Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Married twice in 1929

In my research, finding two marriage ceremonies for the same couple is no longer unusual. I think this is thanks to indexes becoming more readily available online for New York and New Jersey.

In some instances, the reasons may not be apparent on the face of the documents and the length of time between ceremonies.

For Theodore Marmorstein and Rose Roth, the purpose of their double nuptials was clear- they were married in a civil ceremony and then a religious ceremony in May of 1929 in New York City.

The civil ceremony was at the municipal building on May 4th.

The religious ceremony was performed by Rabbi B M Klein on May 9th.

These images are available for free online through the New York City Municipal Archives.

1929 marriage record of Theodore Marmorstein and Rose Roth
Civil ceremony May 4


1929 marriage record of Theodore Marmorstein and Rose Roth
Religious ceremony May 9


The record for the second ceremony explains at the top of the page, "Married civilly at Municipal Building NYC 4th of May. Number of marriage certificate 165972."

Questions:

1- What does certificate number 165972 reference? The number on the first ceremony is 11233.

Married civilly at Municipal Building NYC 4th of May.
Number of marriage certificate 165972.

2- What does the stamp and handwriting on the reverse of the first certificate indicate?

Order No 368739
Date 10-10-42
Number Issued 2
Searcher
Photo OP M R


Observation

Marriage records are great because the subject of the record, the bride or the groom, oversees the information written on the document.

The spelling of Rose Roth's mother differs slightly on both documents. Rose Roth's birth certificate is available on the Municipal Archives website. Rose was born on June 1, 1907 in New York City. Her mother's name was recorded as Annie Buchholz on this birth certificate. This is consistent with other records for Annie. I don't know why Rose listed her mother as Helen on both marriage certificates.

Birth certificate of Rose Roth, June 1, 1907 in New York City.
Father- William Roth (1869-1936). Mother- Annie Buchholz.
[Accessed online New York City Municipal Archives]


What became of this couple?

In the 1930 census, Theodore and Rose were living together on East 66th Street in New York City. I found two children born to them in 1930 and 1937.

By 1940, Rose was residing at the Hudson Valley State Hospital in Dover, Dutchess County, New York. This was an inpatient facility for the treatment of mental health issues. In the 1950 census, Rose was still a patient at this facility.

1940 United States Federal Census
Dover, Dutchess County, New York
Hudson Valley State Hospital
Rose Marmorstein, patient; age 32; married; born in New York.

There is an entry in the New York State Death Index for Rose Marmorstein in 1964. The residence was New York City. Remember that New York City's records are not housed with the rest of the state. An entry for Rose in the state's index could indicate that she was still a patient at Harlem State. The address in New York City was likely a relative's home.

New York State index of deaths
Rose Marmorstein died March 3, 1964

Theodore Marmorstein remarried in 1954 to Hedwig "Hedy" Erger. He and Rose must have divorced. This marriage record is not yet available on the website of the Municipal Archives.

New York City index of marriages
Theodore Marmorstein and Hedwig Erger
License issued 1954

Theodore died in Hawaii in 1992. Hedy died in 2002.


Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Wedding Invitation from 1882

A wedding invitation from 1882 appeared on eBay. This family heirloom was offered at $150. Nobody purchased the item.

Picture of wedding invitation, 1882, for Charles Demarest and Martha Duryea
via eBay

The groom was Charles E Demarest (1859-1937). The bride was Martha Jane Duryea (1861-1950). Below is the marriage record filed with the state of New Jersey. They married on June 28, 1882 in Washington Township, Bergen County.

New Jersey Marriage Return from 1882
Groom- Charles E Demarest. Bride- Martha J Duryea.
This image is from microfilm housed at the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton.

Charles was the son of Peter J Demarest and Margaret Christie. With his son Percy, he operated a jewelry store in New York City.

Martha Duryea was the daughter of Benjamin J Duryea and Maria Williams.

Charles and Martha had nine children between 1883 through 1901. Three died in infancy. The family plot is in Westwood Cemetery in Bergen County, New Jersey.

1910 United States Federal Census
Delford, Bergen County, New Jersey
Charles E Demarest and wife, Martha.
Six children: Clarence, Maggie, Florence, Percy, Edward, and Vietta.
(In 1920, Delford became Oradell.)



Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Shirley Hofacker Missed in 1920

Who were the children of Florence Lutter (1892-1983) and Adam Hofacker (1893-1974)? A mistake in the 1920 federal census might lead someone astray in this inquiry.

Florence and Adam were married in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey in 1915.

Marriage certificate of Adam Hofacker and Florence Lutter,
October 16, 1915 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.
Groom's parents- William Hofacker and Minnie Christophe.
Bride's parents- Charles Lutter and Annie Lau.

The couple appeared in the 1920 federal census in Newark with two children. Their daughter, Mildred, was age 3 and 5/12. Her calculated birthday would be around the middle of 1916. Their son, Charles, was age 1 and 2/12. His birthday would be in October or November of 1917.

1920 United States federal census
62 Madison Avenue, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey
Adam Hofacker, head; age 27.
Florence, wife, age 27.
Mildred, daughter; age 3 years and 5 months.
Charles, son, son; age 1 year and 2 months.

In the 1930 census, the family was still in Newark. Their children were Mildred, age 13, and Shirley, age 11. Charles was not listed.

1930 United States federal census
93 Nineteenth Avenue, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey
Adam Hofacker, head; age 37.
Florence, wife; age 37.
Mildred, daughter; age 13.
Shirley, daughter; age 11.

Charles would have been eleven years old at the time of the 1930 census. The absence of a child in the enumeration of a family could be in error, but usually indicates that the child died. The index of deaths exists for 1920 through 1929. No good match was identified for this child.

The index of births in New Jersey has an entry for Charles W Hofacker, born in Union County on April 23, 1918. This is near Newark. This person was the son of Charles Hofacker and Anna Kurz. The parents were with Baby Charles in the 1920 census, along with Dorothy, their older child.

1920 United States federal census
Burnett Avenue, Union Township, Union County, New Jersey
Charles Hofacker, head; age 30.
Anna M, wife; age 27.
Dorothy L, daughter; age 4 years and 6 months.
Charles Jr, son; age 1 year and 9 months.


The birth certificates of these children are housed at the Archives in Trenton.

Birth certificate of Charles William Hofacker,
second child born to Charles Hofacker and Anna Kurz.
April 23, 1918 in Union, Union County, New Jersey.



Birth certificate of Mildred Hofacker,
first child born to Adam Hofacker and Florence Lutter.
July 27, 1916 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.



Birth certificate of Shirley Adelle Hofacker,
second child born to Adam Hofacker and Florence Lutter.
October 12, 1918 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.


Florence's obituary from 1983 mentions two daughters, but no son.

Obituary of Florence Hofacker, 1983



In 1939 Shirley Hofacker married William John Geerke in Irvington (city next to Newark). She died in 2013. I found a notice of her death in Florida, but that is all so far.

Marriage certificate of William Geerke and Shirley Hofacker,
June 24, 1939 in Irvington, Essex County, New Jersey.
Groom's parents- Thomas Geerke and Margaret McGlynn.
Bride's parents- Adam Hofacker and Florence Lutter.


In 1940 Mildred Hofacker married John Pisar in Newark. She died in 1987

Marriage certificate of John Pisar and Mildred Anna Hofacker,
December 25, 1940 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.
Groom's parents- John Pisar and Agnes Sikora.
Bride's parents- Adam Hofacker and Florence Lutter.

Charles W Hofacker married Alice J McConnell in 1943 in Newark. He died in 2009 in Pennsylvania.

Marriage certificate of Charles W Hofacker and Alice J McConnell,
September 18, 1943 in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.
Groom's parents- Charles Hofacker and Anna Kurz.
Bride's parents- John McConnell and Margaret Donohue.


It would appear that the entry of Charles as a son of Adam Hofacker in the 1920 census was in error. I submitted a request to update to this entry on Ancestry.