Pocket Watch of Peter S Duryee 1922

A pocket watch of Peter S Duryee is up for auction on eBay. The item is located in Australia, far from its origins.

EBay listing for pocket watch engraved for Peter S Duryee

The manufacturer was Illinois Watch Company, which still exists today.

Cover of watch is engraved P S D

Picture of engraving on the watch

The engraving reads:

Peter S Duryee
Vice President 1914-1919
President 1920-1921
A Token of appreciation of his devoted

and able services to the

Knickerbocker Country Club

from his associates on the

Board of Trustees

January 27th 1922

There were many men named Peter Duryee or Duryea. This particular watch probably belonged to Peter Stanford Duryee (1873-1954). He was born, raised, lived, and died in the City of Englewood, Bergen County, New Jersey. 

Peter's parents were Jacob Augustus Duryee (1841-1886) and Arenia Graves Ruggles (1844-1911). 

On November 8, 1900 Peter married Pauline Julia Clephane (1875-1954). They had two daughters. Pauline Clephane Duryee (1903-1985) married Anton Gysberti Hardy. Margaret Ruggles Duryee (1904-2000) married Albert Whitney Rhodes.

Peter had many endeavors throughout his life. He began as a coffee and tea merchant. He actively raised funds for charities. He became a banker during the World War, circa 1917. He held top positions at various financial firms. He was one of the first commissioners of the Englewood Police. He was also a trustee of the New York and New Jersey Railroad Company and served on the board of directors of Englewood Hospital.

In 1954, Peter died on May 12. His wife, Pauline, died nine days later. They were buried in Brookside Cemetery in Englewood.

Envelope Addressed to Anna B Duryee

Another envelope addressed to the Duryee family of Newark, New Jersey appeared on eBay.

The prior one was for George S Duryee. This one was for his sister, Anna Brower Duryee, care of their father, Peter Sharpe Duryee.

Envelope addressed to Miss Anna B Duryee, care of P S Duryee Esq, Newark, New Jersey.
"For plate 2L6"
"1858" written under reddish stamp, three cents U.S. Postage, of George Washington

Anna Brower Duryee was born around 1841. She died in 1922. I found no marriage record for her. She was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Newark with her parents and siblings.

Duryee family plot
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Newark, New Jersey

The Duryee family was living in Newark when the 1850 census was created.

John Brower Duryee (1839-1940) lived his brief life before this census.

George, Susan, Joseph, Edward, and Amy had not been born yet.

1850 census. Household of Peter Sharpe Duryee and Susan Rankin.
Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.

The advertised value of this item is not as a family heirloom, but rather as a collectible stamp. I am not familiar with philately. From a brief look, the plate refers to the reddish three cent stamp with the image of George Washington. 

Wedding Invitation from 1882

A wedding invitation from 1882 appeared on eBay. This family heirloom was offered at $150. Nobody purchased the item.

Picture of wedding invitation, 1882, for Charles Demarest and Martha Duryea
via eBay

The groom was Charles E Demarest (1859-1937). The bride was Martha Jane Duryea (1861-1950). Below is the marriage record filed with the state of New Jersey. They married on June 28, 1882 in Washington Township, Bergen County.

New Jersey Marriage Return from 1882
Groom- Charles E Demarest. Bride- Martha J Duryea.
This image is from microfilm housed at the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton.

Charles was the son of Peter J Demarest and Margaret Christie. With his son Percy, he operated a jewelry store in New York City.

Martha Duryea was the daughter of Benjamin J Duryea and Maria Williams.

Charles and Martha had nine children between 1883 through 1901. Three died in infancy. The family plot is in Westwood Cemetery in Bergen County, New Jersey.

1910 United States Federal Census
Delford, Bergen County, New Jersey
Charles E Demarest and wife, Martha.
Six children: Clarence, Maggie, Florence, Percy, Edward, and Vietta.
(In 1920, Delford became Oradell.)

Welcoming a Cousin from a German Branch

A third cousin of my father reached out to me.  He and my dad share a set of great great grandparents, David Uhl (1834-1884) and Clara Patschke (1840-1914).  David was from Gelnhausen and Clara was from Zeitz (both places now in Germany).  They married in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey in 1865.

Here is the family in the 1870 federal census: David, Clara, and their two children who had issue:

I am descended from David and Clara's daughter, Clara Uhl.  She married Herman Lutter.  Our third cousin is descended from their son, Henry Uhl, and his wife, Emma Holzhauer.

Two of David and Clara's children died young: David in 1871 and Nellie in 1882.  Another daughter, Lillie Uhl, married John Kuhl, but had no known children.

Family heirlooms trickled down to our third cousin, who kindly sent scans.  I was thrilled to see a Reisepass [passport] issued to David Uhl in 1854 for his travels from Gelnhausen to America.  David was 19 years old, had brown eyes, and stood five feet, four inches tall.

Signature of David Uhl

From David Uhl my branch received a hatchet with his last name, UHL, carved into the handle.

Our third cousin also received some of David Uhl's tools and belongings, branded with a similar UHL mark.

Family Heirloom: Book

After discovering cousin Father Charles Leo O'Donnell, a president of Notre Dame University, I procured his book of poems from a rare book seller on Amazon.com.  The editor was Father Charles Michael Carey, a nephew of Father O'Donnell.

Charles' father, Cornelius O'Donnell, was a brother to my great great grandfather, Patrick Francis O'Donnell.  They immigrated from Ireland to the United States in the 1870s.

It is one of Charles' poems, A Road of Ireland, that provides me with a place of origin in Ireland for these two brothers: Ardara, Donegal.  The author as well as the family history contained in this book make it worthy of being called a Family Heirloom.

Poem by Charles Leo O'Donnell

Family Heirloom: The Hatchet

One of the possessions handed down through the generations in my family is a hatchet.  The tape was added later in the tool's life.

The letters UHL are carved into the handle.

These letters could be the last name Uhl.  My great-great-great grandfather was David Uhl.  He was a toolmaker who lived in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey in the 1850s until his death from tuberculosis in 1884.

These letters could also possibly indicate initials of my great-great grandfather, Herman Lutter.  He was a wheelwright who lived in Newark in the 1880s through the 1920s.  Herman likely had other given names.  U could be the initial for one of these names that I have not discovered thus far in my research.

Thank you, Karin, for the inspiration for this post.