Gone Ten Years

Judith Haas Lutter (1950-2013)

December 29^th 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 George S Duryee

On eBay is an envelope for sale. The attraction would be to the stamp, I suppose. According to the additional writing on the envelope, the year was 1885. Preprinted as the sender is "United States Senate." The postmark is Washington, D.C. on April 15.

Envelope addressed to "Hon Geo. S. Duryea Newark New Jersey"

I noticed the listing because of the recipient: Hon Geo. S. Duryea of Newark, New Jersey. This is probably George Sharpe Duryee. He was a lawyer who lived and worked in Newark. He was born around 1850 to Peter Sharpe Duryee (1807-1877) and Susan Rankin (1816-1886).

Newark City Directory, 1890
George S Duryee, lawyer, 810 Broad, resided at 30 Washington place

This family cluster was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Newark. Two of George's brothers, Joseph and William, became pastors. You might see their names on baptismal, marriage, and funeral records for families throughout the New Jersey and New York areas in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Duryee family plot.
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Newark, New Jersey.
Section E.

George died in New York City in 1896. These records are being digitized and placed online for free; however, this year is not yet available as of this writing.

Marker at Mount Pleasant Cemetery for George Sharpe Duryee
and his wife, Virginia Teackle Beasley.

Because of the offices that George held, his death was reported in newspapers across the country. 

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."

George was married once in 1878 in Torresdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His wife was Virginia Teackle Beasley, born about 1856 to Reverend Frederick Williamson Beasley and Virginia Teackle Bancker.

Entry in the records of All Saints Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Record collection online at Ancestry.com

Ten months after the wedding, on August 16, 1879 in Newark, Virginia gave birth to their daughter, also named Virginia. The baby and mother were not named on the birth certificate.

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.

Virginia, the mother, died two days after giving birth from an infection. She was 23 years old.

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.

Baby Virginia died a few months later on December 24, 1879 from bronchitis.

Death certificate of Virginia Teackle Beasley Duryee, died December 24, 1879 in Newark, New Jersey.
Cause of death- capillary bronchitis.

Both mother and baby appear in the Mortality Schedules for the 1880 census.

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

Pictures and documents for Virginia and her family are featured in family trees at Ancestry.

Adopted Daughters of Philip Duryee and Mary Amelia Brown

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.

1900 federal census for Town of Union, Hudson County, New York:

Philip Duryee, head; born Sept 1848 in New Jersey, age 51; married for 12 years.

Mary Duryee, wife; born Nov 1852 in New Jersey, age 47; married for 12 years; has two children, both living.

Luela Duryee, daughter; born Oct 1885 in New Jersey, age 14; single.

Mary Hazard, daughter; born Nov 1887 in New Jersey, age 12.

Anna Jacob, boarder; born Dec 1882 in New York, age 17.

Clifford Morton, boarder; born Jun 1875 in Pennsylvania, age 24.

(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

In 1922, Clara Louise Hassard married Edgar Newton Dunlap. She listed her parents as William R Hassard and Clara Sears. Philip Duryee was a witness.

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.

Gravestone Weathering

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

Pictured here is the shared stone of a couple. The stone now barely reads:

Rene Duryea
Born November 27, 1824
Died August 7, 1904

George W Duryea
Born February 12, 1823
Died May 16, 1864

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:

Solomon Brewer (1746-1824)

Rene Benton (1764-1841)

Abraham Lent (1772-1851)

Margaret Mann (1773-1844)

Return Time on Genealogical Requests

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.

Works Progress Administration Personnel Records of Clifford Lutter, circa 1930s

Search requested of the National Archives. Form 14137 mailed October 13, 2023.

No fee at this time.

Probate records of Jonas Long, 1837, and William Owens, 1853

Requested of the Richmond County, New York Surrogate's Court. Email dated June 25, 2023.

No fee at this time.

Social Security Earning Information of Jeannette ODonnell, 1937 through 1993

Requested of the Social Security Administration. Form SSA-7050-FR mailed June 2, 2023.

$100 check cleared October 26, 2023.

Death certificate of Mollie Schwartz, 1925

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.

Death certificate of Edward Sheeby [Edmond Sheehy], 1893

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.

Towns of Origin in Hungary

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

I visited Jewish Gen to locate these towns. Their Communities Database is vital for locating present-day towns or areas that may have undergone name changes over the generations.

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.

Married twice in 1929

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.

Wedding Invitation from 1882

A wedding invitation from 1882 appeared on eBay. This family heirloom was offered at $150. Nobody purchased the item.

Picture of wedding invitation, 1882, for Charles Demarest and Martha Duryea
via eBay

The groom was Charles E Demarest (1859-1937). The bride was Martha Jane Duryea (1861-1950). Below is the marriage record filed with the state of New Jersey. They married on June 28, 1882 in Washington Township, Bergen County.

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.

Charles was the son of Peter J Demarest and Margaret Christie. With his son Percy, he operated a jewelry store in New York City.

Martha Duryea was the daughter of Benjamin J Duryea and Maria Williams.

Charles and Martha had nine children between 1883 through 1901. Three died in infancy. The family plot is in Westwood Cemetery in Bergen County, New Jersey.

1910 United States Federal Census
Delford, Bergen County, New Jersey
Charles E Demarest and wife, Martha.
Six children: Clarence, Maggie, Florence, Percy, Edward, and Vietta.
(In 1920, Delford became Oradell.)

Shirley Hofacker Missed in 1920

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.

1920 United States federal census
62 Madison Avenue, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey
Adam Hofacker, head; age 27.
Florence, wife, age 27.
Mildred, daughter; age 3 years and 5 months.
Charles, son, son; age 1 year and 2 months.

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.

Charles would have been eleven years old at the time of the 1930 census. The absence of a child in the enumeration of a family could be in error, but usually indicates that the child died. The index of deaths exists for 1920 through 1929. No good match was identified for this child.

The index of births in New Jersey has an entry for Charles W Hofacker, born in Union County on April 23, 1918. This is near Newark. This person was the son of Charles Hofacker and Anna Kurz. The parents were with Baby Charles in the 1920 census, along with Dorothy, their older child.

1920 United States federal census
Burnett Avenue, Union Township, Union County, New Jersey
Charles Hofacker, head; age 30.
Anna M, wife; age 27.
Dorothy L, daughter; age 4 years and 6 months.
Charles Jr, son; age 1 year and 9 months.

The birth certificates of these children are housed at the Archives in Trenton.

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.

Florence's obituary from 1983 mentions two daughters, but no son.

Obituary of Florence Hofacker, 1983

In 1939 Shirley Hofacker married William John Geerke in Irvington (city next to Newark). She died in 2013. I found a notice of her death in Florida, but that is all so far.

Marriage certificate of William Geerke and Shirley Hofacker,
June 24, 1939 in Irvington, Essex County, New Jersey.
Groom's parents- Thomas Geerke and Margaret McGlynn.
Bride's parents- Adam Hofacker and Florence Lutter.

In 1940 Mildred Hofacker married John Pisar in Newark. She died in 1987. 

Marriage certificate of John Pisar and Mildred Anna Hofacker,
December 25, 1940 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.
Groom's parents- John Pisar and Agnes Sikora.
Bride's parents- Adam Hofacker and Florence Lutter.

Charles W Hofacker married Alice J McConnell in 1943 in Newark. He died in 2009 in Pennsylvania.

Marriage certificate of Charles W Hofacker and Alice J McConnell,
September 18, 1943 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.
Groom's parents- Charles Hofacker and Anna Kurz.
Bride's parents- John McConnell and Margaret Donohue.

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.