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Louis Henry Rhining was Hazel’s maternal grandfather. Family lore and historical records paint a picture of a volatile individual. It’s difficult to track him through a number of marriages and several alternate spellings of his first and last name (Lewis/Louis and Rhining/Rhinning/Reining). This is a work in progress with several leaps taken. I ‘m not yet convinced there weren’t two men by the same name who born in Beardstown around the same time, but I’m working on verifying what I have found.

Update April 2018: Today I called the Cass County Clerk and Circuit Court for info on obtaining copies of marriage certificates (County Clerk) and any info on possible criminal convictions for Lewis Rhining (Circuit Court) related to the newspaper clip that Diana found, regarding a shooting. A very helpful staff member by the name of Anna-Ruth is going to research the criminal records for me. I also requested marriage records from Cass and Scott Counties for each of Lewis’ possible five wives, his death record, and Effie’s birth record. Wish me luck as I turn over these stones!

Update June 2024: I have more to share on this but for now want to add a link to The People vs. Lewis Rhining

Life Narrative

Lewis Rhining was born on 18 November 1854 in Beardstown, IL. His father Heinrich “Henry” Reining was born in Germany and mother Martha Lucinda White in Illinois, both around 1838. They married March 21, 1854 and were 17 years old when Lewis (their oldest child) was born.

The 1860 Census lists Lewis, age 5, living with his parents Martha and Henry, a sister one year his junior, Carolin, and a brother 3 years his junior, Charls.

1874 Illustrated Atlas of Cass County IL This amazing document provided by the Library of Congress shows where Henry Rhining’s property was. Unfortunately, it is not one of the homes illustrated, but this is a really neat resource to page through. Here’s the page that shows the Rhining residence. You can see Rhining in section 9.

Here’s a historical sketch of Cass County, an oration delivered July 4, 1876, at Beardstown.

On March 21, 1881 in Cass County, IL. at the age of 26, Lewis Rhining married Susan Alore (Duncan?), aged 14. According to the 1880 Census, Susan was living with a family who were not her parents, Susan and Sanford Richison, in Township 17, Range 12, Cass County IL. Susan was born in Missouri and both her parents were born in France.

On February 16, 1887, a son Edward “Earl” Rhining was born to Lewis and Susan in Beardstown. On May 6, 1887 when little Earl was a mere seven weeks old, Lewis Rhining shot and killed a man named John Beston after Mr. Beston showed up at the Rhining home with a bone to pick with Mrs. Rhining. After a trial he was found not guilty of murder.

At some point between 1887 and 1893, Lewis married  Emma Eugenia Cowan. Effie Josephine Rhining was born October 16, 1893 in Beardstown. As Hazel has relayed the story, Lewis abandoned Emma and Effie, and maliciously burned/destroyed all their food when he left.

In 1900, Earl was 13 years old and appears on the US Census living with Sanford and Susan Richardson/Richison (whom Earl’s mother Susan lived with before she married Lewis) in North Winchester, Scott County. Earl is listed as their grandson, and his mother does not appear.

Lewis married Eugena Wolfe from Louisville Kentucky on June 14, 1905 in Winchester, Illinois (about 30 miles south of Beardstown). Lewis was 51 and Eugena was 43 years old. Eugena’s parents’ names were Louis A. and Sallie Ragsdale. Lewis’ mother’s name is recorded as Lucinda White, here.

The 1910 US Census shows Lewis living with wife Josephine at 700 Arenz St, Beardstown. According to this document, Josephine and both her parents were all born in Louisiana. Lewis was working as a laborer doing “odd jobs”.

A 1911 Beardstown city directory lists Lewis living at 702 Arenz St. with a wife named Jettie. I’m guessing that was a nickname for Josephine.

On the 1920 census, Lewis lived at 709 W. 6th St, Beardstown with a Swedish wife Josephine Rhining. He worked as a private family gardener.

On the 1930 census, Lewis is listed as widowed, living as a roomer with half a dozen other elderly men at 415 East 6th St, Beardstown. He worked as a watchmaker in a repair shop.

Lewis died August 31, 1932, in Bluff Springs (just east of Beardstown) at the age of 77. He was buried in Black Oak cemetery in Hagener on September 3, 1932. At the time of his death, he’s listed as a retired farmer, married to Mary Miller Rhining, but no wife is listed in his obituary.