According to his Social Security death record, Jerome Kimmel was born near Creal Springs on November 13, 1873 to Joseph Priestly and Mary Ann Kimmel. By the time the 1880 census was taken, the farming family was living in Union County. The father Joseph was 27 and mother Mary was 24. They had 4 children living in the home, Jerome 6, Oscar 4, Jo Ann 2 and Etta at 10 months of age.
When the 1900 census was taken, 26 year old Jerome was working as a salesman and living as a solitary boarder in the home of George & Kate McMinn and their four children at 1036 N. Leonard Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri.
On September 10, 1902, Jerome married Martha Frances Tate in Franklin County Illinois. Martha was the daughter of Samuel Hill Tate and Sarah Roberts and had been born at West End in Saline County, Illinois on April 12, 1881.
By 1907, A Marion street directory located the couple living at 406 S. Vicksburg Street in Marion and Jerome was already working as a coal miner.
In the 1910 federal census, Jerome 26 and Martha 28 already had three children, Florence 6, Emerson 5 and Arthur 2. They were then living in Cave Township in Franklin County on a farm that they owned with a mortgage. The couple stated that they had birthed 3 children and all 3 were living.
Shortly after the 1910 census, the couple appears to have moved back to Marion where Jerome was elected to the position of city alderman in 1915 and again in 1916 under Mayor Dausa D. Hartwell. It was under this city administration that the city voted to purchase its first fire truck, a 20 HP International Harvester which they took possession of in early 1916.
When Jerome signed up for his WWI Draft card in 1917, he was 44 years old and living at 318 S. Vicksburg Street in Marion. He was working as a coal miner for Peabody #3 coal mine and was physically described as tall, medium build, with blue eyes and brown hair.
The 1920 census found Jerome 46 and Martha 45 living at 606 S. Court St., which they owned with a mortgage and Jerome working as a merchant. There were four children in the home Florence 16, Emerson 15, Arthur 12 and Helen L. 8 months of age.
A 1922 street directory found the couple living at 315 S. Court Street with Jerome working as a miner, Another directory in 1928 found them in the same house but Jerome was listed as working in real estate.
When the 1930 census was taken, Jerome 55 and Martha 48 were still living in the large home at 315 S. Court St. which they owned and valued at $4,500. Children in the home at the time were Emerson 25 and Helen L. 10. Jerome listed himself as a livestock dealer and indicated that they had no radio in the home.
An article appearing in the Marion Weekly Leader in July of 1934 indicated that a young man named John Irwin had been arrested for crimes committed among which was the theft and killing of a young calf owned by Jerome, indicating that he was still involved in livestock at that time.
In the 1940 census, Jerome, then 66 and Martha 58 were living at 508 S. Vicksburg which they valued at $2,000. Jerome listed himself as a livestock dealer, while their only child living at home, 35 year old Emerson was working on a Public Works project doing road work. Jerome indicated that he had worked 56 hours in the previous week before the census and indicated that he had completed up to 1 year of college while Martha had finished the 8th grade, as had their son Emerson.
When the 1950 census was taken, Jerome 76 and Martha 69 were still living at 508 S. Vicksburg St. Their 45 year old son, Emerson was still living in the home with them and was working as a farm laborer while Jerome claimed no occupation.
It would appear that the Kimmel family moved north to the Peoria area to stay with their children shortly after the 1950 census because Jerome passed away in Bartonville, Illinois not far from Peoria on January 15, 1957. He was followed not long after by Martha on December 16, 1966 in Peoria. Both of them were buried in Swan Lake Memorial Gardens in Peoria.
Notes on Children:
Florence Frances Kimmel Wagstaff, born June 8, 1903, married Frank Wagstaff, died in East Peoria on February 22, 1959.
Emerson Wesley Kimmel, born October 24, 1904, died September 13, 1977 in Kewanee, Illinoi
Aurthur Wendall Kimmel, born January 9, 1908, married Florence Maxine Boomhower, died February 5, 1987 in Folsom, California
Helen Louise Kimmel Clinebell, born April 18, 1919, married Lyle Clinebell in 1939, died Mrch 2, 1999 in Glasford, Illinois
(Sources: Federal census records, Marion street directories, WWI Draft records, Franklin County Marriage records, Marion Weekly Leader paper, FindaGrave.com. Compiled by Sam Lattuca on 5/3/2024)