James Kittson's Medicine

While researching the life of Augusta Luther (1892-1956) (my first cousin, three times removed), an advertisement in a newspaper from 1922 surfaced featuring a supposed testimonial for the "medicine" Tanlac by her husband, James Kittson.

"Gains 25 pounds and says it saved his life."
Perth Amboy Evening News. July 7, 1922.

They resided in Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey in the 1920s.

Family of James Kittson in the 1920 federal census.
Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey.
Gussie, wife. James, son. Martha [Luther] (born Klindt), mother [in-law]. Pyron Getz, boarder.

A search for Tanlac from the 1910s through the 1940s produces many advertisements in the form of these personal testimonials presented as news articles. The ingredients of Tanlac are omitted from these ads. Modern-day regulations would not permit this level of secrecy, nor would Tanlac be described as a "medication." The main ingredient was wine, around 17% or 34 proof. Other ingredients included herbs and glycerin. It was touted as a digestive aid among other uses.

Description of the ingredients of Tanlac
Journal of The American Medical Association
June 5, 1915

For all its popularity, I did not find many photographs online of the bottle or packaging for Tanlac.

Drawn advertisement for Tanlac- A Splendid Tonic and System Purifier.
The world's greatest tonic. 25,000,000 bottles sold.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bottle_of_Tanlac_patent_medicine.jpg

I was curious as to why James many have weighed so little. I checked his death certificate. He died from cancer, specifically laryngeal with metastases. But this was in 1934, twelve years after his testimonial for Tanlac. Perhaps consuming wine daily, in the form of medicinal Tanlac, made him feel better.

Pottery of Ancestors

In May I saw and touched pottery made by the company of my third great grandfather, Ezra Dunn (1821-1898). This collection is housed at the Matawan Historical Society. Several historical locations in Monmouth County were open as part of the Weekend in Old Monmouth organized by the Historical Commission.

Description: beige vase with navy imprint of tulips and the initials A.H.C.

Description: beige cylindrical container with navy tulips.
Imprinted Van Schoik, Dunn, & Co., Makers, Middletown Point, NJ.

Description: brown glazed cylindrical container with imprint on side
"Mrs Wm A Lowe Matawan N.J. Mar 30 1894"

The pottery company, which still exists today, underwent changes in ownership over the decades. Ezra Dunn was originally from the Trenton, New Jersey area. By 1850, he and my third great grandmother, Hermione Dunlop (1827-1900), were residing in what was known as Raritan Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Newspaper article from the Matawan Journal dated April 26, 1884.
Details the changes in ownership of the pottery company
of Dunn, Dunlop, and VanSchoik.

Much thanks to the Matawan Historical Society for reaching out to me and showing me the pottery and for their continued research into the families of Monmouth County.

Death Records in the State of New York

Edmond Sheehy (1825-1893) will remain a tail in my tree for the present time.

Sheehy gravestone in Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Amenia, Dutchess County, New York.
July 22, 2019.
Inscription: Edmond Sheehy 1825-1893
Bridget his wife 1826-1906 [died 1905]
William F their son 1861-1891
Thomas Sheehy grandson 1891-1913

Edmond was my third great grandfather. He was from Limerick in Ireland, where he married Bridget Frawley (1826-1905) and had at least nine children. He joined his children in Amenia, Dutchess County, New York for a few years before dying in 1893. He was buried in Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Amenia.

His death occurred in New York State, which means that seeing his death certificate is filled with blockades. Vital records are maintained by the State Department of Health, which is sluggish in releasing copies at $22 each.

Unlike New Jersey, you cannot visit the New York State Archives and look up and copy records yourself because birth, marriage, and death records are not there. You have to wait for the Department of Health to fulfill your order. The indexes, flawed as they are, were only published on Ancestry a few years ago.

You can read about the impact in an article written by Rick Karlin for Times Union in April as well as a letter to the editor from D Joshua Taylor, president and CEO of The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, where he recommends transferring the records to the State Archives and making them available to researchers.

In 2015, I ordered a copy of Edmond Sheehy's death certificate. Ten weeks later, I received the "Notification of No Record."

Notification of No Record
Edmond Sheehy died 1893 in New York

In 2020, I requested a marriage record from the State of New York for a possible daughter of Edmond Sheehy, Joanna "Anna." This took two years to arrive.

While reviewing the indexes last year on Ancestry, I found an entry for Edward Sheeby, died April 10, 1893 in Amenia. A lowercase h can look like a lower case b. Edmond can look like Edward.

Index of Deaths in New York State. Year 1893.
Highlighted entry for Edward Sheeby, died April 10, 1893 in Amenia.
File number 16315.

On March 1, 2022, I ordered this record for $22. The check cleared one month later. Fourteen months after my request, the record has yet to arrive.

In the meantime, I ordered a copy from the Town of Amenia Town Clerk on February 23, 2023. Today a copy of the entry in the ledger book arrived. The copy looks like an image from microfilm. The surrounding records were redacted, along with the date except for ditto marks and the number "10." The name appears to be "Edward Sheehy, Sr." Age 68. The end of the first image and the beginning of the second image show a blank box for the name of father. Place of death was Smithfield and ditto marks. Cause of death was influenza and typhoid. Place of burial was Amenia.

Register of Deaths in the Town of Amenia, Dutchess County, State of New York.
Deceased- Edward Sheehy, Sr. Age 68.
Name of father blank.

By redacting most of the original page, I cannot ascertain a date. I don't know if the second part of the image is the true continuation of the line for Edward Sheehy. 

The cover letter reads in part, "In your request you site [sic] a state file number. As this may indicate the complete record is filed at the State. If you have not already made that request I would suggest it."

Cover letter included with copy of ledger book

New York was not only home to generations of my ancestors for hundreds of years, but also to millions of people who need access to these records to document their families and the history of this country. New York can do better. In 2022, New York City digitized and published their records for free to the public. (See this link to the Department of Records and Information Services.) New York State can follow. (And New Jersey while we are on the topic.)