Katherine ODonnell and Her Family

Seven years ago I asked for additional information on Kathryn ODonnell (1858-1939). She was a sister of my great great grandfather, Patrick Francis ODonnell (1856-1931).

Kathryn was born in Killybegs, County Donegal, Ireland. By her first husband, Charles Mason, she had two children, Margaret and John. She then remarried to Patrick Kennedy. She died in California in 1939. I had been able to track Margaret's moves, marriage, and child.

Finally fuller stories for Kathryn's son, John Mason, and her second husband, Patrick Kennedy, have come to light!

Spoiler alert: I have not found additional information on Charles Mason, the first husband. His first and only appearance is in the 1885 state census in New Jersey. 

New Jersey State Census, 1885. Bayonne, Hudson County.
Charles Mason, Irish male, age 20-60.
Kate Mason, Irish female, age 20-60.

In the 1900 census, Kathryn was in Brooklyn with her two children but no husband. A missing husband and widowhood either meant that he died or left the family.

1900 United States Federal Census
Brooklyn, Kings County, New York
Katie Mason and her two children, Margarite and John. She worked as a nurse.

Since writing the original article in 2018, indexes of deaths have come online for the State of New Jersey and Kings County, New York. I have not found a good match for Charles Mason. Indexes for deaths in the State of Connecticut do not start until 1897. If Charles died after Kathryn appeared as a widow in the 1900 census, this record could be anywhere.

Using the newspapers now available for searching online, I set out to discover when Kathryn acquired her second husband.

Newspaper article in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
November 27, 1914.
Widow of Patrick Kennedy to inherit his estate.

Patrick Kennedy was born about 1841 in Ireland. He married Ellen Callahan and they had one son, John, born around 1872. Patrick worked as a police officer in New York City. By 1900 he was retired and worked on his land in Connecticut as a farmer.

In 1911, Ellen died. In 1912, John shot his father, Patrick. John was unable to see or hear because of typhoid fever, an infection suffered when he was a child. Yet somehow he was able to purposely carry out this action.

Newspaper article. John Kennedy held in jail after shooting his father,
Patrick Kennedy, in Stratford, Connecticut. 1914.

Patrick was not expected to live. Enter Kathryn. She nursed him from the brink of death.

John Kennedy was sent to the Connecticut State Hospital for the Insane in Middletown, Middlesex County. He died there in 1930.

Patrick and Kathryn married in April of 1914. Patrick Kennedy died on November 22, 1914. Kathryn inherited one-third of his estate.

In 1920, Kathryn was still in Connecticut. She was living in Bridgeport with her son, John Mason. By 1930 she was living in California with her daughter and son-in-law, Margaret and James Joyce.

What became of John Daniel Mason, the son of Kathryn ODonnell and Charles Mason?

Searching newspapers led to the answers- probably. (The last death certificate I ordered from the State of Connecticut took one year to fulfill. Two years and counting for fulfillment by the City of Bridgeport.) John D Mason was buried in Saint Michael's Cemetery in Stratford - the same cemetery as Patrick Kennedy. He died July 31, 1932, age 43 years. "World War . . . Co. C. 319th Inf." is carved on the stone.

An obituary appeared in a few newspapers in Connecticut and Brooklyn. A mother and sister were mentioned but not by name.

Newspaper article 1932
Johnny Mason, dancer, died in alley in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Johnny Mason danced with Lew Dockstader (1856-1924) and George Primrose (1852-1919). Is this the same John Daniel Mason? Throughout his records he listed his occupation as a laborer.

Library of Congress
Primrose & Dockstader's Great American Minstrels

I also found advertisements for a boxer or fighter by the same name.

Ad in newspaper about a boxing fight.
Johnny Mason versus Eddie Mack.
October 30, 1922 in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

I was hoping to find pictures of John Mason. He performed with some well-known personalities. Perhaps he was an unnamed background actor in the vaudeville acts.

I will order the death certificate to see if the names of the parents are Kathryn ODonnell and Charles Mason. This could take a year for Connecticut to do.

So that is the story of Kathryn ODonnell's son, John Mason, and her second husband, Patrick Kennedy. Still missing is what became of her first husband, Charles Mason.

Pictures on Gravestones

Gravestone of Di Agostino family:
Anna, Constandino, and their daughter Mary

Ceramic pictures occasionally appear on gravestones. Photographing them helps preserve these images.

These images of Anna Picone (1875-1958) and Constandino Di Agostino (1877-1936) are affixed to their gravestone in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in East Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. As time passes, these pictures will become worn. They might fall from the stone or go missing.

(Holy Sepulchre lies in East Orange and Newark. This gravestone is in Newark.)

Some poking around at Ancestry revealed that someone else took pictures of these photographs, but now they are preserved in additional locations online.

Obituary of Anna Di Agostino, born Picone.
May 8, 1958. Newark Star Ledger newspaper.

Anna's obituary references a tunnel leading to parking area. Anyone know what or where this is? Is it South Orange Avenue (County Route 510) as it passes under the Parkway? Section V, where this gravestone resides, is close to the Garden State Parkway. It is visible from the northbound lanes. The Parkway was nearing completion in 1958, when Anna died.

Picture taken standing in Section V and the Parkway
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Newark, New Jersey

The southbound lanes border another side of the cemetery. Below is an undated earlier aerial picture of the Parkway and the cemetery on both sides of the road, followed by the modern-day Google aerial map.

Historical photograph of the Garden State Parkway.
This section lies in Newark, New Jersey.
The Parkway does not run through West Orange.

Same view of the Parkway and Holy Sepulchre Cemetery modern-day

Envelope Addressed to George S Duryee

On eBay is an envelope for sale. The attraction would be to the stamp, I suppose. According to the additional writing on the envelope, the year was 1885. Preprinted as the sender is "United States Senate." The postmark is Washington, D.C. on April 15.

Envelope addressed to "Hon Geo. S. Duryea Newark New Jersey"

I noticed the listing because of the recipient: Hon Geo. S. Duryea of Newark, New Jersey. This is probably George Sharpe Duryee. He was a lawyer who lived and worked in Newark. He was born around 1850 to Peter Sharpe Duryee (1807-1877) and Susan Rankin (1816-1886).

Newark City Directory, 1890
George S Duryee, lawyer, 810 Broad, resided at 30 Washington place

This family cluster was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Newark. Two of George's brothers, Joseph and William, became pastors. You might see their names on baptismal, marriage, and funeral records for families throughout the New Jersey and New York areas in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Duryee family plot.
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Newark, New Jersey.
Section E.

George died in New York City in 1896. These records are being digitized and placed online for free; however, this year is not yet available as of this writing.

Marker at Mount Pleasant Cemetery for George Sharpe Duryee
and his wife, Virginia Teackle Beasley.

Because of the offices that George held, his death was reported in newspapers across the country. 

Article in the Newark Evening News announcing the death of George Sharpe Duryee.
"The State Commissioner of Banking and Insurance Succumbs to an Illness of Two Years' Standing."

George was married once in 1878 in Torresdale, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His wife was Virginia Teackle Beasley, born about 1856 to Reverend Frederick Williamson Beasley and Virginia Teackle Bancker.

Entry in the records of All Saints Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Record collection online at Ancestry.com

Ten months after the wedding, on August 16, 1879 in Newark, Virginia gave birth to their daughter, also named Virginia. The baby and mother were not named on the birth certificate.

Birth certificate of Virginia Teackle Beasley Duryee,
born August 16, 1879 in Newark, New Jersey.
Available through the New Jersey State Archives in person or via mail.

Virginia, the mother, died two days after giving birth from an infection. She was 23 years old.

Death certificate of Virginia T Duryee, died August 18, 1879 in Newark, New Jersey.
Cause of death- puerperal peritonitis.

Death notice for Virginia Teackle Beasley, wife of George S Duryee.
Note that her date of death is given as August 17th.
Her death certificate, which is a primary source, gives the date as the 18th.

Baby Virginia died a few months later on December 24, 1879 from bronchitis.

Death certificate of Virginia Teackle Beasley Duryee, died December 24, 1879 in Newark, New Jersey.
Cause of death- capillary bronchitis.

Both mother and baby appear in the Mortality Schedules for the 1880 census.

Virginia T Duryea [Duryee] in the mortality schedule for the 1880 census

Virginia T B Duryea [Duryee], age four months, in the mortality schedule for the 1880 census

Pictures and documents for Virginia and her family are featured in family trees at Ancestry.

The Children of Rhoda Lutter

Finding all children born to a couple is useful for several reasons:
---Build a more complete family tree
---Identify possible DNA matches
---Recognize naming patterns to better identify ancestors
---Track movements via addresses on the birth records

Rhoda Ann Lutter (1879-1941) was the daughter of John Lutter (1854 - after 1904) and Rhoda Ann Gant (1858-1923). She married twice and had eight children, as far as I could find. She lived in New Jersey in Bayonne, Hudson County and Newark, Essex County. I do not know if she is related to me.

The birth certificates of her children are below, along with a discussion of the children and some of their other documents.

In the State of New Jersey, the life events of births, marriages, and deaths were supposed to be recorded at the state level beginning in 1848. Until 1878, these records are in the format of a ledger, with one or two lines per event. Images of these ledger books are available online. In 1878, individual certificates were created for births, marriages, and deaths. Indexes exist online for a lot of these events and years; however, the actual certificates are not online- they are housed on microfilm at the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton. The certificates concerning Rhoda's life were copied from the Archives by me.

I see this a lot in genealogy groups, so I will explain here: the index is not an absolute. Names were spelled differently, handwriting was interpreted incorrectly, and not all years are indexed! Also, New York City was a very popular destination for marriages of New Jersey residents. Such events are potentially in the indexes for New York City, which is separate from indexes for New York State.

Microfilm cases of births records
New Jersey State Archives

Indexes at FamilySearch or Ancestry are used to find births 1878-1900, as they were filed by county and large city. The geographic index can be used for births 1901-1929, though 1923 remains the latest year available at the Archives.

You can search the geographic birth index for free at
www.familysearch.org/search/collection/4461588

or

archive.org/details/njgeographicbirthindex?&sort=titleSorter

On April 18, 1899 in Bayonne, Rhoda Ann Lutter married Frank Clarkson. The following month, on May 25, 1899, their first child, Ruth, was born. But the baby's name was not Ruth on the record, but rather Marie Antoinette. Rhoda's name was given as Annie Farrell Lutter. I have no idea why these names were different.

Marriage certificate of Frank Clarkson and Rhoda Ann Lutter,
married April 18, 1899 in Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey. 

Birth certificate of Marie Antoinette Clarkson,
later called Ruth,
born May 25, 1899 in Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey. 

Research note: to locate this birth certificate from 1899, you can look in the index at Family Search. At the Archives, I look in the index books for the volume number. This certificate was tricky because I was looking for a baby named Ruth, not Marie, with a mother named Rhoda, not Annie. I've seen stranger things and it was easy enough for me to retrieve this certificate on a trip to the Archives, but if you cannot visit the Archives, you take a $10 gamble by ordering it.

FamilySearch

Index of births, New Jersey, 1890-1900
Available at the Archives in Trenton.
The father's first initial, location, and date help narrow down
which certificate you need.

In the 1900 census, Rhoda was living in Bayonne with her parents and her daughter, "Ruth," age one. The 1900 federal census asked about the number of children of (married) women. Rhoda's answers were one child born, one still living. Rhoda's husband, Frank, was not listed in this household.

1900 United States Federal Census
95 West 21st Street, Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey

In 1904, Rhoda lost her husband and child. Frank died on November 12. Two weeks later, on November 26, Ruth Caroline, formerly known as Marie Antoinette, died. New York Bay Cemetery was the final resting place of father and daughter. The Evening Journal of Jersey City published a short article about these close deaths.

DIED TWO WEEKS AFTER HER FATHER
Ruth Clarkson, 6 years old, of 483 Avenue D, Bayonne, died last Saturday.
Two weeks ago her father was buried. The little girl's funeral will take place
this afternoon. Rev. Mr. Troy of the People's Baptist Church officiating.

Rhoda remarried to Alexander Cross in Bayonne on February 16, 1909.

Marriage certificate of Alexander Cross and Rhoda Ann Lutter,
married February 16, 1909 in Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey.

The first child of Alexander and Rhoda was born later that year. Rhoda Ann Cross was born November 29, 1909 in Newark. Note the information requested on the birth certificate: "Number of children in all by this marriage." The number "1" was written. Rhoda Junior was the first child of this marriage, but she was the second child born to her mother.

Birth certificate of Rhoda Ann Cross,
born November 29, 1909
at 25 Merchant Street, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.

In the 1910 census, Rhoda and Rhoda Junior were living in Newark with Alexander Cross and Rhoda's mother, also named Rhoda. The number of children was a question for the 1910 census also. Rhoda was listed as having one child, one still living. The correct response would have been that she had two children, one still living. Her mother was listed with ten children, five still living. I have not found all these children, but that can be for another article. Spoiler alert: I did not find a birth certificate for Rhoda circa 1879.

Alfred Cross and family, living in the same house, is probably the brother of Alexander. Alfred relocated to Morris County, New Jersey.

1910 United States Federal Census
25 Merchant Street, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey

Another observation about the 1910 census: two houses away was the household of Martin Lang, widower. In 1912, Rhoda's sister, Lucie Lutter, married Martin.

Rhoda and Alexander's next child was Letitia Cross, probably born in March of 1911. I cannot find a birth certificate for her. She died August 7, 1985 in Newark. Her parents were not mentioned, but her two surviving sisters, Doris and Lucille, were mentioned, linking her to this family.

The geographic birth index does not have a baby with the surname Cross born in March of 1911 in Newark.

New Jersey Geographic Birth Index 1910-1914, Reel 30
Archive dot org

Obituary of Letitia V Cross from the Newark Star Ledger newspaper,
August 8, 1985.

The New Jersey Death Index (not her actual death certificate) gives Letitia's birthdate as March 4, 1911.

Index of death certificates, New Jersey
Letitia Cross died August 7, 1985 in Newark.
Date of birth March 4, 1911.

In contrast, the Social Security Death Index gives her birthdate as March 7 (not 4), 1911.

Social Security Death Index from Ancestry dot com.
Letitia Cross, born March 7, 1911; died August 1985.
Last residence Newark.

On May 2, 1912, baby Rhoda died from pneumonia. She was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Newark.

Death certificate of Rhoda A Cross,
died May 2, 1912 at 23 Merchant Street, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.
Age 2 years.

At this point, Rhoda had given birth to three children. Two had died. She was pregnant with her fourth child. On January 19, 1913, Lucy Nomi Cross was born in Newark. Her birth certificate listed her as the fourth child of the marriage; actually she was the third.

Birth certificate of Lucy Nomi Cross,
born January 19, 1913
at 23 Merchant Street, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.

Alexander Hamilton Cross was born May 11, 1914 at Newark City Hospital. He was listed as the fifth child of the marriage; he was the fourth. Three children were still living. He was not named at birth.

Birth certificate of Baby Cross, later named Alexander Hamilton Cross,
born May 11, 1914
at Newark City Hospital in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.
(Original copy on microfilm is blurry.)

Supplemental Report of Birth
naming Baby Cross as Alexander Hamilton Cross
(original is blurry)

Marjorie Morton Cross was born February 24, 1916 at Newark City Hospital. She was listed as the fifth child of the marriage, with four still living. This is accurate for the marriage. I do not know where the middle name "Morton" comes from.

Birth certificate of Marjorie Morton Cross,
born February 24, 1916
at Newark City Hospital.

Marjorie died July 12, 1917 from whooping cough. She was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Death certificate of Marjorie R Cross,
died July 12, 1917 in Newark.

Edith Cavell Cross was born July 28, 1918 in Newark City Hospital. She was listed as child seven of the marriage with four still living. She was actually the sixth of the marriage. She was not named at birth. I do not know where the middle name "Cavell" is from.

Birth certificate of Baby Cross, later named Edith Cavell Cross,
born July 28, 1918
at Newark City Hospital.

Supplemental Report of Birth
naming Baby Cross to Edith Cavell Cross

Edith died July 5, 1923 from gastroenteritis caused by meningitis. She was buried at Woodland Cemetery.

Death certificate of Edith Cross,
died July 5, 1923 at Newark City Hospital.
The year of birth is listed incorrectly as 1923.
She was born in 1918.
She was a few weeks shy of her sixth birthday.

Rhoda's final child was Doris, born May 9, 1921 at Newark City Hospital. The requested information on this birth certificate was not for the number of children of the marriage, but rather "No. of children born to this mother, including present birth." Doris was listed as child number eight, with five still living. I think this is an accurate count.

Birth certificate of Doris Cross,
born May 9, 1921
in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.

Rhoda died September 10, 1941 in Newark. She was buried at Woodland Cemetery with her three young children by Alexander Cross. Only Rhoda has a marker.

Death certificate of Rhoda Ann Cross,
died September 10, 1941 in Newark.

Flat stone marker in Woodland Cemetery in Newark
for Rhoda Ann Cross (1879-1941).
Block A, Lot 17.

Alexander Cross, the husband of Rhoda Lutter, died April 21, 1958 at Martland Medical Center in Newark. He was buried at Rosemount in Newark. The informant was Letitia Cross.

Death certificate of Alexander Cross,
died April 21, 1958 in Newark.

Four of Rhoda's children survived to adulthood. I found no marriage record for Letitia.

"Lucille" Cross married Robert Hunt in Newark on September 21, 1941. Letitia was a witness. Lucille had two sons. She died February 5, 2000.

Marriage certificate of Robert Hunt and Lucille Cross,
married September 21, 1941 in Newark.

Alexander married Dorothy Ellis. They lived in Massachusetts. He died in April 28, 1975.

Doris married Samuel Burger in Manhattan on May 28, 1942. They lived in Queens, New York and had four children. Doris died in 1987.

Uncovering the arrival of the children in Rhoda's life paints a picture of her early adulthood. She lost four of her eight children when they were young. She lost her first husband when she was only about 25 years old. The middle names of the children could provide additional clues about family origins.