• Born: 7 February 1903, Welch Township, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, USA ¹
• Marriage (1): Mae LESSING before 1929 in prob Missouri, USA ^{1 2}
• Died: 22 September 1972, Orange County, California, USA at age 69
• Buried: 1972, Santa Ana, Orange County, California, USA ⁴

   Other names for Virgil were Virgil SHULES,¹ Noah V. SHULS, Noah Virgil SHULS and Virgil N. SHULS.

  General Notes

VIRGIL NOAH SHULS was born 7 February 1903 in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, the son of John Jacob Shuls and his second wife, Nora Williams.  There are some conflicting reports regarding Virgil's birth year. His grave marker says "1900" and the California Death Index gives the year "1901." His 1940 marriage record gives a birth year of about 1907 (but he probably lied about his age because his bride was so much younger than he was). However we know that the correct birth year is "1903" from his age as listed in the 1910 and 1920 censuses (as well as the fact that his parents married in 1902).

Virgil's mother Nora died when he was still a child, sometime before the 1910 census in Welch Township, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, USA where Virgil appeared with his father and his half-brother and half-sister. On that census Virgil was listed as "Noah V. Shiels." The family surname was spelled multiple different ways in different settings and documents — Shuls, Shiels, Shules, Schulz, Shulz — but Shuls eventually became the preferred spelling. Virgil was named after his mother's twin brother, Noah Williams, affectionately known as "Tobe."  Virgil's Uncle Tobe also died when he was young (about 14), and perhaps that was when Virgil stopped being known as Noah and started being known as Virgil.

In 1920 Virgil was still living at home in Hubble Township, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri with his father and new stepmother, Ella, but by 1928 he had moved to Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, where he worked as a roofer and a painter. Sometime before the 1928 City directory was issued, Virgil got married. His wife was Mae Lessing, born March 1897 in Lebanon, LaCledge County, Missouri, the daughter of Herman Lessing and Ellen Burgess. Mae was a divorcée with three young daughters; her divorce case from first husband Joe Keen was mentioned several times in the local papers.

Virgil and Mae appeared on the 1930 census in Springfield, with just the pair of them in the household. Mae's daughters were not in their household, nor were they in the household of her ex-husband Joe (who had also gotten remarried). The children appear to have been split up and raised by other family members — Louise was in the household of Mae's eldest half-sister, Ada Burgess Kissinger.

Virgil and Mae had no children of their own. Perhaps because, about 1931, Mae caught tuberculosis. The disease progressed and worsened, and Mae died of pulmonary tuberculosis on 14 July 1933 at the County [Poor] Farm in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, USA. She was buried the next day in Hazelwood Cemetery. The informant on her death certificate was a friend or neighbor who did not know the names of Mae's parents or exactly when she was born, but fortunately, the funeral home had that information (which was not surprising since Mae's mother paid for the burial).

While Mae was ill, Virgil was encountering some legal difficulties. He was convicted in March 1931 of a robbery charge, and sentenced to 25 years in prison, but the conviction was set aside when he was granted a new trial in December 1931. The Missouri supreme court judge ruled that the prosecutor had prejudiced the jury against Shuls because he did not testify on his own behalf. Whether or not the case actually went to trial again is unknown; but Virgil did not end up serving a 25-year prison term.  Why Mae ended up in the County Poor Farm when she was ill is also not known; perhaps she was too ill for Virgil to care for her himself, or perhaps his legal woes got in the way.

About 7 years after Mae's death, in Jackson, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, Virgil married again to Druscilla Hazel Lesch on 24 August 1940. Drucilla was the daughter of Guy Lesch and Ruth Mansker.  Together, they raised 4 children — 2 girls and 2 boys — in the Cape Girardeau area.  Eventually, however, the marriage ended in divorce.  It is perhaps at that point that Virgil relocated out to California.

On 22 September 1972, in Orange County, California, USA, Virgil died. He was buried in Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana.

— bio written for FindAGrave, 16 Oct 2016, kmh

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  Burial Notes

Fairhaven Memorial Park, Court of Meditation, North Terrace, Space 14-A

  Recorded Events in His Life

• He has conflicting birth information of 7 February 1901 and Welch Township, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, USA. ⁵

• He has conflicting birth information of 7 February 1907 and Welch Township, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, USA. ⁶

• He appeared on the 1910 US Federal Census on 15 April 1910 in Welch Township, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, USA.
  
  John J Shiels       36
  Jacob M Shiels       14
  Nettie J Shiels       10
  Noah V Shiels       7

• He appeared on the 1920 US Federal Census on 5 February 1920 in Hubble Township, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, USA.
  
  J J Shuls       46
  Ella Shuls       46
  Howard Rimer       22
  Jake Shuls       23
  Virgil Shuls       17
  Cleda Rimer       1 9/12

• He resided at 630 E. Atlantic in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, USA in 1928.
  
  Shuls Virgil (May) roofer r1630 E Atlantic

• He resided at 607½ N. Jefferson Avenue in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, USA in 1929.
  
  Shuls Virgil (May) pntr r607½ N Jefferson av

• He worked as a painter on 1 April 1930 in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, USA.

• He appeared on the 1930 US Federal Census on 1 April 1930 in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, USA. ¹
  
  Virgil Shules       28
  May Shules       28

• Virgil gets new trial in robbery case, 1 December 1931.
  
  Virgil had some legal difficulties. He was convicted in March 1931 of a robbery charge, and sentenced to 25 years in prison, but the conviction was set aside when he was granted a new trial in December 1931. The Missouri supreme court judge ruled that the prosecutor had prejudiced the jury against Shuls because he did not testify on his own behalf. Whether or not the case actually went to trial again is unknown; but Virgil did not end up serving a 25-year prison term. 

Virgil married Mae LESSING before 1929 in prob Missouri, USA.^{1 2} (Mae LESSING was born in March 1897 in Lebanon, Laclede County, Missouri, USA,⁷ died on 14 February 1933 in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, USA ² and was buried on 15 February 1933 in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, USA ².). The cause of her death was Pulmonary Tuberculosis, onset 1931.

Virgil next married Living