The 1920s

The Willems sisters families in Streator

The Sauer house at 1214 N. Shabona in Streator had nine inhabitants at the time of the 1920 census. The five oldest children had left home by then so there was head of the family, John, a car inspector, age 55, and his wife Margaret (formerly Willems) age 54.  Daughter Eva,17, also known as Effie, was an office girl for a local doctor. Sons Frank, 18, and Carl, 15, both worked in a factory, Raymond, age 11, went to school, and the youngest, six year old Margaret Sauer had yet not started school.
The Sauer's newly married daughter Justina and her husband Joe Hart, who worked as a glass cutter, were both recorded as being 23 years of age.

Katherine Willems Korstick Klever and family were living at 405 N. Everett in Streator.  The 1920 US Census recorded "Catherine" and husband John "Cleaver" living in the rear of the house with Katherine's 2 children by Karl Korstick and the two they had together.  Katherine's son Edward, more commonly known as Matthew, "Kostnick" and wife Clara were renting the front of the house from the Klevers.  (Matthew had served at headquarters of the 68th Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps during WWI.)
John, 57, still owned his grocery.  He and the 49 year old Katherine were both naturalized citizens. John's stepson's William, 18,  and Anthony, 16, both held jobs.  Neither attended school. William was timekeeper for a car shop, and his brother Anthony was an office boy for The Metal Stamping Works that manufactured card tables and music stands among other things. Anthony's 29 year old brother, Edward was a foreman at the Stamping Works.  Though the census didn't note such things, Edward and his 21 year wife Clara were expecting a baby.

The Wahl family of 1006 Bronson Street in Streator was enumerated as follows:
Nicholas Wahl, 53, and his wife Katherine, 58, both aliens.  Nicholas worked as a roadmaster for the interurban railroad.  They owned their home free and clear.  Nine of their ten children are listed though the two oldest sons have lines through their names indicating they likely didn't live at their parents address.  (Not listed was their oldest daughter Katherine who died October 28, 1918 at the age of 25.) Children listed were: Peter, 34, a railroad engineer; Karl (Charles), 32, a masher at the detinning works; Frank, 24, a track foreman for the railroad; James, 22, a laborer at the plate glass factory; and William, 20, a laborer at a washing machine company.  Anna, 19; Nicklos, 16, a laborer at a washing machine company; John, 13,  and Rose, age 11.

Joe Willems

In 1920 Joe was living at 126 South Kirkwood Road in Kirkwood, Missouri just outside St. Louis.  He was renting the space for his second hand store business and living at the same address.  Joe was 32 at the time of the census though he was listed as 34.  A 1923 city directory lists Joe Willems as a furniture dealer at 124 South Kirkwood Road.  This address is presently adjacent to two railroad tracks.

Beatrice, Nebraska
Frank and Louise's family of five was living on Lincoln Street at the dawn of the 1920s.  Thirty six year old Frank was working as a traveling salesman for an auto company and reported he'd become a naturalized citizen in 1919.  The family house was mortgaged.  M. Louise was 36, eldest daughter Emma, was 15, Eleanore, 11, and Leo, 8.  All three of the children were attending school. Luckily for them, the children's grandparents lived just blocks away to the north at 1421 Monroe Street.
Phillip Willems was reported as being age 61 when the census was enumerated in January of 1920 though he wouldn't reach that age until the following month.  Phillip's wife Katrina was 68.  Phillip was working out as a laborer at times and is listed as being a naturalized citizen in 1916, while Katrina is listed as an alien.  Phillip and Katherine still enjoyed traveling to visit family and with great distance between Annaheim, SK, Mission, TX, and Paris, AR, Beatrice, Nebraska was probably a good central location in which to live.
A Horrible Accident
It seems that tragedy after tragedy befell the Frank X. Willems family.  In 1920 three of their 5 children were living, but in 1925 they would lose Leo, their remaining son.  The fourteen year old boy was laid to rest in St. Joseph Cemetery, Beatrice, Nebraska near his brother Frank.

9-28-1925



Click on any image to enlarge

9-30-1925

Daughter Emma also died in a gun accident according to family lore.  John M. Willems son Frank wrote that she had "given a shotgun to her husband as a Christmas present.  That afternoon, eager to use his new gun, they drove out of town, stopped and got out of the car.  He reached down, picked up the gun, slipped on the ice and fell.  The gun went off and shot Louise, his wife."  Whether Louise was Emma's middle name or whether Frank mistakenly substituted that of her mother I don't know. Nebraska is a difficult state to research and from my computer I could find no record of her after the 1920 census- nothing of her marriage, death or burial.  A different story regarding the death of Emma was told by Frank's brother Aloys. In his story, people in an automobile were driving around the house in circles chasing jack rabbits and Emma was accidently shot and killed.  I believe the time of the year in his story was also Christmas time.  Whether either of these stories is accurate is anybody's guess!
A tornado unleashed it's wrath in 1928 when it blasted through the family chicken farm. The story was in places illegible, but here is what could be made out:

Tuesday, June 12, 1928 

Beatrice Vicinity Is Hit By Tornado

Buildings Unroofed by Storm Monday Night-

F.X. Willems has Heavy Loss at Farm Home 

BEATRICE, NEB-June 12- A tornado passed from the south

between this city and the state institution for the feebleminded

one mile west of here, during the night razed and unroofed

three businesses and completely demolished another killing

over two hundred chickens, the property of F.X.. Willems.

A … windmill and tower was twisted from its foundation and

fragments hurled for half a mile. Approaching the road north

the storm leveled an old hay barn after which the …. 

An eight inch board was driven completely through a 15 inch

telephone pole.  Both ends of the board of the board protruding

on either side in the form of a cross.  The pole was twisted off

twelve feet above the ground and holding together with cross

arms and …..buried several hundred yards north into a corn field.

Not a wisp was broken. No one was injured.

Tobias and Margaret Post move to Florida
The Post family had spent less than a decade in south Texas, and that was too long for Tobias. Though there had been no severe hurricanes while living in the Galveston area a descendant reports that flooding left them with few possessions. They made it out safely and settled in Jacksonville, where the family was enumerated in 1920. The census reported Tobias as 43, and "Margarite" as 46.
Times were hard for the family.  Their house at 1117 Dyal was mortgaged.  Tobias worked as a janitor in a dry goods store, while his son 17 year old Freddie was an apprentice at a stone works.  Freddie's sisters Anna, 19,  Louise, 15, "Therresa", 10, and 6 year old Clara who'd been born in Florida, all attended school.

The next post will be titled-
The 1920s-John and Anna Willems Family in Logan County, Arkansas 
If you know anything about the early model autos, trucks, or tractors John M. Willems owned please email me at katdan@centurytel.net.