Margaret Paas^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]}

1857 - 1879  (21 years)

• Name	Margaret Paas
  Nickname	"Sister Julia Margaret Paas" / Maggie Paas
  Birth	1 Oct 1857	Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA
  Gender	Female
  Death	8 Jan 1879	Campbellsport, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA
  Burial	Lamartine Cemetery, Lamartine, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA

  
  

  Father	John L. Paas,   b. 7 Jun 1824, Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany d. 13 Aug 1905, Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA (Age 81 years)
  Mother	Catherine Uerlings,   b. 5 Apr 1826, Cologne, Koln, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany d. 6 Sep 1901, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, USA (Age 75 years)
  Marriage	Nov 1853	Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, USA

  
  

• Photos

  Saint Agnes Convent Fond du Lac, WI 1877-1975

  
  

• Notes

  Sister Julia Margaret Paas entered St. Agnes Convent on October 17, 1872, and made her first vows on August 8, 1875, renewing them on August 15, 1878. She passed away at the motherhouse, St. Agnes Convent, on January 8, 1879. As one of the pioneering sisters of the congregation, founded in Barton, Wisconsin, in 1858, Sister Julia served as a teacher. The congregation later established several schools in the Fond du Lac area, including St. Mary’s Springs Academy, which opened in 1915. Sister Julia Paas was a young member of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA), whose short life coincided with the tumultuous early years of the order. Appointed as the superior of a group of Sisters at St. Joseph School in St. Joe, Wisconsin, she assumed significant responsibility at a very young age, around 18 years old. Her leadership during this challenging period, shortly after the community's foundation moved from Barton, WI to Fond du Lac County in 1870, speaks to her trustworthiness and dedication. During this time, the congregation faced internal conflict, including a split between the founding priest and the young Mother General, Mother Agnes Hazotte, along with the dismissal of two trusted sisters in 1872. Despite these challenges, Sister Julia continued her work. In a notable entry from Mother Agnes’ diary dated April 21, 1878, she writes of traveling with Sister Julia to visit various missions, indicating Julia’s valued role in the community. Tragically, Sister Julia fell seriously ill around mid-1877 and struggled with illness for 18 months before passing away in 1879. Though the exact cause of her death is not documented, it is likely she succumbed to the same illness that claimed other members of the congregation, often referred to as "consumption" (tuberculosis). She died before making her final vows, as the customary ten-year vow process had not been completed due to her untimely death. Sister Julia is buried in a family plot at Calvary Cemetery in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. At the time of her passing, CSA had no designated burial ground, as they were still in the early stages of establishing their community amidst frequent illness and change. Her brief but impactful life remains a quiet testament to the resilience and hope of the congregation's founding members.

  
  

• Sources

  [S8] 1860 U.S. Federal Census, 1860 United States Federal Census. The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Lamartine, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin; Roll: M653_1408; Page: 671; Family History Lib [S9] 1870 U.S. Federal Census, 1870 United States Federal Census. Year: 1870; Census Place: Fond du Lac Ward 4, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin; Roll: M593_1713; Page: 292B [S20] Ancestry Family Trees , (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.), Ancestry Family Trees. This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created. [S49] Geneanet Community Trees Index, Geneanet Community Trees Index. Geneanet Community Trees Index. Paris, France: Geneanet. https://gw.geneanet.org/jeanpaes?n=paas&oc=&p=margaret [S18] U.S. Find a Grave, (https://www.findagrave.com/), U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current. Find a Grave. Find a Grave®. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188456021/mary_julia-paas [S28] Wisconsin, U.S., Death Records, Wisconsin, U.S., Death Index, 1808-1907. Wisconsin Historical Society; Madison, Wisconsin; Wisconsin Vital Records Death Index. https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Death/DR167324 Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. Wisconsin Vital Record Index, pre-1907. Madison, WI, USA: Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services Vital Records Division Wisconsin Historical Society. Pre-1907 Vital Records Collection. Madison, WI, USA: Wisconsin Historical Society Library Archives. [S28] Wisconsin, U.S., Death Records, Wisconsin, U.S., Death Records, 1872-2004. Wisconsin Department of Health Services; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Death Records, Pre-Oct 1907 Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Madison, Wisconsin.