Elbert, Anna Maria

Other Events:

• Immigration: 1860
• Census: 1880, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
• Census: 1900, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
• Census: 1910, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Notes:

Census:
Anna Thoma's household was enumerated twice in the 1880 federal census. The first enumeration, in June, was rejected. The second, which seems to have been accepted as official, was dated November 1880. In the latter, Anna's family appears to be living at 220 Jackson Street. She was identified as married, 43 years of age, having been born in Bavaria, and was keeping house.

Census:
In the 1900 federal census, the Thoma family is living at 2331 South Second Street. Anna's date of birth was given as November 1838 and her place of birth was Germany. She had immigrated to the USA in 1860. Anna was the wife of Conrad Thoma; they had been married for 36 years. She was recorded as being the mother of 13 children, 5 of whom were still living in 1900 (compare these figures with those reported in the 1910 federal census).

Census:
In the 1910 federal census, Anna was head of a household at 208 Lami Street that also included her son, John. She was identified as a 71 year old widow who had been born in Germany and had immigrated in 1860. Anna is recorded as the mother of 9 children, 5 of them were still living in 1910 (compare these numbers with the enumeration in 1900).

Buried:
The funeral was from Our Lady of Sorrows Church (on Gravois). Burial was at New St. Marcus Cemetery.

Died:
Anna died at her home at 208 Lami Street in St. Louis, Missouri. The exact date is not yet determined. Some research states that she died in 1907. However the 1910 federal census finds Anna, age 71 and a widow, living with her son, John, age 32 and a widower. By the time of the 1920 census, John is residing in the household of his married sister, Louisa Merkel.

Anna married Schneider, Lawrence. Lawrence was born Abt 1805; died 16 Feb 1864, Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland, USA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Married:
Family tradition has it that Anna had been married to a much older man who was a saloon keeper in Baltimore, Maryland. This man died and Anna married Conrad Thoma.
     Part of this story appears to be confirmed by the documents which Anna filed with her application in 1903 for a widow's pension. On her Declaration for Widow's Pension Anna stated that she was a widow at the time of her marriage to Conrad Thoma. With her application, she included a letter from the Baltimore Cemetery Company (8 South Street, Baltimore, Maryland), dated January 16, 1904, certifying that Lawrence Schneider died of apoplexy [stroke?] on February 16, 1864 at the age of 59 years and was buried February 18, 1864 in grave No. 4, Lot No. 93, Section II "in said cemetery". The letter was signed by William R. Fluharty, Secretary. The letter bears the US Pension Office stamp with the date of February 9, 1904. There is also a letter dated April 1, 1898 testifying to the marriage of Conrad Thoma and Mrs. Anna Maria Schneider, nee Elbert, both of Baltimore City, Maryland on April 24, 1864 in Baltimore by the Rev. L. D. Ma_er, then pastor of St. Matthew's E[vangelical?] Lutheran Church of Baltimore, MD. Signed by the current pastor of the church, Ed. D[uber?] The letter bears the dated stamp (December 17, 1903) of the US Pension Office.
     It seems safe to assume that Anna Marie Elbert was the widow of a man named Schneider when she married Conrad Thoma. This earlier husband seems to have been Lawrence Schneider, who died in 1864 at 59 years of age (this gives him a date of birth about 1805). In 1903, when applying for the widow's pension, Anna stated her age as 65 years. This would give her a date of birth of about 1838. If it is true that she emigrated from Germany at the age of 18, this would have placed her in the U.S. in about 1856. There is a difference of 33 years between Anna's and Lawrence's ages. If the birth dates are correct and if they met and married after Anna's arrival in America, Anna could not have been younger that 18 and Lawrence could not have been younger than 51. Lawrence died in February, 1864, at the age of 59. Conrad and Anna were married in April, 1864. Conrad was discharged from the Army of the Potomac in October, 1861. His date of birth seems to be either 1837 or 1839; he and Anna were very close in age.

Anna married Thoma, Conrad 24 Apr 1864, Baltimore, Baltimore County, Maryland, USA. Conrad was born 11 Jan 1839, Kingdom of Württemberg; died 19 Oct 1903, St. Louis, Missouri, USA; was buried , St. Louis, Missouri, USA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

According to the Declaration for Widow's Pension, Anna and Conrad had 11 children, but only five were still alive in 1903, and all of these were over 16 years of age.

Married:

     In her Declaration for Widow's Pension (sworn to on November 16, 1903, and stamped by the US Pension Office on November 14, 1903), Anna declares that she was married to Conrad Thoma under the name of Anna M. Schneider and was a widow at the time of her marriage to Thoma. She further states that Conrad Thoma was single and had never been married before. A letter from the Baltimore Cemetery Company (8 South Street, Baltimore, Maryland), dated January 16, 1904, certifies that Lawrence Schneider died of apoplexy [stroke?] on February 16, 1864 at the age of 59 years and was buried February 18, 1864 in grave No. 4, Lot No. 93, Section II "in said cemetery". Signed by William R. Fluharty, Secretary. The letter bears the US Pension Office stamp with the date of February 9, 1904.

1. Thoma, Elizabeth was born 1863/4, Maryland, USA; died Yes, date unknown.
2. Thoma, Magdelena was born 15 May 1867, Missouri, USA; died 22 Feb 1949, Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA; was buried 26 Feb 1949, Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA.
3. Thoma, Rosa was born 6 Aug 1871, Missouri, USA; died 12 May 1956, St. Louis, Missouri, USA; was buried 15 May 1956, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
4. Thoma, Louisa was born 10 Jan 1876, Missouri, USA; died 23 Feb 1945, St. Louis, Missouri, USA; was buried 26 Feb 1945, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
5. Thoma, John was born 13 Sep 1877, Missouri, USA; died 3 Apr 1958, St. Louis, Missouri, USA; was buried 5 Apr 1958, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
6. Thoma, Barbara was born Oct 1879, Missouri, USA; died Yes, date unknown.