Living married Living [Group Sheet]

1. Living
2. Living

Notes:

Hudson was the oldest surviving child of John and Estella Sonnenberg, born in Hartford, IL. Hudson and his future wife Adair were neighbors in IL and later met in Aruba where both their parents were working for Standard Oil. Hudson and Adair married in Aruba and had their first two children there, they left to come back to the US when it was apparent that war was imminent. Hudson was drafted to serve in WWII and was stationed for a while in Atlantic City, NJ where his wife and 3 children visited him on weekends. After an honerable discharge due to severe medical problems but with a highly satisfactory rating and a promotion to corporal, Hudson left the army in 1943. He held a few odd jobs but then was hired as a stock broker by Merril Lynch brokerage firm. He later broke away from Merril Lynch and formed his own stock brokerage firm at the Waldorf Astoria in NY. After one year he established his firm in Linden, NJ where the family was residing. Hudson died unexpectedly of a stroke shortly before his 4

Hudson often spoke of his mother's birthplace and the caves nearby where he would go to play as a child. The caves had been inhabited by the likes of Jesse James and the Dalton Boys at some time according to local lore and Hudson remained fascinated with Western lore all of his life. He was a tall and handsome man with black hair and striking blue eyes, a meticulous dresser and was well spoken. He had a great sense of humor and playfullness and his early death was a great loss to the family.

Hudson married Living [Group Sheet]

Notes:

John Sonnenberg woked for Standard Oil in Aruba. He and another employee, Mr. Kerrigan, invented an improved method of processing crude oil.

Obit--

John J. Sonnenberg, died at the age of 65 at his home in Elizabeth, NJ. Mr. Sonnenberg was a groceryman in Hartford, IL and was then employed at Std Oil Co. in Wood River, IL at the time of its construction, then later at the refinery in Aruba until being transferred to Elizabeth, NJ. He was one of the 11 children of the late George and Anna Sonnenberg who predeceased him, as did 5 brothers, 2 sisters, his wife, and 2 children. He is survived by 2 sons, Hudson Sonnenberg of Linden, NJ and Morris Sonnenberg of Lebanon, Il and 4 sisters: Theresa Owens of Wood river, Elizabeth Hemmer of O'Fallon, Margaret Mayer of St. Louis, and Alberta Biggs of St. Louis.

Note: a female was born to John Joseph Sonnenberg and his wife Estella Hawk Sonnenberg, it was apparently sometime before the birth of Hudson, but nobody knows anything else about it other than that she did not survive.

John Sonnenberg was born in KS but moved to Il as a small child. He was living in Franklin County at the time of his marriage to Estella Hawk in 1912, it is supposed that he was there with his uncle, Daniel Sonnenberg. It is not clear how John and Estella met, she had recently moved from Iron County, MO to Madison Co, IL, perhaps they met there but this is only a guess.

During their early years, John and Estella owned a grocery store in Hartford, IL and lived upstairs with their 3 children. The store went out of business eventually, most likely due to the depression and the inability of people to pay their bills. After closing the store, Estella opened a restaurant and John worked for Std Oil.. They were relocated to Aruba about 1931, and then transferred to NJ about 1938. John and Stella owned a large house in Elizabeth, NJ and rented out some rooms for extra income.

John married HAWK Mary Estelle on 11 Nov 1912 in Franklin County, IL. Mary (daughter of HAWK William and LONDON Martha A) was born in Feb 1894 in Ironton, MO; died in May 1949 in Elizabeth, NJ; was buried in St. Gertrude's Cemetery, Colonia, NJ. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

For most of her life, Mary Estelle was known as Stella. She reported that she had been so small and sickley when she was born that they put her in a shoe box and filled it with cotton and placed the box by the stove to keep her warm. Stella did survive and grew to be a healthy 5' 6" tall.

Stella, her mother, brother, and younger sister Bessie moved to Madison Co, IL sometime shortly after 1910 where they are still found on the Ironton census records. Stella met and married John Sonnenberg in 1912, and her younger brother Jessie lived with them until his sudden death in 1928. Stella was known to all as a kind and generous individual who took care of her family and helped strangers in time of need.

The death of her youngest son, Jackie (Junior) in 1945 was devastating for Stella and she never seemed to quite recover from it. She attended church 2 times each Sunday, saying she was going once for Jackie and once for her. Stella died 4 years after the death of her son, from cancer which had spread throughout her entire body.

Edwin married EXTON Mary Margaret on 6 Feb 1915 in Wood River, IL. Mary (daughter of EXTON Worthy and MEYER Wilihmena Mae) was born in 1893 in Lake County, IN; died in 1921 in Wood River, IL; was buried in Upper Alton Cemetery, Alton, IL. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Sponsor for baptism was Peter Gans and Margaret Sommer

Obituary: Belleville, IL Daily Advocate, Tuesday, May 26, 1953

George M. Sonnenberg, 90, O'Fallon, Dies: Rites Thursday

George M. Sonnenberg, 90 years old retired oil refinery worker, died last night at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Hemmer, O'Fallon, IL. He had been in failing health eight months. Mr. Sonnenberg had made his home in O'Fallon 15 years. Prior to that he resided at Wood River, IL and a number of years ago at Lebanon.

He was born Dec 2, 1862, near Mokena in Will County, IL, son of the late Martin and Catherine Smith Sonnenberg. His wife, who died July 5, 1939, was the former Annie Schmidt, whom he married at Belleville in 1886.

He is survived by a son, John J. Sonnenberg, Elizabeth, NJ.: four daughters, Mrs. Elizabeth Hemmer, O'Fallon; Mrs. Margaret Mayer, Mrs. Anna Bates, St. Louis: Theresa, wife of Orval Owens, Wood River: a brother, John Sonnenberg, Benld: four sisters, Rose, wife of Irwin Strain, Collinsville: Mrs. Lena Davis, Carlyle: Mrs. Hanna Burlee, Chicago: Mrs. Marie Ostoff, Belleville, 20 grandchildren: 41 great grandchildren.

He was a member of St. Clare's Catholic Church, where funeral services will be held at 9 o'clock Thursday morning, the Rev. John Goetz officiating. Burial will be at St. Patrick's Cemetery, Alton, IL.

The body will be at the Wolfersberger-Meyer funeral home in O'Fallon until 8:45 Thursday morning when it will be taken to the church. Friends may call at the funeral home after 7:30 tonight.

Belleville News Democrat, May 26, 1953, pg 23

Sonnenberg, George M. of 111 East Adams Street, O'Fallon, entered into rest at 8:15 p.m. Monday, May 25. Beloved father of John J. Sonnenberg, Mrs. Elizabeth Hemmer, Mrs. Margaret Mayer, Mrs Anna Bates, and Mrs. Orval Owens. Funeral at 8:45 a.m. Thursday, May 28, from Wolfersberger Meyer Funeral Home, O'Fallon, to St. Clare's Church, O'Fallon, where the pastor, Father John Goetz, will officiate at 9 a.m. Burial in St. Patrick's Cemetery near Alton. Friends may call at the funeral home after 7:30 p.m. today.

1900 census records, Lebanon, St. Clair County, IL, number 266:

George Sonnenberg, 38,born IL, Father born Germany, Mother born Ger, laborer in coal mines.
Annie, 31, born Aug 1868 IL, Father born Germ, Mother born IL, had 8 children, 5 still alive
Mary, born May 1889, in KS
John, born Jan 1891 in KS
Elizabeth, born Aug 1895 in IL
Madgalene (Margaret), born Sept 1897 in IL
Frank, born Sep 1899 in IL

1910 census records Lebanon, St. Clair County, IL, number 404:

George Sonnenberg, 48, born in IL, Father born Ger (Poland), mother born Germany, Blacksmith
Annie, 42, born IL, father born Germany, Mother born PA, had 11 children, 7 still alive
Mary, 20, born KS
John, 18, born KS
Lizzie, 14, born IL
Madgalene (Margaret), 12
Frank, 10
Alberta, 8
Theresa, 6

1920 census records, Wood River, Madison County, IL:

George Sonnenberg, 64 years old, born IL, father born Ger, Mother born Ger, laborer at oil refinery
Annie, 52, born IL, father born Germany, mother born PA
Frank, 20
Theresa, 14


1930 census records, Wood River, Madison County, IL:

George Sonnenberg, 67, born in IL, parents born in Germany, salvage man at oil refinery
Annie, 62 years old, born in IL, father born in Germany, mother born PA

Shortly after they were married in 1888, George and Annie left Illinois for KS, perhaps George went to be with his brother Peter and Peter's wife. Within the next five years, George and Annie came back to IL and stayed there until their deaths.

George married SCHMIDT Anna on 1 Oct 1886 in St. Clair Co., Belleville, IL.. Anna (daughter of SCHMIDT Johann Christian and GEINES Christina) was born on 21 Aug 1868 in Lebanon, IL; died on 5 Jul 1939 in O'Fallon, IL.; was buried in Jul 1939 in St. Patrick's Cemtery, Alton, Madison County, IL. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Baptism: By Fr. Agratho Maria OSB, sponsors: Anna Wircherpfennig and Bernard Vollum.

Newspaper clipping:

Annie Sonnenberg--Date of Birth August 21, 1867, date of death, 7/5/1939. Services Sat. July 8th, 9AM at St. Bernards Church (Wood River, IL). Officiating clergyman Rev. Father E.J. Douglas, Internment Greenwood Ceme, Alton, IL.

Notes:

1876 State Census for Iron Co, MO, Township of Union:

William Hawk, age 18-21
Martha A, age 10-18
Emily F, under 10 years

1880 census Records, Iron Co, MO, Township of Union:

William Hawk, 22 years old, born in MO, Father born MO, mother born MO, farmer
Martha A, 22, wife, born in MO, father born NC, mother born TN
Emily, 5 daughter
Bertha, 3, daughter
George B, 4 months (born Feb 1880), son
Lidda Niss, 50, keeping house, born NC, Father born TN, mother born NC

Purchased 80 acres in Wayne Co (border of Iron Co) on 4/29/1893. Was listed on 1880 census records for Iron Co and also on 1900 census records, so could not have been on the land in Wayne Co for too long.

1900 Census Record for Iron Co, Arcadia, Twp:

William Hawk, born November, 1856 in MO, parents born unknown, day laborer, out of work 1 month during year, is literate and speaks English, rents a home.
Marth A, wife, born April 1858 in MO, father born NC, mother born TN, mother of 9, 7 living, is illiterate, can speak English.
Molisy, born July 1885 MO, literate
Mittie, born Feb 1898 MO, literate
Jessie, born July 1891 MO, at school
Stella, born Feb, 1894 MO, at school.

It is not clear when William died, he was alive on the 1900 census records but not there in 1910. His widow and children moved to IL sometime shortly after the 1910 census records were taken.

William married LONDON Martha A in ABT. 1874 in Probably Iron Co, MO. Martha (daughter of LONDON James Alexander and BERRY Rutha) was born in Apr 1858 in Madison Co, MO; died on 21 Apr 1916 in Madison Co, IL; was buried on 24 Apr 1916 in St. Patrick's Cemetery, Alton, Madison Co, IL. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Martha was born in April, 1858, the same month her mother died. Martha was the first and only child of James London and Rutha Berry, Rutha's father had died 4 months before his daughter. Martha can be found on the 1860 census records living with her father in Madison Co, MO, Liberty Township, Fredericktown, MO. They are family number 376, James London, 23 years old, born in NC, farmer, Martha A. London, 2 years old, born MO.

Martha can be found in the 1870 census records in Liberty Township, Madison County, MO, livng alone. Her father had remarried and started a new family and Martha was not included in that family. She is listed as 12 years old, born in MO and living with the Lwellen family who were farmers from KY. Not only is Martha without a family, she is not attending school and cannot yet read and write.

The next census record, 1876, Martha is found livng with her husband and children. Since the first child was born in 1875, the marriage most likely took place in 1874 when Martha was 16 and her husband was 18.

Martha had apparently moved with her two children, Mary Estelle and Jessie, to Wood River, IL sometime after 1910 from Iron Co, MO. She and Katarina Sonnenberg (future mother in law of Mary Estelle (Stella) who would marry John Sonnenberg in 1912, bought a family buriel plot in Alton, IL (Madison Co) sometime before her death there in 1916. She and Katarina and Jessie Hawk, as well as George Sonnenberg and his wife Annie, are all buried there. Her son, Jessie Hawk, witnessed the death certificate. Cause of death was heart failure, with general dibility a contributing factor. Attending physician was H.B. Giths from Woodriver, IL.

1910 Census Records, Iron Co, MO, Arcadia Twp (Pilot Knob)

Martha Hawk, 48 years old, born MO, widowed, 9 children, 5 alive, rents a home, cannot read or write
Jessie, son 19, laborer in factory, can read and write
Stella, daughter, 16, in school, can read and write
Bessie, 6

There is some confusion on number of children reported born by Martha. On 1900 census records she reported 9 children born and 7 living, in 1910 she reported 9 children with 5 alive, but at least one child (Bessie) was born after 1900 making total born 10 or more.

Adair Sonnenberg, daughter in law of Stella Hawk Sonnenberg, reported that she had been told that the father of Stella (William Hawk) had been shot in the back by an irate husband for some inappropriate behavior with the husband's spouse.

Samuel married PHIPPS Mary Leola on 28 Sep 1895 in Rosedale Township, Jersey County, IL. Mary (daughter of PHIPPS John Thomas and BRYANT Mary Mathilda) was born on 24 Oct 1880 in Richwood Township,Jersey Co, IL; died on 10 Aug 1973 in St. Louis, MO; was buried in Doniphan,Ripley County,MO. [Group Sheet]

Worthy married MEYER Wilihmena Mae in 1893 in Lake County, IN. Wilihmena (daughter of MEYER Jacob M. and FELKER Wilhemina May) was born in 1870 in Cleveland, Ohio; died in 1907 in Lake Co, IN. [Group Sheet]