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.

Pending Orders

 Below is the list of records not available online that were ordered and not yet fulfilled.

The last published list was September 16, 2025.

Death certificate John Vanderhoof, 1888

Requested of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin Register of Deeds. Form F-05280 mailed September 19, 2025.

$20 money order (out of state checks not accepted). 

Death certificate Peter Vanderhoof, 1931

Requested of Wisconsin State Vital Records Office. Form F-05280 mailed September 15, 2025.

$20 check. 

Death certificate Mary Catherine Vanderhoof (née Atkins), 1922

Requested of Wisconsin State Vital Records Office. Form F-05280 mailed September 15, 2025.

$20 check.

Death certificate of James Cummings, 1912

Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed February 9, 2024.

$22 check. (Died in Catskill, Greene County, New York March 11, 1912.) Check cleared July 30, 2024.

Death certificate of Jane Cummings, 1899

Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed February 9, 2024.
$22 check. (Died in Catskill, Greene County, New York July 7, 1899.) Check cleared July 30, 2024.

Death certificate of John Grant, 1882
Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed February 9, 2024.
$22 check. (Died in Catskill, Greene County, New York December 27, 1882.) Check cleared July 30, 2024.

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.

Indirect Date of Birth

An announcement of a wedding date provided an indirect date of birth of a grandparent.

Shirley Adele Hofacker and William John Geerke announced the date of their upcoming wedding in The Newark Sunday Call. "June Bridal On Birthday" explained that June 24, 1939 was the 72nd birthday of Shirley's grandfather, Charles Lutter.

Newspaper article providing the date of Shirley Hofacker's wedding in 1939.
The Newark Sunday Call. April 23, 1939. Page 4.

Shirley and William were indeed married on June 24, 1939 in at Saint Leo's Catholic Church in Irvington, Essex County, New Jersey.

Shirley's mother was Florence Lutter (1892-1983). Florence's parents were Karl Lutter Anna Lau (1869-1914). Karl was anglized to Charles. He was likely a cousin of mine as discussed in an earlier article , "Connecting the Lutters of Newark, New Jersey." Charles was born in a German area, likely in or near the town of Scheibe, where my Lutter line originates. I do not have his record of birth; however, his death certificate provides this date as June 24, 1868. That would make him 71, not 72, on the day that his granddaughter married.

Death certificate of Charles K Lutter,
died September 26, 1952 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.
Father- Karl Lutter. Mother- "Unknown."
His parents were Robert Lutter and Nathalia Zitzman.

Shirley's date of birth is given on her marriage record: October 11, 1918. Again, a record of birth made at the time of the event would be better evidence of when she was born. Shirley's birth certificate is accessible from the New Jersey State Archives. (Births through 1924 are public in the Archives as of this writing.) On this document, Shirley was born on the 12th of October- not the 11th as stated on her marriage record.

Birth certificate of Shirley Adelle Hofacker
October 12, 1918 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.
Father- Adam Hofacker. Mother- Florence Lutter.
Record available through the New Jersey State Archives mail or in-person.

A note about researching in online newspapers:

Not all text will turn up in a search feature. On the page of The Newark Sunday Call where Shirley's article was found, there are several blank spots. Any print that was there did not carry over to the electronic scan and will not turn up in a search. If the date of an event is known, you may have to check newspapers published on and around this date to locate possible articles.

The Newark Sunday Call newspaper
April 23, 1939. Page 4.
Digitized version found at OldNews.com.
Shirley's wedding announcement is in the upper left.