Research can lead you down many paths. I'm always excited to make new and interesting discoveries. But what really makes me stop and do a double-take is when I find something related to my research on or right near the date it occurred in history. I've experienced this in the past while researching for friends and clients. And it just happened again! It feels like I was meant to discover what I was looking for on this date. Let me share with you what I found. This morning, I woke up to a message from a distant cousin asking for some photos of a relative, Thomas Fuchs, the brother of my Papa, George Fuchs. It's been a while since I last researched my Fuchs line, so I decided to check Newspapers.com for any new articles. They are always adding new papers and improving their OCR software. I knew Uncle Tom owned a few local taverns, and that fact was important for the articles I found.
In the search results for "Thomas Fuchs", an article came up about two brothers who were tragically killed by gas fumes. Oliver and Carl Behrens operated a filling station in Kirkwood, Missouri. They were checking out a fuel tanker to see if there was any gas left in it. Oliver was overcome by the gas fumes and fell in headfirst. His brother went to get help before trying to climb in to save his brother. According to the newspaper articles, Carl ran to the local tavern, owned and operated by none other than Thomas Fuchs. And who else was in the tavern at that time? My Papa, George Fuchs. My Papa ran with Carl back to the filling station to help him try to get his brother out. Unfortunately, Carl was also overcome by the fumes, passing out and becoming dead weight. My Papa tried pulling him back out, but couldn't. Both Oliver and Carol succumbed to the fumes. I can't imagine how my Papa must have felt. He was trying so hard to help. He was interviewed by police about the incident: "I could hear him coughing and gasping for breath, but I couldn't pull him up and the others because of the smallness of the opening. Suddenly I felt him grow limp and then he seemed to get heavier and heavier. Sweat ran from my arms onto his wrists and finally he slipped away. I guess I must have held on about five minutes." George Fuchs, St. Louis Post Dispatch
What a tragic loss of life—a horrible accident. My Papa did everything he could to help. To top it all off, the date of the newspaper article I found was June 3, 1937. This article was published 88 years ago yesterday, and they reported that the accident happened the night before, around 9:30pm. June 2... my Papa's 25th birthday. What are the odds that I would go looking for more information about Thomas Fuchs, my Papa's brother, today and find this article?
Carl and Oliver Behrens are both buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Kirkwood, the same as my Papa. But unfortunately, their graves are unmarked. You can read the articles about the incident below.
October is Family History Month, and it's been a busy month. On October 6, the Franklin County Historical Society held its Annual History Fair at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Union, Missouri. I've had the privilege of having a booth set up for a few years now, but this year's fair was very special.
I teased my display on Instagram for about a month before the fair to drum up interest.
Since my dad passed away back in 2021, I've been working hard going through his stuff to preserve it before Mom sold their house. I knew about some of my dad's Vietnam collection from when I was a kid. He allowed me to display a few items from his service in the military at a school event. But going through Dad's stuff led me to find more than I expected. When my Uncles cleaned out one of my dad's sheds in the backyard, they uncovered a box of Vietnam stuff including tools, pouches, clothing, and more. The box was falling apart from the rain that leaked into the shed through the years. I was excited to go through the items, but sad at the same time cause I wished Dad was still here so we could go through it together. Since he wasn't, I was left to go through it all alone. And when I did, I got a little surprise.
It was so nice of him to drop by. Unfortunately, he left behind a mess that I had to clean up. And he destroyed a few items. But now it's all protected and safe. But that wasn't the last of the items that Dad had kept. Sometime later, My Dad's brother, Uncle Marty, contacted me and told me he found some of Dad's uniforms in his shed. WHAT?! So he brought that over for me to put with Dad's collection. But we still weren't done. Just this past year, my cousin had been cleaning out the lake house told me she found Dad's foot locker! Holy cow!! She asked if I still wanted it and you can guess my answer. OF COURSE! This would be the perfect way for me to display Dad's collection for the history fair. Now, having all this together, it was time to figure out how to display and label the items. Thanks to my wonderful hubby, he was able to get some plexiglass from work for me to lay over the top of the footlocker to keep items from being touched, taken, or damaged. Also, thanks to the Historical Society for lending me one of their mannequins for my dad's uniform. In the end, the display looked amazing.
Photo Credit: Jen Rickards
I wished Dad could have been here to see my display. But as I told my Aunt Patty, if Dad had been here, I wouldn't have had this opportunity to display his collection. Dad kept his collection to himself, and wouldn't even talk about Vietnam except on rare occasions. And on those occasions, I was able to record his voice. I put together a slide-show video to share.
I am so blessed I was able to put his collection on display for others to see. My favorite part of the day was when a young boy, about 12 maybe, came to the history fair specifically to see this display. He was really into the memorabilia from the period and was even dressed in a replica uniform. I pulled items out so he could hold them and touch them. He even wanted his picture taken with the display. Dad would have been so happy to see this.
Something that surprised me, although it shouldn't have, was how many people were surprised to see a Vietnam display. It's no shock to anyone how controversial the Vietnam Conflict was and still is to this day. The war was not supported by the American people and soldiers were treated like scum. When they came home, they were not given a Welcome Home celebration like other wars in the past. They were insulted, ridiculed, rejected, and more. So when you see a Vietnam veteran, thank them for their service and tell them, "Welcome Home."
With more recognition being given to the soldiers who fought in Vietnam, I hope we will start seeing more displays and more veterans who are willing to share their stories. Don't forget, that March 29 is National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Thank you to everyone who came out to the Franklin County History Fair. And to everyone who stopped by to see my display. I wish Dad could have been there.
Just when I thought I had everything that belonged to my dad accounted for, my Uncle Marty threw me a curve ball. They were cleaning out their storage shed when they came across a military uniform. At first, they thought it belonged to my Uncle Mike, who also served in Vietnam, but the rankings on the sleeve were higher than what Uncle Mike had been. So, they concluded it had to belong to my dad. The fact that my dad might have some of his stuff stored at Uncle Marty's is not that much of a surprise at all. Let me explain.
You see, Uncle Marty and his family currently live on the property that used to belong to my grandparents. The barn that used to be on the property is no longer there, but some of the sheds are. When dad went off to Vietnam, he stored some of his stuff on that property since he didn't have a place of his own. And when he came back, he stayed with family for a bit before bouncing around from place to place until he settled in a little house in Eureka. He only rented the house; he did not own it. So he kept his main address listed as his parents' in High Ridge. And he also continued to keep some of his stuff there as well. Just ask my family about the car that sat there for about 20 years. Haha! As you can see, it's not unlikely that Uncle Marty would come across some items that would still be stored at his house.
My cousin, Jess, gave me the heads-up that he was bringing in over. For which I'm glad. I was able to keep my composure when he walked in with it. I took it home with me to show my husband. When I pulled it out, he about cried cause he knew exactly what it was without me having to say anything. After I showed him, I looked it over thoroughly and cautiously checked each pocket. If you saw my short on YouTube where I'm going through my dad's other Vietnam stuff, you would know why. Click to watch the YouTube Short.
The uniform itself is in good condition after being stored in a shed for--how many years now?--more than 50 years? Goodness! It has a few stains, a few tears, and could use a good ironing, but it doesn't smell nor is it moldy. I think I should consult with a textile expert on how to clean and care for it. That's out of my wheelhouse.
Something I took notice of though. The patch on the arm is his rank. The rank on the uniform is Sergeant. Which made me think back to the story he told me about his friend Lonnie Merchant. Lonnie was the Staff Sergeant is a step above Sergeant and is in charge of certain duties pertaining to the lower-ranked soldiers.
E5-Sergeant E6-Staff Sergeant
Dad and Lonnie were good friends. They spent a lot of time together in Vietnam. Well, on the night of September 9, 1969, Lonnie asked dad to switch his rotation and go out and he would stay behind. Dad obliged. They were doing Mine Sweeps; clearing the roads of land mines so trucks and equipment could get through. When dad came back, he learned that their bunker was hit and a sergeant was killed. His heart sank. And when they read off the name, he about collapsed. Just like that, his best friend was gone.
This affected dad throughout his whole life. If he wouldn't have switched, he would have been there too and could have possibly been killed. I wonder if Dad had a bit of survivor's guilt. He talked about it with me on multiple occasions. See the video below.
The reason that patch on his uniform got my attention was as a result of Lonnie's death, dad was promoted right on the spot. He was the next best qualified to take Lonnie's position. He was always his second in command, dad would say. So, since the uniform had the Sergeant insignia patch instead of the Staff Sergeant insignia, this uniform was from before Lonnie was killed. It's amazing the things you think about. I know if Dad would have been here to see it, he would have thought the same thing. It could have been why he kept it over at his parents' house. It was probably too much to bear to look at it. Dad wouldn't talk about Vietnam for decades after he came home, so it wouldn't be a stretch of the mind to think that.
But I'm glad I have it now. And once I get everything cleaned up, I will store it all together. I would love to display it, but I have no clue how I would display it or where I would put it. But I have it and it's safe. Yeah, it's true, my family never throws anything away. And there are days I am glad about that.
Yearbooks are a fantastic source for locating pictures of your ancestors and learning more about a particular time in their lives. I have all my yearbooks from when I was in school from my Elementary years up to High School. I also have my parents' yearbooks in my collection now. Ancestry.com has been growing its yearbook collection as well and, thanks to them, I've been able to download many copies of ancestors' yearbooks. But there is a collection that I haven't found anywhere else as of yet. And this prompt is giving me the perfect opportunity to announce a project I've been working on as well.
One yearbook I inherited that was in my dad's collection was his Fort Leonard Wood Army Training Center Yearbook from when he attended. He went through the training center in preparation for Vietnam. I remembered going through it with him one time before he had passed. He said they were stock yearbooks in which a section was added that included their photos. It still gave me an insight into the training he went through while attending the Army Training Center.
Fast forward to last year when I went to the South County Antique Mall. I had a specific item I was looking for in the book sections when I came across the cover of a yearbook I was very familiar with. It was a Fort Leonard Wood Army Training Center yearbook. Granted it was from a different year, but it still resembled my dad's yearbook. I was so shocked anyone would sell their relative's yearbook. Soon after, I found more yearbooks from Fort Leonard Wood. My mind just couldn't process this. Do you know how many people I've seen post on the internet wishing they had their Father's yearbook or even just a photograph? That's when I came up with an idea.
After searching online, I have yet to find a Fort Leonard Wood Training Center Yearbook collection on websites like Fold 3 and Ancestry. I know every day more and more collections are being digitized and added to their sites, but they are usually behind a paywall. I wanted to make these yearbooks available to anyone and everyone. So that's why I would like to share the website I created just for these yearbooks.
This website is a collection of yearbook pages containing graduates from Fort Leonard Wood Army Training Center in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The years included will be 1959-1967. The focus will mainly be on the Vietnam War era. Please visit my site to learn more about this project.
I am still working on getting the yearbook pages added that I have in my collection. It is very time-consuming typing all the names into the site and scanning the pages for viewing. My goal is to make this site searchable for anyone who visits which is why I am typing each name individually into the site. That way the search engine will pick up the names. That will be the last task I will work on, but for now, you can go to each yearbook and use Ctrl + F to search for a name.
If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I want this site to be as user-friendly as possible. I am also hoping to grow my collection very soon. I will be on the lookout for more yearbooks when I start going to yard sales, estate sales, and antique malls.
This project is dedicated to my Dad and all those soldiers who fought in Vietnam. May their sacrifices never be forgotten.
According to Thomas MacEntee, today is Kindergarten Day! Did you attend Kindergarten? I did! I was excited to start Kindergarten and meet new friends. But I was also scared to death. I had horrible anxiety when I was a kid. I remember my mom putting me on the bus that first day. I was to the point of tears and begging her to not make me go. But once I got going, things were alright.
I attended Kindergarten at Geggie Elementary in Eureka, Missouri in 1987. My teacher was Mrs. Ammann. There were two Kindergarten classes in the morning and two in the evening. I had morning Kindergarten. I actually have my yearbook from that year, but it's not in the best condition. I had gotten ahold of it when I was young and kind of marked it up a bit. So I will only share the cover of the yearbook. I know many schools don't do yearbooks for elementary school, so I'm glad ours did. I have all the yearbooks from all my grades.
Geggie Elementary School Yearbook Eureka, Missouri 1987-1988
Pictures of the school Geggie Elementary School Yearbook 1987-1988
My mom kept EVERYTHING from my years in school. Photos, schoolwork, and more. I have some memories from Kindergarten. I didn't have a best friend really, but I had a few friends. Crystal, Hillary, Bobbi, and Sara. I'm still friends with Crystal and Hillary to this day.
Some memories I have about Kindergarten include playing with blocks during indoor recess, having show-and-tell in which I shared my stuffed bunny, and one of my classmates kept accidentally taking my work home instead of his. I remember having a box to put in my cubby that had my pencils, crayons, pencil sharpener, and other items. Oh my gosh and I remember if we were bad, we would have to go sit on a stuffed turtle. It was almost like a mat, but softer like a pillow. Oh, and it was so upsetting if we had to go sit on a turtle. I think I had to only once, but can't remember.
I also remember lining up at the end of the day for our school bus. One time I got in the wrong line and got on the wrong bus. Oops! I knew I was on the wrong bus when it started going the wrong way from what I was used to. Oh, it scared my mom to death! The bus I was on was out of radio range for a while, so they didn't know what was going on. I do remember all of a sudden the bus driver asking if there was anyone on the bus that lived, I think, at my address or something and I raised my hand. She said you realize you are on the wrong bus. I felt so bad. So she finished her route and then dropped me home. My Papa was waiting for me. He always stood out and waited for me to come home.
Wow, so many memories are just flooding back. I am just mentally walking through the halls at my Elementary School. The school is still there today, but it has changed so much. I would love to walk the halls again just to see how much it changed. Do you have memories from Kindergarten?
History of Kindergarten in St. Louis
Believe it or not, the first Public School Kindergarten was right here in St. Louis. In Carondelet to be more specific. Susan Blow opened started the first Kindergarten in 1873. She utilized the "learn through play" approach to cognitive development first created by Friedrich Froebel in Germany.
"In September 1873, Susan Blow opened the first public kindergarten at the Des Peres School in Carondelet. While most classrooms were plain, Blow’s kindergarten classroom was bright and cheerful. It had low tables and short benches just right for small children. The room contained many plants, books, and toys for children to use during work and play. Students learned about color, shapes, and fractions by using simple objects like balls and blocks. They also learned about keeping themselves clean, eating well, and getting regular exercise." Historic Missourians
My family's roots run deep in Carondelet. Although I haven't traced any of my ancestors that attended this school as of yet. The Carondelet Historical Society is housed in the old Des Peres school. I've been there once to do research. If you would like to read more on Susan Blow or the Des Peres School, click the links below.
I can't tell you how many times my last name has been misspelled in my life. Both married and maiden! Most of the time people don't even ask "How Do You Spell That?" but just assume they know. I've made it a habit of spelling my maiden name every time someone asks for it to hopefully eliminate any confusion. Yeah, that still doesn't always work. As we do genealogy research, we will constantly come across surnames that were spelled in many different ways. Either because it was misheard, or the family was illiterate and couldn't spell to begin with. When I first started, I stuck with the belief if it wasn't spelled it was supposed to be, they weren't family. Yeah, that didn't get me far in my research. I've since learned that I have to be flexible with the spelling and prove the family connection by other means. So these are some of the most commonly misspelled surnames in my family.
Fuchs
My maiden name is Fuchs. It is of German origin and is usually pronounced like "fyooks"; although I grew up pronouncing it a different way: "fyoosh". I have no idea why we did that or how it got started, but it must have at least come from my Great-grandfather, Michael Fuchs because my grandpa, George Fuchs and all his siblings all pronounce it that way. Anytime I had a new teacher at school, I had to correct how they pronounced it. So much fun! But that isn't even half the problem.
1940 US Fed Census Fuchs Family Ancestry.com
Do you see how it is spelled? It is too closely related to another word that is considered a cuss word. Oh yeah, this was grand growing up with a whole bunch of adolescent kids. One time a classmate got a hold of one of my papers and changed the 'h' to a 'k' (which is not hard to do) and then turned it in. So when it was time for the papers to be handed out, another student was reading out the names and said that word. Oh boy... I had to explain to the teacher I did not do that. And even showed them that the pencil mark on the page was different than my writing. That's just one example. Let me tell you, I have friends from high school that STILL don't know how to spell my maiden name. It usually ends up with extra letters or sometimes they drop the 's' on the end. I always felt like I was cursed. Once I started researching German records, I was curious to see how the spelling had changed if any. And it really didn't. Once I got into the records, I saw the surname "Fuchs" everywhere! And spelled like we spell it! But that still doesn't help me today when I meet someone new and I tell them my maiden name.
Rickards
I thought when I would get married my troubles would be over. Boy was I fooled. I think I have more trouble with this surname than my maiden name. Everyone always immediately thinks it's supposed to be Richards. I usually tell people it's Richards except with a 'k'. I have to admit even I had trouble when I first met my husband. Unlike with Fuchs, Rickards has been misspelled for YEARS. I've lost track of how many variations I have come across in my research. These are just some examples: Rickard, Ricard, Records, Rickert, Ricketts, and of course, Richards. It is unclear how the original was spelled, but research has suggested the original was Rickard. The family came from England, but I haven't traced the family back there myself.
1850 US Fed Census Records Family Ancestry.com
1920 US Fed Census Richards Family Ancestry.com
Ilg (ILG)
Now this surname threw me for a loop when mom first told me about it. I was like, um, what did you say? Haha! The 'i' in the surname makes a short i sound, like igloo. This is my grandma's maiden name. I had never heard of this name before and for sure never met anyone with this surname. This family line has been my most researched.
1930 US Fed Census Ilk Family Ancestry.com
The family came from Germany in the mid to late 1800s. I've traced the family pretty far back in Germany and like Fuchs, Ilg was always spelled the same. But pronouncing it I believe is a little different. I think the 'g' makes more of a 'k' sound which makes sense why I've seen the surname spelled with a 'k'. I've seen it spelled Ilck and even Ilk, which is why I couldn't find the family easily in the 1930 census. It's also been spelled Illg, Illig, Ilges, Llg, Elk, and more. when I go looking for them in the City Directories, I have to check under all these spellings.
While I've run into other surnames that have been misspelled before, these are the top ones I've dealt with. It's best to include variations of spellings you've come across for the surnames in your tree for anyone who reviews your research or for your own personal notes.
So, what surnames have you come across in your research that has been constantly misspelled?
Everyone is all abuzz over the release of the 1950 US Federal Census. Many of us were up late waiting for the midnight release. I joined Amy Johnson Crow for a release party on YouTube. We were visiting with friends and preparing for the moment the Census was released on the National Archives website. When it finally hit, we all scattered and went searching. Almost like an Easter Egg hunt. You can watch the video below.
Mom, Dad, and Their Parents
That first night, I only planned on looking up my parents since I had to get up early the next morning for a doctor's appointment. Mom's family, I was able to find them right away thanks to the Enumeration District. I knew where they were living when the census came through so that helped a great deal.
1950 US Fed Census Missouri, Gravois - 95-279 National Archives Wheeler Family
Mom has given me the information that she was told. She was only a month old when the census came through. Later that year they moved to another location, but that was after the census came through. I wrote about them in previous posts here:
Now, Dad's family was more tricky. They were moving around a lot during this time, so there were a couple of places they could have been, and I only had addresses for two of them. While Dad was still alive, he had told me about the places they lived. He had an impeccable memory. The first two places were in Kirkwood that my grandpa built. I had addresses for them and looked them up right away. Nope, they weren't there. Next came the places I DIDN'T have addresses for. Only some details. Dad told me after Kirkwood they lived temporarily in Arnold. First at a Gas Station that my Papa was trying to acquire and then at Bridge Inn that doubled as a cafe and Inn. Dad said Papa ran the business while Grandma was the cook for the cafe. Dad said they lived either above the cafe or in one of the buildings on the property. But he couldn't remember where the Bridge Inn was exactly located. I had planned on taking him for a drive around the area to see if that would spark some memory, but he had passed away before I could do that. Unfortunately, the deal fell through at Bridge Inn for some reason, dad couldn't remember why, although he was just a kid. Now at this point they were homeless. They ended up moving to their clubhouse on the Meramec River near Eureka. That was yet another location they would have been living when the Census came through. And this was also another location I had no address for. So this was going to be tricky.
Like I said, I tried Kirkwood first but they weren't there. So the next part was searching in Arnold which was in Jefferson County. I had no address or location of where to look, so I was going to have to rely on the preliminary index that was created from the National Archives. Oh, and am I glad they had that. I did a search in Jefferson County for my Papa's name and it came up. I couldn't believe it! Based on the information given, my Papa was a Cafe Operator and Grandma was a cook. Just like my dad told me. So this must have been for the Bridge Inn. I have now been pouring over maps to try to find the exact location of where the Bridge Inn was located. I know I will be working with my Aunt on this, who was also alive at this time and on the census. So you know I will be writing more about this later.
1950 US Fed Census Missouri, Rock Township - 50-34 National Archives Fuchs Family
Great-Grandparents
I had three sets of Great-Grandparents and one Great-Grandma to look up in this census. Not to mention my husband's family, which we will discuss later.
Nellie Fuchs
Robert & Louise Strawhun
James Benjamin & Pearl Wheeler
Joseph & Margaret Ilg
I had addresses listed from all of them, but only one set was questionable. Nellie along with Robert & Louise lived at the same address in Kirkwood for years before and after the 1950 Census so that was an easy find. Joseph & Margaret were living at their location with their daughter (My grandma) before she married my grandpa, and according to records were still living at this address after 1950. But while I had the address, the street couldn't be located on the Census map, so it was a little tricky tracking down that information. But there were right where they were supposed to be. The only set I have not found is James Benjamin & Pearl. I had a couple of addresses for them based on sources I had, but they were not living at those addresses; other people were living there. I did a search for them, but St. Louis is a huge area, so that didn't narrow anything down. I know at some point, James Benjamin was put into a nursing home, but don't know when. So they are going to have to wait until the index is more complete.
1950 US Fed Census Missouri, Kirkwood - 95-75 National Archives Fuchs Family
1950 US Fed Census Missouri, Kirkwood - 95-84 National Archives Strawhun Family
1950 US Fed Census Missouri, St. Louis - 95-315A National Archives Ilg Family
Other Family Members
Not only did I have Great-Grandparents, I had some 2nd Great-Grandparents to find on my Maternal Grandmother's line. Oma Mae Caldwell and her ex-husband, Edward Buer. Oma lived in her mother's old house, so she was easy to find. But Edward and his new wife, Alice were a little more difficult to track down. Their address was just outside of town limits, so it was hit or miss for the Enumeration District. But they were located.
1950 US Fed Census Missouri, St. Louis - 96-791 National Archives Caldwell Family
1950 US Fed Census Illinois, Will County - 99-112 National Archives Buer Family
One family I still have not found in the census is my 2nd Great Aunt, Ruth Kelley and her husband James Howard. I knew this was going to be my most difficult couple. James Howard Kelley worked as an architect, at least that's what I was told, and he traveled around a lot. He lived in Missouri, Illinois, Washington and even Alaska. Mom told me she remembered him sending her a little Eskimo doll from their when she was little. It was also rumored that he helped design the Seattle Space Needle. Since they moved a lot, it is unknown where they were living in 1950 when the census came through. So they will have to wait until the indexes are complete then hopefully I will be able to track them down.
Mark's Family
Not only did I look up my own family, but I also looked up my hubby's family. I'm the one who has done the research on his family so why wouldn't I? I found both his parents and grandparents easily at the addresses I had for them. This is the first year for both of our parents to be on the census. It was neat to see what Mark's grandfather did for a living.
1950 US Fed Census Missouri, St. Louis - 96-1494 National Archives Rickards Family
1950 US Fed Census Missouri, Kirkwood - 95-362 National Archives Swope Family
Moving back another generation, one set of Great-Grandparents had lived in the same location and were easy to locate, but the other two were a little tricky. Rev. Hudson Taylor & Sadie McGrew lived in Breckenridge, Missouri, but I had no address for them. Breckenridge was a small town with only two Enumeration Districts and, luckily, they were on the first district. Found them fairly quickly. Rev. McGrew was retired at this point and they were enjoying time with each other and visiting family. Thanks to the census I learned they lived on Maple. Sadly, Rev. McGrew passed away later that year.
1950 US Fed Census Missouri, Breckenridge - 13-1 National Archives McGrew Family
The only other Great-Grandparent that was living at this time was Mary Alice Swope. She lived on a farm in rural Clinton County, Missouri. She was a little difficult to track down. Their family lived on the farm for many generations & later, her children lived nearby as well. Mary Swope's husband passed away in 1935, but she still lived on their farm in 1940 with two of her daughters, Ethel & Irene. They were right next to one of her sons, James, and his family. Now for the 1950 census, they were not next to each other. It probably has to do with the enumerators and which farms they visited in the order they did. Enumeration District lines appeared to be the same as in 1940 so that had nothing to do with it. Whatever the case, thanks to maps, I was able to locate where they should be on the 1950 Census. I explained this in more depth in another blog post: Maps of Clinton County - How Galen & Pearl Met. This time on the census, Irene was the head of the household and her mother, Mary, and sister, Ethel, lived with her. But their brother, James, was not listed in this Enumeration District. Is it possible they moved? Unsure at this time. It will require a bit more research. I do know we will be making another trip up to Clinton County maybe this summer. The good news is I found them on the census.
1950 US Fed Census Missouri, Lafayette - 25-13 National Archives Swope Family
Spreading wide now in Mark's family tree, two ancestors I was excited to find were Ruth & Scottie Rickards. Ruth moved to Iowa from Illinois sometime in the 1920s and after their father died, Scottie moved in with her. Scottie has been a curious ancestor for a while. I wrote about him in a blog post for the 52 Ancestors Challenge: Week 4 - Curious. As you read in the post, there was a lot unknown about him. I've been putting together some information about him as I learn it. The most recent I wrote about in two Friday Finds posts. Westminster College and Update on Scottie Rickards. So I was looking forward to seeing the 1950 Census to try to get an idea of when his condition started. I found their address in a 1950 City Directory, so finding them wasn't hard. But I got my answer by looking at the census. Scottie was listed as Unable to Work. So whatever happened, it happened before he moved and sometime after college. Interesting. Another piece of the puzzle is found.
1950 US Fed Census Iowa, Des Moines - 102-29 National Archives Rickards Family
The last ancestor I wanted to find on Mark's side is a living 1st cousin, once removed. I've been in contact with her and her family for a few years now. I got their address directly from her, so I knew it was correct. But finding the Enumeration District was tough. I had to go through a couple of different maps to find it. Read about it here: What If I Can't Find a Street?But I did find the Enumeration District and I did find the ancestor.
1950 US Fed Census Texas, Houston/South Side - 101-5 National Archives Rickards Family
These are not all the people I looked up in the 1950 census, but the main ones. I did look up ancestors for friends and just for personal fun. Having the Enumeration Districts beforehand really did help locate our ancestors in the 1950 Census. There were only a few times I had to use the preliminary index on the National Archives site. And I am grateful for it as I wouldn't have found my Dad without it. Now that I have found the census pages, it's time to analyze them more closely for clues and information.
I will also be helping index the census as time goes on. You can help index now on the National Archives site and you can help on Ancestry & Family Search but only on the states they currently have available. I put in for a notification when Missouri is ready to be indexed.
Week 1: Foundations The theme for January and for Week 1 is "Foundations." Some ways you
might interpret this include focusing on the person who sparked your interest
in family history, a builder in your family tree, or the person who is the
bedrock of your family.
After much consideration, I decided to write about my immigrant ancestors, Frederick, Johann Michael, and Andreas Fuchs. Johann Michael is my 3rd Great-Grandfather. Frederick is his brother and Andreas is his nephew. They came to St. Louis in 1832. But the reason I chose them is not what you may think. While it makes sense since they were the foundation of my Fuchs family in America, there is another reason I thought of them. It was the REASON they came to America. According to a history book of Jefferson County, Missouri, the Fuchs family was contracted in Europe by the Catholic Church authorities to come to St. Louis to help construct the St. Louis Cathedral also known as the Old Cathedral. You see, they were stonemasons. So they would have helped with the "Foundation" of the church. Didn't see that one coming, did you?
History of Jefferson County St. Louis County Library
The history of the Old Cathedral is as follows:
"Founding fathers Pierre Laclede and Auguste Chouteau deed a tract of land to the people of St. Louis where a one-room log structure is erected as the first Catholic Church in the newly founded city. Known originally as Laclede’s Village, it is later named St. Louis by Laclede to honor King Louis IX of France.
"A second, larger log church is built in place of the first church… a new church more in keeping with the growing importance and dignity of the young city that was becoming a town of marked beauty, size and prominence.
By 1831, the 55-year-old log church is deteriorating and can no longer accommodate the growing parish. Rather than enlarge it, Bishop Rosati decides to replace it all together. The cornerstone of the new church is laid in August of 1831, and the sum of $63,360.85 is raised to build the new church. It was designed by Morton and Laveill and completed in 1834." History of the Basillica of St. Louis
Old St. Louis Cathedral Lithograph by J.C. Wild 1841 Source: NextStl.com
According to a ship manifest, "Mr. Fox and Family" arrived in New Orleans in May of 1832. "Fox" is the way Fuchs would have been pronounced. (Although at some point the pronunciation changed for my specific line at some point; it now sounds more like the Fuschia plant). There have been other sources that spelled the surname this way. From New Orleans, the family would have traveled to St. Louis up the Mississippi River. This timeline fits with the history of when the new stone church would have been built and the completion year coincides with when Johann Michael bought property in Jefferson County.
So not only is my Fuchs family the foundation of start in America, they helped build the foundation of a very important church which became the foundation of the Catholic church in St. Louis. Based on the year they immigrated, the Fuchs family also qualifies to be listed as one of the "First Families of St. Louis". I found this out in 2019 when I attended the St. Louis History Fair.
I'd say you can't get any more foundational than this. I still have quite a bit of research to do on the origins of my Fuchs Family in St. Louis. Still need to track down more sources so I can get the family listed on that register. My family was here from the beginning and I'm proud to be a part of that history.
Come back next week for the new 52 Ancestors Prompt. If you wish to join in, click here: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.
Sources: History of Jefferson County, Missouri - St. Louis Public Library
Tries to rescue brother in tank car; Thomas & George Fuchs 03 Jun 1937, Thu St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.com
Two Brothers Killed by Gasoline Fumes; George Fuchs 03 Jun 1937, Thu St. Louis Globe-Democrat (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.com
Two Brothers Die from Gas Fumes; George Fuchs 03 Jun 1937, Thu The St. Louis Star and Times (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.com
