James Kittson (1919-2003), The Groom

James Michael Kittson was the son of Augusta "Gussie" Lutter (1892-1956) and James J Kittson (1881-1934). He was born August 11, 1919 in Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey and died September 21, 2003. 

Information on him was difficult to find.

While exploring the New Jersey marriage index, I came across a marriage for him (pictured below).

Marriage certificate.
James Michael Kittson and Mary Cerullo married June 23, 1940.
East Newark, Hudson County, New Jersey.

James Kittson and Mary Cerullo married on June 23, 1940 in East Newark, Hudson County, New Jersey. (Note that the City of Newark is in Essex County. The Borough of East Newark is in Hudson County.)

According to the marriage certificate, Mary was born August 27, 1919 in Harrison, New Jersey to Anthony Cerullo and Mary Marturano.

One of the witnesses was William Klindt (1920-2000) of North Caldwell, New Jersey. He was a first cousin, once removed to James Kittson.

Both bride and groom were at least eighteen years of age, yet attached to the marriage certificate was Consent of Parents to Marriage of Minor. Gussie Kittson signed for her son. He was twenty years old at the time. 

Consent of Parents to Marriage of Minor
Why did Gussie sign this for her son? He was not a minor.

A Klindt cousin (thank you KVC) sent me the marriage record from Saint Anthony's Church. You can view these records at a Family Search Library.

Saint Anthony's Catholic Church, East Newark, Hudson County, New Jersey
Marriage Register (Film 1378143)
James M Kittson (non Catholic) and Mary Cerullo married June 23, 1940

In the 1950 census, Mary was enumerated with her parents in Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey. Her marital status was separated.

1950 United States Federal Census
Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey
[prior page:]Anthony Cerullo, head; age 65; married; born in Italy.
Mary Cerullo, wife; age 55; married born in Italy.
Anthony Cerullo Jr, son; age 23; never married; born in New Jersey.
[current page:]
Albert Cerullo, son; age 20; never married; born in New Jersey.
Mary Kittson, daughter; age 31; separated; born in New Jersey.

Mary died May 31, 1988 and was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, Bergen County, New Jersey. Her obituary in the Newark Star Ledger did not mention her husband James Kittson.

Obituary of Mary Kittson, born Cerullo.
The Newark Star Ledger.
June 2, 1988

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.