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.

The Final Resting Place of Walter Joseph Preston

Where was Walter Joseph Preston buried?

Walter was a great granduncle on my mother's side. On August 4, 1899 he was born in Independence, Warren County, New Jersey to John D Preston (1857-1928) and Bridget A Sheehy (1857-1916). The family soon relocated to Bayonne in Hudson County. 

In 1926 Walter married Edna Armstrong (1899-1976). They had two daughters, Margaret Mary (1928-1998) and Joan Marie (1931-1912).

In the 1940s Walter and his family relocated to Elizabeth in Union County.

Walter worked on the East Jersey Railroad. He was at work when he died of a heart attack on April 23, 1957.

Walter's father, John, died on the railroad in Bayonne in 1928, but because he was struck by a train while working. Walter's brother, Michael, also died on the railroad in 1918, perhaps from jumping out of the train after missing his stop.

Death certificate of Walter Preston, 1957

Obituary of Walter Preston, 1957
The Bayonne Times

 

The place of burial differs on both documents concerning Walter's death. The death certificate has St Gertrude Cemetery in Woodbridge. The obituary has Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City.

Neither document is a primary source for the burial.

I have the records for Preston at Holy Name Cemetery. Walter is not listed with them. The records (not in their entirety) were microfilmed and can be viewed at a Family History Center or Affiliate, but not from home. FamilySearch offers a searchable index of the index that you can view at home.

Find a Grave provides a memorial page for Walter in Saint Gertrude Cemetery in Colonia, Middlesex County. Someone has taken a picture of the stone that Walter and Edna share.

Find a Grave memorial page
Walter Joseph Preston
1899-1957
Saint Gertrude Cemetery

Saint Gertrude Cemetery is included in the searchable database of the Newark Archdiocese. Walter has an entry for his burial in 1957.

Find a Loved One Search
Newark Archdiocese, New Jersey
Walter J Preston buried April 27, 1957 at Saint Gertrude Cemetery

The actual records of Saint Gertrude Cemetery would be the best source for the resting place of Walter Preston.

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.

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.