In one of my previous posts, I wrote about Samuel Zimmerman, considered the founder of Niagara Falls, Ontario and a victim of the Desjardins Canal Disaster. While researching Samuel, I discovered that his son Richard married a woman who was almost 15 years younger than him, less than a year before he died. While Richard's wife Emma Rogers appears in the 1891 census on her own as a lodger in the 1891 census(1), it seems that Richard and Emma may have conceived a son before Richard passed away in 1888, or at least Emma's son said they did. The first record that I discovered for George was his 1929 marriage to 18 year old Dorsia Lefretta Schriver, in Toronto. George, a bachelor states he was born in Ohio and gives his parent's names to be Richard Zimmerman and Emma Rogers. He then goes on to state that his age is 24, which of course is quite impossible if Richard is in fact his father.(2)
George of Illinois
George of Illinois appears in the 1910 Census of the United States of America in Chicago, Illinois. He had his wife Clara have two children, Violet (born 1909) and Lillian (born 1910). George and Clara have been married for 2 years and George is a carpenter in the railway industry. His birthplace is Illinois and the family is renting a house at 5327 Shields Avenue. The parents of both Clara and George were recorded as being born in Germany. It's recorded that Clara and George were both born in Illinois(3)
I uncovered not one but two items related to George of Illinois with regards to WWI. His US WWI draft card, dated 5 June 1917, where he has requested an exemption due to his 3 dependents (wife and 2 children). In this record it states that George is a natural born American, born in Chicago. He was a car builder for Lakeshore & M.S and lived at 5438 Shields Ave. His race is Can(adian).(4) The second record I find, under a year later for George, a steamfitter served in WWI with the Railway Construction Depot M.D #2. HE attested in Toronto on 17 April 1918 and he stated that was born in Toronto on 19 July 1886. At the time of his attestation, he lived with his wife Clara at 5438 Shields Ave, Chicago Illinois. He was 5 ft 7.75" with brown hair, blue eyes and tattoos on his left and right arms. (5)
I was able to find George of Illinois' obituary which reveals the name of this parents, and they are not Richard and Emma.
George son of Emma
Still perplexed about George of Illinois, I turned back to George son of Emma. Emma and George appear in the 1910 census living in Newark City, Ohio. He is 6 years old, his birthplace is Ohio and his mom's birthplace is Iowa(6) Emma's birthplace of Iowa contradicts her marriage record, which states she was born in Guelph Ontario. Thus begins a new sideways search. Is it possible that this is a third George who coincidentally has a mom named Emma and a dad named Richard? After building her tree a bit, the earliest records that I can find for Emma is the 1880 census, where her family is living in Iowa, and her birthplace appears as Ontario.(7) Phew, I think I am going to assume there isn't a third George! Emma and presumably George continue to reside in Newark City in 1911(8) but my next encounter with George and Emma is the 1931 census of Canada where he is living with his mom at 1915 Manning Avenue in Toronto (same address that appears on his marriage record). Emma is a 62 year old widow, and George is a 26 year old single man employed as a city dairy driver. Dorsia is nowhere to be seen....(9)
I don't see Dorsia again until 1949, the same year that Emma passes away. Doris Zimmerman, a forelady is living at 129 Westmoreland Ave, Davenport (Toronto) with a 26 year old printer named John Zimmerman, a labourer named Richard Fitzsimmons, Edna Horton an operator, and Vernon Horton, an upholsterer .(10) It's quite a discrepancy in age for John, who would presumably have been born after his parents marry. Turning my search to John in the hopes of finding George, or at least confirming that George is John's father, I discovered that John Albert Zimmerman moved to California around 1963, at which time he was issues a social security number. He states that he was born in Toronto, Ontario on 3 April 1927 to Doris Scriver and George Zimmerman. A little closer to the date of his parent's marriage but still 2 years a bit to early(11) John passed away 12 Mar 1994 and was living in Long Beach, California at the time.(12)
(1)Year: 1891; Census Place: St James Ward, Toronto City, Ontario, Canada; Roll: T-6371; Family No: 103
(2)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Series: MS 932; Reel: 908
(3)1910 United States Federal Census Year: 1910; Census Place: Chicago Ward 30, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T624_276; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 1319; FHL microfilm: 1374289
(4)
(5)Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; CEF Personnel Files; Reference: RG 150; Volume: Box 10680 - 30
(6)1910 United States Federal Census Year: 1910; Census Place: Newark Ward 4, Licking, Ohio; Roll: T624_1204; Page: 14b; Enumeration District: 0090; FHL microfilm: 1375217
(7)1880 United States Federal Census Year: 1880; Census Place: Iowa, Jackson, Iowa; Roll: 346; Page: 480A; Enumeration District: 318
(8)U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995
(9)1931 Census of Canada Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Seventh Census of Canada, 1931; Folder Number: T-27302; Census
Place: Toronto Northwest, Ontario, Canada; Page Number: w
(10)Canada, Voters Lists, 1935-1980. Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Voters Lists, Federal Elections, 1935-1980
(11)U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
(12)U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1936-2007
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