I am attempting to answer this Genealogy Challenge regarding the potentially significant relations of (Samuel) Joseph Wurzelbacher, “Joe The Plumber” mentioned in the last presidential debate.  More info and polish to come as I find more and if I find anything definitive.

Robert M. Wurzelbacher, Sr. is listed at age 5 in the 1930 Census with his parents M. George, 33 and Marion, 31, and brother Richard, 1 11/12

Robert M. Wurzelbacher SSDI 299-16-8180 b. 23 Nov 1924 d. 10 Jan 2004 (last residence – Cincinnati)

Obituary in the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Wurzelbacher . Robert M., beloved husband of Dorothy Wurzelbacher (nee Homer), dear father of Barbara Arndt, Mary (Phil) Hogan, Carolyn Streight and Robert (Beth) Wurzelbacher Jr., and step-father of Christine Wilson, Joan (Jim) Knox, Carolyn Chambers, Douglas (Barbara Valliere) Wilson, and Kathi (Cary) Kindberg, and brother of Dr. Richard (Dorothy) Wurzelbacher. Also survived by 12 grandchildren. Suddenly. Saturday, January 10, 2004. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. John the Evangelist Church, 7121 Plainfield Rd., Thursday, January 15, 2004 at 10 A.M. Friends may call at Geo. H. Rohde & Son Funeral Home, Linwood & Delta Aves., Mt. Lookout Wednesday from 5-7 P.M. Family requests memorials to the charity of choice.

Robert M. Wurzelbacher, Sr.’s obituary indicates that his parents did not have any other children after the 1930 census, so if Samuel Joseph “Joe The Plumber” Wurzelbacher is related to Robert M. Wurzelbacher, Jr. by closer than a second-cousin relationship, he would have to either be:

  • a son of Robert M. Wurzelbacher, Jr.  This can pretty much be ruled out because he would have been about 19 at the time of Joe’s birth (1954 to 1973).
  • a son of Robert M. Wurzelbacher, Sr.  He is not, because he is not listed in his obituary.
  • a son of Richard Wurzelbacher.  A DailyKos diarist has dug up a company profile for a Wurzelbacher Brothers company whose line of business is “Water/Sewer/Utility Construction Plumbing/Heating/Air Cond Contractor Repair Services” and whose owner is Richard Wurzelbacher.  Is it the same Richard Wurzelbacher who is Robert Wurzelbacher’s brother and, as it seems possible given the lines of business, is this Richard the father of Joe?  And wouldn’t that mean that the other brother in the business would have to be Robert M. Wurzelbacher, Sr.?OpenSecrets.org shows Republican campaign contributions for a Dr. Richard Wurzelbacher in Key Largo, Florida, who is likely the same Richard Wurzelbacher, but it seems that it would be difficult to prove that he is the father of Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher.  Also, news reports said Joe said he had lived in Florida at some earlier point in his life.

So, let’s approach it from Joe Wurzelbacher back. An Intelius search (mentioned by another DailyKos diarist) shows as the relatives of Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher: Jennifer P Wurzelbacher (his wife), Phyliss Kay Wurzelbacher, Frank Edward Wurzelbacher, Robert Lee Wurzelbacher, and Kay Wurzelbacher. Some of these names may be slightly inaccurate (who knows whether it’s Phyliss’s middle name or initial that is K, and Kay Wurzelbacher could be the same person), but let’s see where we can get.

Ancestry.com public records (subscription required) show a Frank E. Wurzelbacher, born Dec. 1957, who has resided in Holland and Toledo, OH and Tuscon, AZ.  A Frank Edward Wurzelbacher, presumably the same person, is listed in the Florida Marriage Collection as being married on 2 Jan 1982 in Okaloosa, FL.  Joe Wurzelbacher was born in Dec. 1973, so it is possible but highly, highly unlikely that Frank is his father (he would have been 16).  Maybe a brother? (EDIT: Upon further examination, the marriage record lists Phyllis Kay Bloomfield or Phyllis Kay Johnson as the wife; same as the person below.)

Ancestry.com public records (subscription required) indicate Phyllis E./K. Wurzelbacher was born in Dec. 1954 and has lived in Holland, Toledo, and Tuscon.  Again, she could be his mother, but it seems more likely that she is a sister or sister-in-law.  There is also a Phyllis C. Wurzelbacher, born 1934, who lived in Cincinnati.

Ancestry.com public records (subscription required) indicate Robert L. Wurzelbacher, born Aug. 1975 has lived in Holland, Toledo, and Tuscon.  Most likely a brother.  He is filing for bankruptcy with his wife Kelly Jean Wurzelbacher.

This is all I’ve got for now, and I’ve mainly brought together what other people I’ve linked to have already found.  Perhaps someone with better skill at researching public records can take this further and see whether Richard Wurzelbacher is Joe Wurzelbacher’s father.

UPDATE 1: Interestingly, Richard’s wife Dorothy (yes, both Robert M., Sr. and Richard apparently had wives named Dorothy) seems to be a genealogist, as we can see from the snippet on Google Books of an entry of hers in Everton’s Genealogical Helper in 1999, listing her address as 62 Marlin Ln., Key Largo, which is the same address from which Richard Wurzelbacher’s 2008 campaign contributions come from.  This confirms that the Richard Wurzelbacher in Florida is the brother of Robert M. Wurzelbacher.

Interestingly, Robert M. Wurzelbacher also has a book listed called The Graying of the American Parish, but there is not a single Google result for that title.

I think we should keep in mind that there are actually quite a few Wurzelbachers in Ohio and that Toledo and Cincinnati are relatively far away from each other, and that they may just be very distant cousins.