Emma's siblings were Amanda Charlotte Gerling Kelso and Julius William Gerling. She had five half sisters and brothers who were born after her father remarried. She also had a step-sister for her step-mother had a child before the marriage to Christ Gerling.
My grandmother was a very loving person, even though she was raised by a step-mother who not only did not love her but barely took care of her growing up. Emma went to work at the local shoe factory after eighth grade and was determined to some how save enough money to escape her step-mother, which was not easy when she was required to give all her pay to her step-mother. She eventually did get enough to run away to St. Louis where she was lucky enough to get a job in a shoe factory there. She also was fortunate enough to find a rooming house with other girls who worked at the shoe factory who were also from the country in Franklin County where she had grown-up.
She met Charles Richard Armistead while she was living in St. Louis and working for a shoe company. On November 24, 1920 in St. Louis, Missouri, Emma & Charles were married. Her roommates, Minnie & Clara Armistead were first cousins of Charles and had introduced them. Emma and Charles had two children, one girl, Vivian Emma, and one boy, Charles James.
Charles and Emma retired to St. Clair, Missouri and Emma enjoyed her vegatable garden and flowers that she had a wonderful time planting and caring for. She was also a talented seamtress, since she worked as a top-sticher for the shoe company when she was employed all those years. She made several beautiful bedspreads from a crochet pattern and gave them to her daughter and daughter-in-law. She also sewed dresses for her daughter as she was growing up.
All of her grandchildren, nine in all, enjoyed staying at her home on the weekends and also a few weeks at a time in the summer.
Emma was a smart, common sense person who was a good cook and enjoyed her family. When she died in 1998, she was in her 97th year, she had out-lived all of her siblings and was a widow for twenty-five years. She not only had two children to mourn her loss, but a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, eight grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and five great-great- grandchildren to mourn her loss.
Emma's siblings were Amanda Charlotte Gerling Kelso and Julius William Gerling. She had five half sisters and brothers who were born after her father remarried. She also had a step-sister for her step-mother had a child before the marriage to Christ Gerling.
My grandmother was a very loving person, even though she was raised by a step-mother who not only did not love her but barely took care of her growing up. Emma went to work at the local shoe factory after eighth grade and was determined to some how save enough money to escape her step-mother, which was not easy when she was required to give all her pay to her step-mother. She eventually did get enough to run away to St. Louis where she was lucky enough to get a job in a shoe factory there. She also was fortunate enough to find a rooming house with other girls who worked at the shoe factory who were also from the country in Franklin County where she had grown-up.
She met Charles Richard Armistead while she was living in St. Louis and working for a shoe company. On November 24, 1920 in St. Louis, Missouri, Emma & Charles were married. Her roommates, Minnie & Clara Armistead were first cousins of Charles and had introduced them. Emma and Charles had two children, one girl, Vivian Emma, and one boy, Charles James.
Charles and Emma retired to St. Clair, Missouri and Emma enjoyed her vegatable garden and flowers that she had a wonderful time planting and caring for. She was also a talented seamtress, since she worked as a top-sticher for the shoe company when she was employed all those years. She made several beautiful bedspreads from a crochet pattern and gave them to her daughter and daughter-in-law. She also sewed dresses for her daughter as she was growing up.
All of her grandchildren, nine in all, enjoyed staying at her home on the weekends and also a few weeks at a time in the summer.
Emma was a smart, common sense person who was a good cook and enjoyed her family. When she died in 1998, she was in her 97th year, she had out-lived all of her siblings and was a widow for twenty-five years. She not only had two children to mourn her loss, but a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, eight grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and five great-great- grandchildren to mourn her loss.
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THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
Gravesite Details
Buried March 17, 1998