40 Days | Day 12 | Back in St. Louis—Enjoying the City and its County Library

img_6287After having greatly enjoyed our time together, my friend Diane and I had to say goodbye last Sunday morning. She was on her way to the local airport and I had to drive back from Springfield, IL to catch my flight to Montréal at the St. Louis airport. There I was with a few more hours to seize the day.

I thought it would be a good idea to visit Forest Park which was the site of the 1904 World Fair. This park is so beautiful! I watched people doing their Sunday morning yoga in front of the Grand Basin, I strolled through the park and I even went to the Museum of Fine Arts.

As I had to be at the airport at 3PM only, shouldn’t I make one last stop at the St. Louis County Public Library—well, why not?

The genealogy section of this place offers so much stuff, I will have to return for sure—and I am not kidding. I was looking at a relative of Louis Rail, Charles, whom, I have found out, moved to St. Charles County around 1800. I was lucky because his name appears in a tax list as well as in a state census. I then decided to take a quick look at St. Francis Assisi Church repertoire for Portage des Sioux as it is located in the same county. No trace of him but was I in for a surprise.

The church baptismal repertoire contains an index with the names of the parents as well as those of the godparents. Isn’t that great? Who do you think I found under the letter “T”? Well, this discovery will be communicated in a formal post and published very shortly.

Unfortunately, my 75-minute genealogy marathon was over. I had to leave the library as I was running late. However, I had a great day despite my hopeless fear of flying and was I glad to be back in Montréal and spend some time with my sister and brother-in-law.

What’s in store? Well, more research! And in Montréal, this time. You’re welcome to return and read about it here!


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2 thoughts on “40 Days | Day 12 | Back in St. Louis—Enjoying the City and its County Library

  1. Hi Diane,
    How interesting and what a small world. My grandfather Samuel Paul Bangle and his brother Jessie James Bangle went to the St. Louis World’s Fair as a last outing for two bachelor brothers before Jessie married later that same summer. I have portraits taken of them while they were there.
    Hope the rest of your 40 Days of Research are as interesting as this trip sounds.
    Judy

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