The (-2G), etc., after the names indicates the number of generations before Erven Thoma. The asterisk marks a direct-line ancestor to me.

She had no children but mothered Winfield Thake (-1G), Alice Thake (-1G) and Beatrice Thake (-1G).

See these pages for her siblings: Charles Grupp,  William (Bill) Grupp,  George Grupp

The 1880 Fed. Census in Missouri (vol. 38, e. district 112, sheet 19, line 39) lists the parents and two sons, but Elizabeth and the other son have not been born yet. Father Charles is 29 years old, born in Missouri. Mother Mary is 22 years old, born in Austria. Elizabeth's brother Charles is 3 years old, born in Missouri and brother William is 1 years old, born in Missouri. They are living in the rear of 1308 Fulton in St. Louis.

She is listed in the Registry of Births--City of St. Louis. In this microfilm record her parents' names are given. No specific address is given, just St. Louis, Mo, However, this record was added to the Registry on 09 June 1945, perhaps in order for Elizabeth to get Social Security. (Her husband had just died in 1944.) To support this date we have her entry in the Social Security application and the S. S. Death Index, which both also give her birth year as 1881. Other sources say 1882.

She was probably named after a paternal aunt, Elizabeth (Lizzy) Grupp. Our Elizabeth was later affectionately called Nanna.

In the City Directory of 1881 they were living at 1419 Columbus, in the rear. In the 1884 Directory, Charles Grupp, laborer, is living at the rear of 1408 S. 3rd. In the City Directory of 1890 they were living at 1710 S. 9th St. in St. Louis, MO. Charles is classified as a laborer.

When Elizabeth's mother died (25 Feb. 1892), she had to be the "mother" of the house, doing the womanly chores for her father and three brothers. That included washing clothes on a board in the Mississippi River in St. Louis as well as making the meals. They were living at the rear of 1241 S. 7th St. in St. Louis, MO

The 1900 Fed. Census in Missouri lists the Grupp family (district 119?, sheet 13, line 51). The mother had died by 1900. The father, Charles, is 51 years old, born Oct. 1848 in Missouri. Elizabeth was 18 years old and was born in Missouri in Feb. 1882. Brother Charles is 23 years old, born in May 1877 in Missouri. Brother William is 20 years old, born Oct. 1879 in Missouri. Brother George is 16 years old, born in Mar, 1884 in Missouri. They are living at 808 Geyer Ave.

The 1910 Fed. Census for Missouri (Soundex 107 0242 0035) shows her father, Charles Grupp 62 years old, living in St. Louis with his son William (30) and his daughter Elizabeth (28). All three were born in Missouri. Sons Charles (Jr.) and George are living elsewhere and are married.

In her father's obituary, he is called a grandfather, but no other relationship is given and his deceased wife is not mentioned. He was 61 years and 11 months and 27 days old. Funeral was from Ziegenheim Bros. Funeral Parlors, 2623 Cherokee St. on Thurs. 14 Sept 1911. at 9:30 AM and burial was at the Old St. Marcus Cemetery on Gravois in St. Louis. The funeral was private.

A picture from West Baden, Indiana showing Elizabeth and Frank who visited there sometime in 1911. They are sitting on the wagon just for the picture. Click the thumbnail to enlarge the picture.

I have not yet found her first marriage records to Frank Hutchinson. There are none in the St. Louis City Archives or at the Monroe County (IL) Court House. I assume they married ca. 1913.

IThe St. Louis City Directory of 1913 shows Elizabeth Grupp living at 2836 Minnesota Ave. The 1914 Dir. shows Frank living at that address. Family sources say they were married about only a year and that Frank Hutchinson died because of alcoholism. He died ca. 29 Mar. 1914. His grave is in Bellefontaine Cemetery were he was interred on 20 Apr. 1914.

	Her second marriage (under the name Elizabeth Hutchinson) was on 02 Nov. 1914 to Erven Eugene Thake (-2G). She was married in Edwardsville, IL which is the county seat for Madison County. She was 32 years old and he was 38. Both were living in St. Louis city at the time but no address is given.
His occupation was given as hatter. It was the second marriage for both parties. All four parents' names were given. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. R. Robertson of the M. E. (Methodist Episcopal) Church in Edwardsville. The groom's sister Cecelia T. Thake (-2G) was a witness. The license says Elizabeth was born in St. Louis. Her parents are named. (Bk 14, p. 50)

Wedding? picture of Erven and Elizabeth (2 Nov. 1914?):

The 1915 St. Louis City Directory lists Irwin E. Thake, hatter, living at 3922 Lexington Ave.

Two of her brothers moved to New York state; George stayed in the St. Louis area. I believe all three died before Elizabeth.

The 1920 Fed. Census for Missouri (vol. 113, e. district 421, sheet 17) shows the Erven Thake family continuing to live at 3922 Lexington Ave. in St. Louis, MO.  Erven is 43, Elizabeth (his second wife) is 37, Winfield is 12, Beatrice is 11 and Alice is 10. Erven's occupation is listed as musician. A Walter Arbusmeyer (sp?) family is renting the upstairs.

The St. Louis City Directory of 1922 lists her husband, Erven E., as hatter, living at 3922 Lexington Ave. The 1924 Directory shpws Ervin E. Thake living at 3922 Lexington Ave. (no occupation is listed for him). The 1925 Directory shows Ervin E. Thake, hatter, at the same address. The 1926 Directory lists Erven, hatter, living at 3922a Lexington Ave. The 1927 Directory shows Ervin E. Thake, sec. treas. of Universal Hat Shop, Inc., living at 3922a Lexington.

The Standard Masonic Directory of St. Louis and St. Louis County, 1929, lists her husband as living at 3922 Lexington and her step-son, Winfield, as living at 3922a Lexington.

The 1930 Fed. Census for Missouri (roll T626_1243, enum. dist. 96-99, supv. dist. 8, sheet 19B, lines 56-60, family #476, dated 16 Apr. 1930) lists Elizabeth Thake [née Grupp] living in ward 21, block 5189 of St. Louis at 3922 Lexington Ave. She is 48 years old and was married at age 30 [her first marriage--to Frank Hutchinson]. She was born in Missouri as were her parents. She is not in school but reads, writes, and speaks English. Her husband, Erven E. Thake is 54 years old, born in Missouri of parents born in Germany. He was 24 years old at his first marriage [to Josephine]. He is not in school but he reads, writes, and speaks English. His occupation is hatter at a hat shop where he is currently working. He was not a war veteran. They own the house which is valued at $6000. His three children are there: son Winfield, 23 years old, daughter Alice, 20 years old and daughter Beatrice, 21 or 22. All three were born in Missouri and so were their parents. None were married. Winfield is a theater musician, Alice is a stenographer at an insurance company, and the other child is a stenographer at a bank.

The 1930 St. Louis City Directory lists her husband as secretary-treasurer at Universal Hat Shop, Inc. The 1932 Directory lists him as secretary.

She and her family continued to reside at the 3922 Lexington property.  Alice and Winfield eventually got married (6 Sep. 1934 and 29 Feb. 1936 respectively) and moved away. 

The 1937 St. Louis Directory lists her husband, Erven E. Thake (with wife Eliz.), sec.-treas. of Trake [sic!] Hat Shopes Inc., living at 3922a Lexington Ave. There is a separate business listing for Thake Hat Shops, Inc. at 315a Pine. Jos. VanRaalte is pres. and Leslie Liepman is vp. The 1939 Directory lists Erven E. Thake (with wife Eliz.), sec.-treas. of Thake Hat Shops Inc., living at 3922a Lexington Ave. There is a separate business listing for Thake Hat Shops Inc. at 515a Pine (note the difference in the address).

Thake Relatives and Friends. Elizabeth is the woman seated on the steps, second person from the top. Taken at the "Sleepy Hollow" Club House near the Meramec River in Missouri ca 1930-36.
Here is the front of the house at 3922 Lexington in north St. Louis, where the Thake family lived from ca. 1909 to 1956. Erven E. Thake is shoveling the snow. Picture was taken in January 1940.
Elizabeth Grupp and Erven Thake. Taken in the back yard of 325 W. Adams in Kirkwood, MO (home of his sister Cecelia) on Thanksgiving Day, in late November, 1940. Click on thumbnail to enlarge.
This is a family group picture on the steps of the back porch at 3922 Lexington. It was taken on the occasion of the Christening of my sister, Elizabeth Thoma (0G) on 9 Apr. 1944. Elizabeth Grupp lived upstairs and is the woman with her mouth open in the center back.

Husband Erven Eugene Thake died 9 March 1944 at St. Louis, MO. He was buried in Valhalla Cemetery in St. Louis County.

Alice, Alice's husband Emil Otto Thoma* (-1G), and their children (inc. me) moved into the 3922 Lexington residence, at which time (around 1945/7) Erven, Elizabeth and another daughter moved upstairs.  Erven's last residence was 3922a Lexington Ave., St. Louis, Mo.

Brother George Grupp died 3 Oct. 1953 in St. Louis, MO.

The 1956 St. Louis Directory shows Eliz. Thake (wid Erven) living at 3922a Lexington Ave.

Later (in 1957) she and a step daughter moved to 5615 Walsh Ave in St. Louis. She is not listed in the 1958 St. Louis Directory, although she is still living. The 1960 St. Louis Directory shows Eliz. Thake (wid Erven R) living at 5615 Walsh Ave.

Spring 1961 or somewhat before--in her home on Walsh Ave.
Christmas 1962 visiting at Alice's house on Yuma Dr. Center woman is Elizabeth.

Her S. S. number is 488-68-8901 issued in 1973 in Missouri. This application says she was born in 1881.

Known as Nanna, probably because she was like a nanny, in that she was a step mother and therefore took on the functions of a mother. She played the piano, for the most part "by ear". She also sang in the chorus of the Muny Opera Co. in St. Louis. She performed in "The Flying Dutchman" by R. Wagner and in operettas. She was a good grandmother to me. For many years she lived upstairs from us at 3922a Lexington Ave. in St. Louis. Numerous times I ate lunch or breakfast at her place. She also liked to play cards, esp. gin rummy and pinochle. She liked to watch me do magic trick shows and like to hear me play the piano downstairs.

Step-son Winfield Thake (-1G) died 5 October 1978 in Columbia, MO. He was buried in Valhalla Cemetery in the Thake lot.

At her death (9 Mar. 1979) she was still living at 5615 Walsh, Zip Code 63109. She was buried in the Thake lots (lots 154-55, section 4) in Valhalla Cemetery.

Created Mon, May 27, 2000. Updated 02 Feb. 2009.