The (-1G), etc., after the names indicates the number of generations before Erven Thoma.

Her father was born in Illinois; her mother in South Carolina. There is a 9 year old John Duer in the 1880 Census for Morgan, Illinois. He would be 14 in 1885 which would be too young to be a father. There is a 13 year old John Duer (born in IL) in the 1870 Census for Decatur, Morgan County, Illinois. There is one Mary Tobin in the 1880 Census for South Carolina, but she is 36 years old. There is a Mary Duer, born in South Carolina, who appears in the 1920 Census for Missouri. She is living in Kansas City and is 63 years old (born in ca. 1856). This must be the correct person.

Adelaide had a twin sister, three other sisters, and one brother. Born before her were Mary A. Duer (b. ca. 1881), Nell Duer (b. ca. 1883), Irene Duer (b. ca. 1885), and Joseph (b. ca. 1886), all in Missouri, probably in the Kansas City area. The exact dates of birth for these siblings are also not known.

Adelaide and twin sister Genevieve were born 01 Dec. 1890 (or 1894?) in Kansas City, MO..

The 1910 Fed. Census for Missouri (roll 041, enum. dist. 60, family no. 36) shows Adelaide, her parents and siblings living in Kansas City, Jackson County, MO. Her father, John, is 53 and was born in Illinois. Her mother, Mary, is 54 and was born in South Carolina. Adelaide is 19 and was born in Missouri. Her siblings who are living there are: Mary, 29; Nellie, 27; Irene, 25; Joseph, 24; and Genevieve, also 19. All siblings were born in Missouri. This information is from the Soundex Index card.

Her father, John Duer (-2G), died in 1911?, probably in the Kansas City area.

The 1920 Fed. Census for Missouri (T625_925, supv. dist. 5, enum. dist. 61, Ancestry.Com image #0679, page 10A, lines 29-43, dwelling 242, family 272, dated in Jan.) lists Mary Duer, 63 years old, living in Kansas City, ward 4, precinct 4, at 306 Shaefer Ave.. She was born in South Carolina, her parents in Ireland. She is the widowed head of household. She has no occupation. Living with her are her children as follows: Nell (35), Irene (32), Genevieve (sp?) (26), Adelaide (26). [Two other children are not listed.] Nell is a bookkeeper at a wholesale business. Irene has no occupation. Genevieve is a stenographer at a hotel and Adelaide is a stenographer at a soap factory. Also listed is Mary's own widowed mother Alice Tobin, 93 years old, born in Ireland. They can all read, write and speak English.

She married Leo E. Thoma (Jr.) sometime in 1928 in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Fed. Census of 1930 for Missouri (film T626_1197, hand-entered page #20A, printed page #20, supv. dist. 5, enum. dist. 48-118, dwelling 304, family 304, lines 23-25, dated 11 Apr.) lists Adelaide, 38 years old, her husband Leo Thoma, 38 years old and a child, no age in index. Husband is the proprietor of a carbonated beverage business. Adelaide has no occupation. Adelaide and Leo have been married 2 years. Age of child, Jean, is hard to read in actual Census, but is counted in months. All three were born in Missouri and are living in ward 8 (block 460) of Kansas City at 7122 Jefferson They own the home valued at $8000 and they have a radio set. None are attending school. Adelaide and Leo can speak, read, and write English.

They had another child, son Leo (0G), after the 1930 Census.

Mother died sometime in Jul. 1941 in Kansas City, MO.

After the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the father of her husband operated a soda bottling company know as the Leo Thoma Bottling Works. One brand he bottled was franchised out of Chattanooga, TN and was known as "Double Cola". This operated until 1945. After Prohibition Leo Thoma briefly operated a Schlitz beer distributorship but also continued the soda bottling. He did not produce his own beer after Prohibition.  Adelaide's husband, Leo E. Thoma assisted his father. (Taken from an article in Hometown Beer.)

The woman in the center is Adelaide. This picture was taken at Christmas 1947 or 1948 in Kansas City. The man on the right is her husband, Leo. The couple on our left are still living, so they are unnamed. The older woman on our right is Adelaide's mother-in-law, Anna Bremer. Click on this thumbnail to enlarge.

Her husband Leo E. Thoma was 61 years old at his death on 30 Sep. 1952). His death certificate (file #31895) says he died in St. Mary's Hospital in Kansas City, MO at 11:25 PM. It says the cause of death was coronary thrombosis and that he also had these conditions: pulmonary emphysema with chronic cor pulmonale. He had an operation on 27 Sept. which revealed chronic peptic ulcer. Dr. Castles was the attending physician and the informant was Leo's wife, Adelaide. They had been living at 7122 Jefferson in Kansas City, MO. Leo's parents names are given. Leo was a retired soda bottler in the soda manufacturing business. He was 61 years old and had been living in Kansas City for 54 of those years. He was born in St. Louis.on 03 May 1891.

	There was an Adelaide Thoma, with the Social Security number 489-50-1099 issued in Missouri, who was born 1 Dec. 1890 and died in Dec. 1973 in Zip Code area 66208, Shawnee Mission, Johnson County, KS. This is most likely our Adelaide.
There is an obituary in the Leavenworth Times, 12 Dec. 1973, section A, p. 5.

Created 15 Sept. 2002. Updated on 27 Mar. 2007.