Judith Haas Lutter (1950-2013) |
December 29th is the anniversary of my mother's death. 2023 marks ten years.
She died before I unraveled the mysteries of her origins and discovered three siblings she was unaware of.
Growing family trees from leaves and branches. Finding lost relatives. Solving family mysteries. Concentrating in New Jersey and New York.
Judith Haas Lutter (1950-2013) |
December 29th is the anniversary of my mother's death. 2023 marks ten years.
She died before I unraveled the mysteries of her origins and discovered three siblings she was unaware of.
Envelope addressed to "Hon Geo. S. Duryea Newark New Jersey" |
Newark City Directory, 1890 George S Duryee, lawyer, 810 Broad, resided at 30 Washington place |
Duryee family plot. Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Newark, New Jersey. Section E. |
Marker at Mount Pleasant Cemetery for George Sharpe Duryee and his wife, Virginia Teackle Beasley. |
Article in the Newark Evening News announcing the death of George Sharpe Duryee. "The State Commissioner of Banking and Insurance Succumbs to an Illness of Two Years' Standing." |
Entry in the records of All Saints Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Record collection online at Ancestry.com |
Birth certificate of Virginia Teackle Beasley Duryee, born August 16, 1879 in Newark, New Jersey. Available through the New Jersey State Archives in person or via mail. |
Death certificate of Virginia T Duryee, died August 18, 1879 in Newark, New Jersey. Cause of death- puerperal peritonitis. |
Death notice for Virginia Teackle Beasley, wife of George S Duryee. Note that her date of death is given as August 17th. Her death certificate, which is a primary source, gives the date as the 18th. |
Death certificate of Virginia Teackle Beasley Duryee, died December 24, 1879 in Newark, New Jersey. Cause of death- capillary bronchitis. |
Virginia T Duryea [Duryee] in the mortality schedule for the 1880 census |
Virginia T B Duryea [Duryee], age four months, in the mortality schedule for the 1880 census |
I found these flat markers for Clara Dunlap (1885-1966) and Edgar N Dunlap (1878-1955) in Mount Hebron Cemetery in Montclair, New Jersey.
flat marker Clara L Dunlap 1885-1966 |
flat marker Edgar N Dunlap 1878-1955 |
The woman on this stone is Clara Louise, the adopted daughter of Philip Duryee (1848-1936) and Mary Amelia Brown (1852-1931). Most of the prior generations were buried at Grove Church Cemetery in North Bergen, Hudson County, New Jersey.
Here they are in the 1900 federal census at 400 Columbia Street, Town of Union, Hudson County, New Jersey. Philip and Amelia have two daughters: Luela (or Lulla?) Duryee, age 14, and Mary Hazard, age 12.
(The Town of Union was dissolved in 1898. Don't quote me on this, but I think that Columbia Street became 21st Street, then 66th Street, in the Town of West New York.)
In the 1910 census, "Lula" is the adopted daughter, while Mary retained the surname Hassard.
1910 federal census: 400 Columbia Street, Union City, Hudson County, New Jersey.
Phillip Duryee, head; age 61; married for 22 years.Mary A Duryee, wife; age 57; married for 22 years; no children.Lula Duryee, adopted daughter; age 24; single.Mary G Hassard, cousin; age 22; single.
Philip Duryee was discussed in an earlier post. He disappeared before his wedding ceremony in 1887. He returned and married Mary Amelia Brown, daughter of James Nathan Brown and Charlotte Amelia Gardner (1826-1891).
At first, I did not know how these two children related to Philip and Amelia. I found no birth record for Luela or Lulla Duryee circa 1885 and none for Mary Hazard circa 1887.
After happening upon the gravestone of Clara, I renewed efforts to uncover the identity of these two "adopted" daughters.
New Jersey has indexes online for its marriages. One of the issues is the 1920-1929 index, which spells out a bride's name but only includes initials of the husband. The marriage certificate is not online, so you cannot immediately confirm the groom from home.
New Jersey, U.S., Marriage Index, 1901-2016 Ancestry.com |
1922 marriage record Clara Louise Hassard and Edgar Newton Dunlap |
1925 marriage record Mary Gardner Hassard and James Aloysius Bergin |
In 1925, Mary Gardner Hassard (died 1973) married James Aloysius Bergin (1887-1958). She listed her parents as William Hassard and Clara Sears.
Thus, the parents of these two adopted children were identified.
I did not find a marriage record for William Hassard and Clara Sears. William died in Jersey City in 1889 from meningitis. He was 34 years old.
Clara Sears died in the Town of Union in 1893 from pulmonary tuberculosis. She was 36 years old.
Luella, who became known as Clara Louise, and Mary were the only children of this couple who survived their parents.
Mary Amelia Brown, the wife of Philip Duryee, was a first cousin of William Hassard, the father of Luella and Mary. The common ancestors were James Gardner and Mary Earle, born around 1790 in New Jersey.
In October I visited Sleepy Hollow Cemetery for a Walking Tour. This ninety acre burial ground is the final resting place of my paternal grandmother and many of her ancestors.
I noticed that the stones of the family have become increasingly difficult to read.
October 29, 2023 Stone of Rene Brewer and George Duryea |
In the 1960s, my paternal grandfather took pictures of stones.
1960s Stone of Rene Brewer and George Duryea |
I myself took pictures thirteen years ago. The stone was quite legible.
July 30, 2010 Stone of Rene Brewer and George Duryea |
Rene Brewer married her first husband, John Evenshirer, in New York City in 1842. (I descend from this marriage.) In 1847, Rene remarried to George Duryea.
All four of Rene Brewer's grandparents are buried in the adjacent Old Dutch Burial Ground:
While a lot of records are online, a lot are not.
Below is a list of records I ordered and am still awaiting a response.
Search requested of the National Archives. Form 14137 mailed October 13, 2023.
No fee at this time.
Requested of the Richmond County, New York Surrogate's Court. Email dated June 25, 2023.
No fee at this time.
Requested of the Social Security Administration. Form SSA-7050-FR mailed June 2, 2023.
$100 check cleared October 26, 2023.
Requested from City of Bridgeport and State of Connecticut. Forms VS-39DST mailed April 6, 2023. (Same form number on both town and state forms.)
$20 each via money orders.
Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed March 1, 2022.
$22 check cleared April 2, 2022.
Originally requested in 2015.
Town of Amenia provided an obscure ledger entry in 2023.
Was Rose Roth (1907-1964), wife of Theodore Marmorstein, related to Theodore's mother, Emilia Roth?
Marriage certificate, New York City, May 4, 1929. Theodore Marmorstein, son of Emilia Roth and Bernard Marmorstein, married Rose Rother, daughter Helen (Annie) Bercholtz and William Roth. |
Someone raised the question upon reading the article about the two marriage ceremonies of Theodore and Rose.
The answer is I do not know, but I don't think so.
Roth is not an unusual name. Just because people share a surname does not mean that they are related.
The Roths were from the country of Hungary. Identifying a hometown will tell us if a relation was geographically possible.
Emilia (mother of Theodore Marmorstein) filed a Petition for Naturalization in 1935. Her information included her birthplace of Abony, Hungary on July 16, 1877.
Petition for Naturalization Emilie Marmorstein 1935 Collection at Ancestry |
William Roth (father of the bride Rose) filed an application for a passport in 1922. His information included his birthplace of Gönc, Hungary on April 18, 1869.
Application for Passport William Roth 1922 Collection at Ancestry |
Abony, Hungary Communities Database of Jewish Gen |
Gönc, Hungary Communities Database of Jewish Gen |
I mapped out these two towns. Using modern roads, these two towns are over 200 kilometers apart and about three hours away.
Distance between Abony and Gönc in Hungary Google Maps |
I think it is unlikely that these two Roth lines are related on their most recent lines.
In my research, finding two marriage ceremonies for the same couple is no longer unusual. I think this is thanks to indexes becoming more readily available online for New York and New Jersey.
In some instances, the reasons may not be apparent on the face of the documents and the length of time between ceremonies.
For Theodore Marmorstein and Rose Roth, the purpose of their double nuptials was clear- they were married in a civil ceremony and then a religious ceremony in May of 1929 in New York City.
The civil ceremony was at the municipal building on May 4th.
The religious ceremony was performed by Rabbi B M Klein on May 9th.
These images are available for free online through the New York City Municipal Archives.
1929 marriage record of Theodore Marmorstein and Rose Roth Civil ceremony May 4 |
1929 marriage record of Theodore Marmorstein and Rose Roth Religious ceremony May 9 |
The record for the second ceremony explains at the top of the page, "Married civilly at Municipal Building NYC 4th of May. Number of marriage certificate 165972."
Questions:
1- What does certificate number 165972 reference? The number on the first ceremony is 11233.
Married civilly at Municipal Building NYC 4th of May. Number of marriage certificate 165972. |
2- What does the stamp and handwriting on the reverse of the first certificate indicate?
Order No 368739 Date 10-10-42 Number Issued 2 Searcher Photo OP M R |
Observation:
Marriage records are great because the subject of the record, the bride or the groom, oversees the information written on the document.
The spelling of Rose Roth's mother differs slightly on both documents. Rose Roth's birth certificate is available on the Municipal Archives website. Rose was born on June 1, 1907 in New York City. Her mother's name was recorded as Annie Buchholz on this birth certificate. This is consistent with other records for Annie. I don't know why Rose listed her mother as Helen on both marriage certificates.
Birth certificate of Rose Roth, June 1, 1907 in New York City. Father- William Roth (1869-1936). Mother- Annie Buchholz. [Accessed online New York City Municipal Archives] |
What became of this couple?
In the 1930 census, Theodore and Rose were living together on East 66th Street in New York City. I found two children born to them in 1930 and 1937.
By 1940, Rose was residing at the Hudson Valley State Hospital in Dover, Dutchess County, New York. This was an inpatient facility for the treatment of mental health issues. In the 1950 census, Rose was still a patient at this facility.
1940 United States Federal Census Dover, Dutchess County, New York Hudson Valley State Hospital Rose Marmorstein, patient; age 32; married; born in New York. |
There is an entry in the New York State Death Index for Rose Marmorstein in 1964. The residence was New York City. Remember that New York City's records are not housed with the rest of the state. An entry for Rose in the state's index could indicate that she was still a patient at Harlem State. The address in New York City was likely a relative's home.
New York State index of deaths Rose Marmorstein died March 3, 1964 |
Theodore Marmorstein remarried in 1954 to Hedwig "Hedy" Erger. He and Rose must have divorced. This marriage record is not yet available on the website of the Municipal Archives.
New York City index of marriages Theodore Marmorstein and Hedwig Erger License issued 1954 |
Theodore died in Hawaii in 1992. Hedy died in 2002.
Picture of wedding invitation, 1882, for Charles Demarest and Martha Duryea via eBay |
New Jersey Marriage Return from 1882 Groom- Charles E Demarest. Bride- Martha J Duryea. This image is from microfilm housed at the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton. |
Who were the children of Florence Lutter (1892-1983) and Adam Hofacker (1893-1974)? A mistake in the 1920 federal census might lead someone astray in this inquiry.
Florence and Adam were married in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey in 1915.
Marriage certificate of Adam Hofacker and Florence Lutter, October 16, 1915 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. Groom's parents- William Hofacker and Minnie Christophe. Bride's parents- Charles Lutter and Annie Lau. |
The couple appeared in the 1920 federal census in Newark with two children. Their daughter, Mildred, was age 3 and 5/12. Her calculated birthday would be around the middle of 1916. Their son, Charles, was age 1 and 2/12. His birthday would be in October or November of 1917.
In the 1930 census, the family was still in Newark. Their children were Mildred, age 13, and Shirley, age 11. Charles was not listed.
1930 United States federal census 93 Nineteenth Avenue, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey Adam Hofacker, head; age 37. Florence, wife; age 37. Mildred, daughter; age 13. Shirley, daughter; age 11. |
Birth certificate of Charles William Hofacker, second child born to Charles Hofacker and Anna Kurz. April 23, 1918 in Union, Union County, New Jersey. |
Birth certificate of Mildred Hofacker, first child born to Adam Hofacker and Florence Lutter. July 27, 1916 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. |
Birth certificate of Shirley Adelle Hofacker, second child born to Adam Hofacker and Florence Lutter. October 12, 1918 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. |
Obituary of Florence Hofacker, 1983 |
In 1940 Mildred Hofacker married John Pisar in Newark. She died in 1987.
Charles W Hofacker married Alice J McConnell in 1943 in Newark. He died in 2009 in Pennsylvania.
It would appear that the entry of Charles as a son of Adam Hofacker in the 1920 census was in error. I submitted a request to update to this entry on Ancestry.