Friday, December 20, 2013

Preserved in a photograph

A wonderful photograph has come into my possession through eBay.  To be specific, it is an old type of photograph, a carte de visite ("CDV") from the 1860s.  It is small, four inches by 2/12 inches.  The image is a head shot of a man with a receding hairline, beard, dressed in a suit.

The auction advertised this carte de visite as:  "Civil War Era CDV Photo Garrett S Duryea Cold Springs Harbor LI NY."




On the back of the photo was written in pencil:  Garrett S. Duryea.  I have a few men with this name in my close family tree, as well as extended branches.  I needed to identify which Garrett could be portrayed in the photo.





First I looked up the photographer to get an idea of when this CDV may have been made.  One of the ways of dating a photograph is by finding out when the photographer was in business.  The imprint is on the back:  Banta, photographer, Hopper, photographer, No. 225 Bleecker street, N. Y.  At the website Langdon Road, Banta operated out of Hopper on Bleecker street in New York City in the 1860s.

So we are looking for a Garrett Duryea who was above the age of 30 in the 1860s in the New York City area, and there are a few candidates.  But- the eBay listing gave a location of Cold Springs Harbor, Long Island.  I googled "Garrett S. Duryea."  The first few listings were the site Long Island Surnames.  The featured Garrett S. Duryea was married in 1856 in Cold Spring Harbor and could be about the right age to be the subject of this CDV.  But I think that there is a better choice for the subject- a Garrett more closely related to me.

My 3X great grandfather, Stephen C. Duryea, had a brother named Garrett S. Duryea.  Garrett was younger than Stephen and probably born around 1820 in New York City.  I have not found any marriages or children for Garrett.  I found him in the census and city directories living with extended family.  He worked on ships, so it is possible that he may have been away from New York City for extended periods and missing from records during those times.

In the 1860 census, Garrett Duryea was living in New York City in what appears to be some kind of rooming house.  His cousin, Parmenas Jackson, is also a resident, which helps distinguish this Garrett S Duryea from the others.




Garrett's next chronological record is the 1866-67 city directory.  He was residing at 540 Greenwich in New York City.  This address housed different family members over the years, so that is how I know that this is the same Garrett S. Duryea.




Garrett's residence, 540 Greenwich, is about half a mile from Hopper's studio, 225 Bleecker.  Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island (Suffolk County) is about 35 miles away.

Mapquest.com

If the photograph is correctly labeled as Garrett S. Duryea, then this is likely my 3X great granduncle.  That is another, important variable:  we do not know who wrote the name on the picture and with what knowledge, so this may not be one of the men named Garrett S Duryea at all.  I have no photographs for any of his siblings or their children, so I have nothing to compare his image to see family similarities.  If I acquire photos of his generation or the next, I may be able to more firmly say that this is likely Garrett.


Thursday, December 19, 2013

Double enumeration in the census, part four: New York City 1870

Your biggest and most obvious hint to check for a double enumeration in the census is when the census was repeated.  This happened in New York City for the 1870 census.

I found a family listed twice in New York City in 1870, but not in the first and second enumeration.  They appeared in the second enumeration as well as their new homes outside of New York City.


This is a household located on Spring Street in New York City, 1870.  First listed is Stephen Duryea, his wife Mary, and some of their children.  Living in this household is also Abraham Brewer (uncle of Mary), Anna [Frances Duryea], Abraham Brewer [nephew of Abraham Brewer], and Anna Flynn.

Both groups are in New York City in 1860, but not in 1880.  1870 seems to be the time this family moved out of New York City, though not together.  Stephen moved to Westchester County.

I typed out the words for easier reading.


Abraham moved to Rockland County and founded the Brewer Engine Fire Company in Monsey.




Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Double enumeration in the census, part three

Michael Preston has a double enumeration in the 1900 United States census.

How did I find both?  I stumbled across these two records by looking for the census entries for all of his children- not just the one from whom I descend.

He is listed with his wife, Catherine [Donnell], two daughters, and four grandchildren in Hackettstown, Warren County, New Jersey.

Preston, Michael.  Preston, Catharine.  Preston, Hannah.  Preston, Catharine.
Ultcht, John.  Ultcht, Catharine.  [Children of Charles P Ultcht and Anna Preston]
Walsh, Joseph.  Walsh, John.  [Children of Jeremiah Welch and Mary Preston]

He is also listed in the household of his son, John, in neighboring Independence.



Michael is married in one listing and widowed in the other.  This value in this double enumeration is that we can hone in on a death date and location for Michael's wife, Catherine Donnell.  In 1899 or 1900, the family relocated from Dutchess County, New York to Warren County, New Jersey.  Catherine was alive in the 1880 census; finding her husband listed as widowed and married in 1900 in New Jersey should narrow down the search for her death record to one year and one state instead of twenty years and two states.  I have, however, been unable to find a record of Catherine's death in either state.

Michael again moved shortly after the 1900 census.  He died in Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey in 1904.