The Quincy Contractor

The Early Life of Anthony Roehl

Anton Manderfeld RÖHL was born on 25 Apr 1865, the third child of Gertrude and Wilhelm RÖHL. Anton would have been almost 2 years old when he witnessed his mother’s rape and murder. As traumatic as this event must have been at the time, he probably had no adult recollection of his early life in Sigel Township. Once the family relocated to Mankato, Anton’s name was “Americanized” to “Anthony Manderfield ROEHL”. Before Anthony saw his seventh birthday, his mother, father, and younger sibling would have died and he would have acquired a stepmother, a stepsister, a stepbrother, a half brother and a half sister. When Anthony’s father died on 26 Dec 1870, he was left in the care of his stepmother, Mary Catherine ROEHL. In reality, she would be the only mother that he could remember as an adult.

Anthony would have attended school in Mankato, likely through the 8th grade. By 1880 his brother, John, and his sister, Suzie, would have left home to work (he as a farm laborer and she as a domestic servant). Anthony, then 16, would still be living at home, but working full time as a painter to help support the family. During the next 7 years, both Anthony and his half brother, Henry, learned the trade of carpentry. By 1887, Anthony, Henry, and Lizzie would have all moved to St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri. In 1887, Anthony was working as a carpenter for Phillip BUDDY, a contractor in St. Joseph. He also worked at a part-time job as a porter at the law firm of McKinney, Hundley & Walker. The 1887 St. Joseph City Directory indicates that he boarded at 1021 Frederick Ave. In early 1887, Tony left St. Joseph and moved to Quincy, Adams County, Illinois. In that city, on 12 July 1887, Tony married Katie KAY at St. Francis Catholic Church7-1. Tony was 23 and Katie was 22 at the time of their marriage. The 1887-88 Quincy City Directory indicates that Tony and Katie then lived at 649 Ohio Street.

At the age of 84, Anthony M. ROEHL died on 27 Mar 1948 in St. Mary’s Hospital in Quincy. The picture above is that of Tony a few years before his death. He had undergone surgery for stomach cancer on 1 Jul 1947 and was hospitalized for two months prior to his death. His funeral was at St. Francis Catholic Church, with burial in St. Boniface Cemetery. Pallbearers for the funeral were: Joseph SEIBERT, Frank WILPER, Carl HAXEL Jr, Richard ROEHL, Norbert EISING, and Alvin SCHMELZLEe. Two years later, at the age of 77, Katherine ROEHL died at St. Mary’s Hospital in Quincy on 10 Dec 1950.

Tony ROEHL’s Legacy

At the time of his death, Tony ROEHL left his widow, Katherine, two daughters, five sons, ten grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Two wives, one son, and one daughter had preceded him in death. In addition to his surviving family, Tony left a legacy of buildings, which he had constructed in the Quincy, Illinois area. During his 60-year residency in Quincy, Tony established a solid reputation as a fair and reliable contractor. He was well known and well respected by the community.

Lawrence George ROEHL was born on 8 Aug 1895 in Quincy, Illinois. Lawrence served as a Private in the Illinois 6th Calvary. He worked as a law enforcement officer in Missouri. William’s children remember Lawrence visiting Quincy with his police car. Lawrence would give the kids a ride in his car and sound the siren. He died in Mount Vernon, Illinois on 26 May 1939.

Anthony Frank (Tony) ROEHL was born on 8 Dec 1896 in Quincy, Illinois. The 1930 census indicates that Tony was living with his wife, Noma L. ROEHL, in Stockton, California. Noma was born 25 Jul 1902 in California. They had one son, Frank Ernest ROEHL, who was one month old at the time the census data was recorded. Tony worked as a salesman in the health services industry. He and Noma would regularly travel by bus from California to visit Quincy, often with a large quantity of walnuts from their yard. Noma suffered from poor eyesight, which prevented her from traveling in later life. Tony died in Dec 1976 [Footnote R6-3] in Stockton, California. Ernest and his wife, Gloria, lived in Yuma, Arizona and then moved to Warrington, Pennsylvania. As Noma grew older, a niece in Spokane would often visit and help her. When she could no longer manage by herself, Noma moved to Spokane for a while and then to Warrington, Pennsylvania, where she died on 15 Jun 1998.

Opinions and Footnotes

It is interesting to theorize how single fathers like Anthony managed to maintain their household, care for their children, and still earn a living at their normal job. In the late 1800s, one of the few opportunities for employment that young women could pursue after they left school was to become a “domestic servant”. In fact, about 10 per cent of the American homes in 1900 had a live-in domestic servant. By age 13 – 16, young women could leave home and receive room and board and, sometimes, used clothing in return for working up to 15 hours every day as a domestic servant.

R6-1 Illinois State Marriage Index, accessed via website: www.library.sos.state.il.us/GenealogyMWeb/marrsrch.html

R6-2 Freiburg Funeral Home Records (1896-1911), available at the Quincy, Illinois Public Library.

R6-3 Social Security Death Index, accessed from www.familysearch.com