Today’s birthday girl is Elma Elizabeth Klemp, who was born on June 30, 1899, so today would be her 125th birthday. Elma was the firstborn child of Ruben and Caroline (Deimund) Klemp. A previous post titled, Ruben Finds a Deimund, was written about Elma’s parents. Elma was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. A transcription of her baptism record is shown here.

Elma was just a baby when the 1900 census was taken. Her father was a blacksmith in the Cinque Hommes Township.

Next, we find Elma in the 1910 census. She was listed as being 10 years old, and her father is said to be a farmer this time. Three more Klemp children had been added to this family in the previous decade.

That census would turn out to be the last one in which we find Elma living in Perry County. When the 1920 census was taken, she was living in St. Louis where she was a servant in the Alfred Tuholski household.

Now, we will take a look at the man who would become Elma’s husband. His name was Charles Edgar Rhodes, who was born on April 30, 1899. Several later documents say that Charles was born in Bessville, Missouri, which is a small unincorporated village in Bollinger County. Early in his life, he was called Edgar, but later, he was mostly called Charles, so I will use that name. Charles was the son of Daniel and Martha (Masters) Rhodes. His grandmother had the maiden name of Bess, so it makes me wonder if Bessville was named after her family. Charles is found in the 1900 census at the age of 1. He had several older siblings. His father was a farmer. He is listed as Edgar in this entry.

In the 1910 census, Charles was once again called Edgar, and he was said to be 11 years old.

Charles had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. He was a conductor for the United Railway in St. Louis. That likely meant that Charles was a conducter on a street car. He was just 18 years old.

I was unsuccessful at finding Charles in the 1920 census. I figure that he was either living in St. Louis or Chicago, but I did not locate him in either place.

Charles Rhodes married Elma Klemp on April 16, 1921. A marriage record for this couple is found in a list of marriages that took place in Cook County, Illinois, which is where we find the city of Chicago.

It was not long after this wedding that Charles and Elma are found back in St. Louis. Their only child, Charles Edgar Rhodes, Jr was born in 1922 and baptized at Emmaus Lutheran Church in St. Louis. The baptism record for that child is displayed below.

A photo was taken of Charles, Sr., Elma, Charles, Jr., and Hilda Klemp, Elma’s sister, in the 1920’s.

The Rhodes household is found in the 1930 census in St. Louis, but for some reason, Charles is called Elmer. Charles is called a manager of a window shade company.

It must have been in the 1930’s that Charles and Elma were divorced. In the 1940 census, we find Elma, who was once again using her maiden name, living with her son and a brother, Melvin Klemp. Melvin Klemp and Charles Rhodes were both in a shade cleaning business.

I was unable to locate Charles, Sr. in the 1940 census, but I did find some documents that seem to display a move that Charles made in the 1940’s. In 1944, the employee’s card shown below says he was in St. Louis, and his employer was the Frisco Employee’s Hospital Association.

In the next year, we find this emplyee record for the U.S. Chicago and North Western Railway which shows Charles living and working in Chicago in 1945. He was called a machinist helper at the Proviso Round House.

Elma was back to being called Elma Rhodes when the 1950 census was taken. She was living by herself.

Charles Rhodes, Sr. experienced a very tragic death in 1962. He died in a house fire in Lutesville, Missouri at the age of 63. His obituary shown here describes some more details about his life. His ex-wife is not mentioned in this article.

We can take a look at Charles’s death certificate below.

Charles is buried in the Glen Allen Cemetery in Bolliinger County.

Elma Rhodes died in 1963 at the age of 63. We can also view her death certificate.

Elma is buried in the Valhalla Cemetery in St. Louis along with her son, Charles, and his wife, Bette.

A few other photographs I found show Elma over the years.

I really dislike telling stories that involve a divorce, but it is a fact of life. I consider it one of life’s tragedies. However, this story includes another tragedy of a man dying while trapped in his own house as it burned.