More about Julia

At last, I’m at the computer updating my blog. It’s been an interesting several days. Last week, my husband had a procedure performed on his eye which took me out of pocket for a couple of days. Then, Monday, I did my civic duty and reported to the Daley Center in downtown Chicago for jury duty. Normally, I love jury duty and have happily served for three trials (civil); however, this time with a prediction of large amounts of snow coming on Tuesday, I was hoping I would languish away in the assembly room and be dismissed at the end of the day.

My panel was called at about 11:45, just when I thought they might be sending us out to lunch! We spent the next hour in the courtroom as the judge and lawyers picked their jury. I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when the rest of us were released, completely, at about 12: 45.

Well, now, what to do with my afternoon? I grabbed some lunch at the State of Illinois building across the street and then went back to the Daley Center, but this time I headed for the Cook County Archives on the 11^th floor. I’d take the opportunity to see if I could find divorce records for both of the Julia Ruch marriages.

I’d just recently learned of her first marriage to Peter Jacobsen in 1892 and she is listed in the 1900 census as divorced. Somewhere between those years there must be some legal papers. Julia married Charlie Brown in 1901; he lists her as next of kin on his WWI registration in 1918; she is living alone but as married in the 1920 census; in 1930, she is listed as widowed.

The Archives has microfilmed indices of both the Superior and the Circuit Court files from 1871. After some searching, I found the divorce for Jacobson, Peter and Jacobson, Julia Rush in 1897. I’ve ordered the file and hopefully will be able to have it copied and sent sometime next week.

I didn’t find a divorce for the Brown marriage, but I may not have looked far enough. I had forgotten she was listed as married in 1920 and was thinking a divorce probably occurred between 1918 and 1920. I still find it interesting that she is listed as widowed in 1930 (Charlie died in 1926) and she is also listed in her mother’s probate in 1931 as the widow of Charles Brown. According to his death records he had remarried and his spouse’s name was Freda. The question remains was there a divorce? So far no marriage record has been found for Charles and Freda (Friederika Kolvitz Walker) but she is listed in the 1930 census with the surname of Brown.

I was very pleased to be home watching the blizzard arrive on Tuesday afternoon, though not so pleased about clearing all that snow. My husband was forbidden by the doctor to shovel or even use the snow blower. (I actually felt sorry for him because he was so upset he couldn’t help me.)

For now, I must get back to my Leisure family.