fiderius

Seven Brides for one Brother

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / 4 Comments
Photo by Flora Westbrook on Pexels.com

We have all heard of the movie Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, well this is the story of seven brides for one brother.  This is the story of my paternal grandfather’s brother.  In researching my grandfather’s brother, Theodore Arthur Manfroid, I kept finding more and more marriages. One would think that maybe I had two different people with the same name, however MANFROID is a very uncommon name especially in the United States.  I met this uncle when I was a little girl along with his wife Mabel and their daughter also named Gail.  I knew he was married at least twice, but had no idea what I would uncover. Sometimes it is difficult to understand how he could change wives so rapidly.

Theodore Arthur Manfroid came into this world on 19 January 1904.[1]  He was the fifth son and the seventh child born to Isidor George Manfroid and Mary Fiderius.  He came near the end of Isidor and Mary’s marriage.  By 1910 Isidor and Mary were no longer together and Theodore is found living in St. Vincent’s Infant Asylum in Chicago.[2]  In 1910, St Vincent’s was a place for unwed mothers and for children who parents could no longer take care of them.[3]  Mary remarried in 1911[4] and I assume at this time she reclaimed Theodore.  In 1920 he is 16 and living with his mother, Mary, and his step-father, Adam Beischer.[5]  In 1926 he marries for the first time to Josephine Staschak in Oak Park, Illinois.[6]  I don’t know how long this marriage lasted, but in 1931 he marries his second wife, Mary M. Freehill.[7]  Later in 1931 Theodore and Mary have their first child, a daughter, Joy,[8] and in 1933 they have a second child, Shirley.[9]  Again, I don’t know how long the marriage lasted, but in 1938 he has another daughter, Gail.[10]  Gail’s mother is Mabel Curphey.[11]  I could not find a marriage record; however, Mabel is listed as his wife on the 1940 census[12] and again in 1942 on his WWII draft card.[13]  But I did find a marriage record for Theodore and Mabel later in 1950.[14]  Perhaps they were married before Gail was born, divorced after 1942 and remarried in 1950.  The reason I say this is because Theodore had another child, a boy, born in 1946[15] and the mother is Charlotte Alberta David.  In the 1948 City Directory for Evanston, Illinois,Theodore is listed with his spouse Alberta.[16]  Charlotte continued to use the last name Manfroid for several years after she was no longer with Theodore.[17]  So I assume they were legally married even though I can find no marriage record at this time.  As I mentioned above, he married Mabel in 1950 and then in 1952 he marries Dorothy Audene Luehrsen in Texas.[18]  I find him living in Oak Park, Illinois in 1959[19] and 1960.[20] In 1960 he marries Frances Ione Stallion in Nevada.[21] This must have been a short marriage because he marries again in 1961 to Lorraine Evans Pierce.[22]  That is the last marriage I find for Theodore. 

Theodore is described as 6’1” and 168 lbs. with brown hair, blue eyes, and light complexion.[23]  During his lifetime he served in the Marine Corp during WWII,[24] work as a lubricator,[25] and he hauled freight between Chicago and Cleveland for the Cleveland-Chicago Motor Express at 1030 Washington Blvd, Chicago, Illinois.[26]  He also worked as a painter for the Layne Texas Company in Dallas, Texas.[27]

Theodore died on 14 September 1978 in a VA Hospital in Houston, Texas.[28]  The cause of death was Sepsis due to a urinary tract infection, and he also had Carcinoma of the lung and post Carcinoma of the prostate.[29]  He is buried in South Park Cemetery in Pearland, Brazoria, Texas.[30]

There is a big gap in my research from 1961 to 1978 where I can’t find any more information on Theodore. Theodore (Ted) Manfroid lived an interesting life that is for sure!  I wonder if he ever found his one true love. 

[1] “Illinois, cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871-1945.” Database. FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903,B8L1 : 18 May 16 2016), Theodore Arthur Manfroid, 19 Jan 1904; Melrose Park, Cook, Illinois, United States, reference/certificate 20165 Cook County Clerk, Cook County Courthouse, Chicago: FHL microfilm.

[2] Year: 1910; Census Place:  Chicago Ward 21, Cook, Illinois; Roll:T624_264; Page: 16B Enumeration District:0923, FHL microfilm 1273177.  Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:  Original data: Thirteenth Census of the untied States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T24, 1, 178 rolls).  Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29.  National Archives, Washington, D. C. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following Nara web Page: NARA.

[3] From website: https://chicagoancestors.org/place/st-vincent-infant-asylum

[4] Adam Beischer Obituary, Oak Park, Cook, Illinois, Oak Park Leaves, 17 Ma7 1962, p.76,

[5] Year: 1920; Census Place: Forest Park, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T625_362; Page: 20B; Enumeration District: 185

Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.  Original data: Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: NARA. Note: Enumeration Districts 819-839 are on roll 323 (Chicago City).

[6] “Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871 – 1968,” database, Familysearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q21V-ZWM3 : 28 November 2018), Theodore Manfroid and Josephine Staschak, 11 September 1926; citing Marriage, Cook, Ililnois, United States, citing Cook County Clerk. Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm 10271050

[7] Ancestry.com, Cook County, Illinois Marriage index, 1930-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, Ut, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.  Original Data: Cook County Clerk, comp, Cook County Clerk Genealogy Records. Cook County Clerk’s Office, Chicago, IL: Cook County Clerk, 2008

[8] “Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871-1949,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKDC-Y38M : 18 May 2016), Joy June Manfroid, 02 Sep 1931; Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States, reference/certificate 36457, Cook County Clerk, Cook County

Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm.

[9] “Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871-1949,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL99-PNK3 : 27 March 2017), Shirley Rae Manfroid, 28 Aug 1933; Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States, reference/certificate 30901, Cook County Clerk, Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm .

[10] “Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871-1949,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVPC-4VHW : 18 May 2016), Gail Lee Manfroid, 11 Apr 1938; Melrose Park, Cook, Illinois, United States, reference/certificate 88, Cook County Clerk, Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm 100,480,845.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Year: 1940; Census Place: Melrose Park, Cook, Illinois; Roll: m-t0627-00788; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 16-443.  Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.

[13] National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Illinois, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 1117.  Source Information:  Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

[14] Ancestry.com. Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: Cook County Clerk, comp. Cook County Clerk Genealogy Records. Cook County Clerk’s Office, Chicago, IL: Cook County Clerk, 2008.

[15] U.S. Public Records Index, 1950 – 1993, Volume 2 – Ancestry.com

[16] Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

[17] Ancestry.com. California, U.S., Marriage Index, 1949-1959 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.Original data: California Department of Health and Welfare. California Vital Records—Vitalsearch (www.vitalsearch-worldwide.com). The Vitalsearch Company Worldwide, Inc., Pleasanton, Ca

[18] Harris County Clerk’s Office; Houston, Texas; Harris County, Texas, Marriage Records; Pages: 2.  Source Information:  Ancestry.com. Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records, 1837-1965 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

[19] Oak Park Oak Leaves, Feb 5 1959, pg.4. NewspaperArchives.com

[20] Oak Park Oak Leaves, Nov 3, 1960. NewspaperArchives.com

[21] Ancestry.com. Nevada, U.S., Marriage Index, 1956-2005 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.

Original data:  Nevada State Health Division, Office of Vital Records. Nevada Marriage Index, 1966-2005. Carson City, Nevada: Nevada State Health Division, Office of Vital Records.  Clark County, Nevada Marriage Bureau. Clark County, Nevada Marriage Index, 1956-1966. Las Vegas, Nevada: Clark County, Nevada Marriage Bureau.

[22] Ancestry.com. California, U.S., Marriage Index, 1960-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.  Original data: State of California. California Marriage Index, 1960-1985. Microfiche. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California.

[23] National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Illinois, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 1117.  Source Information:  Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

[24] From Website: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72930044/theodore-a-manfroid

[25] Year: 1940; Census Place: Melrose Park, Cook, Illinois; Roll: m-t0627-00788; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 16-443.  Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.

[26] National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Illinois, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 1117.  Source Information:  Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

[27] Texas Department of State Health Services; Austin Texas, USA.  Source Information:  Ancestry.com. Texas, U.S., Death Certificates, 1903-1982 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.  Original data: Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas Death Certificates, 1903–1982. Austin, Texas, USA.

[28] Texas Department of State Health Services; Austin Texas, USA.  Source Information:  Ancestry.com. Texas, U.S., Death Certificates, 1903-1982 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.  Original data: Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas Death Certificates, 1903–1982. Austin, Texas, USA.

[29] Ibid.

[30] Ibid.

Same Person Two Names

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / Leave a comment

This week 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks topic is the “same name“.  When I first started genealogy back in 1979, I started with my parents and grandparents and asked them a lot of questions.  My father’s name was George, and his father’s name was George, and I was told that his father’s name was George.  Not much was know about my great-grandfather George Manfroid. In the early 1990’s I visited a Family History Center and found a man named Isidor Manfroid that was born in Germany in May 1855.  I didn’t think much about it and kept searching for a George.  Back then you inserted disks into the computer, there was no Internet yet for public use.  Below is a printout from that time period.  I even eventually wrote a note on it that said, “Wondering if this is George.  George born May 1856 in Germany according to the 1900 census.”

Manfroid Isidor (IGI)

Also on the 1900 census, he named one son Isidor and one Felix.  The Isidor in this IGI  printout’s father’s name was Felix Joseph Manfroid.  Manfroid is an uncommon name so there was not many in the index or in the phone books of Germany, France, Belgium and the United States.    As it turned out, finding my great-grandfather Isidor George Manfroid was a search that took me years to solve.  It seemed that sometimes he used Isidor and sometimes he used George, but not together.  Also, my father knew next to nothing about his grandfather.  He knew his name was George, but he didn’t remember him except that he thought he went to his funeral when he was 3 or 4 years old.  My father thought he was born in Germany, and that his grandparents had divorced.  It was with these skimpy facts that I was finally able to find my Great Grandfather. For years I didn’t know if Isidor and George was the same person. I was pretty sure, but could not prove it until I found his marriage record to my great-grandmother where he is listed as G. Isidor Manfroid.

Here is the story of Isidor George Manfroid. or George Isidor Manfroid

Isidor (George) was born on May 22, 1855 in Siegburg, Rhineland, Preussen to Felix Joseph Manfroid and Elisabeth Kelterbach.[1]  Isidor George Manfroid left Germany around 1877 and came to the United States.[2]  George’s occupation was an iron molder.[3] I do not know how George found his job in iron molding, or why he came to the U.S., but  he may have come due to economic conditions in Germany, or to escape being conscripted in the German military service.[4]

It seems that sometimes my great-grandfather went by George, and sometimes by Isidor.  In 1885 Isidor married Sophie Ahrens in Chicago, Illinois.[5]  In 1886 Sophie died.[6]  In 1889 George appears to be living in Cleveland, Ohio.[7]  Cleveland was the home to Mary Fiderius, her parents, and bothers, and sisters.[8]  Mary was the first child born to Peter Fiderius and Christina Oberdoester on July 1, 1870 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.[9]  By 1878 Mary and her family were living in Cleveland, Ohio[10].  In 1889 her father, Peter, worked for the Cleveland Malleable Iron Company as a general labor.[11]  The Cleveland Iron Malleable Company was located at Platt Avenue and East 79th Street[12].  In 1890 George is listed as living on Platt Avenue and his occupation is listed as molder.[13]  I believe that he probably worked for Cleveland Malleable Iron Company too.  It is presumed that George and Mary met because they lived near each other, or her father knew George through work.  George was 14 years older than Mary, and I wonder how Mary’s parents felt about the age difference.  I don’t know George’s religion, but Mary was Catholic.[14] George and Mary were married in 1889 in Cleveland, Ohio,[15] but by December they were living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where their first child, Laura was born.[16]  It appears that Laura did not live long.  She does not appear in the 1900 census.[17]   Around 1892 they moved to Toledo, Ohio, and their son, also named George, was born January 1, 1892 in Toledo.[18]  In 1894 they are back in Cleveland,[19] in 1898 they moved back to Toledo,[20] and in 1900 they move to Chicago.[21] During the 1890’s fthree more children, Christina, Felix Philip, and Isidor are born.[22]  The son Isidor only lived to be two and half years old.[23]   During this time, it is presumed that George probably worked for Cleveland Malleable since they also had plants in Toledo, and Chicago.[24]  It is possible of course that he worked for another company that made iron.  After 1903 they moved again out of Chicago,[25] and I believe they may have moved to one of the Chicago suburbs. In 1901 they had another son, Arthur Anton[26] and another son Theodore was born in 1904.[27]

Sometime between 1904 and 1910 George and Mary divorced.  The exact date and reason for the divorce are not known at this time.  I believe it to be this time period because I assume they were together when the last child was born, but by 1910 the two youngest sons are not living with their mother.  Arthur is in St. Mary’s Training School in Wheeling, Illinois,[28] and Theodore is in St. Vincent’s Infant Asylum (orphanage) in Chicago.[29]  At that time their were no safety nets for single mothers, so I think she temporarily sent them to these places because she could not take care of them. I did not find either George or Mary on the 1910 census. Considering the time and Mary’s religion the only reason for divorce was the man deserting his family.  I do not know if this is the reason for the divorce, it can only be assumed.  I have been unable to find a divorce document to date.

I believe after the divorce, George moved back to Cleveland and became a barber.[30]  He lived there for a while and returned to Maywood, Illinois where he died alone and poor in January 1924.[31]  He died at Cook County Hospital in Chicago of Pancreatic Cancer.[32]  He is buried in a pauper’s grave[33] at Waldheim Cemetery (now Forest Home Cemetery) in Forest Park, Illinois.[34]

I do not know George’s personality, but knowing my father’s and Grandfather’s personality, I picture George as an introvert, and hard-working, but always poor and maybe not very lucky in life.

Copyright © 2018 Gail Grunst

[1] Birth Record for Isidor Manfroid, 23 May 1855, Siegburg, Rheinland, Pruessen; Duetschland Geburten und Taufen 1558 – 1898, Record 10442, GS Film 1057304.

[2] 1900 United States Census, State: Illinois, County: Cook, Township: WestTown, City: Chicago, Enumeration Dist: 293, Ward 10, Sheet 16B, Line 69

[3] Ibid.

[4] Energy of a Nation:  Immigration Resources, a project of the advocates for human rights; www.energyofanation.org/4e667f77-e302-4c1a-9d2e-178a0ca31a32.html

[5] Marriage License & Certificate for Isidor Manfroid and Sophie Ahrens 29 August 1885; State of Illinois, County of Cook, City of Chicago, Certificate # 94849.

[6]Illinois, Marriage and Death Index, 1883 – 1889. Sophia Manfroid 3 August 1886; Cook County, Illinois, Marriage and Death Index, 1883 – 1889.

[7] Cleveland City Directory 1889 – 1890; listing for George Manfroid, 29 Carr; Occupation: Molder.

[8] Cleveland City Directory 1878, 1979, 1880, 1881, 1882,1882, 1884, 1885, 1886,1887, 1889 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908-  1908; listing for Peter Fiderius living in Cleveland, Ohio.

[9] Told to Author’s mother by Mary Fiderius Manfroid Beischer in 1947 and recorded in Author’s baby book.  In Author’s possession at 2916 Martin Drive, Spring Grove, IL.  60081

[10] Cleveland City Directory 1878 –  1908; listing for Peter Fiderius, Leonard Fiderius, Christina Fiderius & Joseph Fiderius

[11] Cleveland City Directory 1889 – Listing for Peter Fiderius, Address: Cleveland Malleable Iron Company.

[12] William Ganson Rose, Cleveland; The Making of a City  (Cleveland & New York: World Publishing Company, 1950), p. 351.

[13] Cleveland City Directory 1890 -01 – Listing for George I. Manfroid, Address: 31 Platt, Occupation: Molder.

[14] Told to Author and Author’s Mother by Mary Fiderius Manfroid Biescher between 1950 – 1960.

[15] Marriage record for G. Isidor Manfroid and Mary Fiderius, State of Ohio, CuyahogaCounty, SS., 5 February 1889.

[16] “Pennsylvania Births and Christenings, 1709 – 1950,” index, FamilySearch (https://familyserch/pal:/mm9.1.1/V2JV-3f4: Laura Manfroid, 13 December 1889.

[17] 1900 United States Census, State: Illinois, County: Cook, Township: WestTown, City: Chicago, Enumeration Dist: 293, Ward 10, Sheet 16B, Line 69

[18] Illinois State Board of Health Return of Marriage to County Clerk (DuPageCounty) for George Manfroid (son of G. Isidor Manfroid) and Helen Desens, 22 March 1919.  Birth place of George Manfroid listed at Toledo, Ohio.

[19] Cleveland City Directories 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897 list George Manfroid living at 235 Herald, Cleveland, Ohio.

[20] Toledo City Directories 1898, 1899, 1900 listed George Manfroid as living at 259 Caldonia and 255 Woodford, Toledo, Ohio.

[21].1900 United States Census, State: Illinois, County: Cook, Township: WestTown, City: Chicago, Enumeration Dist: 293, Ward 10, Sheet 16B, Line 69.

[22] Ibid.

[23] Department of Health: City of Chicago: Bureau of Vital Statistics: Undertakers Report of Death for Isidor Manfroid (Son of G. Isidor Manfroid) 12247, 22 March 1901.

[24] William Ganson Rose, Cleveland; The Making of a City  (Cleveland & New York: World Publishing Company, 1950), p. 352.

[25] Chicago City Directories 1901, 1902, 1903 listed George Manfroid as living at 1313 N. 42nd Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

[26] Certificate of Birth for Arthur Anton Manfroid, 5 January 1901, State of Illinois , Department of Public Health, Division of vital Statistics registered no 72637, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois

[27]  Texas, Deaths, 1977 – 1986 index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-22864-3780=71?cc=M9S8-8SD:2136566208, 1978 Vol 140, Sep, Certificates69501-70000,  Harris County, Image 149 of 579 for Theodore Manfroid 8 August 1978

[28] 1910 United States Census, Wheeling, Cook, Illinois; Roll T624-241, Page 21B, Enumeration District 0132; FHL microfilm 1374254.

[29] 1910 United States Census, Chicago, Ward 21, Cook, Illinois; Roll T624-264. Page 168, Enumeration District 0923; FHL microfilm 13742777.

[30]ClevelandCity Directory 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912.

[31] Death Certificate for George Manfroid, 22 January 1924. State of Illinois, County of Cook, City of Chicago; Registration  no. 2041.

[32] Ibid.

[33] Forest Home Cemetery Records, 863 South Des Plaines Avenue, Forest Park, Illinois; Lot 1736, Section IH.  Date of burial: 24 January 1924, 68 years 8 months, 10 days.  No Marker.  Lot owned by State of Illinois.

[34] Ibid.

Great-Grandma and Grandpa Beischer long life and marriage.

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / Leave a comment

img004 (2)

Grandma Beischer is in the middle

When I was growing up my grandfather’s parents lived with him.  When we went to visit Grandpa, we also visited with my great-grandparents too.  They were known to me as Grandma and Grandpa Beischer.  Grandma Beischer was 77 years old when I was born, and she could not walk very well.  It seemed to me that she was in a wheel chair most of the time, although she could walk with the assistance of special shoes and a cane. She had been in an accident that left one leg shorter than the other one.  I remember going with my father when he would take her for shoes.  We went to a store that custom-made her shoes by building up one shoe so her legs would be even when she walked.  One time I remember that we went to the shoe place in Chicago and then visited her son, Arthur, who owned a tavern in Chicago.  When I was eight, my grandfather died and left his house to my father.  My father let his Grandparents stay in the house.  Grandma Beischer was quiet and aloof.  She sometimes seemed kind of crabby so I always kept my distance. She was a hard person to get to know.   Grandpa Beischer was the opposite, outgoing and happy-go-lucky.

There are many stories about Grandpa and his escapades.  Grandpa was fond of his drink and felt no pain a lot of time.  During prohibition he made his own liquor, and I heard it was pretty strong stuff. Grandma did not approve of his gallivanting and drinking.  I guess she gave him you-know-what when he came home.  During prohibition, Grandma and Grandpa lived one of those city houses with a flight of stairs up to the back porch and door.  One time, Grandpa’s friends brought him home so drunk he couldn’t stand up, and his toupee kept falling off, so his friends stuck his toupee on backwards with chewing gum and tied a rope behind Grandpa to keep him from falling backward down the stairs.  Then they knocked on the door and ran.  When Grandma answered the door, Grandpa fell in.    When he woke up the next morning, he could not get the toupee off.  He had to ride the bus with his toupee on backwards to some place that could remove it.

Because of Grandma’s handicap, Grandpa did the house cleaning, washing clothes, dishes, and cooking.  He didn’t drive and had to take public transportation or get a ride from someone.   My father would cut the grass, shovel the snow, do minor repairs on the house.  My mother would take Grandpa to the store and to run errands.  Both my parents would take Grandma and Grandpa to see relatives or have them over to our house.  As they got older, it became more obvious that the day was coming when other arrangements were going to have to be made for their care. Grandpa could not see very well.  To find an electrical outlet, he would run his hands along the wall feeling for the outlet, and then stick his long finger nails in the plug.  Another time he was vacuum cleaning and banged the vacuum into the TV screen and broke it.  When he washed dishes, he didn’t get them clean anymore.  We began to refuse food or drink when we visited.  My mother would say, “It’s a wonder that they haven’t been electrocuted, set the house on fire, or died of ptomaine poisoning.”  One time Grandpa got a sliver in his hand, and by the time my mother saw it, there was a red streak going up his arm.   My mother took him to the doctor, and at 80 years old this was Grandpa’s first time to a doctor.  The doctor said to him, “Grandpa we are going to have to give you a shot.”  At that point, Grandpa stood up, pulled up his pants, looked around and said, “Where’s the bar?”  Doctor said, “Not that kind of shot, Grandpa.”  A few months later Grandma and Grandpa went to live with her daughter, Christine.  My father sold the house and a couple of years later Grandpa died and a few months later Grandma died.

Mary Fiderius was born 1 July 1870 in Allentown, Pennsylvania to Peter Fiderius and Christine Oberdoester.[1]   Mary had a sister Theresa and two brothers Leonard and Joseph.[2] She married George Manfroid on 5 February 1889 in Cleveland, Ohio.[3]  George and Mary moved back forth between Cleveland, Pittsburg, and Toledo during the 1890’s, and settled in Chicago around 1900.[4]  They had seven children, Laura[5] (died in infancy), George, Christine, Philip, Isidor (died at age 2)[6], Arthur, and Theodore.[7] I estimate that sometime between 1906 and 1910 George and Mary divorced.  I arrived at this estimation because their last child was born in 1906 and by 1910 two of Mary’s children are living in homes.  Arthur was living at St. Mary’s training school for boys in Wheeling Township, Illinois,[8] and Theodore was living at St. Vincent’s Infant Asylum in Chicago, Illinois.[9] The reason for the divorce is unknown, and I have been unable to find papers.  It was always known to family that Grandma Beischer was divorced and that Adam was her second husband,  On 22 April 1911 Mary married Adam Beischer.[10] At some point Mary got her sons back.  Mary and Adam had no children of their own.

img004 (3)

Grandpa Beischer being silly

Adam was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 5 July 1879. [11]  He came to Chicago, Illinois in 1891 at age 11 and lived there for 15 years. He moved in 1906 to west suburban towns finally settling in Elmhurst, Illinois.  He was employed by the American Can Company for 25 years working as a supervisor in the research department.  Adam died on 7 May 1962 at age 82 years, 10 months, and 2 days.  Adam is buried at Chapel Hill Cemetery in Elmhurst, Illinois.[12]  Mary died seven months later on 26 December 1962 at age 92 years, five months, 25 days.  At the time of her death, Mary was survived by two sons, her daughter, 13 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren.[13] Mary was laid to rest next to Adam at Chapel Hill Cemetery in Elmhurst, Illinois, and they are together in death as they were in life.  Adam and Mary not only had longevity in life but also in their marriage of 51 years.

Finding Great Grandpa

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Copyright © 2018 Gail Grunst

________________________________________________________________________________________

[1] Recorded in author’s baby book by Dorothy Manfroid as told to her by Mary Fiderius Manfroid Beischer in 1947.

[2] Letter from Erick Fiderius (great-grandson of  Joseph Fiderius) to Author Gail Grunst dated January 6, 1997 outlining the family relationships.

[3] Cuyahoga County Archive; Cleveland, Ohio; Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Marriage Records, 1810-1973; Volume: Vol 31-32; Year Range: 1887 Jul – 1888 Jun 1889

[4] Various city directories for Cleveland, Toledo, Pittsburg, and Chicago.

[5] Pennsylvania Births and Christenings, 1709-1950,” database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2JV-3FC : 9 December 2014), Mary Manfroid in entry for Laura Manfroid, 13 Dec 1889; Birth, citing Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; FHL microfilm 499,282.

[6] Illinois, Cook, Chicago, Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Undertakers report of death dated 22 March 1901.

[7] Historical Newspapers, Birth, Marriage, & Death Announcements, 1851-2003, Ancestry.com,Online publication – Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.Original data – The New York Times. New York, NY, USA: The New York Times, 1851-2001.The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA, USA: The Los Angeles Times, 1881-1894.The Boston Globe.

[8] Year: 1910; Census Place: Wheeling, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T624_241; Page: 21B; Enumeration District: 0132; FHL microfilm: 1374254

Source Information  Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.Original data: Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: NARA.

[9] United States Census, 1910,” database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKNW-CZ5 : accessed 22 January 2018), Theodore Maniford, Chicago Ward 21, Cook, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 923, sheet 16B, family , NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 264; FHL microfilm 1,374,277.

[10] Illinois, Cook, Oak Park, Oak Park Leaves, May 17, 1962, pg. 76.  Obituary for Adam Beischer.

[11] Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

[12] Illinois, Cook, Oak Park, Oak Park Leaves, May 17, 1962, pg. 76.  Obituary for Adam Beischer.

[13] Historical Newspapers, Birth, Marriage, & Death Announcements, 1851-2003, Ancestry.com,Online publication – Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com