Pearl Audrey Richardson was born to James Thomas "Doc" Richardson, a bricklayer, and his wife Lulu Caroline Baggerly.
Apparently Pearl lived a very colorful life.Her great niece Stephanie Richardson Baybert has written the following, after interviewing several family members who remember Pearl:
"She was a wild one in her time. Sold boot leg. Whiskey made in a cave near Saint Louis. Raised ducks, chicks and turkeys. Used to dye them for Easter and give each of us a colored one. She had a beaver coat and let me nap on it. She used cucumber face cream and I used to play in it. She was a great cook and her pies were tall with meringue."
My father, Joseph Richardson, told me also that she had a house of ill repute in St. Louis, and there was a sort of well with secret steps into the cave, where people could go to get their bootleg alcohol. He also told me a story of a time when Pearl was babysitting all the kids, her nieces and nephews. She took them to the park, to dig up some flowers for her garden. She told them that tax dollars had paid for them, so really they already were her flowers. She had a cabin Al Capone is rumored to have visited.
My mother, Pearl's niece-in-law, was a nurse at the hospital when Pearl came in for a surgery. The surgery was something fairly straightforward and Pearl was expected to pull through just fine, so no other family members were waiting, but a little while into the surgery they came out to tell my mother that Pearl had died.
"Aunt Pearl" as she was affectionately called, did help to care for her nephews James Pierson, Ernest Richard Pierson and Edward Albert Pierson, upon the death of their mother (Pearl's sister), Vilura C. Richardson Pierson. Ernest Richard always considered Aunt Pearl his surrogate mother. As far as I can ascertain, Pearl never had any children of her own.
I have located a marriage record for Pearl A. Richardson to Walter H. Belk in Franklin, Morgan County, Illinois on 13 September 1910. I have not located any documents to dissolve this marriage but I do believe that Mr. Belk passed away in 1914.
I have also located another marriage record for Pearl to a Joseph Richard Ganail on 30 January 1917 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. I have seen her husband's name spelled several different ways: GANAIL, GENIEL, JUNNELL, GENAIL. The newspapers of the day were notorious for misspellings and misprints. In one article I even found the spelling as SEAWILL. Based on my research, I believe that the correct spelling of his surname is GENAIL.
Pearl might have been married to another man by the name of ANDREWS. In a newspaper article (provided by Stephanie Richardson Baybert on FamilySearch.org) dated 16 September 1938, celebrating Pearl's parents 50th Wedding Anniversary, it states that their daughters name was "MRS. PEARL ANDREWS OF NEW BERLIN". At this time (13 Jan 2020), I have been unable to substantiate a marriage for Pearl and Mr. Andrews.
There is also another man named in family lore, called "JOE BLACK". I don't find any reference to him and Pearl, so if you know something about him and can verify a marriage/relationship, please contact me. My thought is that her husband JOSEPH GENAIL who was described with the following characteristics on 25 Apr 1942 on his WW II Draft Registration card, might have had the nickname of "JOE BLACK": white, 5'6", balding with brown hair, 198#'s, brown eyes, dark complexion, scar on nose and chin. On the 9 Apr 1940 US Census for Joseph Geniel it says that he is divorced and ls a GUEST living in The Alpine Hotel, 412 Pine St St Louis MO. His occupation is a Table Clerk in a Gambling House. He died 22 Feb 1962 in Franklin, MO.
With all of Pearl's known marriages and those that are suspected, it seems that she continued to use her given birth name, PEARL AUDREY RICHARDSON throughout her life and even upon her death. In her fathers Obituary dated 13 Jan 1950 she is called PEARL RICHARDSON. On her tombstone engraved in 1959 is: PEARL A. RICHARDSON. In her obituary dated 4 Mar 1959, her name is given as MISS PEARL A. RICHARDSON. Also engraved on her tombstone is "SISTER" and a single stemmed rose. At the time of her death in 1959, only one of her siblings was still alive. It was her youngest brother, NOBEL GLENN RICHARDSON. Unless Pearl left specific instructions or purchased the stone prior to her death, I guess the task of burying her fell to Nobel and he chose to engrave the tombstone as you see it today.
Apparently Pearl lived a very colorful life.Her great niece Stephanie Richardson Baybert has written the following, after interviewing several family members who remember Pearl:
"She was a wild one in her time. Sold boot leg. Whiskey made in a cave near Saint Louis. Raised ducks, chicks and turkeys. Used to dye them for Easter and give each of us a colored one. She had a beaver coat and let me nap on it. She used cucumber face cream and I used to play in it. She was a great cook and her pies were tall with meringue."
My father, Joseph Richardson, told me also that she had a house of ill repute in St. Louis, and there was a sort of well with secret steps into the cave, where people could go to get their bootleg alcohol. He also told me a story of a time when Pearl was babysitting all the kids, her nieces and nephews. She took them to the park, to dig up some flowers for her garden. She told them that tax dollars had paid for them, so really they already were her flowers. She had a cabin Al Capone is rumored to have visited.
My mother, Pearl's niece-in-law, was a nurse at the hospital when Pearl came in for a surgery. The surgery was something fairly straightforward and Pearl was expected to pull through just fine, so no other family members were waiting, but a little while into the surgery they came out to tell my mother that Pearl had died.
"Aunt Pearl" as she was affectionately called, did help to care for her nephews James Pierson, Ernest Richard Pierson and Edward Albert Pierson, upon the death of their mother (Pearl's sister), Vilura C. Richardson Pierson. Ernest Richard always considered Aunt Pearl his surrogate mother. As far as I can ascertain, Pearl never had any children of her own.
I have located a marriage record for Pearl A. Richardson to Walter H. Belk in Franklin, Morgan County, Illinois on 13 September 1910. I have not located any documents to dissolve this marriage but I do believe that Mr. Belk passed away in 1914.
I have also located another marriage record for Pearl to a Joseph Richard Ganail on 30 January 1917 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. I have seen her husband's name spelled several different ways: GANAIL, GENIEL, JUNNELL, GENAIL. The newspapers of the day were notorious for misspellings and misprints. In one article I even found the spelling as SEAWILL. Based on my research, I believe that the correct spelling of his surname is GENAIL.
Pearl might have been married to another man by the name of ANDREWS. In a newspaper article (provided by Stephanie Richardson Baybert on FamilySearch.org) dated 16 September 1938, celebrating Pearl's parents 50th Wedding Anniversary, it states that their daughters name was "MRS. PEARL ANDREWS OF NEW BERLIN". At this time (13 Jan 2020), I have been unable to substantiate a marriage for Pearl and Mr. Andrews.
There is also another man named in family lore, called "JOE BLACK". I don't find any reference to him and Pearl, so if you know something about him and can verify a marriage/relationship, please contact me. My thought is that her husband JOSEPH GENAIL who was described with the following characteristics on 25 Apr 1942 on his WW II Draft Registration card, might have had the nickname of "JOE BLACK": white, 5'6", balding with brown hair, 198#'s, brown eyes, dark complexion, scar on nose and chin. On the 9 Apr 1940 US Census for Joseph Geniel it says that he is divorced and ls a GUEST living in The Alpine Hotel, 412 Pine St St Louis MO. His occupation is a Table Clerk in a Gambling House. He died 22 Feb 1962 in Franklin, MO.
With all of Pearl's known marriages and those that are suspected, it seems that she continued to use her given birth name, PEARL AUDREY RICHARDSON throughout her life and even upon her death. In her fathers Obituary dated 13 Jan 1950 she is called PEARL RICHARDSON. On her tombstone engraved in 1959 is: PEARL A. RICHARDSON. In her obituary dated 4 Mar 1959, her name is given as MISS PEARL A. RICHARDSON. Also engraved on her tombstone is "SISTER" and a single stemmed rose. At the time of her death in 1959, only one of her siblings was still alive. It was her youngest brother, NOBEL GLENN RICHARDSON. Unless Pearl left specific instructions or purchased the stone prior to her death, I guess the task of burying her fell to Nobel and he chose to engrave the tombstone as you see it today.
Pearl Audrey Richardson was born to James Thomas "Doc" Richardson, a bricklayer, and his wife Lulu Caroline Baggerly.
Apparently Pearl lived a very colorful life.Her great niece Stephanie Richardson Baybert has written the following, after interviewing several family members who remember Pearl:
"She was a wild one in her time. Sold boot leg. Whiskey made in a cave near Saint Louis. Raised ducks, chicks and turkeys. Used to dye them for Easter and give each of us a colored one. She had a beaver coat and let me nap on it. She used cucumber face cream and I used to play in it. She was a great cook and her pies were tall with meringue."
My father, Joseph Richardson, told me also that she had a house of ill repute in St. Louis, and there was a sort of well with secret steps into the cave, where people could go to get their bootleg alcohol. He also told me a story of a time when Pearl was babysitting all the kids, her nieces and nephews. She took them to the park, to dig up some flowers for her garden. She told them that tax dollars had paid for them, so really they already were her flowers. She had a cabin Al Capone is rumored to have visited.
My mother, Pearl's niece-in-law, was a nurse at the hospital when Pearl came in for a surgery. The surgery was something fairly straightforward and Pearl was expected to pull through just fine, so no other family members were waiting, but a little while into the surgery they came out to tell my mother that Pearl had died.
"Aunt Pearl" as she was affectionately called, did help to care for her nephews James Pierson, Ernest Richard Pierson and Edward Albert Pierson, upon the death of their mother (Pearl's sister), Vilura C. Richardson Pierson. Ernest Richard always considered Aunt Pearl his surrogate mother. As far as I can ascertain, Pearl never had any children of her own.
I have located a marriage record for Pearl A. Richardson to Walter H. Belk in Franklin, Morgan County, Illinois on 13 September 1910. I have not located any documents to dissolve this marriage but I do believe that Mr. Belk passed away in 1914.
I have also located another marriage record for Pearl to a Joseph Richard Ganail on 30 January 1917 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. I have seen her husband's name spelled several different ways: GANAIL, GENIEL, JUNNELL, GENAIL. The newspapers of the day were notorious for misspellings and misprints. In one article I even found the spelling as SEAWILL. Based on my research, I believe that the correct spelling of his surname is GENAIL.
Pearl might have been married to another man by the name of ANDREWS. In a newspaper article (provided by Stephanie Richardson Baybert on FamilySearch.org) dated 16 September 1938, celebrating Pearl's parents 50th Wedding Anniversary, it states that their daughters name was "MRS. PEARL ANDREWS OF NEW BERLIN". At this time (13 Jan 2020), I have been unable to substantiate a marriage for Pearl and Mr. Andrews.
There is also another man named in family lore, called "JOE BLACK". I don't find any reference to him and Pearl, so if you know something about him and can verify a marriage/relationship, please contact me. My thought is that her husband JOSEPH GENAIL who was described with the following characteristics on 25 Apr 1942 on his WW II Draft Registration card, might have had the nickname of "JOE BLACK": white, 5'6", balding with brown hair, 198#'s, brown eyes, dark complexion, scar on nose and chin. On the 9 Apr 1940 US Census for Joseph Geniel it says that he is divorced and ls a GUEST living in The Alpine Hotel, 412 Pine St St Louis MO. His occupation is a Table Clerk in a Gambling House. He died 22 Feb 1962 in Franklin, MO.
With all of Pearl's known marriages and those that are suspected, it seems that she continued to use her given birth name, PEARL AUDREY RICHARDSON throughout her life and even upon her death. In her fathers Obituary dated 13 Jan 1950 she is called PEARL RICHARDSON. On her tombstone engraved in 1959 is: PEARL A. RICHARDSON. In her obituary dated 4 Mar 1959, her name is given as MISS PEARL A. RICHARDSON. Also engraved on her tombstone is "SISTER" and a single stemmed rose. At the time of her death in 1959, only one of her siblings was still alive. It was her youngest brother, NOBEL GLENN RICHARDSON. Unless Pearl left specific instructions or purchased the stone prior to her death, I guess the task of burying her fell to Nobel and he chose to engrave the tombstone as you see it today.
Apparently Pearl lived a very colorful life.Her great niece Stephanie Richardson Baybert has written the following, after interviewing several family members who remember Pearl:
"She was a wild one in her time. Sold boot leg. Whiskey made in a cave near Saint Louis. Raised ducks, chicks and turkeys. Used to dye them for Easter and give each of us a colored one. She had a beaver coat and let me nap on it. She used cucumber face cream and I used to play in it. She was a great cook and her pies were tall with meringue."
My father, Joseph Richardson, told me also that she had a house of ill repute in St. Louis, and there was a sort of well with secret steps into the cave, where people could go to get their bootleg alcohol. He also told me a story of a time when Pearl was babysitting all the kids, her nieces and nephews. She took them to the park, to dig up some flowers for her garden. She told them that tax dollars had paid for them, so really they already were her flowers. She had a cabin Al Capone is rumored to have visited.
My mother, Pearl's niece-in-law, was a nurse at the hospital when Pearl came in for a surgery. The surgery was something fairly straightforward and Pearl was expected to pull through just fine, so no other family members were waiting, but a little while into the surgery they came out to tell my mother that Pearl had died.
"Aunt Pearl" as she was affectionately called, did help to care for her nephews James Pierson, Ernest Richard Pierson and Edward Albert Pierson, upon the death of their mother (Pearl's sister), Vilura C. Richardson Pierson. Ernest Richard always considered Aunt Pearl his surrogate mother. As far as I can ascertain, Pearl never had any children of her own.
I have located a marriage record for Pearl A. Richardson to Walter H. Belk in Franklin, Morgan County, Illinois on 13 September 1910. I have not located any documents to dissolve this marriage but I do believe that Mr. Belk passed away in 1914.
I have also located another marriage record for Pearl to a Joseph Richard Ganail on 30 January 1917 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. I have seen her husband's name spelled several different ways: GANAIL, GENIEL, JUNNELL, GENAIL. The newspapers of the day were notorious for misspellings and misprints. In one article I even found the spelling as SEAWILL. Based on my research, I believe that the correct spelling of his surname is GENAIL.
Pearl might have been married to another man by the name of ANDREWS. In a newspaper article (provided by Stephanie Richardson Baybert on FamilySearch.org) dated 16 September 1938, celebrating Pearl's parents 50th Wedding Anniversary, it states that their daughters name was "MRS. PEARL ANDREWS OF NEW BERLIN". At this time (13 Jan 2020), I have been unable to substantiate a marriage for Pearl and Mr. Andrews.
There is also another man named in family lore, called "JOE BLACK". I don't find any reference to him and Pearl, so if you know something about him and can verify a marriage/relationship, please contact me. My thought is that her husband JOSEPH GENAIL who was described with the following characteristics on 25 Apr 1942 on his WW II Draft Registration card, might have had the nickname of "JOE BLACK": white, 5'6", balding with brown hair, 198#'s, brown eyes, dark complexion, scar on nose and chin. On the 9 Apr 1940 US Census for Joseph Geniel it says that he is divorced and ls a GUEST living in The Alpine Hotel, 412 Pine St St Louis MO. His occupation is a Table Clerk in a Gambling House. He died 22 Feb 1962 in Franklin, MO.
With all of Pearl's known marriages and those that are suspected, it seems that she continued to use her given birth name, PEARL AUDREY RICHARDSON throughout her life and even upon her death. In her fathers Obituary dated 13 Jan 1950 she is called PEARL RICHARDSON. On her tombstone engraved in 1959 is: PEARL A. RICHARDSON. In her obituary dated 4 Mar 1959, her name is given as MISS PEARL A. RICHARDSON. Also engraved on her tombstone is "SISTER" and a single stemmed rose. At the time of her death in 1959, only one of her siblings was still alive. It was her youngest brother, NOBEL GLENN RICHARDSON. Unless Pearl left specific instructions or purchased the stone prior to her death, I guess the task of burying her fell to Nobel and he chose to engrave the tombstone as you see it today.
Inscription
Engraved all in capital letters is: PEARL A. RICHARDSON, DEC. 7 1891 - MAR 2 1959, "SiSter", With 2 capital "S's" and the rest lower case, along with a single stemmed rose.
Gravesite Details
My husband and I visited Pearl's grave site in September 2018 and September 2019. The tombstone was in very good condition,and the cemetery was well kept as grass was mowed and weed whacked. Tombstone appears to be made of granite.
Family Members
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