His father George (1828 – 1905) emigrated to the United States with the family, settling in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
In 1874, the family moved to present day Richland County in Dakota Territory, homesteading near what is now the city of Great Bend.
In 1879 married Augusta Brendel, a fellow German immigrant whose family had moved to the Dakota Territory from Iron Ridge, Wisconsin.
[2][3] The post office was moved in 1882 to a site closer to Great Bend, North Dakota, and was closed permanently on July 12, 1883.
[6] Senator McCumber reportedly offered him the position of U.S. Marshall for North Dakota, but Worner declined.