1, 1896, in Eagle Creek Township, and was buried at St. Mark’s Cemetery, now the Catholic Cemetery on Tenth Avenue.
George Henry Vierling died Jan. 21, 1901, at the age of 79 years, just short of his 80th birthday. His funeral took place at St. Mark’s Church, and he was buried in the Catholic Cemetery.