 |
| 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.
Friday, December 29, 2023
Monday, December 25, 2023
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.
Sunday, December 24, 2023
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.
 |
|
(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.
Saturday, December 9, 2023
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
Born November 27, 1824
Died August 7, 1904
George W Duryea
Born February 12, 1823
Died May 16, 1864
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:
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
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.
Sunday, December 3, 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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)