The Alternate Names of Lucretia Frances Long (1831-1905)

Letitia, or Lucretia Frances, daughter of Jonas Long and Elizabeth Merrell, was a bit challenging to track. She was born about 1831, probably in Richmond County (Staten Island), New York.

Family tree of Jonas Long and Elizabeth Merrell.
Seven known children born from approximately 1817 through 1836
in Middlesex County, New Jersey and Richmond County, New York.

"Letitia F Birch wife of Edward Birch" was listed in the probate papers of Richard J Merrill (Merrell), her maternal grandfather, in Middlesex County, New Jersey. She and her siblings signed a release dated October 4, 1865. They inherited their deceased mother's share.

Release signed by six of the children of Elizabeth Long.
Letitia F Birch, wife of Edward Birch, is the focus of this article.

Letitia was also named in her father's probate records from 1860, reflecting his death in 1837 (or thereabouts).

Index Richmond County, New York.
These files refer to Letters of Administration sought by Elizabeth Merrell
years after the deaths of her husbands.

On January 2, 1859 Edward C Burch and Lucretia F Long married in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Names of parents and ages were not given. The bride's name was Lucretia, not Letitia.

Marriage record of Edward C Burch and Lucretia F Long
January 2, 1859 in New Brunswick
Microfilm digitized at Ancestry

Marriage record of Edward C Burch and Lucretia F Long
January 2, 1859 in New Brunswick

Were these people actually Edward C Birch and Letitia Long? Additional records would help, except there were none easily discoverable.

Where was Letitia/Lucretia in the 1850 census? I do not know. She was not with her mother in Northfield, Richmond County, New York. Presumably she was unmarried.

I did not find Edward Burch or Birch with a wife named Lucretia or Letitia in the census from 1860 forward.

The 1890 federal census was destroyed; however, the Veterans Census survived. In New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey was Edward C Birch. He served as a private in Company I of the 11th New Jersey Infantry from August 6, 1862 through April 5, 1863.

1890 Veterans Census
Edward C Birch
New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey

An index card lines up with Edward and Lucretia/Letitia for pensions of Civil War Soldiers (collection at Ancestry). Edward C Birch filed for an invalid pension in 1863. In 1897, Lutitia F Birch filed for a pension as his widow in New Jersey.

Index card of Civil War Pensions
Edward C Birch, soldier. Lutitia F Birch, widow.
U.S. Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934

Yet there is no entry in the New Jersey Death Index for Edward Birch in 1896 or 1897. There are no census entries for this couple.

Newspapers for New Brunswick are digitized at Newspapers dot com. I searched for the Long family. I found an obituary in 1905 for Mrs Lucretia DeHart.

Family:
Elias Terrill, son-in-law
John DeHart, son
John Long, brother
Edward C DeHart, deceased husband

Obituary of Lucretia F DeHart died November 12, 1905.
She was a resident of New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey.

Was Lucretia DeHart formerly Letitia Long? Was Edward C DeHart also Edward C Birch or Burch?

Using this alternate surname, I found the couple in New Brunswick in the census for 1860 and 1880. In 1860, they had a six month old baby named George DeHart. Also with them was a 49 year old woman named Elizabeth DeHart. (Relations of household members were not asked until 1880.)

1860 federal census New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey
Edward DeHart, age 23. Day laborer. Personal estate $100. Birthplace New Jersey.
Lucretia DeHart, age 26. Birthplace New York. Cannot read.
George DeHart, age 6/12. Birthplace New Jersey.
Elizabeth DeHart, age 49. Birthplace New Jersey.

George DeHart died April 19, 1876 in New Brunswick. He was sixteen years old. His parents were Ed and Letitia.

George C DeHart died April 19, 1876 in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey.
Age 16 years, 2 months.
Microfilm digitized at Ancestry

In 1880, the original son George was replaced by George born about 1868. Maybe he had a different name at birth because the original George died in 1876. More children were born to Edward and Lucretia: Delphina, George, Joseph. Also living in this household was George DeHart, age 33; and Lizzie DeHart, age 22.

1880 federal census New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey.
Edward DeHart, age 43. Huckster. Born New Jersey; father New Jersey; mother New Jersey.
Lucretia, wife, age 47. Wife. Keeping house. Born New York; NJ; NJ.
Delphina, 18. Daughter. At home. NJ; NJ; NY.
George, 12. Son. At school. NJ; NJ; NY.
Joseph, 10. Son. At school. NJ; NJ; NY.
George, 33. Boarder. Blacksmith. NJ; NJ; NJ.
Lizzie, 22. Boarder. At home. NJ; NJ; NJ.

Vital records from the New Jersey State Archives (not online) could shed light on this discrepancy.

Using the name, date, and location from the obituary of Mrs Lucretia DeHart, I found the death certificate of Lutatia Frances DeHart. Her parents names were blank!

Death certificate Lutatia Frances DeHart
November 12, 1905 in New Brunswick

Using the name DeHart instead of Birch or Burch, I found a death certificate for Edward C DeHart. He died December 8, 1896 in New Brunswick. His father's name was blank. His mother's name was Elizabeth DeHart.

Death certificate of Edward C DeHart.
December 8, 1896 in New Brunswick.
Mother- Elizabeth DeHart.

Delphine Dehart married Elias L V Tyrrell March 18, 1885 in New Brunswick. She listed her parents as Edward DeHart and Letitia Long. This document shows the connection to the Long family.

Marriage record
Elias L V Tyrrell and Delphine DeHart.
March 18, 1885 in New Brunswick.

Della Terryl died September 27, 1903 in New Brunswick. Her parents were listed as Edward Birch and Letitia Birch, not DeHart and Long like her marriage record.

Death certificate of Della F Terryl
September 27, 1930 in New Brunswick.
Father- Edward Birch. Mother- Letitia Birch.

Why two different surnames? I think that Edward's mother, Elizabeth, may have first been married to Mr Burch/Birch, then to William DeHart. Edward may have been born Burch/Birch and used this surname for legal purposes on his marriage record and his Civil War military records. For other interactions, he used his step-father's surname DeHart.

In 1850 in Piscataway, Edward and Elizabeth DeHart lived with William DeHart. There was a ten year gap between Edward and the next child, George. Such an age gap between siblings could indicate a remarriage. This George DeHart is probably the boarder who was living with Edward Birch in the 1880 census in New Brunswick.

1850 federal census Piscataway, Middlesex County, New Jersey
William DeHart, age 39. Factory. $200 real estate. Born New Jersey.
Elizabeth DeHart, age 35. Born New Jersey.
Edward DeHart, age 13. Born New Jersey.
George DeHart, age 3. Born New Jersey.
Stephen DeHart, age 1. Born New Jersey.

Lucretia and Edward were buried in Evergreen Cemetery in New Brunswick.

What became of Catherine Long, wife of Mr Cook?

What became of Catherine Long, daughter of Jonas Long and Elizabeth Merrell?

She was born about 1826, probably in Middlesex County, New Jersey. She married around age 16 or 17, had at least one child, who produced grandchildren and great grandchildren of Catherine.

I don't know the full name of Catherine's husband and I do not know when or where she died.

Family tree of Jonas Long, Elizabeth Merrell, and their seven children

Catherine resided in Northfield, Richmond County, New York. This small island is now popularly known as Staten Island and lies east of New Jersey, separated by narrow waterways (Arthur Kill, Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, Raritan Bay, and New York Bay).

Map of Richmond County (Staten Island), New York, 1839.
To the west was Essex County (now Union County)
and Middlesex County in New Jersey.

Modern map showing location of Staten Island in the northeastern United States

In 1850, Catherine resided with her mother, Elizabeth (Merrell), her step-father, William Owen (1788-1852), her sibling, Abraham Long (1830-1896), Abraham's wife, Martha Sperling, and Catherine's son, John W Cook. Relationships were not asked for in the 1850 census. We know how this collection of surnames relates because of other records. Catherine Long, widow, was named as a daughter of Elizabeth Long, deceased daughter of Richard Merrill in 1865.

We can surmise that Catherine married a man with the last name Cook and that he died between the conception of his son, John William Cook, circa 1844, and the recording of the 1850 census.

1850 United States federal census. Northfield, Richmond County, New York.
William Owen. Age 62. Farmer. Born in Massachusetts.
Elizabeth Owen. Age 54. Born in New York.
Catherine Cook. Age 24. Born in New Jersey.
Abraham Long. Age 23. Boatman. Born in New York.
Martha Long. Age 17. Born in New York.
John W Cook. Age 5. Born in New York.

In the 1860 census, Catherine was still with her son, who went by William instead of John. Note the nearby family of Jacob Brastead and Lavinia.

1860 United States federal census. Northfield, Richmond County, New York.
Jacob Brastead. Age 79. Retired farmer. Real estate $1000. Personal estate $25. Born in New York.
Lavinia Brastead. Age 81. Born in New York.
Sarah Heath. Age 70. Real estate $1000. Personal estate $500. Born in New York.
Catharine Cook. Age 35. Washerwoman. Personal estate $20. Born in New York.
William Cook. Age 15. Boatman. Born in New York.

In 1870, Catherine was in the household of her son, John William Cook, his wife, Mary E, and their two sons, Charles and William. Mary was the daughter of Jeremiah Lisk (1814-1902) and Jane Marie VanPelt (1816-1900).

1870 United States federal census. Northfield, Richmond County, New York.
John William Cook. Age 24. Oyster dealer. Born in New York.
Mary E Cook. Age 27. Keeping house. Born in New York.
Charles E Cook. Age 5. At home. Born in New York.
William E Cook. Age 3. Born in New York.
Catherine Cook. Age 43. Laundress. Born in New Jersey.

In the 1875 New York State census, Catherine was with her widowed daughter-in-law, Mary Eliza, and her two grandsons. This probably indicates that Catherine's son, John William Cook, died between 1870 and 1875.

1875 New York State census. Northfield, Richmond County, New York.
Mary Eliza Cook, head. Age 32. Widowed. Born in Richmond County.
Charles E Cook, son. Age 10. Born in Richmond County.
William L Cook, son. Age 8. Born in Richmond County.
Catherine Ann Cook, mother. Age 49. Born in Richmond County.

Charles E Cook (1864-1945) married Bertha Moore (1866-1947). I did not find any children of this couple.

William Ellwood Cook (1867-1937) married Ida May Braisted (1867-1931). She is perhaps related to the elderly couple residing near Catherine and John William Cook in 1860. Her paternal grandmother was Sarah Jane Merrell (1821-1903). They had four children who lived to adulthood, who in turn had children and grandchildren.

Catherine Long has living descendants.

Family tree of Catherine Long, born about 1826, probably in Middlesex County, New Jersey.

Questions:

-Which Mr Cook did Catherine Long marry? When? Where?

-Did Catherine Long remarry after the death of Mr Cook?

-When did Catherine Long die?

-Are descendants of Catherine in my DNA matches?

John Long Merrell, Son of Mary Long

How did my 5th great grandparents, Jonas Long and Elizabeth Merrell, meet before marrying in 1816 on Staten Island, New York?

I do not know at this point in the research.

Jonas would have known Elizabeth's family through the neighborhood, business, and/or place of worship. Jonas likely lived and/or worked in either Middlesex County, New Jersey and Richmond County, New York. Merrells are plentiful in these counties.

A clue is in the will of Lambert Merrell. He signed his will on November 7, 1826. It was proved November 18, 1826 in Richmond County. He named his wife, Marry, and two sons, John Long and Daniel Levi.

Will of Lambert Merrell, 1826
Richmond County, New York

These children were not of age, so a guardian was appointed. This was common practice of the time and was concerned with the preservation of the estate and not with the actual care or welfare of the children. As such, the mother of these children would not usually serve as the guardian.

Index of guardianships Richmond County, New York
Entry for Merrell, John Long, age 14 and Daniel Levi age 12.

Several men share the name Lambert Merrell in this time and place. This Lambert Merrell was the uncle of Elizabeth Merrell, wife of Jonas Long. We know this because the children's guardian changed in 1834 to Jacob VanPelt. The aunts of the children were listed. They were the grandaunts of Elizabeth Merrell.

Elizabeth Merrell and Jonas Long named their final known son Jacob VanPelt Long. He was born about 1836 in New York. I don't know which Jacob VanPelt inspired this name, as Jacob VanPelt was a popular name in this time and place.

I do not know what became of John Long Merrell or his mother, Marry/Mary.

Stillwell family genealogy by John E Stillwell, 1931.
Seven children listed for Catharine Ann Stillwell and Daniel Levy Merrill.
Daniel's parents are given as Lambert Merrill and Mary Long.

Daniel Levi Merrell married Catharine Ann Stillwell. This union and their children were listed in a Stillwell compiled genealogy. In this work, the birth name of Mary was given as Long.

Is this accurate? I don't know. John Levy Merrill was born in 1862, not 1882. This was a typo.

I have found no other source of Mary's birth name. It is possible that John Long was the name of her father and not a morphed tribute to Jonas Long, husband of Elizabeth Merrell. And it is entirely likely that Mary Long and Jonas Long were related and crossed paths with the Merrell family in the 1810s.

Below is the portion of the family tree with Mary Long and Jonas Long highlighted.

Family tree
Mary Long married Lambert Merrell, probably late 1810s.
Jonas Long married Elizbeth Merrell in 1816.