A continuation of our true story
Before we get into what happened to Alvera, let’s learn a little about Fred and Alvera before the life-changing incident.
Very little is known about the personalities of Fred and Alvera, except what came out in trial, which we will get into in a later installment. So, let’s go with the documented facts of their lives first.
Fred H. Schlosser was born March 28, 1890 in Springfield, Williams Co., Ohio to John and Ora (Zimmerman) Schlosser. After that, Fred is virtually impossible to find. That’s quite sad, however, as more record sets become available to the public, maybe we can piece together the life of Fred Schlosser in a more complete manner.
Alvera, on the other hand, is much more visible in historical documents. Alvera Rue Robb was born April 23, 1895 in Bedford County, Pennsylvania to Samuel M. and Carrie (Whisel) Robb.
According to the 1900 United States Federal Census, the Robb family (Minus Samuel) lived in Everett, Bedford Co., Pennsylvania.
1900 United States Federal Census
By 1910, The Robb family had moved to Monessen, Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania, where Samuel worked as a machinist in a steel mill.
1910 United States Federal Census
In about 1917, Alvera Robb gave birth to a baby girl named Dorothy. That baby grew up and lived a long life. That’s all that needs to be said about her.
The Robb family was still living in Monessen, Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania, living in a house on Donner Avenue. Samuel was still employed in a steel mill as a machinist and Alvera was employed as a trained nurse. Note that Alvera’s daughter, Dorothy is listed as the “daughter” of Samuel and Carrie Robb.
1920 United State Federal Census
On October 24, 1920, Alvera was granted a marriage license to wed Albert Knecht. However, there are no records confirming whether the marriage actually took place, but according to Alvera’s story, she married Fred not long after.
Alvera Robb Marriage License Newspaper Article, The Valley Independent (Monessen, Pennsylvania), October 25, 1920
At this point of the story, it’s unclear how Fred and Alvera met, married, and ultimately, ended up in California. Maybe we will find out more in the coming installments.
This is a series of 4 installments, so come back and visit us next Friday to read The Ballad of Alvera Schlosser- Part III. Thank you visiting us! We are so grateful for your interest!
During our genealogical research, CMS Research & Genealogy comes across many stories that have nothing to do with our current project. We have tons of them and will be sharing them all with you on this blog. All the more reason to come back and visit us again.
Sources that do not appear with an image for this installment are as follows:
For Fred H. Schlosser
Ohio, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973
For Alvera (Robb) Schlosser
Pennsylvania Births and Christenings, 1709-1950
U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
CMS Research & Genealogy 