Mary (1822-1861), Not a Daughter of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler

Beware of blindly accepting published family trees!

Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) and Ann Hopler (1772-1841) lived and died in Morris County, New Jersey. This couple produced thousands of descendants, myself included. As a consequence, they are found in lots of online family trees. Vanderhoof and variant spellings were common in New York and New Jersey in the 1700s and 1800s, resulting in many different people having similar first and last names living within miles of one another. The few written records that survive lack details that would help distinguish one person from another of the same name.

The result is lots of trees that merge different people into one, or criss-cross the lines.

As of this writing, I have not sorted all of the men named Jacob Vanderhoof. I'll produce articles as I figure out children, record sets, or locations.

A tree appeared with Jacob, Ann, and sixteen children. I explored this tree because I was curious about the sources about their daughter, Elizabeth (1799-1878). The picture for Elizabeth is that of a young woman. Elizabeth was well-past her youth when cameras and photographs were invented, so this cannot be her.

Tree of Jacob Vanderhoof, Ann Elizabeth Hopler, and sixteen children

I looked at the youngest offered child, Mary, born in 1822, when her mother was fifty. The only source is another family tree. This will not suffice.

Source for the life of Mary Vanderhoof is another tree

In 1848, Mary Vanderhoof and J K Odell married in Sussex County, New Jersey. This was just before state-wide registry was required; however, the event was recorded at the county level and can be viewed online. From this record we see that the bride was described as "of Wantage." This is in Sussex County, about thirty miles northwest of Rockaway Valley in Morris County, where Jacob Vanderhoof and and Ann Hopler had resided before their deaths.

March 30, 1848. Mr J K Odell of Hardiston to Miss Mary Vanderhoof of Wantage.
Sussex County, New Jersey Marriages 1828-1853

On October 30, 1861 Mary Odel died in Vernon, Sussex County. This record is also available online. State-wide registration was in the form of ledger books at this time. The cause of death was consumption, or tuberculosis. Her parents were Jacob and Elizabeth Vanderhoof.

Mary Odell has a memorial page at Find A Grave, along with a photograph of the stone. She was buried at Deckertown Union Cemetery in Wantage.

Mary Vanderhuff Odell (1823-1861)
Memorial page at Find A Grave

The above-mentioned sources don't help us definitively rule Mary in or out as a daughter of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler. Without visiting this cemetery in person, we can check for other Vanderhoofs buried there.

We find Jacob A Vanderhuff (1791-1870) and Elizabeth Swan (1793-1870) listed in the same cemetery as Mary. They seem more likely to be her parents. (Yes, Mary is listed as their daughter at Find A Grave. This is because I requested this change after finding and reviewing documents.)

Jacob A Vanderhuff (1791-1870)
Memorial page at Find A Grave

Elizabeth Swan Vanderhuff (1793-1870)
Memorial page at Find A Grave

The will of Jacob A Vanderhuff is viewable online. He left his estate to his living children and to three of his grandchildren, "children of John K Odell and my daughter Mary, now deceased."

Will of Jacob A Vanderhuff of Vernon, Sussex County, New Jersey.
Proved August 17, 1870.

This helps chip away at one bit of inaccuracy in the Vanderhoof tree. More to come.

Adoption of Hibler by Cook 1880

My great-grandfather, Eugene Everett Cook (1898-1979), was born and raised in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. He moved around within New Jersey and New York before retiring to Florida, where he died.

Although Cook is a common surname, I look into people with this surname who reside close to my family, especially if they share a given name as well.

Lawrence Eugene Cook (1872-1942) also lived in Newark, but was born in Swartswood, which is in Sussex County, New Jersey- fifty miles northwest of Newark.

Database Social Security Applications and Claims Index

Lawrence's birth was not found in the birth ledgers circa 1872. This is not unusual. He also was not with his parents, John and Idell, in the 1880 census. Mistakes and omissions are not unusual.

1880 United States Federal Census
101 Sheffield Street, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey
Household of John Cook and Idell. No children.

John Cook was born in England. My Cook line was in the United States when it was created in 1776. I figured there was probably no connection, so I did not venture further down that rabbit hole.

On Family Search, while browsing results of full-text searches for Eugene Cook in Newark, I found some documents about this other group of Cooks.

Lawrence Eugene Cook was adopted by John Cook and Idell. Lawrence and Idell were half-siblings. Their birth surname was Hibbler. Their father was Jacob Hibbler (1815-1880). He also used the spelling with one B, Hibler.

Petition of John Cook and Idell to adopt
Lawrence E Hibbler, 1880

Order granting adoption of Lawrence E Hibbler
by John Cook and Idell, 1880

John and Idell petitioned to adopt Lawrence on October 1, 1880. The family relations were explained. Idell was from Jacob's first marriage to Eliza Vliet (1820-1868). Lawrence was from Jacob's second marriage to Melinda Vanatta (1832-1872).

Family tree of Lawrence Eugene Cook, born Hibbler

Using the surname Hibbler, Lawrence Eugene was found in the 1880 census living with his father, Jacob, and other members of the "Hibler" family in Newark.

1880 United States Federal Census
Hibler households at 31 Astor Street, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey

Adoptions were not commonplace. Children could live with people other than their parents without any paperwork or judicial action. As for Lawrence Eugene, Jacob's advancing age and pending death probably prompted this adoption.

Jacob Hibbler died November 11, 1880. He was buried in Fairmount Cemetery in Newark.

Death certificate of Jacob Hibbler
November 11, 1880 in Newark, New Jersey

Although the petition for adoption stated, "said minor has no estate or property in  his own right," Lawrence was left property in his mother's will in 1872.

Will of Melinda Hibbler
Signed October 22, 1872
Stillwater, Sussex County, New Jersey

Lawrence was only eight years old as his father was dying in 1880. Someone with legal authority needed to handle his share of his mother's estate; hence, this rare adoption was sought.

Lawrence Eugene Hibbler/Cook married Etta May Coursen (1874-1942). They had one daughter, Iliff Velmar Cook (1896-1961). The name "Iliff" is probably a family name. There is an Iliff Burying Ground in Sussex County.

1880 Census and More

In 1880, the decennial federal census was recorded. This was the first census that provided the relation of every member of the household to the head.

Did you know that additional information was recorded on people who had special needs and/or lived in institutions because of these needs? The database at Ancestry is titled U.S., 1880 Federal Census Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes. Let's use the term "supplement to the census."

I just discovered this and thought I'd share my findings.

Please note that the terms used for these people and institutions were standard for the year 1880. Most have fallen out of use today and seem archaic or degrading.

Searching the 1880 census will not give results in the supplement to the census. These are separate databases at Ancestry. A potential match might appear in the "Suggested Records" column if you click on an entry in one database.

How would you know to look for someone on the supplement to the census? Either because they are enumerated as an occupant of an institution or because they answered in the affirmative to the questions about health.

1880 federal census questions about health

Question 15: Is the person [on the day of the Enumerator's visit] sick or temporarily disabled, so as to be unable to attend to ordinary business or duties? If so, what is the sickness or disability?

Question 16: Blind,

Question 17: Deaf and Dumb,

Question 18: Idiotic,

Question 19: Insane,

Question 20: Maimed, Crippled, Bedridden, or otherwise disabled.

Words or a slash mark in these columns merit a visit to the supplement to the census. Additional information was collected about the nature and length of the condition. This may or may not be accurate.

Specific to Newark, Essex County, New Jersey were several institutions, triggering the residents to appear on both the 1880 federal census and the supplement:

-Newark City Alms House on Elizabeth Avenue. Date of admission is on the supplement.

-Home for the Friendless on South Orange Avenue. Date of admission and number of brothers and sisters is on the supplement.

-Essex County Asylum for the Insane on Camden Street. Supplement includes illness, length of current attack, number of attacks, and age at first attack.

-Protestant Foster House on Belleville Avenue. Supplement includes date of admission and circumstances of birth.

Information, including spelling and indexing, can vary from the census to the supplement. The correct person can be confirmed because the enumeration district, page number, and line number of the census are included in the supplement.

Mary Staats (1840-1892) has possibly four entries in the 1880 census and supplement.

1880 United States Federal Census
476 Mulberry Street, Newark, New Jersey

In the 1880 federal census, Mary was enumerated at 476 Mulberry Street in Newark with her husband, Abraham, their two children, and a servant. [Indexed as Stadts at Ancestry.] For the question about occupation, "keep house" is scratched out and "insane asylum" written above. The box for "insane" is ticked.

1880 Federal Census Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes.
Enumeration District 65.

Mary is listed in the supplement. We know this is Mary because of the enumeration district, 65, in the upper left corner. Next to Mary's name is the page number, 15, and line number, 43. [Indexed as Staats at Ancestry.] Additional information is that Mary suffers from mania, which struck for the first time one year ago when she was 39 years old. Also, she is currently housed at Newark Asylum.

So I checked for her in the 1880 census in the Asylum, Enumeration District 68.

1880 Federal Census
Essex County Asylum for the Insane, Camden Street, Newark, New Jersey.
Enumeration District 68.

In the 1880 census, there is a woman named Mary Staats listed at the Insane Asylum. [Indexed Stoats at Ancestry.] But her age was given as 68 years, birthplace New York.

1880 Federal Census Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes.
Essex County Asylum for the Insane, Camden Street, Newark, New Jersey.
Enumeration District 68.

The supplement provides a few more details. Still 68 years old, married but also widowed. Suffering from her first bout of mania for four months.

The information provided about Mary in her home is probably more accurate and reliable because a family member spoke with the enumerator. At the institution, the enumerator did not speak to every inhabitant because of efficiency and because most occupants may have been too incapacitated to relay accurate information. The informant at the institution would not have personally known the accuracy of any specifics.

The takeaway is to look for additional information in the supplement if someone answered yes to a health question in the 1880 census, or if they resided as a pauper, orphan, or mentally or physically impaired person in an institution.

Scrapbook of Charles Lutter 1934

My grandfather, Clifford Lutter (1915-1980), kept a scrapbook of newspaper articles.

New picture of my grandfather, Clifford "Charles" Lutter.
Probably circa 1934. Date and newspaper unknown as of this writing.

I must recommend to anyone who clips articles from anywhere (including now online) note the source: Title of newspaper, location, date, and page.

Based on events mentioned in the articles, I determined that these clippings were from the year 1934.

The Newark Star Eagle was published in New Jersey in the year 1934 and is not online. I would suspect that the articles were from this newspaper because Clifford lived in Newark. I did not find these articles in any of the newspapers that are online. I searched some unique phrasing within the articles on sites such as GenealogyBank, Newspapers, Old News, Google, Chronicling America, and the Newark Public Library. Nothing matched.

Some of the articles were written by "Charles Lutter." Others list no author. My grandfather used the name Charles in addition to Clifford.

Page from the scrapbook of Clifford Lutter

"People Are Dumb" sounds like something a Lutter would write.

The topics were often covered in articles across the country, but these exact articles are not online.

Peter Kaliscik, age ten, was severely injured by electric shock while playing on train tracks of the Long Island Railroad in Brooklyn, New York. Doctors told the boy, who was fully alert, that he was going to die. Modern-day healthcare workers would probably not approach a child with such bluntness. Newspapers across the country carried very similar articles about this incident, which occurred November 12, 1934.

"Little Boy, Electric Victim, Will Die." Newspaper unknown. 1934.
Spoiler- he lived.

Peter died November 13, but twenty years later, in 1954. In 1942 he married Theresa VanHouten and had children.

The next step was using this alternate name of "Charles Lutter." This produced articles that were likely about Clifford.

Charles Lutter, age 21, of Newark, found a skeleton in 1936.
This matches the age of my Clifford Lutter, who was born in 1915.
We don't hear much about Bound Creek.

Other men were also named Charles Lutter. One was close in age to my Charles/Clifford:

Charles Lutter, born in Bayonne in 1912 to John Ernest Lutter (1882-1944) and Emma Otto (1885-1964). Charles moved to Newark after his 1936 marriage to Catherine Radoshvic (1916-1983). He lived in Staten Island, New York prior to this.

So my grandfather, Clifford "Charles" Lutter, was the only person who went by Clifford or Charles Lutter living in Newark born around 1915.

In the back of the scrapbook are eight lines of writing.

He is utterly active; but, in time, no
movement is fortuitous, or without a
motive; his will is always active, his actions
have a definite aim. If he shows
violence, it is in order to insure
execution of his commands- to show
that he has strength to overcome anything which opposes him.

Finding Obituaries of the Unnamed

Obituaries are an invaluable source of information on people from long ago.

Sometimes, unfortunately, a person's full name is not revealed. This happened with Amelia C Degraw, wife of Martin Vanderhoof. She died in Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey on February 5, 1899.

Her obituary called her "Mrs Martin Vanderhoof" and "the deceased." Her first name and name at birth were not mentioned. Even her two daughters were mentioned only by the names of their husbands. Mrs J S Hall was Elsie. Mrs E A Muir was Hattie Amelia.

Mrs Martin Vanderhoof
Mrs Martin Vanderhoof, aged 64, died on Sunday after an illness of less than two weeks. The deceased had been a member of the Methodist Church for about 35 years. Mrs Vanderhoof is survived by a husband, a son and two daughters. The daughters are Mrs J S Hall and Mrs E A Muir, and the son is Charles Vanderhoof, all of Morristown.
The funeral was held at 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon from the late residence of the deceased, 8 Court street. The pallbearers were Ellis Coe, Dayton Bobbitt, James Couch, Clifford Fairchild, D H Rodney and D S Brink. Interment was made at Evergreen Cemetery.

Amelia's death certificate confirmed the obituary for Mrs Martin Vanderhoof is indeed hers.

Death certificate of Amelia C Vanderhoof. Died February 5, 1899 in Morristown.
Microfilm available to view and copy at the New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.
Parents- Luke Degraw and Elizabeth Clark.

When Martin died in 1913, his obituary provided Amelia's full name. They were married April 29, 1856- according to Martin's obituary. This may have been in Orange County, New York- where Amelia was from. I have not found a record in New Jersey.

Obituary of Martin Vanderhoof
Morris County Chronicle
August 19, 1913

I photographed the grave of Amelia and Martin when I visited Evergreen Cemetery in August of 2024. Their daughter, Hattie, and Hattie's husband, Edward Muir, are also on the stone.

Gravestone at Evergreen Cemetery, Morristown, New Jersey.
Martin Vanderhoof (November 2, 1830 - August 14, 1913)
Amelia C Degraw (October 2, 1834 - February 5, 1899)
Edward A Muir (August 25, 1852 - January 12, 1881)
Hattie A Vanderhoof (January 17, 1859 - February 17, 1929)

As more historical newspapers and documents appear online, search features improve. Strategies are still needed to find information. Searching for "Amelia" and "Vanderhoof" would not have yielded her obituary from 1899.

Picture of Clarence E Winterton, Produce Merchant

I snagged a great picture from eBay. It's a sepia tone photograph of eleven men standing in front of a structure labeled "Clarence E Winterton" with a sign "Philadelphia Poultry." "Papa" and an arrow are drawn underneath one of the men. The number "95" is on two of the posts. This was probably 95 Park Place in New York City.

The picture (not including mat) measures 4 1/4 " by 5 1/2 "

On the reverse is written, "First place he worked" and the photographer's information, J Watson.

"First place he worked"
J Watson, photographer. ?05 Bowery, NY

Clarence E Winterton (1860-1921) was was an older brother of my great great grandfather, William Walling Winterton (1863-1932). They were raised in Matawan and Keyport in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

I inherited many photos from this branch of my family, though most of the people in these photos remain unidentified. I'm not sure which of the photos, if any, that I have in my possession feature Clarence E Winterton. I tentatively identified William Winterton in some of these photos. 

Probably William Walling Winterton (1863-1932)
Brother of Clarence E Winterton

At MyHeritage, the picture was sharpened.

Image sharpened by MyHeritage

MyHeritage also colorized the photo. This is amazing. Life is breathed into sepia when colorized. The numbers on the pillars are more prominent. Light from above is visible within the structure on the right behind the men.

Image colorized by MyHeritage

MyHeritage can also recognize faces and enhance them. This picture was not crisp to begin with. Only one figure was recognized as a face, the man labeled "Papa."

Face of "Papa" reimagined by MyHeritage

The colorized picture of William Winterton revealed lush greens and a stored firewood.

 

Colorized photograph of William Walling Winterton

The New York City city directories list Clarence and his helpers at 95 Park Place.

City directory for the City of New York
1889-1890
William Winterton, trucks, was my great great grandfather.

In 1881 Clarence Winterton married Elizabeth R Lufburrow (1862-1940). They had three children:

-Clyde Ellsworth Winterton (1883-1936), married Blanche Johnson (1883-1966) and Marilena Drake (1887-1966).

-Vera Adele Winterton (1886-1964), married Frank Pierson Sproul (1884-1936).

-Roy Lufburrow Winterton (1889-1960), married Lillie Pedee (1894-1965).

 

Clarence relocated to New York City in the late 1880s- the youngest child was born there in 1889. (Though his name at birth was Orlie Vincent and not Roy.) By 1900, Clarence had relocated to Brooklyn.

1900 federal census 594 Monroe Street, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.
Clarence Winterton, produce merchant.
Lizzie R, wife.
(Children on next page.)

 

 

 

 

By 1910, Clarence had relocated back to Keyport.

How did Clarence commute? By boat or train, I would imagine. 

Current map of showing locations of Keyport, New Jersey
and 95 Park Place, New York City

 

I visited Keyport Harbor for July 4th. You can see Freedom Tower in lower Manhattan from the water in Keyport. This building stands a few hundred feet from 95 Park Place.  

Me at Keyport on July 4, 2025.
The buildings of lower Manhattan can be seen by the rim of my hat.
This is where Clarence and William Winterton commuted
in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Who is the business partner, Frank Wardell?

I have not seen him in any records so far related to Wintertons. He might be the Franklin Wardell buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1945. In 1886 in Clintondale, Ulster County, New York Frank married Evva Carpenter (1865-1955). He must have commuted south to the produce store.

Family Documents: Clifford Charles Lutter, Mason

Among inherited family documents is now a single paper establishing Clifford Charles Lutter as a 32 degree Mason. He signed December 4, 1971 in Newark, New Jersey.

Document establishing Clifford Lutter (1915-1980)
as a Freemason 32d Degree

Signature of Clifford Lutter December 4, 1971

A few years ago the document surfaced that established Clifford's father, Howard, as a 32d degree Mason. Howard signed exactly 39 years before his son.

Document establishing Howard Lutter (1889-1959)
as a Freemason 32d Degree. 

The flat marker of Howard's burial location
(Glen Haven Memorial Park in Sylmar, Los Angeles, California)
is engraved with the masonic symbol of square and compass with the letter G center.
Photograph courtesy of Bill Burgess.

School Picture 1910s

Picture of three adult women and 36 children.
The picture measures 4 3/4 by 6 3/4 inches.

 

I inherited this picture from my paternal aunt. This appears to be a class picture of children below the age of ten. Three women are poised in the rear row.

The back of the picture is stamped "Heron & Co. Photographers, P. O. Box 958, Orange, N. J." This was located in Essex County, New Jersey.

Based on the hairstyles, I estimated that this picture was taken in the 1910s. The girls' hair was short with big floppy bows. The women's hair was long and piled atop their heads. Their blouses were not form-fitting.

Colorizing the photo at MyHeritage brought the people to life.

MyHeritage estimated that the photo was taken around 1915. That is amazing!

I don't know who these people are. My paternal grandparents were born in 1915 and 1921, so they (and their younger siblings) are not in this picture.