I have previously written the story about the parents of today’s birthday girl. That post was titled, The Buchholz and Gentil Soap Opera. As that title implies, that story included some drama. I encourage you to read it to get some background on today’s main character. Today’s tale begins in Perry County, but it remains there just briefly.

Louise Marie Buchholz was born on November 8, 1894, thus making today her 130th birthday. Louise was the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Gentil) Buchholz. She was the oldest child in her family and baptized at Concordia Lutheran Church in Frohna. Since I am not in Altenburg for the next few days, I am unable to display any church records. Louise is found in the 1900 census at the age of 5. Since her family was living in the Salem Township, this entry is part of those pages that often are difficult to read. Louise’s father was a farm laborer.

After that census, Louise would no longer be found living in Perry County, or even Missouri. However, at least to begin with, she did not move very far from here. In the 1910 census, we find the Buchholz family living across the river in Grand Tower, Illinois. Louise’s father was still a farm laborer.

Louise would get married during the next decade, so we will now look at the man she would marry. His name was James Leonard Crisler, who was born on November 17, 1881. James was the son of Michael and Rachel Anne (Richards) Crisler. James was born in the Levan Township in Jackson County, Illinois. That township iis located between Ava and Murphysboro, Illinois. I never did find him in a census in which he lived with his parents. His father had died in 1897, and his mother then remarried. In the 1900 census, we find James living in the Andrew Ledbetter household in Levan Township. James was 18 years old and working on the Ledbetter farm.

I failed to find James in the 1910 census. In 1918, James had his World War I draft registration completed. He is given an Ava, Illinois address and called a handle sawyer. His employer was reportedly located in Cairo, Illinois. The nearest relative was Ann Smith. That was his mother, who had married James Smith.

Then, on September 13, 1919, James Crisler married Louise Buchholz in Murphysboro. I was only able to find that marriage information on an Ancestry.com family tree. I was unsuccessful at finding an official document for it. Then, in 1920, we find this couple living in Grand Tower, Illinois. James was a head sawyer at a sawmill.

In the 1930 census, we discover that James and Louise had relocated to East St. Louis, Illinois. This time, James is called a carpenter for a building construction company. The Crisler’s had 4 children, 3 girls and a boy.

James Crisler died in 1937 at the age of 55. His Illinois death record below says he died in Ava, Illinois but was buried in Grand Tower. His year of birth on this document was 1882, but I think that is incorrect.

James was buried in the Walker Hill Cemetery in Grand Tower. Findagrave.com has an entry for James in that cemetery, but no gravestone photo.

Louise Crisler is found in the 1940 census as a widow living in Ava, Illinois where she was called a laundress. Her daughter, Mary, was a teacher helper. The son seen in the 1930 census named Walter, died in 1931 at a very young age.

Louise’s daughter, Mabel, married Elmer Woodside in 1941, and that couple had a few children. I think Louise may have gone to live with her daughter and her family in East St. Louis in the 1940’s. Then, in early 1950, Elmer died, leaving Mabel as a widow. The 1950 census shows Louise living in East St Louis with the Woodside’s and another Crisler daughter. Louise was doing housework in a private home.

We can no longer view census entries after 1950, but we do know that Louise would be alive for 4 more censuses. Louise Crisler died in 1995 at the age of 100. Louise is buried in the Valhalla Gardens of Memory in Belleville, Illinois. Her gravestone says she was buried with her daughter, Shirley, but it gives no death date for Shirley. I found evidence that Shirley died in 2016.

Today’s birthday girl lived past her 100th birthday. She likely spent about only one decade living in Perry County. Almost all of her life was spent in various places in Illinois. Louise also spent more than half of her years as a widow and outlived at least 4 of her children.