Augusta Luther (1892-1956), Her Marriages and Death

Augusta "Gussie" Kittson signed in 1926 to receive her inheritance from her uncle, Herman Lutter (1860-1924).

Release signed by Gussie Kittson in 1926.
Estate of Herman Lutter, died 1924, Monmouth County, New Jersey.

While reviewing these recently acquired documents, I realized that I did not know what had become of Gussie.

Gussie began life with no name. She was born April 29, 1892 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey to Otto Luther and Martha Klindt.

Birth certificate of baby girl Lutter.
Born April 29, 1892 in Newark, New Jersey.

In 1912, Gussie married James John Kittson. His parents were Robert Kittson and Mary J Payne.

Marriage certificate of James J Kittson and Augusta Luther.
Married February 17, 1912 in Harrison, New Jersey.

They had one child, James Mike Kittson, in 1919. (More on him in a future article.)

Birth certificate of James Mike Kitzens [Kittson].
Born August 11, 1919 in Harrison, New Jersey.

James Senior died in 1934. According to his death certificate, he was cremated at Rosehill Cemetery in Linden, New Jersey. I do not know what became of his ashes.

Death certificate of James J Kittson.
Died November 29, 1934 in Harrison, New Jersey.

In the 1940 census, Gussie was a widow in Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey with her son, James Kittson. I had nothing beyond this on her.

1940 United States Federal Census
Gussie Kittson, head; age 49; widowed; born in New Jersey.
James M Kittson, son; age 20; single; born in New Jersey.
Patrick Kennedy, lodger; age 56; single; born in New Jersey.

While reviewing Lutter and Luther marriages, I found a possible remarriage for Augusta in 1947 to Donald MacDonald. (This index is available at Ancestry.)

Bride Index. State of New Jersey. 1947.
Augusta Luther married Donald MacDonald.

I copied this marriage record at the State Archives in Trenton. Augusta had indeed married again. On January 18, 1947, Augusta Luther married Donald MacDonald in Harrison, Hudson County. He was born August 27, 1877 in Glasgow, Scotland, to Archibald MacDonald and Annie Struthers.

Marriage certificate of Donald MacDonald and Augusta Luther.
Married January 18, 1947 in Harrison, New Jersey.

Still I could not find a date of death for Augusta under the name Lutter, Luther, Kittson, or MacDonald. I found a possible entry in the marriage index again. Anna A Lutther married John J Scanlon in 1952. 1948 is the most recent available year of marriage records at the Archives, so I cannot see this record yet.

Bride Index. New Jersey. 1952.
Anna A Lutther married John J Scanlon.

City Directories for Harrison are online at Ancestry. The wife of John J Scanlon also went by "Augusta."

City Directory. Harrison, New Jersey. 1952.
Scanlon John J (Augusta) h rear 109 S Fourth H

The New Jersey Death Index contained a possible entry for Augusta Lutter: Anna Augusta Scanlon in 1956. This record I could copy at the Archives. This is the correct person. I don't know why she switched to using "Anna" as a first name. She died August 26, 1956 in Harrison. She was buried at Arlington Memorial Park in Kearny, Hudson County, New Jersey.

Death certificate of Anna Augusta Scanlon.
Died August 26, 1956 in Harrison, New Jersey.

How did Augusta's marriage to Donald MacDonald end? The New Jersey Death Index has gaps and restarts in 1949. I searched the certificates at the Archives for 1947 and 1948- no good matches for Donald MacDonald. The 1950 census is appearing in Ancestry's index as I type this. I found Donald and Augusta in Harrison.

1950 United States Federal Census
Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey
Donald McDonald, head; age 72; born in Scotland.
Anna McDonald, wife; age 57; born in New Jersey; works as waitress in cafe.

I returned to the Death Index and looked at 1950, 1951, and 1952. I found a possible match: Donald McDonald, not MacDonald, in 1951. I will view this record during my next trip to the Archives.

New Jersey Death Index, 1951
Donald McDonald died in June 1951.

Next: more information on Augusta's son, James Kittson.

Minna Michel of South Orange

The other Michel person who inherited under the will of Herman Lutter was Minna Michel. She signed a release on March 31, 1926 in South Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. (She signed "Minna." The typed document spelled her first name as "Mina.")

Minna Michel was not named in the will. Paul Michel was named, but he is not among the people who signed a release.

So who was Minna? And what happened to Paul?

South Orange lies a few miles west of the City of Newark, where Herman spent most of his adult life. Herman specified the residence of his Michel nieces and nephew as Neuhaus in Germany; not South Orange in New Jersey. Did Herman know that some family had relocated to New Jersey? He did not know that Anna had moved to Dresden and Edeline to Grimma.

I found a woman named Minnie Michel living in South Orange, later called Maplewood.

Michel was Minnie's married name. In 1891, Wilhelmine Pauline Knecht married George Christian Louis Michel in New York City.

He was 28 years old; born in Gladenbach (around 1863).
His parents: Carl Michel and Caroline Ulrich.
She was 21 years old; born in Stuttgart, Germany (around 1870).
Her parents were Johann Friedrich Knecht and Caroline Siegle.

You can view New York City records online.
https://a860-historicalvitalrecords.nyc.gov

I don't see the connection between this Mina Michel, born Knecht, and the children of Ottilia Luther and Florenz Michel. Ottilia was born around 1855 in Scheibe (later named Neuhaus) in Thuringia. She was too young to be a mother to Mina Knecht (born 1870) or George Michel (born 1863).

If the connection is to George Michel, he was from Gladenbach, which is about 114 miles west of Neuhaus.

I may have pursued the wrong Minna Michel. My findings on this Minna and her family are detailed below.

George Michel and Minna Knecht had six children:

1. Franziska Katharina Karolina Michel born April 2, 1892 in New York City.

2. Christian "Charles" George Michel born June 3, 1893 in New York City.

3. Frederick John Michel born January 13, 1895 in New York City.

4. Helena Maria Michel born August 16, 1899 in New York City.

5. Marie Sophia Michel born March 5, 1901 in New York City.

6. George William Michel born January 12, 1911 in South Orange, New Jersey.

Thanks to the newly-online New York City vital records, the birth certificates for the first five children are below. George's birth certificate had to be copied at the Archives in Trenton, New Jersey.

In 1938, George Michel, age 75, died at his home, 22 Lindsley Avenue in Maplewood. He was buried at Restland Memorial Park in East Hanover, Morris County, New Jersey.

Minnie died in 1954, also at the family home. She was 83 years old.

--Frances, the oldest child, was last seen in the 1930 census living with her parents in Maplewood.

--Charles (1893-1968), the second child, married Anna F Lehrer (1900-1992). They had two children (birth certificates below).

1. Dorothy Frances Michel, born September 22, 1921 in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey. In 1949 she married Harry Lindblad. She died April 14, 2010.

2. Marion Ruth Michel, born July 4, 1923 in Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. She married someone with the surname Moore. She died January 28, 2004.

--The third child, Frederick John, married Mabel Murphy (1899-1988) in 1920 in Utica, Oneida County, New York. They had one child, Robert John Michel (1929-2010). Frederick died August 8, 1974.

--The fourth child, Helena, died in 1969. She was buried at Restland Memorial Park. I found no indications that she married or had children.

--The fifth child, Marie Sophia Michel, was born and died in 1901 in New York City.

--The sixth and final child, George William Michel, was the only one born in New Jersey. In 1934 he married Marie Elizabeth Krumwiede (1912-1993). The marriage certificate is below.

In the 1940 census, George and Marie were living in Newark with George Junior, born around 1938.

327 Florence Avenue, Newark, New Jersey

George died in 1966. He is buried at Restland Memorial Park in East Hanover, New Jersey- the same cemetery as his parents.

If any descendants of these Michel and/or Knecht families read this, please reach out.

The Children of Ottillia Lutter and Florenz Michel of Neuhaus, Germany

The three children of Ottillia Michel inherited under the will of their uncle, Herman Lutter, who died in 1924 in Wall Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. They named children were Paul, Edeline, and Anna of Neuhaus, Thuringia, Germany.

In 1926, three people with the surname Michel signed releases to receive their portions of Herman's estate. Edeline and Anna had married. Paul did not sign. This was not explained. The third person who signed was Minna Michel. She will be discussed in a separate post.

Edeline signed as The Widow Edeline Vorwerk, born Michel. She resided in Grimma, Saxony, Germany. I need to trace her and any possible descendants.

Anna signed as Anna Heÿm, born Michel, in Dresden, Saxony, Germany.

Records for Dresden are available on Ancestry for this time period. I easily found Anna's marriage and death records, as well as birth records for two children.

On March 21, 1905, Anna Laura Thekla Michel married Heinrich Karl Heÿm in Dresden. Her parents were Florenz Michel and Ottilia Lutter. His parents were Friedrich Heÿm and Luisa Langbein. The record is below.

Anna Laura Thekla Michel and Heinrich Karl Heÿm
Page 1 of the Marriage
March 21, 1905 in Dresden

Anna Laura Thekla Michel and Heinrich Karl Heÿm
Page 2 of the Marriage
March 21, 1905 in Dresden

The marriage record is two pages. Note the uppercase B in the top corner, indicating that this is a marriage record. Uppercase A indicates a birth record. Uppercase C indicates a death record. (Thank you Germanology Unlocked.)

This handwriting is very difficult for me to read. I hope to develop this skill as I delve into German records. More information is on this record, such as occupations.

Below is the information provided in the index at Ancestry.

Dresden, Germany, Marriages, 1876-1927

Name

Anna Laura Thekla Michel

Gender

weiblich (Female)

Age

24

Birth Date

27. Mai 1880 (27 May 1880)

Marriage Date

21. Mrz 1905 (21 Mar 1905)

Marriage Place

Dresden, Deutschland (Germany)

Civil Registration Office

Dresden XI

Father

Florenz Michel

Mother

Ottilie Michel

Spouse

Heinrich Karl Heÿm

Two sons were soon born to Anna and Heinrich:

• July 22, 1905: Friedrich Anton Richard Heÿm
• August 9, 1906: Heinrich Paul Heÿm

Birth of Friedrich Anton Richard Heym
July 22, 1905 in Dresden

Dresden, Germany, Births, 1876-1907

Name:	Friedrich Anton Richard Heym
Gender:	männlich (Male)
Birth Date:	22. Jul 1905 (22 Jul 1905)
Birth Place:	Dresden, Sachsen (Saxony), Deutschland (Germany)
Civil Registration Office:	Dresden VI
Father:	Heinrich Karl Heym
Mother:	Anna Laura Thekla Heym
Certificate Number:	969

Birth Heinrich Paul Heym
August 9, 1906 in Dresden

Dresden, Germany, Births, 1876-1907

Name:	Heinrich Karl Heym
Gender:	männlich (Male)
Residence Date:	9. Aug 1906 (9 Aug 1906)
Residence Place:	Dresden, Sachsen (Saxony), Deutschland (Germany)
Spouse:	Anna Laura Thekla Heym
Child:	Heinrich Paul Heym
Certificate Number:	1031

Anna died July 5, 1949. She was 69 years old.

Death Anna Laura Thekla Heym (born Michel)
July 5, 1949 in Dresden

Dresden, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1957

Name:	Anna Laura Thekla Heym[Anna Laura Thekla Michel]
Age:	69
Birth Date:	27. Mai 1880 (27 May 1880)
Death Date:	4. Jul 1949 (4 Jul 1949)
Death Place:	Dresden, Deutschland (Germany)
Civil Registration Office:	Cotta (03)
Certificate Number:	2099
Reference Type:	42
Sequence Number:	31

If anyone reading this is related to these Heÿm descendants or has further information, please write to me. Thank you!

Next: discussion of the third Michel.