Wangemann's father, Johannes Theodosius, arrived with his family in Demmin in Pomerania around 1821, where he became a subrector and later received the title of music director.

After studying theology at the University of Berlin, Wangemann first held a position as a house teacher in Bern from 1840 to 1844.

In his book Maleo und Sekukuni – Ein Lebensbild aus Südafrika, he describes his first journey (1866–67) through the territory of the Berlin Missionary Society in South Africa.

[6] A second journey followed in 1884–85 to celebrate the golden jubilee of the first Berlin Mission Society station in South Africa at Bethanie.

His first wife died during the birth of his daughter Elisabeth, who would eventually marry BMS missionary Johannes Winter,[9] and his second after a prolonged illness, but his third marriage was a long and happy one.