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Contents:

Photographs

Paper Trail (census, marriage license, draft registration, death certificate)

Click on image to enlarge. Once enlarged, to zoom, move cursor to right of image, back onto image, and click again.

Pretty sure this is Joe as a boy.	Joe with his brothers and two sisters. He is second from the right.	same day, with brother Harry at the wheel, brother Edward in the back seat, and Joe on the (English version) of the passenger side.
9-28-1921 marriage license between Joe and Jessie allowing any person legally authorized to solemnize marriage between them	Joe on the right, his wife Jessie in the middle, and the man on the left looks related to Jessie. Dated on the bottom 10-3-15, so baby is Coletta?	Joe on a swingset
Joe	Joe and his four daughters	Joe's mass card 1928
Joe's tombstone, St. Mary's Cemetery, Evergreen Park. It is right behind the tombstone of his parents

Paper Trail

1900 census, Chicago Ward 30, District 945, 418 W. 58th St.

Anton Wachdorf, age 39, born May 1861, married 18 years, immigrated 1865, naturalized, engineer-loco

wife Annie, age 39, born May 1861, mother of 8 of whom 8 are living

daughter Clara, age 17, born June 1883, milliner

daughter Katherine, age 15, born Aug 1884 (no profession listed, nor "at school")

son Henry, age 13, born Aug 1886, at school (Harry)

son Edward, age 11, born Aug 1888, at school

son Joseph, age 8, born June 1892, at school

daughter Coletta, age 5, born May 1895

daughter "Mary," age 2, born July 1897 (Mae)

daughter Frances, 10 months, born Aug 1889

(NOTE: neighbor is John C. Miller, policeman, with sons John F. born in 1887 and Andrew born in 1894. John F. is witness on marriage certificate of Edward Wachdorf and Andrew is witness on marriage certificate of Joseph Wachdorf)

1910 census, Chicago Ward 31, District 1338, 316 W. 58th St.

Anton Wachdorf, age 45, in 1st marriage 25 yrs, column for immigration year says "?", naturalized, engineer--bridge co

wife Anna, age 45, mother of nine of whom 9 are living

daughter Catherine, age 25, packer--Stone Bros.

son Henry, age 23, chauffeur--automobile (Harry)

son Joseph G, age 17, messenger--railroad

daughter Coletta, age 14

daughter "Mary" A, age 11 (Mae)

daughter Frances B, age 9

daughter Magdalena, age 7

(Note son Edward is living at 355 W. 58th with his new in-laws, the Pflegers.)

9-21-1914 Marriage License (above in photo gallery) lists Joseph G. Wachdorf, age 22, permitted to marry Miss Jessie McCormick, age 21. At the bottom Edward Mallon, priest, certified that he performed the marriage 10-6-1914, but I can not make out the name that Old St. Mary's is listed under.

10-6-1914 (per Archdiocese records, register of Old St. Mary's, Chicago, obtained by Joe's granddaughter): husband = Joseph G. Wachdorf of 316 W. 58th St., shipping clerk, age 22, son of Anton Wachdorf from Germany and Anna "Kline" from Chicago, religion Catholic. Wife = Jessie J. McCormick of 346 W. 58th St., age 21, single, daughter of Charles McCormick from Boston, Mass. and Mary Drouin from France, religion Catholic (Note: license 677405 bride a convert, banns dispensed). Witnesses = Andrew P. Miller and Coletta Wachdorf. Priest = Edward T. Mallon C.S.P.

1917 draft registration: Joseph George Wachdorf of 216 W. 61st St, born 6-6-1892, shipping clerk for Tricolator of 64 E. Lake St. Medium height and slender with brown eyes and dark brown hair. Dependents: wife and two children. Reason for exemption: sole support of family.

1920 census Chicago Ward 31 District 1896 5568 Shields Ave, renting (appears to be a 3 flat, around the corner from 58th St)

Joseph Wachdorf, age 27, packer--clothing co

wife Jessie, age 27, born IL of father born MA, mother born IL

daughter Coletta, age 4 yrs 10 months (census taken in January), born IL

daughter Ruth, age 3 yrs 10 months, born MI (her death certificate also says born Michigan)

daughter Leona, age 1 yr 11 months, born IL

daughter Blanche, age one month, born IL

Jessie Wachdorf died 9-18-1922.

The final paper evidence of Joe is his death certificate. At the time of his death his address had reverted to his parents' house. The information on the certificate was provided by his brother, Harry, who said that Joe was widowed, husband of the late Jessie Wachdorf. Occupation: filling attendant. Name of employer: unknown. His cause of death was organic heart disease, "duration 6 months," but he had been attended by a physician since April 25. He is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Evergreen Park, IL.