Pardon me...wrong Robert Wuerz

It happens to all of us eventually.  We think we have the right person and we set off researching and detailing their life, searching back further and further until...you realize you are not searching the right person after all.  It's easy to do with common named ancestors and when there are cousins and uncles and even brothers with similar or same names. 

I recently realized that I was chasing the wrong Robert Wuerz on my husband's family tree. The Robert Wuerz I was chasing was an interesting fella with some newspaper articles of the illegal variety and came from a wealthy family.  Turns out this guy is not our guy.  The Robert Wuerz I'm looking for is my husband's 2nd Great Grandfather.  

So here is what I do know about our Robert Wuerz.  

Robert Wuerz was born sometime between 1873 and 1876 in Chicago, Illinois.   He married Annie Lawless 16 May 1898 in Alton, Madison County, Illinois.

I ordered their marriage record from Madison County.  From this document, I see that his name is Robert Wuerz, lives in Granite City, his occupation is Bookkeeper, his age at his next birthday is 25 years and he is white.  Born in Chicago, Illinois.  Fathers name Robert Wuerz and mother's name May Law? *name is so hard to read.  This is his first marriage. 

For Annie we see her name is Annie Lawless, lives in Alton, age at next birthday is 19 and she is white. Born in Jerseyville, the father is William Lawless and her mother's maiden name appears to be Ritter (but it Minard, so I'm not sure why this is incorrect).  This is her first marriage.  

They were married by the Justice of the Peace.  I cannot read the Justice's name.  I do know that Annie's family was Catholic however they were not married in the Church, at least not in the records available for the Church her family went to, St. Peter and Paul, Alton, Illinois.

 

1899 City Directory for Alton, Illinois.  He is listed as Robert W. Wuerz (wf Annie) lab, r 618 Summit.  

Now I have a middle initial.  W.  It doesn't seem to help in my search though.  

29 June 1900  Their son Conrad Francis Wuerz is born.  I do not have a birth record for Conrad but I do have his baptism and it lists his father as Robert Wuerz. While digging through the Church records for St. Peter and Paul I came across the baptism of another child of Robert and Annie!  I do not know what happened to this other son.  

Ancestry.com. Illinois, U.S., Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield Sacramental Records, 1853-1975 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018.
Original data: Accessed 16 Dec 2020

Joseph Shaffer Wuerz born on 12 May 1902 and baptized on 21 May 1902.  

Ancestry.com. Illinois, U.S., Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield Sacramental Records, 1853-1975 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018.
Original data:  Accessed 16 Dec 2020

The odd thing is that Annie marries James Frasier on 20 Aug 1902 in Alton.  Three months after this baby, Joseph was born and Baptised!  

Ancestry.com. Illinois, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1800-1940 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.

Original data: Marriage Records. Illinois Marriages. Various Illinois County collections.
Accessed 16 Dec 2020

The only other record I have located with Robert Wuerz in it was the 1901 City Directory where he is listed the same as in 1899. 

What happened to Robert Wuerz?  Did he die?  Did Annie and he get divorced?  And now, what about this baby Joseph?  There has been NO indication of this child at all!  Did he also pass?  


So I am still at a loss with what happened to Robert Wuerz.  Grandma Marion only provided me the following  information, "My Dad was born a Wuerz but raised a Frasier."  I have found evidence of her father, Conrad actually using the Fraiser last name until he had to use Wuerz legally when he got married.  She never knew or she never told me what happened to Robert and definitely nothing about this baby Joseph.  

As usual, more questions than answers. Y'all got any ideas?

Found note: A Widow's Sorrow

My husband's grandmother, Marion Inez Widger Schaal, passed away at the age of 91 on 11 January 2020.  My inlaw's had been cleaning out her house because she had been moved into a nursing facility prior to her death.  My mother-in-law picked up photos and anything that might be family history related for me.  Among the things she brought to me was a tiny little notebook with birth and death dates written in.  I don't know who it belonged to as it pre-dates Grandma Marion. 

I should add that the house Grandma Marion lived in has been in the Schaal family as far back as 1860!

Here is a photo of the front of the notebook.

There are several pages filled with writing.  I will be going through the pages and making posts with information for each page that I can document.

Some of the most interesting things in the notebook are 3 pages written by a grieving wife.  They are dated 1923-1924.  Below are the photos and transcriptions of each page.

2-1-23
Belleville IL

My Dear One-
All day my thoughts have been of you but oh I feel so sad, would love to live one week of the time when we were both cheerful & glad.  But those days may never be again.

2-12-23
At the house alone with my thoughts. Oh why should our lives be so shattered why couldn't you always be near.  So we could love forever, oh why should anyone interfere.  One who knows.




12.23.23
Time brings changes.
The time goes by like a dream, Dear, yet the thoughts of you always stay, but oh I get so discouraged & heartsick. It seems like I never can pray.

Your own
  True wife.

To my Loved One.
The days what once were joyful and glad ar enow dreary, lonely, and sad.

Mar 28.24

Oh I am so blue I don't know what to do. I only wish I was far away or resting in the silent clay.


I do not know who wrote these words.  I surmise that she lost her husband prior to 1923.  In looking at the family tree, I see that George Schaal, SR my husband's great-great-grandfather died of influenza in 1920.  He lived in the house that Grandma Marion lived in.  Could this be his wife, Elizabeth?  It's possible.