Two Sisters, One Husband

While researching my Duryea roots, this family popped up.

John Duryea, born about 1842 in New York (Manhattan), and his wife, Lizzie White. Only one child, Agnes, was found in records, born about 1871 in Manhattan.

1880 census. New York City.
Household of Albert White, including married daughter Lizzie
with her husband, John Duryea, and their baby, Agnes.

I don't think that this John Duryea is descended from the original Duryea immigrant, Joost. Joost arrived in the United States one hundred years before it became the United States. He lived in what is now called Brooklyn or Kings County, New York by the 1670s.

In contrast, John Duryea's parents, according to the 1880 census, were born in Germany. His wife's parents were from Baden and Prussia. They may have adopted the Duryea surname or shared an ancestor before Joost. I have not located the death certificate of John Duryea. The names of his parents could be on his death certificate.

Agnes Duryea married John Joseph Lee (1864-1938) and had eleven children from 1892 through 1908 in Jersey City. (I have not located a marriage record.)

1910 census in Jersey City
John Lee and household
Deceased children were Mary (1892-1893) and Annie Ida (1900-1900)

This branch is notable because two of the daughters married the same man. This was not unusual, but can be a bit tricky to figure out.

Loretta (also spelled Lauretta in records) Lee married Henry Treichel (also spelled Trieckel) in Jersey City in 1916.

1916 marriage certificate
Henry Treichel and Loretta Lee married January 26, 1916
in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey

Their first child, Ruth Elizabeth, arrived the same year.

1920 census. Jersey City.
Loretta died two months after this census was recorded.

The next child, Loretta, arrived March 27, 1920. Mother Loretta died two days later from pneumonia, with pregnancy contributing.

1920 death certificate
Loretta Trieckel died March 29, 1920 in Jersey City

The following year, 1921, Henry remarried to Irene Lee- a sister of his deceased wife.

1921 marriage certificate
Henry Trieckel and Irene Lee married February 8, 1921
in Jersey City

Henry and Irene had two children, Anna Marie born in 1926, and Henry William, born 1932.

Henry died in 1956 and was buried with his first wife, Loretta, in Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City. The name was spelled Trieckel by this time. Loretta's parents, John Joseph Lee and Agnes Duryea, are also in this plot, but are not on the gravestone.

New York City Jury Census 1816

My fourth great grandfather, Garrett Smith Duryea (1777-1834), was a cartman and grocer in New York City. (The name is spelled with variations throughout records.)

In between the federal decennial census, individual locales ran their own enumerations of inhabitants.

In 1816, New York City created a Jury Census- people who were possibly qualified to serve on a jury.

A search tool for this collection is at Ancestry while images are on the website of the New York City Department of Records and Information Services. 

The address of a person in the jury census is provided by the index at Ancestry. To find this entry in the images, you need to look page by page, or find the possible ward by using a map from this time. Garrit S Duryee was living at 168 Maiden Lane, according to the index. On a map from 1817, Maiden Lane was in Ward 2. (Some streets lie in more than one ward.)

Map of New York City 1817
The New York Public Library Digital Collections

This jury census is different from the federal census in that it provides the exact age of the subject. Garrit was 39 years old in 1816, which matches a year of birth of 1777. His occupation was grocer and he had no exemptions from jury service.

The second page provides details about the household. He was a freeholder of more than 100 pounds (not dollars). This could have been 134 Delancey Street, which he purchased in 1807. Four males and three females lived in this household in 1816. The males were probably Garrett and his three sons, Rulief, John, and Stephen. One of the females was likely my fourth great grandmother, Ann Cornell (1784-1871). The other females could have been servants, siblings, mothers, or daughters who died young and are not named in any records discovered yet.

New York City city directory
Images online at The New York Public Library Digital Collections

The 1816 New York City city directory provides Garrett's address as 168 Fly-market. His address changed often.

For comparison, in 1810 Garret Deryea lived in the tenth ward, probably on Broome or Grand, based on the city directories for this time period. He was the male between the ages of 26 and 44. The two young males were probably his sons John and Rulief. One of the females was probably his first wife, Charity Horton.

In the 1820 census, the household had grown.

Rulief was about 16 years old and the oldest living child. Next were John, Stephen, Garrett Junior, and Jacob. Because the rest of the household is not named, we cannot know if these were the children represented by these counts.

The rest of the household was probably a mixture of other relatives. Some of the young males might be undiscoverable children who died young.

Or the numbers might be wrong.

Note: this is not the same Garret Duryea (1750-1825) who lived in Orange County, New York.

Pending Orders of Records

 While a lot of records are online, many are not.

Below is a list of records I ordered and am still awaiting a response.

One item was received since my last published list on December 6, 2023.

Death certificate of Beryl Nanejian, 1989

Requested from the State of California. Form VS 112 mailed January 19, 2024.

$24 check.

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.

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.

Benefit for the Widow and Children of George Duryea 1864

Found on eBay- 

this small card measuring two and a half by four inches.

A child in Victorian garb is depicted on one side.

Reproduction of a painting.
Child holding an open book. Wavy hair to the shoulders.
Shirt sleeve rolled up past the elbow.
Garments tied around the waist. Skirt to the knees.
Toes peeking out.

The other side is what interested me.

The card was trimmed at the sacrifice of the wording. From what I can ascertain, the inscription reads:

          Grand Ball
          of the
          ---ds and Clever Fellows' Jr. Club,
          ---d of the widow and children of the late officer
          George W. Duryea,
          at Irving Hall,
          -illegible-

George Washington Duryea (1823-1864) was the brother of my third great grandfather, Stephen Cornell Duryea (1814-1887). He was killed on May 16, 1864 in New York City while working as a police officer.

Notice of death and funeral services for George W Duryea
in The New York Herald

I did not find much about this club. I saw a few mentions in the newspapers about other benefits for widows and children hosted by the Clever Fellows.

Notice of benefit by the Clever Fellows Club, 1865
in The New York Times

George's widow, Rene Brewer (1824-1904) (who was also my fourth great grandmother), did not remarry. She died in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, on August 7, 1904. She and George had six children together. When George was killed, they ranged in age from four to sixteen years old.

To find family heirlooms on eBay, set up emails of saved searches containing the surname. If the surname is common, or is a word in its own right, you will need to add other search parameters to narrow down the results.

George D Russell (1913-1997)

What became of George D Russell is no longer a mystery. In 1946, he returned from service in World War II to his home in Forest Hills, Queens County, New York. I could not find him after this date- until now.

George died in 1997 and was buried in Saint Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York. (As of this writing, the picture of the gravestone on the FindAGrave page is not his, but rather another person of the same name in the same cemetery. There are many men named George Russell; hence, narrowing them down is challenging.)

About five years ago, George D Russell became a person of interest in my family's history. The reasons will not be divulged at this time. See my prior posts here and here.

Among the little information I received about George was:

• He was a soldier in World War II. His Army serial number was 329 60 000.
• His last known address was 110-35 72nd Road, Forest Hills, Queens, New York.

Using these two facts, I searched for George using modern-day resources.

Limited information was available. At Fold3.com, this serial number was indeed used by George D Russell, born in 1914. He enlisted in New York City on May 24, 1943 and was married or single, depending on which extraction is viewed.

I ordered the file for this veteran. The service records for World War II were destroyed in a fire. The only surviving document, according to the National Personnel Records Center, was George's final payment voucher, which I promptly requested. No date of birth was on the voucher; but George's signature was. The address in Forest Hills was the same address I was originally provided. (The correspondence and voucher are below.)

Final Payment Voucher for George D Russell
for service in the United States Army during World War II.
(This is a poor copy that was sent to me.)

Unable to quickly find George, I made a family tree of men named George Russell and D Russell who lived in New York and New Jersey and were born around 1914.

When the draft registration cards were published on Fold3, I analyzed all and found no definite matches for the signature. No number on the draft card corresponded with the number for George of Forest Hills.

I tried other techniques, such as searching for the address in newspapers and city directories. When the 1950 census was published earlier this year, I viewed the inhabitants of this address- an apartment building by then. No Russell family.

A few weeks ago, Ancestry's shaky leaf feature signaled that records needed reviewing. The leaf suggested that George of Forest Hills was George Deforest Russell of Malone. I had looked at this George, but did not think he was a match. First, he lived in Malone, New York. This is in Franklin County, just south of the border with Canada. This is about 350 miles north of New York City. Second, the signature on his draft card did not match the signature I had on the final payment voucher.

Map showing distance in miles (350) between New York City and Malone, New York.

In light of Ancestry's leaf, I reviewed the little documentation on both men named George and found a commonality, other than the name. According to the red writing on the side of the draft card, George Deforest of Malone was discharged from the Army on January 14, 1946- the same day on the final payment voucher of George in Forest Hills.

With no other leads, I reviewed George Deforest Russell again. He was born December 4, 1913 in Malone, New York. He died in Norwalk, Fairfield County, Connecticut on November 24, 1997. According to his obituary, he lived in New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut and East Hampton, Suffolk County, New York.

At some point he relocated from northern New York to the target geographical area- but when?

On November 10, 1951, George Deforest Russell married Eleonora Albina Vercelletto in Yonkers, Bronx County, New York. Older birth, marriage, and death records for New York City (Bronx is one of five counties comprising New York City) are online. 1951 is too recent as of this writing, so I ordered it from the City Clerk. (The processing time was two weeks. The cost was $15.)

Marriage License, Bronx County, New York
issued November 3, 1951.
Groom- George Deforest Russell. Bride- Eleonora Albina Vercelletto.

Marriage Certificate.
George Deforest Russell and Eleonora Albina Vercelletto
married November 10, 1951 in Yonkers, Bronx County, New York.

I had hoped to see another version of George's signature for comparison to the final payment voucher. I was disappointed that this document did not include the signatures of the bride and groom; however, I got a more important clue. George was previously married.

George was first married to Thelma Tufexis. This marriage was annulled in New York City on July 14, 1942. The action was against him for fraudulent representation. (As far as I know, New York City seals divorces and annulments for 100 years, making this record unattainable as of this writing. If anyone knows otherwise, kindly comment below.)

George Deforest Russell married Thelma Tufexis at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Forest Hills, Queens, on October 26, 1941. This marriage record is online.

Affidavit for License to Marry
Groom- George Deforest Russell. Bride- Thelma Tufexis.
Signed October 16, 1941 in Forest Hills, New York.
Downloaded from New York City Department of Records and Information Services.

This record provides George's signature, which looks like a match to the final payment voucher. More importantly- the address on this marriage record matches the voucher: 110-35 72nd Road, Forest Hills. The year of birth is off by one.

A note on Thelma Dorothy Tufexis: she was the daughter of John Tufexis of Greece and Irene Fayette. She was born in 1916 in Malone, during her mother's first marriage to William Betters. Note the witness Anna Zdyrko of Brooklyn. Thelma appears in later records as the wife of Nicholas Michael Zdyrko, though I found no marriage record for them. Thelma's first child was born in 1943.

Annie Zdyrko and Jerome Lupo-
Witnesses to the marriage of George Deforest Russell and Thelma Tufexis,
October 26, 1941 in Forest Hills, Queens, New York.

It appears that George D Russell of Forest Hills and George Deforest Russell of Malone are the same people. Perhaps George registered for the draft again when he moved from Malone to Queens around 1940 or 1941. This second number was used for his service, but somehow the first card was located and notated with the service information.

Minna Michel of South Orange

The other Michel person who inherited under the will of Herman Lutter was Minna Michel. She signed a release on March 31, 1926 in South Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. (She signed "Minna." The typed document spelled her first name as "Mina.")

Minna Michel was not named in the will. Paul Michel was named, but he is not among the people who signed a release.

So who was Minna? And what happened to Paul?

South Orange lies a few miles west of the City of Newark, where Herman spent most of his adult life. Herman specified the residence of his Michel nieces and nephew as Neuhaus in Germany; not South Orange in New Jersey. Did Herman know that some family had relocated to New Jersey? He did not know that Anna had moved to Dresden and Edeline to Grimma.

I found a woman named Minnie Michel living in South Orange, later called Maplewood.

Michel was Minnie's married name. In 1891, Wilhelmine Pauline Knecht married George Christian Louis Michel in New York City.

He was 28 years old; born in Gladenbach (around 1863).
His parents: Carl Michel and Caroline Ulrich.
She was 21 years old; born in Stuttgart, Germany (around 1870).
Her parents were Johann Friedrich Knecht and Caroline Siegle.

You can view New York City records online.
https://a860-historicalvitalrecords.nyc.gov

I don't see the connection between this Mina Michel, born Knecht, and the children of Ottilia Luther and Florenz Michel. Ottilia was born around 1855 in Scheibe (later named Neuhaus) in Thuringia. She was too young to be a mother to Mina Knecht (born 1870) or George Michel (born 1863).

If the connection is to George Michel, he was from Gladenbach, which is about 114 miles west of Neuhaus.

I may have pursued the wrong Minna Michel. My findings on this Minna and her family are detailed below.

George Michel and Minna Knecht had six children:

1. Franziska Katharina Karolina Michel born April 2, 1892 in New York City.

2. Christian "Charles" George Michel born June 3, 1893 in New York City.

3. Frederick John Michel born January 13, 1895 in New York City.

4. Helena Maria Michel born August 16, 1899 in New York City.

5. Marie Sophia Michel born March 5, 1901 in New York City.

6. George William Michel born January 12, 1911 in South Orange, New Jersey.

Thanks to the newly-online New York City vital records, the birth certificates for the first five children are below. George's birth certificate had to be copied at the Archives in Trenton, New Jersey.

In 1938, George Michel, age 75, died at his home, 22 Lindsley Avenue in Maplewood. He was buried at Restland Memorial Park in East Hanover, Morris County, New Jersey.

Minnie died in 1954, also at the family home. She was 83 years old.

--Frances, the oldest child, was last seen in the 1930 census living with her parents in Maplewood.

--Charles (1893-1968), the second child, married Anna F Lehrer (1900-1992). They had two children (birth certificates below).

1. Dorothy Frances Michel, born September 22, 1921 in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey. In 1949 she married Harry Lindblad. She died April 14, 2010.

2. Marion Ruth Michel, born July 4, 1923 in Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. She married someone with the surname Moore. She died January 28, 2004.

--The third child, Frederick John, married Mabel Murphy (1899-1988) in 1920 in Utica, Oneida County, New York. They had one child, Robert John Michel (1929-2010). Frederick died August 8, 1974.

--The fourth child, Helena, died in 1969. She was buried at Restland Memorial Park. I found no indications that she married or had children.

--The fifth child, Marie Sophia Michel, was born and died in 1901 in New York City.

--The sixth and final child, George William Michel, was the only one born in New Jersey. In 1934 he married Marie Elizabeth Krumwiede (1912-1993). The marriage certificate is below.

In the 1940 census, George and Marie were living in Newark with George Junior, born around 1938.

327 Florence Avenue, Newark, New Jersey

George died in 1966. He is buried at Restland Memorial Park in East Hanover, New Jersey- the same cemetery as his parents.

If any descendants of these Michel and/or Knecht families read this, please reach out.