Life in the Twentieth Century

A brief description of Joseph and Colletta’s children follow:

Olivia ZIMMERMAN was born in 1892. Olivia married Fred KRAMER (1887), a machinist. They lived at 1703 Spruce and had 10 children: Edward H (1914), Coletta H (1915), Sylvester C "Sonny" (1916), Kathleen L (1918), Virginia R (1920), Maurice W (1923), Thomas R (1924), Delores A (1925), Mary Margaret "Maugie" (1927), and Eleanor Anne.

Agnes Josephine ZIMMERMAN was born 15 Aug 1893. Agnes began working as a domestic about the age of 16. In 1910, she worked for Adolph RAKERS, a baker, at 643 Hampshire. In 1920, she worked for J.M. WINTERS at 1807 Jersey. She then married William ROEHL in 1920. The picture to the right is of Agnes about 1920. Her life is described later in this chapter.

Reinfreda (Freda) ZIMMERMAN has born 8 Oct 1984. Freda married Frank WATERKOTTE (1895), a carpenter and construction contractor, on 2 Sep 1918 in St. Frances Catholic Church in Quincy. They lived at 10th and Oak Streets and had 5 children: Frank Jr (1912), Orville (1914), Arthur (Father Silvin) (1915), Donald H (1917), and Vivian (1918). Frank Sr died on 27 Dec 1975 and Freda died on 22 Jan 1979 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Quincy.

Margaret ZIMMERMAN was born in 1896. Margaret married Martin BERGMAN, a farmer in Adams County who died in an explosion in 1931. Margaret and Martin had two children: Russell (1919) and Rita (1924). After Martin’s death, she then married Ernest J. KITTLE, who had one son (Ernest Jr.). Margaret is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Quincy – between her two husbands.

Lawrence J. ZIMMERMAN was born 8 Jan 1898. Lawrence married Elizabeth (Bess) SINNOCK on 29 Oct 1940 at St. Francis Catholic Church in St. Louis, Missouri and they lived at 701 Oakland in Quincy. He worked in his father’s business and later established ZIMMERMAN Refrigeration Sales and Service Co. in Quincy. He retired in 1978. Lawrence and Bess had no children. Bess died on 12 Jul 1965 and Lawrence died on 3 Feb 1981 in St. Mary’s Hospital. He lived at Good Samaritan Home prior to his death.

Richard ZIMMERMAN was born 24 Dec 1903. Richard married Clara HUMMEL on 7 Apr 1937 at St. Francis Catholic Church in Quincy, Illinois. Clara was born on 18 Nov 1907, the daughter of Charles and Catherine BAUMGARTNER HUMMEL. Richard and Clara lived at 2047 Cherry St. in Quincy. They had no children. Richard was employed for many years in the maintenance department of St. Mary’s Hospital and later went into business for himself as a carpenter. Clara was employed for many years as a cook at St. Mary’s Hospital. Richard died on 3 Aug 1964 at the home of his brother-in-law, Robert HUMMEL. Clara died in the TimberPoint Health Care Center in Camp Point, Illinois on 2 Jun 2002.

Alfred ZIMMERMAN was born on 26 Aug 1905. Alfred married Eleanor and in the 1930 census, they lived in Cook County, Illinois. Alfred was working as an auto mechanic. They later moved to Los Angeles, California. Alfred died there on 5 Oct 1969.

Ralph ZIMMERMAN was born in 1912. Ralph married Marjorie KOERLIN on 24 Oct 1940 at St. Francis Catholic Church in Quincy, Illinois. Ralph worked with his brother, Lawrence, in the heating and air conditioning business and later owned an ice cream store in Quincy. Ralph and Marjorie operated Zim’s Drive-In from 1959 to 1984. They had seven children (Ann, Janet, Mary, Bron, Wayne, Carole, and Kent). Ralph died on 7 Nov 1974 and Marjorie died on 21 Aug 1999.

Two other children died before they were a year old. Francisca died November 20, 1902 at 5 months and 5 days old. The family story was that she was sitting on Agnes's lap and someone spilled hot coffee on them. Francisca died about a week later from the burns. The second child that died early in life was Henricus (Henry) he died on June 28, 1901 at 10 months old. The family story here is that he died of exzema. It is a skin condition that is still around today but we now have antibiotics, sulfa drugs and steroids to combat this. Both of these children were buried in unmarked graves at St Boniface Cemetery near where their grandparents are buried.

Joseph John ZIMMERMANN died on 20 May 1923 at the age of 57. His widow, Coletta, died on 22 May 1937 at the age of 66.

William & Agnes’ Adult Life

After their marriage in 1920, William and Agnes lived at 313 North 13th Street in Quincy. William continued to work as a carpenter and Agnes worked part time cooking and cleaning for other families. On 10 August 1922, their first child was born – Mary Louise ROEHL. In his spare time and between jobs, William began to build a new home for his family at 811 North 16th Street. He put a tremendous amount of effort into constructing a dwelling that would provide a place for his family to live throughout their lifetimes.

On 25 January 1927, Elizabeth Agnes "Betty" ROEHL was born. Richard William ROEHL then followed on 19 September 1929. Life for William and Agnes must have seemed wonderful at that time – they had a beautiful home, solid employment, and three healthy children.

The 1920s had been a decade of peace and prosperity. The stock market had soared from 60 to over 400 and the construction business was operating at full speed. Then on 24 October 1929 the stock market crashed, ushering in the Great Depression. The Quincy economy suffered the same impact as the rest of the country. Construction projects quickly ground to a halt as building loans were cancelled. Employment opportunities for carpenters were virtually non-existent. With no regular income, the ROEHLs could not keep up with mortgage payments on their home and the loan provider foreclosed. In 1933 the family moved to a rental property a few blocks away from the family home.

Probably the lowest point in William’s life must have been when he had to personally move all of the family possessions down the street with a hand push cart. Mary remembers that her father never recovered from the emotional impact of losing his “dream home”. The following few years were very difficult for the William ROEHL family. From time to time the family would relocate to other cities if a job became available. At times they lived in Indiana and Kansas. Between jobs they were on Public Aid. Toward the end of the 1930s, William began to work as a laborer at Gardner Denver, a position he then held until his retirement.

Throughout their married life, Agnes cleaned and cooked for other families to supplement their income. She was an expert cook and was known for her excellent bakery goods, jellies, and soups. Agnes was a devout member of St. Francis Catholic Church and a member of the Catholic Daughters of America and The Third Order of St. Francis. Some of her favorite free time activities included playing bingo and cards. For many years William suffered from poor circulation and in 1951 the doctors decided that he would have to have his left leg amputated above the knee. That surgery was performed at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, with recovery at Jefferson Barracks Hospital in south St. Louis. After several weeks of recuperation, William returned to his home at 1837 Chestnut in Quincy. He later received a wooden leg through the Veterans Administration in St. Louis, but spent much of his waking hours in a wheel chair. In many ways Agnes was probably the more conservative and disciplined partner in the marriage. In spite of the tragedies that had impacted his life, William always managed to maintain a jovial personality. Even during his recovery in the St. Louis hospitals, the family remembers he was cheerful during their visits. He liked to listen to baseball games on the radio and especially looked forward to attending wrestling matches in Quincy with Agnes’ brother, Lawrence. He always enjoyed a daily jug of beer, but Agnes never drank. Like many in Quincy, William would make his own beer and wine (even root beer for the children). William’s son-in-law, Norbert EISING, remembers that William provided advise and assistance when he built a free-standing garage in 1953. Confined to a wheel chair, William could measure and cut lumber, explain what to do, and fill the day with chatter. His granddaughter, Shari BORLIN, remembers that William would hide bananas for the children. She loved to ride around their house in his wheel chair. After William’s death on 17 May 1953, Agnes moved to a senior citizen complex near 24th and Broadway. She lived in her cheery apartment at 2909 Spring for many years. The picture to the right is of Agnes, circa 1965.Agnes suffered from diabetes and was constantly on the receiving end of non-productive lectures from her doctors to lose weight. Whether it was an automobile ride around Quincy or an airplane flight to California to visit her son, Agnes loved to travel. She made several trips to California, even after she was in her 80s. When she could no longer live by herself, Agnes moved in with her daughter, Betty HOCHGRABER. Agnes died on 17 April 1977. Both William and Agnes are buried in Calvary Cemetery in Quincy.

WILLIAM AND AGNES ROEHL'S CHILDREN

Mary Louise ROEHL was born on 10 August 1922 in St. Mary’s Hospital in Quincy. She attended St. Francis School at 17th and College for 8 years of grade school and Notre Dame High School (an all-girls school). Mary’s graduation picture is to the right. After graduation, she went to work at the telephone company as a switchboard operator. As a new employee, her hours were the least desirable (noon to 9PM or 1PM to 10 PM). For this, she started work at $9/week, with raises every 3 months.

Florence STALLMANN was Mary’s friend in high school. At some point she introduced her cousin, John Norbert EISING, to Mary. Mary and Norb dated for several years. World War II took him off to the Alcan Highway in Canada and then to Fort Cheyenne, Colorado. On 1 April 1944, while Norb was on furlough, the two were married at St. John’s Church in Quincy.

After the end of World War II, Mary and Norb returned to Quincy, where they have spent the remainder of their married lives. The couple had four children:

Shari Louise EISING – born 7 March 1946; married Dr. David Dee BORLIN on 11 October 1969; lives in Chesterfield, Missouri.

Kay Ellen EISING – born 24 February 1951; married James KAYSAR on 28 August 1971; lives in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

John Norbert EISING, Jr. . – born 26 July 1957; married Diana KIRK on 16 April 1988; lives in Freeburgh, Missouri.

Deborah Ann EISING – born 11 October 1958; lives in Curryville, Missouri.