Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Mary B. Thill

I have been so busy just researching these Thill's. They were a prolific bunch! I've taken one child of Nicholas's to research at a time and have added quite a few cousins to my tree. As usual, there are some that tug at me for various reasons.

One such new cousin is Mary B. Thill. She was the daughter of Joseph and Mary (Strassel) Thill. I am hoping her middle initial "B" is for Barbara, her grandmother, but chances are, I'll never find out.

Mary, born January 28, 1871, was the first child of Joseph and Mary. The little I know about her, I have discovered from the census data. She is listed in each census year from 1880 until 1930, the exception being 1890 which was destroyed in a fire. In 1900, she can be found still living with her parents as she never married. When her father died sometime between 1900 and 1910, she continued living with Clara, her sister, Joseph, her brother and her mother. When Joseph married, she and Clara, along with their mother were still living in the family house on Loth Street, where they had been living since about Mary's birth.

Mary and Clara's mother died sometime after 1920. Mary and Clara must have sold the Loth Street house as they are found in the 1930 census living at 3229 Glendora Avenue. Also living in the house were owners, Edward and Henrietta Etterer. Mary made her living as a dressmaker while Clara worked as a bookkeeper in a gymnasium.

The last record I have about Mary is her death certificate. She died at the age of 62 from cirrhosis of the liver on June 9, 1933. Clara, her sister, was the informant.

As I got to know Mary through my research I found myself wondering what her life was like. I have no other resources that can help flesh out her day to day life. Was she happy? Did she enjoy life? Hopefully, through my research I will come across a living relative who might have knowledge or an artifact from Mary's life. It might sound far-fetched, but you just never know what will come your way through this hobby of genealogy.

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