Ida Magwitz was born on June 22, 1898 and baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown.  This is an image of her baptism record.

Ida was the daughter of Martin and Anna (Stelling) Magwitz.  This Magwitz family must have moved to the Farrar area not long after this baptism.  We find them in the Salem Township in the 1900 census.

Ten years later when the 1910 census was taken, this Magwitz family was living in the Bois Brule Township where Martin was still a farmer.

Ida was confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Point Rest, Missouri, which was located in the Mississippi River bottoms of Bois Brule Township.  Two other Magwitz children were also confirmed in that church.

We find that this family moved to Nebraska sometime in the 1910’s because Martin’s World War I draft registration shows them living in Shickley, Nebraska where he was a section hand for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company.

It was not long before her father filled out this form that Ida got married on August 21, 1917.  I could not find any official document for that wedding, but the date can be found on the zionrootsgenealogy.org website.  Ida married Arthur Kennard.  Here is a map showing the area around Shickley, Nebraska.

This map of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad lines includes Geneva, Nebraska.  Geneva is indicated by the red arrow on the left.

Arthur also filled out a World War I draft registration form.  He filled out his form in June of 1917, so he was still single at the time.  He was living in nearby Geneva, Nebraska.  At the time he filled out this form he was a farm hand.

The 1920 census shows the Kennards living in Geneva where Arthur was a garage mechanic.  The couple had one child at that time.

The 1930 census has this family living in Seward, Nebraska, home of Concordia Teachers College, my alma mater.  Arthur was an automobile mechanic.  They had 5 children then.

Their address was given as 446 N. 8th St.  Here is a map of Seward which shows their address.  I also placed an arrow showing the home in which I lived for one year when I was a students at Concordia.

In the last census in which we find the Kennards, they have returned to Geneva, Nebraska where Arthur is said to be a filling station attendant.  A sixth child was born in the 1930’s.

Before I move on with this family, I will point out that Ida’s parents are buried in the Vernon Cemetery in York, Nebraska which is not far from Geneva.  A few other Magwitz family members can also be found there.

Next, we see Arthur Kennard and his family in a 1946 city directory for Sterling, Illinois.

Arthur and Ida reportedly died in nearby Morrison, Illinois.  I find it interesting that Morrison and Sterling can be found along the railroad line of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad in the map shown previously.  They are noted by the red arrow on the right.

Arthur died in 1955; Ida died in 1973.  I was unable to find out where they were buried.

The little Magwitz girl born in 1898 in Perry County certainly had an interesting ride through her life.  Like an old-time train, she made several whistle stops.  I hope she never forgot her roots here.