Week 9: At the Courthouse

     So I haven't written a blog post for the last two prompts. Week 7 was about love, so I shared the blog post I had already written about when my hubby and I got married. Week 8 was about Family Photos. As important as Family Photos are to me, my mind was just on other things this past week. I've been working on researching my 2nd Great Grandma Pauline Ilg, and I hope to have a blog post about her in the next few weeks for her upcoming birthday.
     This week's prompt is called "At the Courthouse." I have to admit, courthouses are somewhat intimidating to me. Anywhere official like that is intimidating. The last time I visited an actual courthouse for research was back in 2015. I had written a journal entry about that experience, so I decided I would just type that up and share it. So here is my last experience "At the Courthouse":

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October 8, 2015

     It has been a good couple of days for research. I will attempt to explain it all clearly without jumping around. I get excited and lose focus on what I'm writing about. First, I finally made a trip downtown to the civil courts building to get probate records and divorce records. I was so nervous because parking downtown is not easy. Luckily, I found a spot diagonally from the building. 

     First stop was the 3rd floor for divorce records. The lady told me I didn't have to come down, that I could have called. I told her I did and was told I had to come in. Well, now I know. She took down the information and told me I will receive notification in the mail whether they find something or not. She also told me they weren't going to charge me. BONUS! So they are looking up divorce info on Grandpa Les Wheeler and his first wife, Ruth Pirtel; Grandma Ruth Ilg and her first husband, Joseph Valdes; Aunt Ruth Buer and her first husband, Joseph Mrazek; and Oma Mae Dennis and her first husband, Edward Buer. Hopefully I will have some information in hand in a couple of days.

     Second stop was the 10th floor: Probate Records. I spoke with Jeanie; a real nice lady who is also a genealogist. So she was extra helpful. She got me the probate records of Pauline Ilg, Leona Ilg, Edward J. Buer, and Maggie Helfrich. The only one who didn't have a will was Edward J. Buer. The probate record I was really looking forward to looking at was Maggie Helfrich. I was hoping there would be some listing that could lead me to the Helfrich family or back to Tennessee. Sadly, no. Jacob Helfrich wasn't even listed. As of right now, two things stood out. One: where her signature should be, it had an 'X' and written by it was, "Her Mark." It confirmed what I found in the census records. She could not read or write. Even my daughter was like, "That's so sad." Two: where it listed who got everything, her daughter, named Oma Caldwell, (new married name) was listed as receiving only one dollar ($1.00). I asked Jeanie about this and she explained in order to keep family from contesting the will for not receiving anything, they would only give them $1.00. Oma had practically abandoned her daughters, so Maggie raised them. Honey and Auntie got everything. Honey is Maggie Ilg and Auntie is Ruth Kelley. I didn't get copies of every document, but got what seemed important. I don't see much else that is noteworthy at the moment, but will continue to look over everything.

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     There was more to that entry, but that was all that had to do with my courthouse visit. A few days after this entry, I received two envelopes in the mail with information about the divorce records I was looking for. They could not find anything on Joseph Valdes and Ruth Ilg, nor could they find anything on Joseph Mrazek and Ruth Buer. But they did find information on Les Wheeler and Ruth Pirtel as well as Edward Buer and Oma Mae Dennis. That was exciting to go through. It really answered a few more questions. 

     It wouldn't be until the next year that I locate the divorce record for Ruth Ilg and Joseph Valdes. That record was at the St. Louis County Court house. I had been looking at the city. Believe it or not, St. Louis is divided up into two parts: St. Louis City and St. Louis County. And then in the county it is divided up into smaller towns. So depending on where your ancestor lived, the records you are looking for might either be in the City Courts or County Courts. At the end of this blog will be a few website links explaining the split and what people call "The Great Divorce". 

     While this was a few years ago, it is still my most successful visit to a courthouse that I can remember. Traveling downtown these days isn't always feasible for me, although I do need to plan another trip at some point. I made sure to keep all the notes I took about visiting the courthouse so I would remember what I need to do for next time, so my visit is just as smooth. 

The Great Divorce

https://mohistory.org/blog/the-great-divorce

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/aug-how-the-great-divorce-of-st-louis-city-and/article_3e93fa29-7d01-570d-94f2-31eca08a9378.html

https://www.slcl.org/content/1876-st-louis-city-county-split-and-its-effect-research

Week 6: Surprise!

     Well, I don't know about you, but last week's blog post was a difficult one. I really couldn't come up with much, so it was just a really short entry. It is what it is. Not ever topic can be exciting! Haha! This week's topic is "Surprise". That is a little easier to write about. I had to think about it for a little bit because I've had quite a few surprises in my journey. I learned my great Grandma & Grandpa Ilg lied about when they got married to hide the fact they got pregnant out of wedlock (OOOOOOO); I learned there were actually more Ilg relatives still alive today that I was able to get in contact with (BONUS!); I traced some of Mark's family to the town of Silverton, Colorado (a small town we actually didn't live far from and visited before we moved from Colorado); I tracked down an old Cash & Carry coin used at White Line Laundry where my grandma and grandpa worked at together; I've found out I'm related to some of my friends (It's a small world after all); and that's just a few of the surprises I have encountered on this journey.
     Out of all these (and more) surprises, I'd have to say, the biggest surprise I had in my journey had to do with Mark's 2nd great grandfather, Capt. Joseph Henry Rickards. It all started with Mark's mom showed us his sword he had from the Civil War. It was beautiful! We knew we were related to him, but did not know where or how far back the connection went. So I went to work. It didn't take long to make a connection to him. Researching him has definitely been full of surprises. If you click on the link on his name, you can read about him. But the biggest surprise I received came from a long lost cousin.
     Through my research, I got acquainted with Bob Richardson. He is a descendant of Capt. Rickards as well. His grandpa is the youngest son of Capt. Rickards. I was so happy to be in touch with him. He had been doing research for a long time and had filled me in on a lot. Including the fact he was once the sheriff of Liberty, Missouri and had a run in with Jesse James (yes this is documented in book and at the local museum in Liberty). But the biggest surprise was he actually had photos of Capt. Rickards and his family. Oh my gosh, I literally jumped up and down screaming when I got that email. Mark and Sancia thought I was crazy! You gotta understand, I love pictures. And to put a face with the man I'd been researching for so long was just mind blowing! I honestly never thought we would find one with it being that far back.

Capt. Joseph Henry Rickards

abt 1865

     So that was the best surprise I've gotten though my journey through genealogy as of yet. I know there will be more to come, and I can't wait. It's the surprises that keep me coming back for more. If I had to choose my second biggest surprise, it would be finding out my 3rd great grandma was actually not my 3rd great grandma by blood. Read about it here ---> Huge Shock! More to come and I can't wait!

Week 5: At the Library

     This week's topic was a tricky one. The subject is "At the Library". I originally tried to think of an ancestor I've found while researching at the library, but the ancestors I've researched mainly, I've already talked about in my blog. So I've decided this week, I will mention my favorite Library, where I have made the most discoveries.

     For years now, I've frequently visited the St. Louis County Library Headquarters in Frontnac off Lindbergh Road. They have a special Genealogy & History section in the library. Actually it's two floors of information. The librarians have been so helpful with my research. Every time I visit, I learn something new.
     I have found marriage records, guardianship records, city and county directories, St Louis Post Dispatch clippings including obituaries and have made many discoveries in books from their collection. If you ever are in the area or if you need to research relatives from this area, I definitely recommend a stop by to the St. Louis County Library Headquarters.