Happy Birthday Grandpa

March 18 is the birthday of my paternal grandfather, Clifford Lutter (1915-1980).

Birth certificate of Clifford Lutter.
March 18, 1915 in Philadelphia.
Father- Howard Lutter. Mother- Laura Ethel Winterton.

Clifford was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1915. The story surrounding his birth was that his father, musician Howard Lutter (1889-1959), was performing in Philadelphia. Otherwise, the family resided in Newark, New Jersey.

On the anniversary of his birth, I am posting some newly discovered photographs of him. I had these photos for years from various sources, but I did not realize that he was the young person in these photos. I suspect they were taken in Holmdel, Monmouth County, New Jersey at the residence of his maternal grandparents, William Walling Winterton (1863-1932) and Catherine Butterfoss Dunn (1865-1944).

This could be a picture of Clifford Lutter with his sister, Beryl.
Beryl was born in 1918.

DNA Identifies Siblings Two Hundred Years Later

The family of origin is a mystery for Catherine Donnelly, born around 1833 in Ireland.

DNA connections may provide leads.

By 1860 Catherine was married to Michael Preston (1813-1904), also of Ireland, and lived in Pine Plains, Dutchess County, New York.

Catherine Donnelly and Michael Preston had at least six children:

- John (1857-1928) (my great great grandfather) married Bridget Sheehy

- Anna (1858-1892) married Charles Ultcht

- Bartholemew (born 1864) only seen in the 1865 New York state census in North East

- Mary Elizabeth (1866-1890) married Jeremiah Welch

- Hannah (1870-1947)

- Catherine Agnes (1872-1954)

A clue about Catherine Donnelly's origins appears through her daughter, Hannah, who never married. Hannah lived in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey with her "cousin," Anna Donnelly. Anna was born around 1887 in Pennsylvania to Anthony Mang and Rose Stuginwald, both of Germany. So Anna could not have been a cousin of Hannah Preston, whose parents were Irish. Anna's absent husband, George Donnelly, was more likely to be Hannah's cousin.

1930 federal census
Newark, Essex County, New Jersey
Hannah Preston, head; rents for $100; owns a radio; age 60; single; born in New York.
Anna Donnelly, cousin; age 47; [illegible marital status]; born in Pennsylvania.
Frank Donnelly, son of cousin; age 23; single; born in New Jersey.
Raymond Donnelly, son of cousin; age 22; single; born in New Jersey.

George Donnelly and Anna Mang were married in Newark in Newark in 1905. His parents were John Donnelly and Ellen Brady. He was 32 years old (born about 1873).

Marriage record George F Donnelly and Anna Mang.
Married March 6, 1905 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.

George Donnelly was last seen in the 1905 New Jersey State census in Newark. With Anna Mang (1887-1963) he had three children:

- Mary Donnelly (11 December 1905 - 21 April 1909)

- George Francis Donnelly "Frank George" (31 December 1906 - 12 February 1974)

- Raymond Anthony Donnelly (26 March 1908 - 18 March 1953)

Three-year old Mary was buried at Saint Mary's Cemetery in East Orange. She died of Scarlet Fever at the Essex County Isolation Hospital in Belleville. 

Raymond never married. He was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in East Orange.

George Donnelly Junior married Imelda Heery in 1938 and had four children.

George's descendants share DNA with descendants of my Catherine Donnelly; everyone also matches descendants of George's sisters, Annie and Jennie. 

In the 1880 census, George, age 8, was enumerated with his parents, John and Ellen "Donley," in Bridgewater, Plymouth County. Ten of George's siblings were also listed.

1880 federal census
Brockton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Household of John Donley [Donnelly]

If George Donnelly and Hannah Preston were first cousins, then George's father, John Donnelly, was a sibling of Hannah's mother, Catherine Donnelly.

Tree explaining cousin relationship between
Hannah Preston and George F Donnelly.
Birthdates are approximate years.

John Donnelly died June 21, 1921 in Brockton. His parents were listed as Bartholomew Donnelly and Ellen E Brady. (John's wife was also named Ellen Brady. Did both women share a name, or was this an error?)

Death certificate of John J Donnelly.
Died June 21, 1910 in Brockton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts.
Father- Bartholomew Donnelly. Mother- Ellen E Brady.
Available on Ancestry.

Catherine Donnelly named a son Bartholomew. Was he named for his maternal grandfather?

Catherine Donnelly is a close relative, perhaps the sister, of John J Donnelly (1842-1910) of Brockton.

John Donnelly's daughter, Jennie (1868-1950), married John Joseph Reagan (1868-1944). Several of Jennie's descendants are also DNA connections.

Identifying the town of origin in Ireland and viewing records could help solidify Catherine Donnelly's connection to John Donnelly.

Shamrock crocheted by my grandmother
Jeannette ODonnell (1920-1993)

Earnings reported to Social Security

The Itemized Statement of Earnings for my grandmother, Jeannette ODonnell (1920-1993), arrived from the Social Security Administration. This information was requested in June of 2023 for a fee of $100. Proof of death and direct descent was required. (Form SSA-7050-F4.)

The point of requesting this information was to see when and where she worked and possibly ascertain when important life events happened.

The Social Security Act of 1935 created federal old age benefits. Not all workers and employers were required to participate.

One of many newspaper articles explaining the new Social Security Act of 1935.

Jeannette was born in Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey in 1920. She applied for a Social Security Number on December 2, 1941. 

Form SS-5 "Application for Social Security Account Number"
completed December 2, 1941.
The year of birth and name differ, but that's another story.
To locate a deceased individual's Social Security Number, search in the Social Security Death Index.
Then fill out form SSA-711 and submit $30.

Jeannette probably worked before December of 1941. The wages were not reported to Social Security.

Her first reported employer was W T Grant. She earned $39.55 in the last quarter of 1941 and $26.75 in the first quarter of 1942.

W T Grant was a bargain store that sold household items. In 1975, the national chain declared bankruptcy, hence the attorney name of Joseph Pardo and the address in New York City. Jeannette probably worked for the store located at 493 Broadway in Bayonne.

Advertisement of sale for W T Grant Co Store in Bayonne.

Help Wanted ad for W T Grant Co Store.
Maybe Jeannette saw this in her local paper.

In 1942 Jeannette began working at the telephone company. This was a national chain, so the current names and addresses do not reflect their names and addresses when Jeannette worked for them. Her last reported earnings from a telephone company were in 1957. Some quarters were little or no earnings. This is probably when she needed time off to have babies.

Jeannette's yearly earnings from what is now called AT&T and Verizon.

Jeannette is seated and third from the left, wearing the dark suit.
Supposedly the other people are her coworkers at the phone company.

Help wanted ad for New Jersey Bell Telephone Company, 1944.
"The telephone company needs more girls to handle war calls."

Jeannette needed a paycheck for personal reasons. The country was at war and women were called upon to work outside the home. This could have made Jeannette's jobs seem natural for the time period without indicating problems in her personal life.

Wages for operators and service assistants at Bell Telephone.
This was published in 1950 to address concerns over rate hikes.
We do not know Jeannette's hours, so we do not know her hourly rate.

After twenty years of no reported wages, Jeannette returned to work in 1978 at Freedman's Bakery in Belford, Monmouth County, New Jersey. She worked there until 1981. This was another national chain, so the current address of the employer is not where Jeannette physically worked.

Jeannette's earnings at Freedman's Bakery 1978-1981

Jeannette behind the counter at Freedman's Bakery

Ad for Freedman's Bakery, Monmouth County locations

The printout of earnings by quarter provides leads as to Jeannette's whereabouts and activities during her younger years. This was worth the fee and effort to obtain.