Homes, work and family notices from Quincy.
John and Pearl’s family stories
John and Pearl’s home on Oak Street
In May 1917, Henry’s son John Fred Roling married Pearl Steinway. The wedding supper took place at his parents’ home on Madison Street, and the newlyweds planned to keep house at 1620 Oak Street. The newspaper also gives a detail of John’s working life: he was employed at the Pinkleman-Barry store. The Quincy Daily Journal, May 24, 1917, page 10, wedding report and marriage-license listing.
That August, a brief notice announced the couple’s first child, an eight-pound boy, and reported that mother and baby were doing well. A christening report three days later names Donald William Roling, son of John Roling and his wife on Oak Street. Read together, the notices strongly identify the unnamed baby as Donald William. His uncle Anton William Roling and aunt Mrs. Emma Sibbing were the sponsors. The notices do not give his exact birth date. Birth notice, The Quincy Daily Herald, August 24, 1917, page 7; christening report, The Quincy Daily Journal, August 27, 1917, page 7.
John and Pearl’s later life on Lind Street
Fifty years after their Oak Street beginning, John and Pearl were living at 1010 Lind Street. Their golden-anniversary profile in the Herald-Whig, May 23, 1967, page 4A names Pearl as the former Pearl Steinway and recalls their May 23, 1917 wedding at St. Rose, performed by the Rev. John Brennan. Those details match the earlier wedding report and connect the two homes. Their four children were Donald, Virginia Felker, Norma Monckton and Marilyn Barnes.
The anniversary profile also fills in John’s working life. A machinist, he had worked at the Rock Island arsenal during World War II; his last employer was Quincy Compressor. By 1967 he was retired. The family planned a dinner, Sunday Mass and breakfast, followed by an open house at John and Pearl’s home. The article announces those celebrations rather than reporting them afterward.
Donald and Neva’s wedding plans
Donald’s engagement to Neva Reichert was announced at a dinner-bridge party in 1938, with miniature music-sheet place cards revealing the wedding date. Neva worked at the Cinderella beauty shop, and Donald at Ludwig grocery store. The August 25, 1938 Herald-Whig notice, page 4 planned a St. Peter wedding for August 29 and breakfast at the Roling home. It records their plans, not the completed ceremony.
Roses for Norma
In February 1944, Pearl welcomed relatives and friends to 1010 Lind for a shower honoring her daughter Norma, recently married to Charles Monckton Jr. There were games, refreshments and gifts, including a surprise of two dozen American Beauty roses. Norma’s sisters Virginia and Marilyn helped their mother entertain. The Herald-Whig report of February 28, 1944, page 2 says the wedding had taken place January 4 in Providence, Rhode Island; the year follows from the article’s context.
Marilyn’s wedding and silver anniversary
Marilyn Theresa Roling and Raymond Edward Barnes Jr. married at St. Rose in August 1948, with her sister Norma as matron of honor. Breakfast at the Monckton home was followed by an outdoor reception. Marilyn had attended Gem City Business College and worked in the Monroe Chemical Company office. The August 29, 1948 Herald-Whig report, page 12 includes her bridal portrait.
Twenty-five years later, Marilyn and Raymond were surprised with an anniversary party at home. The August 28, 1973 Herald-Whig account, page 4 names her parents at 1010 Lind and says Raymond had worked for Moorman Manufacturing for twenty-two years. The two wedding-date accounts differ: the contemporary Sunday report says Saturday, meaning August 28, 1948; the anniversary notice gives August 27. That one-day discrepancy remains open.
Mother’s Day and an evening with friends
Pearl’s Lind Street home was a place for family gatherings. On Mother’s Day in 1952 she gave a dinner honoring her three daughters, Virginia, Norma and Marilyn. A large cake centered the table; the afternoon brought cards and gifts. Read the May 13, 1952 Herald-Whig notice, page 4. The daughters’ given names are supplied by the later anniversary profile.
An evening with the Jolly 12 club shows another side of Pearl. After a carry-in dinner, her guests played bunco and exchanged gifts. Pearl then entertained them with impersonations. The Herald-Whig, January 7, 1953, page 4. Both notices call her Mrs. John Roling and give the same Lind Street address.
Remembering Pearl
Pearl died on January 2, 1978. Her Herald-Whig obituary, archived as January 3, 1978, page 15 recalls her membership in St. Rose Church and its Altar Society, and again names John F. Roling, their May 23, 1917 marriage and their four children.
The obituary reports Pearl’s birth as July 3, 1897. That would make her nineteen at the wedding, whereas the 1917 newspaper license listing gives her age as twenty; her birth year remains unresolved. The 1978 issue date and page come from the archive’s metadata, not a readable header on this scan. The obituary names Emily Sibbing as Pearl’s sister; she is not automatically identified with the Emma Sibbing named in the 1917 christening report.