WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
JOHN CONRAD NAEGLE
(early settler, farmer, wine maker)
BIOGRAPHY
Naegle was born September 11, 1825 in Albersweiler, Bavaria, Germany.He immigrated to Indiana with his parents in 1832. As a young man, he changed his surname from Nagle to Naile, but legally changed it back to Naegle in 1873. He lived in Nauvoo from 1844 to 1846, when he took part in the exodus to Winter Quarters in Iowa. There he joined the Mormon Battalion and marched to California. When discharged in San Diego, he joined the gold rush to northern California. He found enough gold to buy land and set up a profitable farming enterprise, selling supplies to the gold miners. He then made his way to Salt Lake City via Panama, New York, and Indiana, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley on November 1, 1853. He got involved in many farming, ranching and industrial ventures, expanding as far south as Beaver.
John C. Naegle was called to Dixie in 1866 to build up the fruit and grape culture. He built a large two-story stone home in Toquerville which housed his polygamous family and a winery. He become known as the best winemaker in Dixie. His product was marketed under the name of "Nail's Best". Toquerville was his home and headquarters for 24 years.
Eventually, Naegle expanded into Arizona. When the prosecutions for polygamy got intense, Naegle moved down to the Mormon colonies in Mexico where he spent the last 10 years of his life.
Naegle died and was buried in Colonia Oaxaco, Sonora, Mexico on September 10, 1899.
FAMILY
Naegle had seven wives. He was father of 18 sons and 11 daughters and grandfather of 144. By 1981, the 7th generation of Naegles numbered well over 15,000.PHOTOS
 John C. Naegle |
 John C. Naegle |
Photos on the web:
Photo collection that includes photos of John C. Naegle
REFERENCES
The Life and Times of John Conrad Naegle and FamilyBook by Cherrie Gubler Naegle
The Wives of John C. Naegle
An outline history of John C. Naegle
SOUTHERN UTAH MEMORIES: The Dixie Wine Mission
by Loren R. Webb, July 15, 2012
Gold Rush Saints: California Mormons And the Great Rush for Riches
Book by Kenneth N. Owens
Pp 247-248 is about John C. Naegle
The John C. Naegle Company from San Jose to Salt Lake City in 1856
Some Naegle genealogy
Some more Naegle history and genealogy
Some John C. Naegle Jr. genealogy
John Conrad Naegle, 1825-1899
Handout at the 9/30/2023 WCHS Field Trip
By Richard R. Kohler, September 30, 2023