In the City – Week 32 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

A Tale of Two Railroad Cities

John Peter Anthony (Antony) spent his adult life working for the railroad. John was born June 6, 1861 in Heilenbach in the district of Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prum in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany to Jacob Johann Antony and Otillia Endres. He emigrated to America with his family in 1880 and settled in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He married Gertrude Schmidt on February 23, 1886.

The 1900 US Census shows that John was a naturalized citizen and that he was a Car Inspector for the railroad in La Crosse. By 1905 he was working as Car Repairer for the railroad according to the Wisconsin Census.

“During the second half of the 19th century, La Crosse became an important center for steamboats, lumber mills, railroads and brewing.” www.wisconsinhistory.org In fact, the lumber industry relied on the railroads for its survival. By 1886, the La Crosse railroad system consisted of six lines. www.footstepsoflacrosse.org These industries were essential for the growth of La Crosse as a city. In 1880 (when John arrived), the population was 14,505 but grew to 42,699 by 1900. In 2020, the city of La Crosse had a population of 50,699.

John and Gertrude were raising their family during the late 1880’s and early 1900’s. They had 10 children (tragically, four of the children had died by the time my grandmother, Annie, was born in 1905).

More misfortune was in store for this family. According to the information that John and Gertrude’s son Peter told his family, the oldest son Henry contracted Tuberculosis or Consumption, which was the leading cause of death in the early 1900’s (followed by pneumonia). Unfortunately, TB gradually destroyed the lungs of patients. www.circulatingnow.nlm.hih.gov There was no reliable treatment at this time and very few patients recovered. Henry’s doctor told John and Gertrude that Henry might do better in a warmer, dryer climate than La Crosse.

La Crosse sees heavy snow averaging 11 inches a month in both December and January with snow common for six months of the year along with very cold temperatures and substantial rain for five months. Looking for a city with a dry, warm climate, the family decided on San Bernardino, California. 

My grandmother, Anna Agnes Anthony, was born in 1905 in La Crosse and shortly after her birth, the family moved to San Bernardino.

San Bernardino has been another city with significant population growth. In 1900 the population was 6,150 and by 1910 it was 12,779. In 2020, the population was 214,706. It was a city where the railroad was a major focus and a vital contributor to the economy. According to www.sbcity.org, “In 1875, the Southern Pacific Railroad came into the area. In 1886, the Santa Fe Railroad arrived in the area and San Bernardino became Santa Fe’s ‘gateway’ to Southern California.” The 1910 US Census shows that John was a Car Repairer in the Railroad Shop. His obituary states that he worked for the Santa Fe Railroad.

Unfortunate, this move did not have a happy ending. My mother had the understanding that Henry, just 19, died when he was struck in the chest by a baseball. Since my grandmother was so young, she had no firsthand knowledge and probably heard snippets of conversation surrounding his death. While Henry may have been hit by a baseball, it is more probable that he actually died of tuberculosis since there was no cure. (His obituary does not state a cause of death.) Henry Anthony died on August 9, 1906 in Redlands, California.

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