Tombstone Tuesday: Eli Assad

When I saw this I had to look into this a bit more. I wondered where the title Uncle came from. Was he someone's uncle or was he called uncle as a term of endearment? It turns out that he was an uncle.

Eli Assad arrived to the US from Turkey in 1900. He was living here at the mission in 1910 when he was enumerated as head of house hold. Living with him was his nephew Eli Jurdy who was 19 at the time, also from Turkey. Both of them were carpenters. This is all from the 1910 census of District 165, Mission, Kootenai, Idaho.

The mission was built between 1850-1853 and the Parish House was built in 1887. He was likely there to build or maintain the many other buildings that were on the property at one time. All other buildings are now gone.

Eli Assad was in the US for such a short time that not much can be found on him. On the other hand his nephew Eli Jurdy made his life here in the Kootenai County, Idaho area. In 1917 Elios Joseph Jurdy registered for WWI in Spirit Lake, Idaho. According to his registration he was born 10 August 1891. On the 12 May 1918 he married Rose M Rodgers in Spirit Lake, Kootenai County, Idaho. This record can be found in the marriage book at the County Courthouse located in Kootenai Co., ID in Volume 13 on Page 256. Then Rose and her whole family can be found in the 1920 census in Butte Ward 3a, Dist 207, Silver Bow County, MT. Eli Jurdy is living with his new wife in her families home. There are a total of 16 people in Dwelling 110. Salem and Anna Rodgers are her parents along with 10 siblings and one grandmother - Anna Farris. All of their roots go back to Syria. Most of the children were born in MT and a couple in PA. By the 1930 census Eli and Rose can again be found in Spirit Lake, Kootenai County, Idaho where they now have one daughter, Josephine (6) and a son, Raymond (1 1/2). Raymond is listed as being born in WA and Josephine in ID. So it's apparent that the family moved throughout the northwest. Likely to follow where there was work. He did everything it appears. In 1920 he was a smelter, in 1930 he was a laborer at the lumber mill. In1942 he registers again for another World War, WWII. He and Rose are now living at 815 5th St, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

This started out as a history search of Eli Assad, but turned into a history of his nephew. More can be found about Eli, who apparently died of tuberculosis, on the Assad and Brooten family website.