The Joliet Connection: George David Willig and Anna Mary Willig

Background

      Initially, I intended to research Carl Heinrich Willig next. He is listed in several Ancestry trees as the brother of John Willig and the father of John C. Willig. But there were a number of items that did not fit well. In addition, he was from the north side of Chicago and there did not appear to be a lot of overlap with known Willig relatives.
      On the other hand, there are 2 Willigs, George David Willig and Anna Mary Willig that I have stumbled across several times when investigating known Willig relatives. In addition, they both had a connection with Joliet, Illinois, where George Willig, attendee at John Willig's 90th birthday party, was born.

      In this post, I have 2 goals:

1. Investigate the relationship between George David Willig and Anna Mary Willig. I believe they are brother and sister.
2. Investigate the relationship between George and Anna Mary Willig and the currently known Willig relatives in that generation, John Willig and Frederick Willig. I believe they may all be siblings or possibly cousins.

Early Hints About George David Willig

      In 1914, a Christina Willig, widow of George, was living in Hammond, Indiana. Dan's great-grandfather, John C. Willig, was also living in Hammond with his wife Minnie, daughter Anna and daughter Louise. In addition, John C. Willig's son, Carl Willig, was living in Hammond with his wife Irene... Christina is living about 3 miles from John C. Willig and about 2 miles from Carl Willig.  

Ancestry; U.S. City Directories; 1914; Hammond Indiana.

   
      In 1917, Christina Willig, widow of George, was again living in Hammond, Indiana. Dan's great-grandfather, John C. Willig, was also living in Hammond with his wife Minnie, daughter Anna and daughter Louise. Christina is living within 2 miles of John C. Willig. George Willig, son of the immigrant Fred Willig, is working in Hammond, but living in Hegewisch.

Ancestry; U.S. City Directories; 1917; Hammond Indiana.

   
      Christina's husband George died in 1904. Her daughter, Rhoda Mary Willig Strom, died in 1911 in Hammond, Indiana. Christina may have initially moved to Hammond to be closer to her daughter. However, her son-in-law, Charles Strom, does not appear in either the 1914 or 1917 city directory, so he may have moved away after Rhoda's death.

      By itself, these entries do not tie Christina and George Willig to John C. Willig, but it is an initial clue.

George David Willig: Early Life

      George Willig was born about June 1844 in Germany, according to the 1900 census. According to this same census, he immigrated in 1866. However, according to the 1880 census, he was born in 1845 (or even 1846).

George David Willig: Marriage to Rhoda Stewart

      George must have married Rhoda Stewart in about 1872. They had 4 children together: Byrum/Byron (b. 1873), Cora Elizabeth (1876), Frederick Charles (1878) and George (1880). In 1880, the family was living in Lockhart in Pike County, Indiana. George is working as a farmer and Byrum is attending school. All the children are listed as born in Indiana.  

      Byrum appears to have run away from home as a young boy. (See Life in Joliet below.) He was married to Mary Ann Schwartz for about 12 years and they had at least 2 children together.   They divorced in 1908 and I have no further record of him.

      When Cora was about 10 years old, it appears that she was criminally assaulted and a South Side Chinaman was sentenced to 3 years in prison for the offense. Cora married Fred Bishop in 1902 in Kankakee, but they did not appear to have any children. In 1910, 3 of Cora's brothers were living with them: Fred, George and Ferdinand. The Bishop family moved to Nevada. Later, Cora and Fred divorced and Cora lived with her brother Fred.

Newspapers.com; The Inter Ocean (Chicago), 21 Oct 1886, Page 8.

       Fred Willig married Marie Matz in 1901 and they appeared to have 1 son together (Corliss) before Marie died in 1908. He moved out to Nevada with his siblings, Cora and Ferdinand. He died in 1958 in Stanislaus County, California. 

      In 1900, George Willig lived with his family in Chicago Heights and was a laborer in a mill. In 1910, he was living with his sister Cora and 2 of his brothers, but no occupation was listed. He later lived in Hammond, Indiana, probably with his stepmother. He died in 1917, aged 36, in the Indiana Village for Epileptics.   

      Rhoda died on February 11, 1884, and was buried in Selvin Cemetery in Selvin, Warrick County, Indiana, about 10 miles from Lockhart, Indiana. 

George David Willig: Marriage to Christina Baum

      George Willig married Christina Baum on November 15, 1884, in Spencer County, Indiana, after obtaining a marriage licence on that same day.

Ancestry; Indiana Marriages 1810-2001; George Welleg.

Another marriage record gave his mother as A. Henstein, but there appeared to be a number of errors in that record.

      George Willig and Christina Baum had 2 children together: Rhoda Mary Willig and Ferdinand Wilson Willig. Rhoda was born on December 22, 1885, in Indiana. She married Charles Strom in Kankakee on April 14, 1904. The Strom family lived in Chicago Heights for a while and then in Hammond, Indiana. Rhoda died in Hammond on March 5, 1911. George's son, Ferdinand Wilson Willig, was born in Morgan Park, Illinois, on June 13, 1895. He lived in Harvey, Illinois, but later lived in Nebraska, Nevada and California. He married Inez Eckerd, with whom he had 2 children. He died in 1958 in San Joaquin, California.

George David Willig: Life in Joliet, Illinois

      After the birth of his daughter Rhoda in 1885, the family must have moved to Joliet, Illinois! According to city directories for Joliet, George Willig worked at J. I. & B. F. Company in 1888. (I believe this may be Joliet Iron and Blast Furnaces.) Joliet Iron and Steel Works was once the second largest steel mill in the U. S., but in 1889, it was acquired by Illinois Steel Company. This may explain, why in 1889, George Willig worked as a shoemaker.

NOTE: Initially, I had assumed that the George Willig in Joliet in 1888 and 1889 was actually the George Willig that was the son of Frederick Willig, immigrant! I thought that because George (son of Fred) had been born in Joliet. Even though this latter George's family had moved to Russell County, Kansas, I assumed that he had returned to Joliet to work before getting married in Hegewisch, Illinois, in 1894.

Ancestry; U.S. City Directories 1822-1995; Joliet Illinois 1888; George Willig.

Ancestry; U.S. City Directories 1822-1995; Joliet Illinois 1889; George Willig.

      There are 2 documents, however, that are fairly convincing for the George in Joliet actually being George David Willig!
      First, there is the naturalization record of 1892. This document states that George Willig, born in Germany, was naturalized January 22, 1892, in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Furthermore, John Willig was a witness! I believe this is the John Willig that had the 90th birthday party in Blue Island. The back of the index card, under 'other facts of record' seems to provide the date October 27, 1888, although the date is difficult to read, and references the Circuit Court in Will County at Joliet, Illinois. So, George declared his intention to become a citizen in Joliet in 1888, and then became a citizen in 1892 in Chicago... Since George Willig (son of Fred) was born in this country, the naturalization record must be for George David Willig!

Ancestry; U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes 1791-1992; George Willig (front). 

Ancestry; U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes 1791-1992; George Willig (back). 

      Second, there is a notice in the Chicago Tribune paper of Barum Willig being lost since October 30, 1888 (for about 8 days) in Joliet, Illinois. George David Willig's eldest son was Byron A. Willig and he would have been 15 years old at the time. Although the facts are not exact, I am convinced that this is George David's son! Byron must have been found because he went on to have a family. I am guessing that he ran away from home. His mother died in February 1884 and his father married a second time in November 1884.

Newspapers.com; Chicago Tribune 07 Nov 1888, Page 10, Column 2. 

      So George David Willig came to Joliet some time between 1886 and 1887. He had probably moved away by 1892, when he was naturalized in Cook County.
      We know that Fred Willig lived in Joliet from at least 1867, when his son George was born. He stayed until at least 1877. Sometime between 1877 and 1880, he moved to Russell County, Kansas.
      So at this time, it is not clear what took George David Willig to Joliet! Were there other relatives still living in Joliet? Did several Willigs live in Joliet very early?

George David Willig: Life in Chicago Heights, Illinois

      In 1900, the only census in which George Willig appears with his second wife, George is living in Chicago Heights Village with wife Christina, 4 of his children and a boarder named John Clayton. Cora (23) and George (19) are from his first marriage and Roda (14) and Ferdinand (4) are from his second marriage to Christina. George's listed occupation is running a boarding house.

      George Willig died on May 17, 1904, in Kankakee, Illinois. He was probably visiting Kankakee since his daughter got married in Kankakee on April 14 of that same year. He did not leave a will and his wife petitioned to have Ellis G. Klingler of Chicago Heights, most likely a neighbor, be named administrator.

Early Hints About Anna Mary Willig

      When researching Friedrich Willig, I found the passenger list below! Friedrich departed from Bremen, Germany, and arrived in New York City on the bark, 'Columbus' on September 12, 1862. He was 21 years old, born in Hessen, worked as a carpenter and listed his destination as Chicago. Also listed is a Marie Willich, age 24, born in Hessen and destined for Chicago. Even though the last name is spelled differently, I believe this is Fred's sister! 

Ancestry.com;  New York, passenger Lists, 1820-1957;  Fried. Willig.  

      Furthermore, this date is consistent with the 1863 immigration date reported for Anna Mary Willig in the 1900 census. Ancestry actually transcribed the immigration date as September 12, 1863, but when I viewed the document, it looked like September 12, 1862.
      There is also a passenger list record for Anna Willig, 17 years old, from Hesse, sailing from Le Havre, France, to New York City, on the E. D. Peters, arriving in New York City on May 28, 1857. At this time, though, I think the above record is a better fit!

Life of Anna Mary Willig

      Anna M. Willig was born January 12, 1839 in Germany. Her birthplace is given as 'Fre.man, Germany' and the birthplace of both parents is given as 'Breeman, Germany'. I am not sure how to interpret this! Were they actually born in Bremen or is this a reflection of the fact that when they came to the United States, they departed from Bremen!  However, Fred's obituary states he was born in Bremen, Germany!
      According to her death certificate, her parents were Conrad Willig and Dorothea Amonstern.  As noted above, George David Willig's parents were given as Conrad Welleg and D. Anstein. I believe this fairly conclusively identifies Anna Mary Willig and George David Willig as brother and sister.

Ancestry; 'Cook County, Illinois, Deaths Index, 1878-1922'; Anna M. Vebele.

      Anna married her husband, George Uebele, in about 1864, according to the 1900 census. George was born in 1839 in Switzerland, immigrated in 1856, and was naturalized in 1860. In 1865, G. D. Uebele is on a U. S. IRS Tax Assessment List for Joliet, Illinois. He is listed as a butcher and is assessed $10. Based on this, it appears that Anna M. Willig was probably living in Joliet, Illinois, when she met and married George D. Uebele! Fred Willig, with whom Anna appears to have come to the United States, was living in Joliet in 1867, when his son George was born!

Ancestry; U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists; G D Yebele.

      George may have, though, actually been a resident of Chicago, with some business in Joliet. In the 1864 city directory for Chicago, he is a butcher, living at 168 Harrison. In 1875 and 1878, he owns a market at 82 W. Van Buren. By 1900, he owned his home at 9201 Commercial Avenue, in Hyde Park Township, free of a mortgage and was working as a saloon keeper.

      The 1900 census also states that Annie had had 1 child, but 0 were living. At the same time, there is a George D. Uebele, age 16, living at the same address. George Jr. was born in February 1884, perhaps in Kansas, perhaps in Indiana. I think the likeliest explanation is that they had a child who died and later adopted this George D. Uebele, Jr. I say this because in the Oak Hill Cemetery, there are 3 Uebele's: Anna, George D. Sr. and a third entry that was probably an infant... At the same time, George Uebele Jr. does claim George D. Uebele Sr. and Anna M. Willig as his parents in the record for his marriage to Clara Louise W. Behrens. George Jr. married 3 different times: to Florence Irene Hart in 1904, to Clara Louisa Wilhelmine Behrens in 1909, and to Estelle E. Kraus. George Jr. has numerous articles written about him due to dramas surrounding his marriages and he is described as a wealthy Chicago merchant, son of a millionaire real estate man and son of wealthy South Chicago parents.

      Anna died on August 6, 1919, in Chicago, Illinois. She was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Hammond, Indiana, 3 days later.

      In 1920, Anna's husband George is still living at 9201 Commercial Avenue, with a Hungarian-born married housekeeper. George's occupation is listed as retired butcher!

      George died on July 29, 1925, in Cook County and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery with his wife. George Sr. is listed as a retired merchant, living at 9747 Commercial Avenue.

      There is one item that perplexes me. George D. Uebele Sr. appears to have been a butcher and may have owned a market at one point. Is this really the George D. Uebele who was a wealthy real estate man?!   
    

Summary

      I believe that George David Willig is related to other known immigrant Willig relatives in his generation as follows:

1. I believe that George David Willig is related to John Willig (1841) because John Willig is a witness at his naturalization hearing on January 22, 1892, in Cook County.
2. I suspect that George David Willig is related to Fred Willig (1843) because they both lived in Joliet, Illinois, although admittedly not at the same time! Fred Willig appears to have left Joliet between 1877 and 1880 to go to Russell County, Kansas. George came to Joliet about 1886-1887... George named his second son Fred and Fred named his eldest son George.
3. I suspect that George David Willig is related to John C. Willig (1860) because George's widow lives about 2-3 miles from John C. Willig in Hammond, Indiana... John C. Willig named his youngest son John Fred.   

      I believe that Anna Mary Willig is related to other known immigrant Willig relatives in her generation as follows:

1. I strongly believe that Anna Mary Willig is related to Fred and believe she is probably his sister! Anna and Fred came over on the same ship, both were born in Bremen and both appeared to live in Joliet, Illinois, about 1865.

      I believe that Anna Mary Willig and George David Willig are brother and sister because both have a father, Conrad Willig. Anna's mother is given as Dorothea Amonstern and George David Willig's mother is listed as D. Anstein.

      In summary, my best guess at this point is that Fred Willig, Anna Mary Willig and George David Willig are all siblings! 

Willig Overviews

I have created 2 pages on this blog to help layout the relationship between the early Willigs in the Chicago area. 

1. Early Willigs in Chicago Area, Diagram.
2. 4 Willig Immigrants, born about 1840.  

Sources

1. Ancestry, www.ancestry.com 
2. www.newspapers.com