Newspaper Index for Newark, New Jersey 1872-1901

We have an index for deaths and marriages in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey newspapers covering the years 1872-1901.

This newly released database is thanks to the New Jersey Records Preservation Group and volunteers.

The newspapers are Newark Sunday Call and Newark Evening News. You can view these papers for free online at the Newark History Archives website through the Newark Public Library.

You can search for terms or names that appear anywhere in the newspapers via the Newark History Archives website. Words are found thanks to OCR, or Optical Character Recognition. This technology is invaluable for capturing text in scanned documents; however, misreadings are commonplace. Blemishes on the page obscure accurate captures of words. Letters that look alike, such as a and u, b and h, become intertwined.

The advantage of this new index from NJRPG is that it was created by humans reading through the notices of deaths and marriages and typing them.

We'll look at an example using Vanderhoof, since that has been a name of recent concentration in my research.

Results of "Vanderhoof" in newspapers at NJRPG

Emma L Knox, born Vanderhoof, was listed in the death notices of the Newark Evening News on February 3, 1888 and the Newark Sunday Call on February 5, 1888.

If we go to the Newark History Archives website and type in "Vanderhoof" for this time frame, there are no results.

Results for the search term "Vanderhoof."
None were found by OCR, in spite of the word appearing in the newspapers on these dates.

If we search for "Knox," we get one listing for February 5, 1888 and none for February 3, 1888.

Results for the search term "Knox." Most words are garbled because of OCR readings.

This is the listing for February 5:

Death listing in the Newark Sunday Call for Emma L Knox, wife of Andrew G Knox,
daughter of John and Jane Vanderhoof. Aged 39 years, 4 months, and 18 days.
Burial at Fairmount Cemetery in Newark.

Thanks to the index of NJRPG, we know to also look at February 3.

Death Listings in the Newark Evening News February 3, 1888

Although readable, the scan from February 3 is not as clear. Perhaps this is why neither surname appeared in the search at the Newark History Archives website.

The website of New Jersey Records Preservation Group also has an index of people interred in certain cemeteries in Newark. More resources are in the works, such as funeral home records.

Copies of a Philadelphia Birth Certificate

Among my paternal grandfather's papers was a copy of his birth certificate. Clifford Lutter was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 18, 1915. Below is the paper I found.

Birth certificate of Clifford Lutter born March 18, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Typed reproduction.
Father- Howard Lutter. Mother- Laura Ethel Winterton.
(They lived in Newark, New Jersey. They stayed in Philadelphia briefly.)

I do not know if this very paper is what Clifford received, or if he received a smaller paper and made this copy.

I already had a copy of the birth certificate that I made from microfilm at a Family History Center. 

Birth certificate of Clifford Lutter born March 18, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Handwritten and stamped March 19, 1915.
Film 2169638.

This film of Philadelphia births has been digitized but is restricted, meaning you cannot view at home. You have to log in at a Family History Center. The process in the past was to order the microfilm, pay a fee, and then wait. Now the process is free and instant- but as long as you can get to a particular physical location.

Note that the birth certificate copied from microfilm is handwritten, while the copy is typed. On the handwritten version, a date is written on top, "2/?/39." This could indicate that a copy was issued on that date. Sure enough, the official copy date on the typed copy is February 6, 1939.

Ancestry has published birth certificates of Philadelphia. Clifford's birth record appears in this collection, but is not the same as the handwritten birth certificate viewed on microfilm all those years ago. This was not easy to find because it is indexed as Sutter with an S, not Lutter with an L.

Birth certificate of Sutter born March 18, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Was there more than one set of Philadelphia birth records? When Clifford requested his birth certificate in 1939, did this trigger an unrecorded correction in spelling from Sutter to Lutter?

Letter of Condolence

Among my grandmother's papers was a letter of condolence for the loss of my grandfather, Clifford Lutter (1915-1980). The author was Harry Hazelwood (1921-2007), a judge in Newark, New Jersey.

A brief search produced a page at Rutgers University dedicated to Judge Hazelwood, where he attended for undergraduate studies. Some letters he wrote are pictured on his alumni page, so I decided to post this letter here in case anyone wants to view.

Judge Hazelwood was buried in Fairmount Cemetery in Newark.

Letter of condolence dated January 31, 1980
from Judge Harry Hazelwood, Jr to Mrs Clifford [Beulah] Lutter.
A transcript is below.

January 31, 1980

Mrs Clifford Lutter
c/o Funeral Home of James F Caffrey and Son
809 Lyons Avenue
Irvington, New Jersey 07111

Dear Mrs Lutter:

You and your family have my deepest sympathy upon the passing of your husband. I trust that God will give all of you the strength and courage to carry on during the coming days of stress and strain and will comfort you during the time of your bereavement. For many years I have known of your husband and his work particularly as treasurer of Special Police Local 11. He will long be remembered for his professionalism and for his community concern.

Again, my heartfelt sympathy to you and to all of the family.

Sincerely,

Harry Hazelwood, Jr.
Judge, Superior Court

Forbidden New York State Records

We aren't going to be seeing vital records from the State of New York any time soon.

The New York State Senate and Assembly passed bills (2025-S7782A and 2025-A8314A) to allow digitization and publication of births, marriages, deaths, and dissolutions of marriage. Governor Kathleen Hochul vetoed the bill in October 2025.

There remains no path to obtaining a vital record from the New York Department of Health if it falls under a genealogical time frame: 75 years for births and 50 years for marriages and deaths.

I await fulfillment of four records ordered from the New York State Department of Health. Three were ordered 21 months ago and the other almost four years ago- after the Department failed to find the certificate the first time around.

Although the Department will not copy and mail the documents, it is able to open the envelopes, remove the form of payment, and deposit same into the State's coffers.

The Department's website has not been updated since January 2023 and still falsely promises:
    1- orders of genealogical records will be fulfilled
    2- orders of genealogical records may take eight months or longer

Website of the New York State Department of Health
falsely offering genealogical copies of vital records

In contrast, New York City was able to digitize and place online a self-reported 75% of its vital records. Ancestry has digitized images of older New York City records.

Pending Orders

Below is the list of records not available online that were ordered and not yet fulfilled.

The last published list was September 22, 2025.

Death certificate of James Cummings, 1912

Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed February 9, 2024.

$22 check. (Died in Catskill, Greene County, New York March 11, 1912.) Check cleared July 30, 2024.

Death certificate of Jane Cummings, 1899

Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed February 9, 2024.
$22 check. (Died in Catskill, Greene County, New York July 7, 1899.) Check cleared July 30, 2024.

Death certificate of John Grant, 1882
Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed February 9, 2024.
$22 check. (Died in Catskill, Greene County, New York December 27, 1882.) Check cleared July 30, 2024.

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.

Peter Vanderhoof and Crimes in Wisconsin

An earlier article discussed Vanderhoof brothers John and Samuel, who relocated from New Jersey to Wisconsin in the mid 1800s.

As I searched the newspapers of Wisconsin for insight into their lives, many articles about another Vanderhoof appeared in the early 1880s.

Peter Vanderhoof and his family were arrested for stealing wheat and wrecking trains near Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1880. 

"Wheat Thieves"
Wisconsin, December 27, 1880

Peter Vanderhoof is not an unusual name. I have 46 men of this name in my tree as I write this. The natural question about this person is: Which Peter Vanderhoof is he?

Peter Vanderhoof did not act alone. This was a family criminal enterprise. His sons were named- Nelson and Norton. His sons-in-law were named- Henry Pearson and Frank Harper. Because of this, the correct Peter Vanderhoof was easily identified in the 1880 census in Greenbush, Wisconsin.

Household of Peter Vanderhoof and wife Mary [born Atkins]
1880 United States Federal Census, Greenbush, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

In this 1880 census, Peter was 48 years old, giving a year of birth around 1832 in New Jersey. His daughter, Caroline, age 20, was born in New Jersey, but his son, Nelson, age 18, was born in Wisconsin.

In 1860 in New Jersey, Peter is easily identified in Pequannock, Morris County, New Jersey because his children's names are unique among the Vanderhoofs: Willis, Araminta, and Norton. Elizabeth was a very popular given name.

Household of Peter Vanderhoof and Mary C
1860 United States Federal Census, Pequannock/Boonton, Morris County, New Jersey

Who were the parents of this Peter Vanderhoof? This was not an easy pursuit and I still may not have a definitive answer.

I expected Peter to be single for the 1850 census, maybe residing with his family of origin, and then married with baby Willis in the 1855 New Jersey state census.

A marriage in the early 1850s may have been recorded only in Morris County or filed with the State of New Jersey. I did not find a record in either collection for Peter Vanderhoof and Mary Catherine Atkins.

If we only view Morris County, there are a few men in the 1850 census who could be this Peter. Without a wife and without knowing the names of his parents, we would not know which Peter of Morris County in 1850 is the bandit Peter of Wisconsin.

On the 1855 state census, ages are not given. All individuals in households are named, except for the entries in Hanover. The household of Peter Vanderhoof contained two males and one female, which fits this Peter.

Household of Peter Vanderhoof
1855 New Jersey State Census, Hanover, Morris County.

We can rule out another contender, Peter Vanderhoof. He died a single man on August 8, 1884 in Montville, age 49 years, 8 months (born about 1830). He was the son of Aaron Vanderhoof and Rachel Doremus.

Death certificate of Peter Vanderhoff. Died August 8, 1884
in Montville, Morris County, New Jersey.
Parents- Aaron Vanderhoff and Racheal Vanderhoff.

A contender is Peter Vanderhoof, son of Jacob G Vanderhoof and Melinda Lozaw. He was born around 1834. He was last seen in the 1855 census with his parents and no wife or children. The profile of the criminal Peter Vanderhoof is that he was married with at least one child by 1855, so I do not think that this Peter, son of Jacob and Melinda, was the bandit Peter of Wisconsin.

Household of Jacob G Vanderhoof and wife Malinda
1855 New Jersey State Census, Hanover and Pequannock, Morris County

There is a memorial page on Find A Grave for Private Peter J Vanderhoof of Company C, 15 NJ Infantry. According to this page, he was the son of Jacob G Vanderhoof and Melinda Lozaw and died December 28, 1862 in White Oak, Stafford County, Virginia.

Find A Grave memorial page for Private Peter J Vanderhoof
died December 28, 1862 in White Oak, Stafford County, Virginia.
Civil War. Company C, 15 New Jersey Infantry.

I am in contact with the contributor and eagerly await documentation on this branch.

Family Trees

Family trees can yield clues to pursue for research. Family trees attribute the bandit Peter of Wisconsin to two different sets of parents.

One avenue is that Peter of Wisconsin was the son of Jacob Vanderhoof and Melinda Lozaw. I have not definitively found Jacob and Melinda's son after the 1855 census. I don't know what happened to Jacob and Melinda, either. Melinda Lozaw is often mixed up with Rachel Bush (1810-1864), wife of another Peter Vanderhoof (1809-1894).

Family tree proposing that Peter Vanderhoof (1831-1931)
was the son of Jacob G Vanderhoof and Melinda Rachel Lozaw

The other attribution for Peter's parents is that they were Peter Vanderhoof (1797-1847) and Rachel Peer (1800-1850). Peter and Rachel are buried at the DeMouth Burial Ground in Boonton, Morris County, New Jersey, close to Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) and Ann Hopler (1772-1841).

Family tree offering Peter Vanderhoof (1832-1931)
as the son of Peter Vanderhoof and Rachel Hyler Peer

In the 1850 census, there is a man named Peter Vanderhoof, age 18, living in the household of Rachel Vanderhoof, age 50, in Pequannock, Morris County, New Jersey. Note that the preceding household is Lozaw and a nearby household is Williams Adkins. The bandit Peter Vanderhoof married Mary Catherine Atkins, daughter of William. There is no Mary or Catherine in this household in 1850. Was this her father? We do not know as of this writing.

Household of Rachel Vanderhoof
1850 United States Federal Census, Pequannock, Morris County, New Jersey

In the meantime, I ordered the death certificate of Peter Vanderhoof for the year 1931 in Wisconsin.

What are the names of Peter's parents on his death certificate? Not what I expected.

Peter Vanderhoof died June 30, 1931
in Green Bay, Brown County, Wisconsin
Available through mail via the Wisconsin Vital Records Office

The parents were Peter Vanderhoof and Ann Miller of Pennsylvania? Who were they?

Parents of Peter Vanderhoof listed on his 1931 death certificate
Father- Peter Vanderhoof. Mother- Ann Miller.

The informant was Mrs Lona Herlik. She was a granddaughter of Peter Vanderhoof. She was born in 1890 in Antigo, Langlade County, Wisconsin to Nelson Vanderhoof (1862-1954). Lona's mother, Anna Kash, died soon after Lona's birth. Lona was raised by her paternal grandparents. Lona never met the great grandparents whose names and birthplaces she was asked to recite for the death certificate. As such, this information may not be accurate.

Peter's death in 1931 merited mention in the newspapers and provided his picture. His crime spree of the early 1880s was not mentioned.

Newspaper article announcing funeral of Peter Vanderhoof

Another article gave Peter's date of birth as November 20, 1832, which could be correct. But his place of birth was stated to be Rahway, New Jersey. This was another weird fact that is probably not true. I have not found any Vanderhoofs in this area of New Jersey in the 1830s. Rahway was in Essex County until Union County was formed in 1857.

Newspaper article announcing the death of Peter Vanderhoof
from heat, July 1, 1931

Another newspaper article may or may not help. Mrs Sarah Miller celebrated her 94th birthday in 1914 in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey. This article detailed her deceased spouse and living son, as well as her living siblings. Among them was Peter Vanderhoof, age ninety, of Spencer, Wisconsin. They were noted for their longevity and vast number of descendants.

"Woman Celebrates at 94; Has 112 Descendants Alive"
Mrs Sarah Miller of Caldwell, New Jersey

Sarah died December 6, 1914 in Caldwell. She was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery, also in Caldwell. Her death certificate listed her parents as Peter Vanderhoof and Rachel Peer.

Death certificate of Sarah Miller, died December 6, 1914
in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey.
Parents- Peter Vanderhoof and Rachel Peer.
Document available through the New Jersey State Archives.

Thanks to this article about Sarah's 94th birthday, we know that her brother, Peter Vanderhoof, moved to Wisconsin and had many descendants. The specifics are not accurate for the bandit Peter. He was about eighty in 1914, not ninety. He did not reside in Spencer, Wisconsin, but he did reside in Antigo and Green Bay, which were not very far.

Do all of these bits of information add up to the conclusion that the bandit Peter Vanderhoof of Wisconsin was the son of Peter Vanderhoof and Rachel Peer? I will still search for information.

Possible family tree of the bandit Peter Vanderhoof of Wisconsin

Note: "Pequannock" is the current spelling. The name of this New Jersey township was spelled many ways over the centuries. The borders also changed. I used the current spelling throughout this article for consistency. The website of the Pequannock Historical Society is linked here.

Three Deaths in January 1892

While researching Vanderhoofs of Wisconsin, I came across the sad story about the deaths of two parents and their newborn in January of 1892.

James Taton Eldridge and Sarah Elizabeth Vanderhoof were married July 30, 1882 in Plymouth, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. She was the daughter of Peter Alonzo Vanderhoof (1827-1910) and Susanna Shauger (1836-1913) and granddaughter of John Vanderhoof (1804-1888) and Sarah Dobbin (1804-1876). By 1885 James and Sarah, then using the name Elizabeth, had two children and were residing in Douglas Township, Sac County, Iowa.

James died on January 9, 1892- the same day Sarah gave birth to a baby. This baby died the following day, January 10. Sarah died January 11. They were buried in Oakland Cemetery in Sac City. James' cause of death was cited as Lung Fever and the Grip. We now know these as pneumonia and influenza. Mother and baby could have easily caught either or both diseases.

Sac County, Iowa digitized local newspapers. Through this site articles about the family were found.

Newspaper article from the Sac County Democrat
detailing the deaths of Eldridge parents and newborn

The surviving four children were Vivian, James Byron, Winfred Harold, and Ethel. None of these children had children who lived into adulthood, resulting in no living descendants of James Taton Eldridge and Susan Elizabeth Vanderhoof.

John and Samuel Vanderhoof: New Jersey to Wisconsin

Next up in the review of the proposed children of Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) and Ann Hopler (1772-1841) are two sons who relocated from New Jersey to Wisconsin in the 1850s: John and Samuel. More information is needed to definitively link all these people.

Worksheet of proposed offspring
Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler
born in Morris County, New Jersey 1790s through 1820s.
*Do not use this as documentation of any names, dates, or relations!*

In prior articles we reviewed other possible children of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler.

    -Hiley Vanderhoof (1803-1888) and Elizabeth (1799-1878) were two different people.

    -Mary Vanderhoof (1822-1861) was not their daughter.

    -Charlotte Cook (18xx-18xx) was a daughter with a close relationship (sister?) to Elizabeth.

Vanderhoof brothers John and Samuel and their many descendants are found in many records of Wisconsin.

Here is a map of the United States with boundaries from the early 1850s. The path from New Jersey to Wisconsin must have been treacherous and difficult. I do not know why these brothers, along with other families from the area of Morris County, relocated.

Map of the United States 1850s.
New Jersey and Wisconsin are indicated with red arrows.

Louisa Caroline Freeman Hickerson (1921-2018) was a cousin of mine on few lines. In her book assembled in 1991 titled Vanderhoof, Louisa tried tracing John and Samuel. The pertinent entries are excerpted below.

JOHN VANDERHOOF 1804-1888

Louisa provided exact dates for John Vanderhoof. He was born January 15, 1804 and died March 24, 1888. These are the dates on his gravestone in Maple Grove Cemetery in Plymouth, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, which we can see today thanks to his memorial page on Find A Grave. Louisa did not specify her source in her book.

Brief overview of John Vanderhoof, born 1804 and died 1888 in Wisconsin

John Vanderhoof married Sarah Dobbin on November 29, 1826, according to Louisa. This record has not been located as of this writing. They presumably married in New Jersey. Morris County marriages for this time period are available online.

John and Sarah had at least eight children, all born in New Jersey. Peter Alonzo may have been their first, born August 27, 1827. The final child identified is George, born about 1841.

John and Sarah's second child, Samuel Vanderhoof (1829-1849), died in Wisconsin. This would mean that John moved to Wisconsin before other families from the Morris County area. I have not found the family in the 1850 census in New Jersey or Wisconsin.

Below is John and Sarah's household in the 1860 census in Plymouth. Note that the prior household is Shauger- another Morris County family. John's son Peter married Susanna Shauger (1836-1913). Note that the next household is Dobbin, the family of John's wife, Sarah Dobbin.

1860 federal census. Plymouth, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.
Household of John Vanderhoof, farmer, of New Jersey.

Sarah Dobbin, wife of John Vanderhoof, died in 1876 in Plymouth. Her death certificate was included in this collection at Ancestry.

Death certificate of Mrs John Vanderhoof,
died January 7, 1876 in Plymouth, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.

I did not find a match for the death of John Vanderhoof, 1888, in this collection. Alternatively, a record of death could have been filed with the Register of Deeds for the county in which the death occurred. I requested a search of Sheboygan County. This had to be done by regular postal mail. Within two weeks the task was completed with the issuance of a piece of paper "unable to locate the record."

Unable to locate record of death
John Vanderhoof 1888, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

A death certificate could have provided the names of John Vanderhoof's parents.

SAMUEL VANDERHOOF 1807-xxxx

Samuel Saron Vanderhoof also relocated to Wisconsin. I have not uncovered any documents using this middle name.

Brief overview of Samuel Saron Vanderhoof, born around 1811, unknown date of death

Louisa wrote, "One record has 3-1-1809 for date of birth but that might be in error. Charlotte was born September 4, 1809 in Denville." Which record? Based on his ages in the census, he was probably born in 1807 or 1808.

Charlotte Vanderhoof (1809-1886) married Chileon Cook (1807-1888) in 1828.

"Samuel Vanderhoof and Eleanor Anderson - married 6-15-1836 according to one record." Which record?

Louisa was unable to discover the names of any children of Samuel and Eleanor. This couple had at least ten children. The family relocated to Wisconsin by 1855, when they appeared in the Wisconsin State census in Plymouth. The 1860 federal census reflects this move in the birthplaces of the children. Mary Ella Vanderhoof (1853-1921) was born in New Jersey in White Meadow, Morris County. Hannah C, later called Fanny Caroline, was born in Wisconsin around 1856.

1860 federal census Plymouth, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.
Household of Samuel Vanderhoof and Elena [Anderson].

I did not find Samuel Vanderhoof past the 1880 census. Some online trees provide his date of death as April 4, 1896, but no sources are given. Neither he nor his wife appear in the index of deaths for Wisconsin.

There was another man named Samuel Vanderhoof of the same age who remained in Morris County, New Jersey. This Samuel was a son of Cornelius Vanderhoof and Sarah Smith. He died in 1886 in Boonton, Rockaway Valley.

Some newspapers for the area are online. I did not find obituaries for John or Samuel. If anyone knows how to access more newspaper archives for this area of Wisconsin, please comment below.

Probate records are online at Ancestry. Sheboygan County is not included in this collection.

FURTHER RESEARCH NEEDED

If anyone has further resources to explore in Wisconsin, directives would be appreciated.

Similar Name, Different People

As I sort through the Vanderhoofs, I processed the death certificate of William H Van Derhoef. He died at age 79 years on October 9, 1943 in West Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. According to this document, his wife was Jennie Byington and his parents were John Van Derhoef and Sarah Graft. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Death certificate of William H VanDerhoef.
Died October 9, 1943 in West Orange, Essex County, New Jersey.
Document available through mail or in-person at the New Jersey State Archives.
(New Jersey death certificates are not accessible online.)

William was born in the early 1860s, probably in Brooklyn. He was one of the middle children. His father, John, worked in the seafood markets and had deep roots in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

1880 United States Federal Census
Brooklyn, Kings County, New York
Household of John V Vanderhoef and Sarah Ann Graff

William was already entered at Find A Grave. I found his parents entered at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn: John V Vanderhoef (1824-1900) and Sarah Ann Graff (1829-1919). Sarah's entry at Find A Grave currently has no year of death. Burials are searchable on the website of Cypress Hills. She was interred on December 11, 1919. She probably died in New Jersey, which has no index for deaths in 1919.

There is a problem with the Find A Grave listing for this family. John V Vanderhoef and Sarah Ann Graff were already attached to a son named William H Vanderhoef (1861-1930), buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. 

Memorial page at Find A Grave for William H Vanderhoef
1861-1930 in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn

There are so many people named Vanderhoof or variant spellings that it is easy to mix them up. In my family tree are currently 49 people named William Vanderhoof/hoff/hoef.

The creator of William's memorial page in Green-Wood Cemetery supplied a spouse- Henrietta Dixon (1863-1908).

Marriages and deaths in New York City are digitized for these earlier years. 

On the marriage record from 1882, William J Vanderhoof's father was John Vanderhoof, but his mother was Catherine Mulligan- not Sarah Ann Graff.

Marriage certificate side 1
William J Vanderhoof and Henrietta Dixon
married April 27, 1882 in Brooklyn, New York

Marriage certificate side 2
William J Vanderhoof and Henrietta Dixon
married April 27, 1882 in Brooklyn, New York

On William J's death certificate from 1930, his father was again John Vanderhoof. His mother was Elizabeth, not Catherine, but her surname remained Mulligan- not Graff.

Death certificate of William J Vanderhoof
died January 1, 1930 in Queens, New York

Note that the death certificate lists the place of burial as Evergreens Cemetery. This is another large cemetery in Brooklyn. Although they do not have an online index, they will confirm burials via email. Because I had precise dates of death for William J, his wife Henrietta, and their son, William, Evergreens Cemetery was able to quickly confirm that the family was buried there.

The entry on Find A Grave, in contrast, lists the place of burial as Green-Wood Cemetery.

I did request changes to the memorial page of William H Vanderhoef (1861-1930) of Green-Wood Cemetery, but they were declined.

Email notifying me that changes would not be made to the memorial page
of William H Vanderhoef (1861-1930)

Do not blindly rely on relationships found linked on Find A Grave, or anywhere else. View the original documents whenever possible.

Beregszasz Hungary

The European hometown of William Schoenberg has been identified.

(Thank you, MG!)

William filed his Declaration of Intention to become a citizen of the United States on April 18, 1917. This document was also known as "First Papers." In William's Declaration, we find the following statement:

"I was born in Bergsas Hungary on the 25th day of March anno Domini 1882."

Declaration of Intention signed by William Schoenberg
April 18, 1917 in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey

Close-up of the town of birth place and date of William Schoenberg-
Bergsas, Hungary on the 25th of March, 1882
as written on his Declaration of Intent

Indexes and images for naturalization papers for Hudson County, New Jersey are available through Family Search, but only until the year 1907. William was not found in this collection.

For $3 the Hudson County Clerk searched their collections for 1907 forward.

Website of the Clerk of Hudson County, New Jersey
explaining procedures for obtaining copies of naturalization records

Within a week, the Clerk returned William Schoenberg in their index.

Index of Declarations of Intent
Hudson County, New Jersey
William Schoenberg, Volume 61, Number 30031

These Declarations of Intent for Hudson County are housed in the State Archives in Trenton.

Website of New Jersey State Archives
Form to order naturalization records for certain counties.
The records are not searchable through this website.

I was going to the Archives in person so I did not order the record online. At the Archives, I received a copy of the one page Declaration of Intention. As stated on the document, the Declaration becomes invalid after seven years. William did not complete the citizenship pathway within seven years. If he did so later I do not know as of this writing.

So where is this place? It is currently in Ukraine and is called Berehove, but looks a little different in the Ukrainian version of the Cyrillic alphabet.

Modern-day map showing the location of Berehove, Ukraine,
formerly Beregszasz, Hungary

Borders changed after William was born in Beregszasz, Hungary. The town was in Checkoslavakia between the world wars. As a result, the name is spelled many different ways in various languages.

There are many men named William Schoenberg. The William on the Declaration provided a birthdate of March 25, 1882. This matches the birthdate provided by the target William on his draft registration card for the World War in Hoboken, Hudson County on September 12, 1918- about a year and a half after the Declaration of Intent.

Draft Registration Card for World War I
William Schoenberg of Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey.
Collection at Ancestry

Was March 25, 1882 really William's birthday? I don't know yet. Records for this time period in the area of Bereg are online at FamilySearch. Unfortunately, I have not found an index. Browsing these records produces a few people using the surname Schoenberg or variant spellings.

Images for the Bereg area, formerly of Hungary, are online at FamilySearch.
They cannot be downloaded. Screenshots are blurry.

At MyHeritage, I plugged in the place Beregszasz and the surname Schoenberg and immediately found a ship record for Cilli and Esther Schoenberger. They arrived in New York on April 2, 1908.

Manifest of Alien Passengers
SS Rotsdam from Rotterdam to New York 1908

According to this ship record, Cilli, age 19, and Esther, age 18, were sisters from Beregszasz. Their father was David Schönberger. They were to meet up with their brother, William Schoenberg, of 295 Terrace Ave, New York. (Actually in Jersey City, New Jersey.)

Close-up of the relevant entries for Cilli and Esther Schoenberger

How do we know this William was the target person? In 1909, William's son, Sam, was born at 295 Terrace Avenue in Jersey City.

Birth certificate of William Schomberg July 29, 1909
295 Terrace Avenue, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey
Collection available on microfilm at the New Jersey State Archives

As of this writing, I do not know what became of Esther.

Cilli, also spelled Cillie and Celia, married Morris Niederman in Manhattan in 1916.

Marriage record of Morris Niederman and Cillie Schönberg
Manhattan, New York City, New York
May 21, 1916.
Her parents- David Schönberg and Lalie Mermelstein.
Collection online at New York City Department of Records and Information Services

From this document we see that the names of Cillie's parents match the names of William's parents on his marriage record from 1902 to Szera Scherer.

Marriage record of William Schonberg and Szera Scherer
Manhattan, New York City, New York
April 9, 1902.
His parents- David Schonberg and Lalie Marmorstein.
Collection online at New York City Department of Records and Information Services

Using variant spellings of the surname Schoenberg and the place name Beregszasz produces many potential leads. Of note was Benjamin Schoenberg (1901-1974).

Petition for Naturalization signed by Benjamin Schoenberg
December 29, 1921 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York
Eastern District of New York.
Collection online at Ancestry

Benjamin Schoenberg was born in Beregszasz in 1901 to David Schoenberg and Maria Haupt. His birthplace is from his Petition for Naturalization. The names of his parents are from his marriage record in Manhattan in 1929 to Leah Drasdo (1895-1986).

Marriage record of Benjamin Schoenberg and Leah Drasdo
August 29, 1929 in Manhattan, New York City, New York.
Collection online at New York City Department of Records and Information Services

Esther Rosenberg was a witness on Benjamin Schoenberg's Petition for Naturalization. They both gave their address as 1241 Avenue U in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. They were siblings. Esther died in 1948 in Brooklyn. On her death certificate, her parents were listed as David Haupt and Mary Haupt. Her father's surname is incorrect. He was David Schoenberg, not Haupt.

Death certificate of Esther Rosenberg
Died March 23, 1948 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.
Parents- David Haupt and Mary Haupt. [Probably should be David Schoenberg.]
Collection online at New York City Department of Records and Information Services

Esther Schoenberg and Harry Rosenberg (1883-1924) had at least three children: Sadie (1913-????), Lillian (1917-2007), and Morris (1922-2011). Lillian married Sidney Weinberg in 1937 in Manhattan. She listed her mother's name as Esther Schoenberg, not Haupt. I am a DNA match in the second to third cousin range with a child of Lillian and Sidney.

Marriage record of Sidney Weinberg and Lillian Rosenberg
January 24, 1937 in Manhattan, New York City, New York.
Collection online at New York City Department of Records and Information Services

Morris Rosenberg married Elaine Gellers (1922-2009) in 1946 in Brooklyn. He provided his mother's name as Esther Schoenberg, not Haupt.

Marriage record of Morris Rosenberg and Elaine Gellers
November 27, 1947 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.
Collection online at New York City Department of Records and Information Services

Much more research is needed. Identifying the hometown was a vital component to move this quest forward.