Edwards

Edwards is my maternal great grandmother, Emma's, maiden name.  The graphic below begins with her, her parents and grandparents to the right and her spouses and children below her.

When I first began my research on my maternal grandmother's side of the family it was incredibly difficult.  Both of her parents died when she was very young, so she didn't know very much about them.  She didn't have any photos or records of any sort and is not in touch with any family members that could possibly have information.  All I had were a few names and some rough timelines.  I took to the ancestry.com and rootsweb.com message boards in search of help.  Some very helpful people were able to connect me to census records, cemetery information and a ship's manifest for my grandmother's father's family, but it took quite a while before I received any information on Emma Edwards and her family.  I first posted in the message boards regarding Emma in January of 2007.  Finally, three years later, I received an email from one of the daughters of Willis Hartwig, who was my grandmother's half brother.  I received two amazing things from them, a portrait of Emma and Emma's obituary.  The portrait was more than I could have ever hoped to receive and the obituary turned out to be the key to our research because it states where she was born.  This whole time I had been focusing my search on Green County, Wisconsin because that is where they all lived.  Turns out Emma was born in Gratiot in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, which is why I could not find her.  Once I had her birth place the pieces started to come together.  

I. Job Edwards and Mary Ann Scrion

Emma's grandfather, Job Edwards, is the oldest known ancestor in the Edwards line.  His family can be found on the 1880 federal census in Amboy, Lee County, Illinois.  His wife was Mary Ann Scrioen.  The census states that they are both 35 year old, so they were born about 1845.  Birthplace for both is England.  Job is listed as a railroad employee.  Children are listed on the census as follows: Herbert (which is Charles) age 11 born in England, Rosa age 10 born in England, Jane age 7 born in Illinois, Robert age 5 born in Illinois, Anna age 3 born in Illinois, and Susan age 2 born in Illinois.  The only other record I have containing Job and Mary Ann's names is Charles' marriage record from the Lafayette County courthouse.

II. Charles Herbert Edwards and Charlotte "Lottie" Francis Noble

Charles Herbert Edwards was born in November of 1868 in Martock, England.  He arrived in the United States around 1870 at the age of 2 (1900 federal census).  He married Charlotte "Lottie" Francis Noble on February 7th, 1899.  Their marriage record states the following:

LAFAYETTE COUNTY COURTHOUSE - DARLINGTON, WI

MARRIAGE VOLUME 6, PAGE 58

CHAS. HERBERT EDWARDS

Father-Job. Edwards

Mother-Mary Ann Scrioen

Occupation-Farmer

Residence-Warren, Illinois

BirthPlace-Martock, England

LOTTIE FRANCIS NOBLE

Father-George Washington Noble

Mother-Emma Elizabeth West

BirthPlace-Gratiot, Wisconsin

Marriage - February 7, 1899

Gratiot, Wisconsin

Presbysterian form of ceremony

Minister-Jas. T. Ford, Warren, Illinois

Witnesses-Anna Edwards and Christy Noble

Charles and Charlotte had four children; Fredrick b. 18 December 1899, Cecil b. 13 April 1901, Mildred b. about 1904, and Emma b. 21 September 1912.  The 1900 census shows the family living in Wayne Town, Lafayette County, Wisconsin.  The 1905 census shows them living in Gratiot, Lafayette County, WI.  The 1910 census shows them living in Shullsburg, Lafayette County, WI.  Then, Charlotte died on March 22, 1914.  Here is the death record:

DEATH-VOLUME 5 PAGE 1204

LAFAYETTE CO., GRATIOT TOWNSHIP

LOTTIE EDWARDS

Female-White

Married

D.D.-March 22, 1914 at 12:15 P.M.

D.B.-February 8, 1877 

Age-37years 1 month 13 days

Housewife

BirthPlace-Wisconsin

Father-Geo.W.Noble-Wis.

Mother-Emma West-Wis.

Cause-Pulmonary Abcess--non-tuberculon (5 days duration)

Contributary Cause-Pneumonia due to embolison in uterus (10 days duration)

Dr. S. Birbeck, Gratiot, WI

Burial - Gratiot M.E. Cemetery

Undertaker-Leo Bosch

Informant - Herb Edwards, Gratiot, WI

Out of the entire family, Emma is the only one that I can find on the 1920 census.  She apparently moved in with her maternal grandparents after her mother passed away.  It is so strange that I can't find any of the other family members.  Charles reappears on the 1930 federal census in Easton, Adams County, WI.  He is shown to be living with his brother, John.  Charles passed away in 1946.

Herbert and Lottie's Headstone
Photo from findagrave.com

III. Emma Lee Edwards

Emma Lee Edwards was born 21 September 1912 in Gratiot, WI.  Her father was Charles Herbert Edwards and her mother was Charlotte "Lottie" Francis Noble.  Her birth record reads:

LAFAYETTE COUNTY COURTHOUSE-GRATIOT TOWNSHIP

BIRTH - VOLUME 5, PAGE 291

EMMA EDWARDS

Number of birth order 4 (mother has had 4 children-all living)

D.B. September 21, 1912

Father-Herbert J. Edwards

Gratiot, WI

Age-46

B.P.-England

Occupation-Farmer

Mother-Lottie Francis Noble

Gratiot, WI

Age - 35

B.P. - Gratiot, WI

Housewife

Dr. H. Hayden, Shullsburg, WI

Emma wasn't even two years old when her mother passed away, and as I mentioned earlier, in the 1920 federal census, she is shown living with her maternal grandparents, George and Emma Noble, in Gratiot, WI.  The 1930 census shows her living as a servant with the Jacobson family in Darlington, Lafayette Co., WI.  On 18 December 1930 she married Robert Ruch in Freeport, Stephenson Co., IL.  They lived in Monroe, WI.  Together they had two children, Shirley Mae Ruch b. May 1931 and Wilma Arlene Ruch (my grandmother) born March 1933.  Robert died of a ruptured appendix on 24 March 1933, only a few short weeks after his second daughter was born.  Emma was remarried the following year to Dewey Hartwig.  She gave birth to their son, Willis Hartwig, on 5 February 1935 and passed away three days later, which orphaned Shirley and Wilma.  Here is the text from Emma's obituary:

Mrs. Dewey Hartwig, of Jordan Township, Dies

Death on Friday claimed Mrs. Dewy Hartwig, aged about 22, mother of three small children, in her home, Jordan township. She had been ill from pneumonia since Monday and on Tuesday she became the mother of a son.

She was born near Gratiot, her maiden name being Emma Edwards. On Dec. 18, 1930, she was united in marriage in Freeport to Robert Ruch. They farmed near Darlington, Monroe and Argyle until his death on March 24, 1933. Her marriage to Dewey Hartwig took place last year in St. John's Evangelical Church, Monroe. They had since resided on the Hartwig farm in Jordan Township.

Survivors are the widower, the 3 day old son, two daughters by her first marriage, Shirley May, aged three and one-half, and Wilma Arlene, not yet two; her father, Mr. Edwards, Gratiot, a sister in the northern part of the state and two brothers in Gratiot.

Emma's headstone, Greenwood Cemetery, Monroe, WI

It is so eerie to me that Emma lost her mother when she was only a year and a half old and my grandmother lost Emma when she was nearly the exact same age, and both Emma and her mother died in part to pneumonia.  Thankfully, my grandmother broke that eerie trend and is still alive today.  Emma lived such a tragic life.  Her mother died when she was a baby, her father couldn't take care of her, so her maternal grandparents took her in.  She became a servant as a teenager.  Her first husband died immediately after the birth of their second child and she passed away immediately after giving birth to her third child.  It truly breaks my heart.  

You can read more about Emma and how the photo of her above inspired me to start this genealogy blog here.

After Emma passed away, the children were all split up.  Shirley was raised by the Burkhalter family.  Wilma was raised by her Aunt Sophia Marti and her husband Alvin.  I believe Willis went to live with the Voss family.

IV. Wilma Arlene Ruch

My beautiful grandmother, Wilma

Thank you for taking the time to read through my Edwards collection.  If you are a decedent of an Edwards and think you may belong to my family tree, please leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear from you!