The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today
Mark Twain & Charles D. Warner [b]
With words like these and all the advertisements that were being circulated in Germany, it's no wonder people flocked over to Missouri. Many communities did all they could to draw more people to their towns. They promised opportunities, happiness, freedom, safety and whatever else they could to get people to come. Agents were appointed to go over to Europe to offer deals and encourage immigrants to come to their community. They played into all their desires as well as their fears. Basically, you were a fool if you didn't take this opportunity. So millions left Europe for a better life. Just the same as Frank & Pauline Ilg.
They made the journey and were beginning their new life together in America. Frank was, at the time, a bookkeeper, taking work anywhere he could to make money for his new wife and for their baby that was on the way. Starting all over in life is not easy, but they were hopeful. They lived in downtown St. Louis at 16 South 20th Street, in the rear of the building. Rent during that time was around $15 a month for four rooms. [a] That's quite a lot of money. It's possible they rented a room at this address to start out since it was only the two of them. That would have been a couple dollars a week per person. Plus all the other expenses. Whatever the case, they were starting their lives together.
Map of St. Louis 1880-1910
Red X marks the approximate address
16 South 20th Street
Downtown St. Louis
Early 1900s
Washington & N 6th
Downtown St. Louis
Early 1900s
So three months after Frank & Pauline were married, their first daughter was born on Saturday, February 22, 1890. Her name was Sophia. Hey, she shares the same birthday as George Washington. The register I found that mentions her birth doesn't actually have her name. They must not have decided on a name until later. The register also says the place of birth was their home. I wonder how that must have been.
City of St. Louis - Register of Births
Sophia Ilg's entry is at the bottom
As wonderful as this is, and how happy they may have been, it wouldn't last. Sadly, two months later, on April 20, 1890, Sophia passed away from Infantile; a typical cause of death for infants in those days. She never even got the chance to be baptized. I can't imagine how Pauline must have felt. Losing her first child. I know it was common for children to not survive infancy during those years, but that doesn't diminish the pain that Pauling probably felt. No woman ever wants to go through the loss of a child. She was buried at Holy Ghost Cemetery the day after she passed.
Sophia Ilg Death Certificate
I wish I could say things got better for Frank & Pauline, but they did not. Over the next couple of years, Pauline would give birth to two more children that did not survive to their first year. Their second child was another girl, Rosa Paulina, and the third child was their first boy, Franz Jakob Jr. Rosa was born on February 15, 1891, and baptized on March 1st in the same church they were married; St. Nicholas Catholic Church. She survived longer than her sister, living eight months, passing away on October 1, 1891, from Meningitis. When this happened, Pauline had just become pregnant with their first son. He was born on May 15, 1892, and was also baptized at the same church on June 5, 1892. He did not survive as long as his sister, passing away only four months after his birth on September 20, 1892. At this time, they lived at 812 S. 18th street, once again in the rear.
The most heartbreaking of this was poor Franz's cause of death. It is written that he died from Inanition, also known as starvation. I know Pauline did everything she could to care for her son. Breastfeeding was the main source of food for infants, and if you can't produce milk or get the infant to latch, the risk for the child dying of starvation increases. I know this from experience. I could not breastfeed my daughter. I had so much trouble to the point she was starving. I was grateful to have the options I do today to feed my daughter. Pauline would have been helpless. I just want to weep for her...
Rosa Ilg Baptism Record
Rosa Ilg Death Record
Franz Ilg Birth Record
Franz Ilg Burial Certificate
Both of these babies were buried with their sister at Holy Ghost Cemetery within days of their deaths. As if burying your first three children wasn't heartbreaking enough, having to rebury them would be gutwrenching. By 1893, the city had forbidden any more burials at Holy Ghost Cemetery, also known as Pickers Cemetery. The property had begun to fall into disrepair and many bodies were beginning to be moved to other cemeteries. This information is taken from the St. Louis County Library:
"As far as possible, all lot owners were notified and given a deadline. Many bodies were moved to Zion, New St. Marcus, Bellefontaine, St. Peter's Evangelical, and Independent German Evangelical Protestant (now Gatewood Gardens) cemeteries. When the Holy Ghost Cemetery property was sold to developer Richard C. Spackler in Jan. 1917, all remaining bodies were moved to Zion cemetery, 7401 St. Charles Rock Rd. A permit dated April 10, 1922 permits a 3 story school to be constructed on the site. Though large numbers of remains were removed, it is unlikely that all were, and there are probably some remains left under the grounds of the high school and residences now located on the property. There have been no records of these removals known to exisit."As it states above, there are no known records of these removals to exist. I am sure they were notified of what was happening. But with the lack of funds, I doubt they would have done anything to have their children moved to another burial location. So it's possible they were moved to Zion Cemetery. There is no proof of this though. And it's possible since they were infants, they could still be located on the site where the school now stands. I can't even begin to process this fact. Poor Pauline...
After losing Franz, I'm sure Pauline was scared to try again. Scared to have hope. Scared that she would have to bury yet another child. Even so, she did become pregnant again. With mixed emotions, she prepared for the birth of her next child. Two months before her son was born, records show her mother, Friederike Wilhelmina passed away on May 14, 1893. I don't know if she was still in Germany or if she had come over to America. I have yet to find any other information about her. I only know about her death from the little datebook that was passed down from Pauline. Could anything else go wrong? So much death... would her soon-to-be-born child survive this time? We were about to find out. And so it goes, on July 24, 1893, she gave birth to their second son, William Christian. Yes, the same William Ilg, I wrote about before. Turns out, this child would be the strength of the family. If you would like to read his story, click here: William Ilg, the gone but not forgotten Uncle.
The stress of having a child (and keeping him alive) was only compounded by the fact the country was about to go through a great depression that started with the Panic of 1893.
"The depression that occurred in the United States in 1893 was the worst in the nation’s history. As the economy became more integrated and centralized, fewer businesses and workers operated outside the influence of national markets and were therefore more vulnerable to the effects of a national downturn. In April 1893 the U.S. Treasury’s gold reserves fell below $100 million, setting off a financial panic as investors, fearing that the country would be forced to abandon the gold standard, scrambled to sell off assets and convert them to gold. This surge of selling rocked a market already unsettled by the spectacular failure of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad in February; the collapse of the National Cordage Company on 4 May exacerbated the crisis. Banks everywhere began frantically calling in loans, and western and southern banks withdrew substantial deposits from New York banks. Bank failures spread rapidly; some six hundred occurred in the first months, especially in the South and West, rising to four thousand by the end of 1893. An estimated fourteen thousand businesses collapsed during the same period. [c]
St. Louis Post Dispatch
July 6, 1904
Yes, there was another depression besides the one we are all familiar with that occurred in the 1930s. For a family that was already struggling, this must have just been a devastating blow. Sometime at the end of 1893, Frank, Pauline & their new son, Willie, moved to 8503 South Broadway in Carondelet. The new Union Station was going to be built right where their residence was located [d] so they had no choice. Finally getting settled into a new home, Pauline must have felt so much joy when it came time to celebrate their son's first birthday. I know fear must have still lingered in the back of her head, but for now, she was going to revel in the happy moments. Not to mention, she learned around this time, she was pregnant again. Frank had a new job working in a shoe factory, which earned a great living around this time. They must have been hoping that things were finally starting to get better.
On Jan 19, 1895, their next child, Frank Joseph, was born. He was then baptized on February 10, 1895 in St. Boniface Church in Carondelet. I wonder if he looked like his father, Frank. Or did he look like his brother Willie. The family must have been overjoyed. Willie was an older brother now!
They still lived at 8503 South Broadway in Carondelet. Carondelet is a small town just 12 miles west of downtown St. Louis. It is still located on the Mississippi waterfront and still considered part of St. Louis. Why am I going into detail explaining the location of this little town in regards to downtown St. Louis? Well if they would have lived at their old residence, they would have been closer to the destruction that fell upon St. Louis on May 27, 1896.
"St. Louis, May 28.--Death and destruction reign supreme in St. Louis and vicinity at 1 o'clock this morning as the result of the most terrible storm that ever visited this region of the country. So widespread is the destruction in both St. Louis and East St. Louis that it is impossible to estimate the amount of damage and the loss of life. Buildings of every description are in ruins and as a result hundreds of people are reported dead and injured. But until daylight comes and order is restored it will be impossible to make a definite estimate." - Daily Republican, Decatur, IL 28 May 1896 [e]I am sure they are counting their blessings that they did not live at their old residence. The tornado would have surely caused some destruction to their residence. Where the cyclone hit, there was horrible destruction. The tornado was an F4 on the scale, leveling buildings, uprooting trees and taking lives as it went along. Fires broke out, the hospital was overrun with patients, and the city was just in shambles.
Map of the Cyclone Path
May 27, 1896 [f]
If you look closely at the map, you can see Carondelet on the left-hand side. That's where the family lived. Now if you look just to the right of the destructive path, you will see Union Station. Remember, I told you that they had to relocate because the city was going to build Union Station right where they were living. While it was just outside the path of the cyclone, there still would have been substantial damage. Here is a newspaper headline published the day after the event.
By the grace of God, they were spared from this tragedy. Which is great because Pauline was 7 months pregnant with her next child. Even with all the stress and heartache, the city was going through, Pauline stayed safe and healthy. Then on July 27, 1896, their third son, Otto Karl was born. Right in the heart of Summer. He was then baptized on October 4, 1896, in St. Boniface Church, just the same as his brother Frank. Three sons now! What a very joyous time.
On December 29, 1897, their 7th child was born, Pauline Caroline. A girl! Oh how happy Pauline must have been. A beautiful little girl. She was baptized on January 2, 1898, at St. Boniface Church, just like her siblings. Soon after her birth, the family moved again. This time to 8116 Michigan Avenue. They were still in Carondelet, but probably needed more room for all the children. An opportunity also opened up for Pauline's husband around this time as well. Frank started his own Shoe Repair business.
Frank had already been working in the shoe industry for a few years based on city directory listings. Working for someone doesn't pay as well as if you own your own business, so this was a great step up for Pauline's family. The photo below was in a box that I found in my Mom & Dad's basement, buried under stacks of newspapers. The photo you see has been enhanced, but when I first found it, I couldn't make out what I was looking at.
 |
| Frank Ilg Shoe Repair 8116 Minnesota St. - Carondelet, Missouri abt 1898 |
If you look closely, you can see Frank standing in the doorway with some of his children. Figuring out the date of this photo has been tricky as well as figuring out which children are pictured. So take this with a grain of salt because I can't prove this information. It's all speculation. This photo was taken around 1898-1899 and pictured with Frank are four of Pauline's children: William, Frank Joseph, Otto, and little Pauline Caroline. What a beautiful picture. I wonder if this was the day they moved or opened their business. They must have been so happy.
Unfortunately, their happiness would not last. Soon after this photo was taken, Pauline's son, Frank Joseph got sick with pneumonia and died on March 4, 1898, at the tender age of three. Then if that wasn't bad enough, a few days after the 4th of July, their new baby, their only daughter, passed away as well. She died from Entero-Colitis, an infection in the intestines. Devastating... completely devastating. Both children were buried at Mount Olive Cemetery.
Oh, the grief the family must have been going through. Five children gone... Five children she would never get to see grow up. Five children she would never hold again. William, the oldest surviving son was only four years old. Instead of having three younger siblings, he had one. For now... you see, Pauline would have found out not long after she lost her last daughter that she was pregnant yet again. I can not imagine the mixed emotions she would have been going through. Grieving for the loss of her only daughter, yet joyful at the thought of another child to add to their family. Would she have to bury any more children? How much more can she take? But she would continue to be strong for her family. Strong for the two sons she still had, and for the new one on the way. I wish I could say her troubles were over, but they are not. I will say, the next child she gives birth to, does survive. That would be my great grandfather, Joseph Melchior. And there would be one more child after that: John George, who also survived. But there will be a tragedy that strikes before the last child is even born.
Side Note:
I will say this was the hardest information I had to research about my family. I originally learned about all these children thanks to the records that Pauline kept in her little datebook. That little datebook has been such a treasure trove of information. She kept track of all her children's births and death. She also included information about her immigration to the US. Below are copies of some of the pages that she wrote.
This is what started me on my journey to find all these children, their records, and where they were buried. Pauline took the time to record all these children. I wanted to be sure they all were accounted for and remembered. As I said before, the children buried at Holy Ghost cemetery are lost forever. We will never be able to visit their graves. At least they are recorded. But for the two children, Frank Joseph and Pauline Caroline, I was able to find their burial plots at Mount Olive Cemetery. They are buried in a section designated mainly for infants. Neither plot has a headstone. The documents at least will lead us to the general area when we visit the cemetery.
Pauline Caroline and Frank Joseph will be included in a new video series I am working on for my YouTube Channel. I will be visiting cemeteries where my family buried and videoing the location of the graves along with how to get there. Check it when it comes available.
Sources:
[a]: Report on the statistics of wages in manufacturing industries by Joseph Dame
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hl4p9r&view=2up&seq=1
[b]: The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today by Charles Dudley Warner
https://books.google.com/books?id=Yu9KAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+gilded+age&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwif-s3QiufjAhX-B50JHdJFCJgQ6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
[c]: Encyclopedia – Panic of 1893
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/united-states-and-canada/us-history/panic-1893
[d]: Union Station (St. Louis) Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(St._Louis)
[e]: St. Louis, MO Tornado, May 1896 - Cyclone Horror
http://www.gendisasters.com/missouri/21432/st-louis-mo-tornado-may-1896-cyclone-horror?page=0,0
[f]: Map of Cyclone Path - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_St._Louis%E2%80%93East_St._Louis_tornado
Burial Permit Notice
St. Louis Post Dispatch
March 8, 1898
Pauline Caroline's
Death Certificate & Burial Permit
Continue to read more about Pauline's life
in the next post...
in the next post...
Side Note:
I will say this was the hardest information I had to research about my family. I originally learned about all these children thanks to the records that Pauline kept in her little datebook. That little datebook has been such a treasure trove of information. She kept track of all her children's births and death. She also included information about her immigration to the US. Below are copies of some of the pages that she wrote.
This is what started me on my journey to find all these children, their records, and where they were buried. Pauline took the time to record all these children. I wanted to be sure they all were accounted for and remembered. As I said before, the children buried at Holy Ghost cemetery are lost forever. We will never be able to visit their graves. At least they are recorded. But for the two children, Frank Joseph and Pauline Caroline, I was able to find their burial plots at Mount Olive Cemetery. They are buried in a section designated mainly for infants. Neither plot has a headstone. The documents at least will lead us to the general area when we visit the cemetery.
Frank Joseph Ilg
Burial Information
Pauline Caroline Ilg
Burial Infomation
Map of Mt. Olive Cemetery
Lemay, Missouri
Section O.S.S
Pauline Caroline and Frank Joseph will be included in a new video series I am working on for my YouTube Channel. I will be visiting cemeteries where my family buried and videoing the location of the graves along with how to get there. Check it when it comes available.
Sources:
[a]: Report on the statistics of wages in manufacturing industries by Joseph Dame
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hl4p9r&view=2up&seq=1
[b]: The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today by Charles Dudley Warner
https://books.google.com/books?id=Yu9KAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+gilded+age&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwif-s3QiufjAhX-B50JHdJFCJgQ6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
[c]: Encyclopedia – Panic of 1893
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/united-states-and-canada/us-history/panic-1893
[d]: Union Station (St. Louis) Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(St._Louis)
[e]: St. Louis, MO Tornado, May 1896 - Cyclone Horror
http://www.gendisasters.com/missouri/21432/st-louis-mo-tornado-may-1896-cyclone-horror?page=0,0
[f]: Map of Cyclone Path - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_St._Louis%E2%80%93East_St._Louis_tornado
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