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

The marriage application and license for her parents', Leo and Anna, is available from the St. Louis Recorder of Deeds-Archive. It is # 37270. They married on 6 Aug. 1890. At this time Rose's father, Leo, was living at 1503 S. 7th St. in St. Louis and her mother, Anna, was living at 822 Julia in St. Louis.

The St. Louis City Directory of 1890 shows Leo Thoma, laborer, living at 1503 S. 7th St.

A brother, Leo E. Thoma (Jr) (-1G) was born before Rose in March 1891 in St. Louis.

Her father, Leo Thoma, assisted his brother Otto in his St. Louis brewery for 14 years until 1898. Anna and Leo probably met in St. Louis; in any case they married there in 1889. They had their 2 children while in St. Louis.

The birth of Rose on 8 Sep. 1892 is recorded in the St. Louis Birth Register (vol. 76B). Rose was probably named after her father's mother, Maria Rosa Schmid, or her father's sister, Rosina (sometimes called Rosa) Thoma.

In 1898 the Thoma family moved to Kansas City where Leo opened his own weiss beer brewery business. At first Leo operated a weiss beer brewery at the corner of 23rd and Westport Rd, whichwas originally the home of one of Kansas City's first breweries. It was built in 1862 by H. W. Helmreich and George Messerschmidt as the first building in Kansas City specifically designed and built to be used as a brewery. Leo first was in partnership with an in-law and called the business, Bremer & Thoma Weiss Beer Brewery. On July 1, 1900 the partnership was dissolved and Leo operated it alone.

The Fed. Census of 1900 for Missouri (vol. 43, enum. district 44?, sheet 10, line 24) lists Rose's family as living in Kansas City.. The mother, Annie (as she is called), was born in 1870 in Missouri is 30 years old. The father, Leo Thoma, was born Apr. 1866, age 34. Rose's brother Leo, was born March 1891 in Missouri and is 9. Rose was born Sept. 1892 in Missouri and is 7.

The 1909 Kansas City, MO City Directory has a separate listing for Rose Thoma, student, living at 3821 Terrace which is the same address as her brother and father (and mother). The 1910 Kansas City Dir. has Rose C. Thoma, stenographer, living with her parents and brother at 3821 Terrace.

The Fed. Census of 1910 for Missouri (Soundex 040 0055 0138) in district 55 lists her family. Her mother is listed as "Asona" (sic!), 40 years old, born in Missouri. Her father, Leo H. Thoma as 44 years old and born in Germany. Her brother Leo is 18, born in Missouri and Rose is 17, born in Missouri.

In 1910 the Leo Thome Brewery relocated to 1308 W. 28th St. and continued producing weiss beer with the assistance of the son Leo E.,until Prohibition in 1919.

The 1911 Kansas City Dir. lists Rose Thoma, stenographer for J. S. Chick Investment Co., lining with her parents and brother at 3821 Terrace. The 1912 Dir. has the same information as the 1910 Dir. The 1913 Dir. has Rose C. Thoma, stenographer for C. Chester Jones, living with her parents and brother at 3821 Terrace. The 1914 Dir. has Rose Thoma, steno., at the same residence. The 1915 Dir. has Rose C. Thoma, steno, r 3821 Terrace. The 1916 Dir. lists Rose C. Thoma, stenographer for Proctor & Gamble Distributing Co., residence at 3821 Terrace. The 1917 Dir. has the same information. The 1918 Dir. lists Rose Thoma, stenographer for Proctor & Gamble Distributing Co., living at 3821 Terrace Pl. The 1919 Dir. lists Rose Thoma, steno., residing at 3821 Terrace. The Thoma section of the 1920 Dir. is missing on the FHL film.

The Fed. Census of 1920 for Missouri (vol. 46, enum. district 49, sheet 14, line 31) gives her family's residence as 3821 Terrace in Kansas City in Jackson County. Her mother, Anna, is 49, born in Missouri. Her father, Leo is 53 years old, born in Baden, immigration in 1880, naturalization in 1888. Her brother, Leo is 28, born in Missouri and Rose, is 27, born in Missouri.

Then Leo Thoma operated a soda bottling company known 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. Following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 Leo Thoma briefly operated a Schlitz beer distributorship but also continued the soda bottling. He did not produce his own beer after Prohibition.

The family has a story on Ed and Rose, much retold and probably innacurate in details but correct in its larger sense. Edmund was working as a janitor for Sherwin Williams Paint Company in Kansas City, MO, when he met Rose Thoma, secretary/assistant to one of the senior bosses. She saw the potential in Ed, and provided the opportunity for him to continue his education past its 8th grade level. Even though he was probably younger than she, they started dating and eventually married. Ed stayed with the company and at the time of his retirement was Vice President and General Manager of Sherwin Williams Paint Company. (This paragraph was provided by Stefani Evans)

Rose and Edmund married after 1920 and before 1936. They did not have children.

Her husband applied for Social Security in 1936 when they were still living in Kansas City.

Her S. S. application (#575-54-1233) gives her birth and parents' names. The application was made in 1965 when the couple was living in Honolulu.

After they moved to California, Rose and her husband lived in a high-rise condominium complex overlooking Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA.

Rose was a very petite woman, size 4 clothes, but was always well-dressed. She liked to wear her camel-hair coat.

Here is a picture of Rose taken after 1963. It is perhaps a photo intended for the newspaper's society page in Oakland. The picture of her husband was taken as a result of his employment. Date is unknown. Click on the thumbnail graphic to see the full-sized picture.

Rose's death is recorded in the California Death Index. Her husband, Edmund, died in 1980, after Rose died.

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Much of the information in the last half of this page, inc. her death information and the pictures of Rose and her husband on this page and her husband's page, came from Stefani Evans. They are used with permission; my appreciation is extended to her.

Created 19 June, 2000. Updated on 07 Feb. 2005.