"Without just cause or provocation" — that, of course, was the legal formula, not necessarily the truth. Perhaps Charles knew in his heart she had cause. Perhaps he was the oblivious type who never thinks anything is his fault. Or perhaps his young wife had truly wronged him.
Amelia had come to the U.S. from Germany around 1893, at 15 years of age. By 17 she had married Charles Gernenz, 11 years her senior. Before she was 18 she would be a mother.
By June of 1900 she had borne two children, and was pregnant again. The house where she lived held — in addition to her four-member family — Charles' parents, Amelia's mother, and a boarder.
(Click on image to enlarge)
The Gernenz family land (outlined in red) in 1926. The parcels outlined in green had been held by Charles Gernenz' father at least since 1891.
Sometime between mid-June and early October, Amelia gave birth to a baby boy. They named him Ernest. In October, Ernest died.
Another seven months, and we have Charles' "Notice to the Public." How long, I wonder, did he wait for Amelia to come back before he published that embarrassing admission of his marital troubles?
He might have waited a little longer. She came back pretty quickly, it would seem: the 1910 census records her at home again, with three more children added to her brood — one of them, apparently, born in 1902. (For the sake of family harmony, let us hope Charles was the father.)
And she stayed. She was still with him in 1920, and the 1930 census finds them entering middle age together, with Charles, of course, well in the lead.
Sources
5 comments:
I am a family member down the line. I do not believe this is entirly true. However, I will do some research. I know that Charles remarried after his first wife. He also had children from the second wife.
Thanks, I'd be interested in anything you can correct or add to the story. It's hard to piece together when all I've got is a few lines in the newspaper, and census reports ten years apart.
I knew that Charles Gernenz my Great-Great Grandfather was married a few times. No one ever talked about what happened to his first wife. His second wife and him raised the children from his first wife. They also had more children (2nd wife). My great-grand father was of the 2nd wife. He inherited the dairy farm and continued to farm it until the 1960's which is when they purchased (2) farms in Fond Du Lac, WI. After renting the farm in Merrillville they eventially sold it and so it goes.. Many of the Gernenz's still live in Northwest Indiana. I don't think he was all that bad considering he did raise the children.
I will still keep digging interesting little "add".
Donald
So the "Amelia" in the 1910 and subsequent census schedules is his second wife? (That reminds me of Henry Chester, who married two "Harriets" in a row.)
Donald and Ainsworthiana,
Please contact us, we have been working on the Gernenz genealogy and would love to exchange info.
Christine
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