I often think I was born in the wrong time.  I mean I do enjoy technology and all the benefits it brings us, but I feel my heart is in another time.    Possibly here with Anna, Katie and Betty is where you might find me.  I never thought I’d be able to locate where they were but my day was about to get interesting.  

This photo came from Cousin Jean Bourscheidt’s scrapbook.  On the back it says , Emilie, Oscar’s Wife (She went by Betty), Katie, Uncle Peter’s wife, Ann, Frank Burd’s wife.  Since she wrote wife in designating Ann in the photo I think that this photo was taken after Frank and Anna got married.  

After Leo’s death in 1908 Frank left Peoria several years later.  Grandma always said that Anna was a seamstress, but I never thought to ask what she did when she lived in Chicago.  

Anna and Frank got married July 26, 1916. I know Frank had been living in Chicago for some time, I”m not sure about Anna.  Perhaps she only moved there when they got married, but from July of 1916 until Jean was born the Burds lived in Chicago.  

OK so here’s where my day got really exciting!  I was researching and trying to find more out of when she might have moved there, but haven’t found any documents to substantiate prior to the 1920 census.  

On a whim I wanted to see where in Chicago that Anna and Frank lived.  So I looked at the census document and noticed that they lived in Ward 35 and that the street listed was S Parkside.  I found a nice little map of the ward and then started looking for Parkside.  When that wasn’t apparent, I went back to the census and on the original document it says that their part of Ward 35 was 2276. The streets that border this area are Madison, going East – West and Lotus or Weller both going North South.  So taking Lotus and Madison, I did a map search and then started looking at streets.  And I found it!  South Parkside Avenue.  

Parkside is just a couple blocks from Columbus Park.  Which is one of Chicago’s larger parks.  On a whim I decided to look at the Satellite and street views.  When I put my little google person on the map, I was amazed at what I was looking at.  In fact I think think my first response was WHAT THE DUCK!  Ok, there wasn’t a duck but you get my meaning.  Because I was looking at the building that Anna, Katie and Betty were standing outside of. 

How can I be so sure you ask?  Look at the windows in both photos.  Same concrete casements!  It’s now called the Madison Renaissance Apartments.  Located at 11 S Parkside Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60644.  

While we might not know much about Frank and Anna’s life in Chicago, I’m happy that we know more about where they lived while they were there.