Individual Details
Arthur Henry KRAUS
(14 Feb 1871 - 5 Aug 1954)
Arthur's parents were both born in Germany.
After the death of his first wife, Mary, Arthur married her younger sister, Belle; there were five children from each marriage.
Arthur ran a hardware store in Murphysboro, Illinois, and was enumerated there, along with his family, in all U.S. censuses from 1900 to 1930. The 1930 indicates that Arthur's entire family survived the deadly series of tornadoes that swept through that part of the United States on 18 March 1925. The path of the tornado took it straight through Murphysboro, where it appears that 40% of the buildings were destroyed, 541 people killed and 1,423 seriously injured in the space of 40 minutes. Given that photographs of the town taken in the immediate aftermath of the tornado show scenes of complete devastation, with no standing buildings, it appears Arthur succeeded in resurrecting his business as the 1930 census lists him as the proprietor of a hardware store on the same street he was trading from in the previous censuses.
However the family may not have escaped injury-free. When two of Arthur's sons completed their World War II Draft Cards in 1942, one (John) is described as having his right leg amputated, and another (whose name I do not know) is said to have cyanide burns to both legs. Did these injuries result from the tornado?
After the death of his first wife, Mary, Arthur married her younger sister, Belle; there were five children from each marriage.
Arthur ran a hardware store in Murphysboro, Illinois, and was enumerated there, along with his family, in all U.S. censuses from 1900 to 1930. The 1930 indicates that Arthur's entire family survived the deadly series of tornadoes that swept through that part of the United States on 18 March 1925. The path of the tornado took it straight through Murphysboro, where it appears that 40% of the buildings were destroyed, 541 people killed and 1,423 seriously injured in the space of 40 minutes. Given that photographs of the town taken in the immediate aftermath of the tornado show scenes of complete devastation, with no standing buildings, it appears Arthur succeeded in resurrecting his business as the 1930 census lists him as the proprietor of a hardware store on the same street he was trading from in the previous censuses.
However the family may not have escaped injury-free. When two of Arthur's sons completed their World War II Draft Cards in 1942, one (John) is described as having his right leg amputated, and another (whose name I do not know) is said to have cyanide burns to both legs. Did these injuries result from the tornado?
Events
| Birth | 14 Feb 1871 | Evansville, Illinois | |||
| Marriage | 1895 | Jackson, Illinois - Mary Roberta SLAUGHTER | |||
| Marriage | 26 Apr 1909 | Jackson, Illinois - Anna Isabel (Belle) SLAUGHTER | |||
| Death | 5 Aug 1954 | Rock Island, Illinois |
Families
| Spouse | Mary Roberta SLAUGHTER (1874 - 1904) |
| Child | Anna May KRAUS (1896 - 1974) |
| Child | Arthur Henry KRAUS (1897 - 1969) |
| Child | Leo Robert KRAUS (1900 - ) |
| Child | John James KRAUS (1902 - 1965) |
| Child | Mary Isabelle (Isabelle) KRAUS (1904 - 1993) |
| Spouse | Anna Isabel (Belle) SLAUGHTER (1886 - 1923) |
| Child | Albert Eugene (Gene) KRAUS (1910 - ) |
| Child | Richard Kasper KRAUS (1913 - 1946) |
| Child | Mary Lucille KRAUS (1916 - 1992) |
| Child | Edward Andrew KRAUS (1919 - 1962) |
| Child | Living |