Rock Island Illinois, Marriage license and biographical notes on Magdalena Feiler and James Biggard. © Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Sherry Kuhn ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************ STATE OF ILLINOIS MARRIAGE LICENSE The People of the State of Illinois County of Rock Island To any person legally authorized to solemnize Marriage. Greeting. Marriage may be celebrated. Between James Biggard of Rock Island in the County of Rock Island and State of Ills. of the age of 53 years and Miss Magdalena Feiler of Rock Island in the County of Rock Island and State of Ills. of the age of 31 years. Witness: Richard A. Donaldson County Clerk and the seal of said County at his Office in Rock Island in said County this 27th day of April A.D. 1881 /s/ R.A. Donaldson County Clerk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STATE OF ILLINOIS ROCK ISLAND COUNTY I Samuel F. Cook a Justice of the Peace hereby certify that Mr. James Biggard and Miss Magdalena Feiler were united in Marriage by me at Rock Island in the County of Rock Island and State of Illinois on the 27th day of April A.D. 1881 /s/ Samuel F. Cook Justice of the Peace ******************************************************* Biographical note: Magdalena Feiler was born 24 June 1851 in Wunsiedel, Bavaria, Germany. Her son, Leonhard Feiler, was born 2 November 1878, also in Wunsiedel. They arrived in New York on 23 April 1881, just four days before this marriage took place in Rock Island. It seems that the marriage between Magdalena Feiler and James Biggard would have been arranged in advance. We know that Magdalena's brother, Heinrich Bernhard Feiler had immigrated to in 1872, but we do not know where he ended up. It is possible that he, or some other relative, helped to arrange the marriage. Magdalena Feiler Biggard died sometime in June 1881 (exact date and cause unknown). James Biggard kept custody of Leonhard Feiler until the following year. Upon his remarriage, he gave the child up for adoption to James E. and Catherine Lindsay of Rural Township, Rock Island County. The adoption papers are also available in the Illinois Genweb Archives.