Friday, July 12, 2024

New York City Jury Census 1816

My fourth great grandfather, Garrett Smith Duryea (1777-1834), was a cartman and grocer in New York City. (The name is spelled with variations throughout records.)

In between the federal decennial census, individual locales ran their own enumerations of inhabitants.

In 1816, New York City created a Jury Census- people who were possibly qualified to serve on a jury.

A search tool for this collection is at Ancestry while images are on the website of the New York City Department of Records and Information Services



The address of a person in the jury census is provided by the index at Ancestry. To find this entry in the images, you need to look page by page, or find the possible ward by using a map from this time. Garrit S Duryee was living at 168 Maiden Lane, according to the index. On a map from 1817, Maiden Lane was in Ward 2. (Some streets lie in more than one ward.)

Map of New York City 1817
The New York Public Library Digital Collections


This jury census is different from the federal census in that it provides the exact age of the subject. Garrit was 39 years old in 1816, which matches a year of birth of 1777. His occupation was grocer and he had no exemptions from jury service.




The second page provides details about the household. He was a freeholder of more than 100 pounds (not dollars). This could have been 134 Delancey Street, which he purchased in 1807. Four males and three females lived in this household in 1816. The males were probably Garrett and his three sons, Rulief, John, and Stephen. One of the females was likely my fourth great grandmother, Ann Cornell (1784-1871). The other females could have been servants, siblings, mothers, or daughters who died young and are not named in any records discovered yet.


New York City city directory
Images online at The New York Public Library Digital Collections

The 1816 New York City city directory provides Garrett's address as 168 Fly-market. His address changed often.



For comparison, in 1810 Garret Deryea lived in the tenth ward, probably on Broome or Grand, based on the city directories for this time period. He was the male between the ages of 26 and 44. The two young males were probably his sons John and Rulief. One of the females was probably his first wife, Charity Horton.


In the 1820 census, the household had grown.
Rulief was about 16 years old and the oldest living child. Next were John, Stephen, Garrett Junior, and Jacob. Because the rest of the household is not named, we cannot know if these were the children represented by these counts.
The rest of the household was probably a mixture of other relatives. Some of the young males might be undiscoverable children who died young.
Or the numbers might be wrong.


Note: this is not the same Garret Duryea (1750-1825) who lived in Orange County, New York.


Saturday, June 29, 2024

Businessman of Newark, New Jersey

Newark is New Jersey's largest city. Founded in 1666, it became a manufacturing hub by the late 1800s.

Herman Lutter (1860-1924) resided in Newark after his arrival from Germany in 1881. He was my second great grandfather.

He manufactured wagons - the kind that horses pulled to transport humans and products.

His business was mentioned in a book from 1894, Newark Handsomely Illustrated.





Newark Handsomely Illustrated 1894
(Newark, New Jersey: The Consolidated Illustrating Co, 1894), 229

Text of above article from the book:

HERMAN LUTTER

Among the wagon builders of note in this city, is Mr. Herman Lutter whose well equipped works are located at No. 148 Baldwin Street. He is a first class builder of wagons and trucks - brewery, feed, ice, grocery and butcher carts -  which are his specialty, and manufactures to order all kinds of carriages. Mr. Lutter started about two years ago. The shops are thoroughly equipped with all the latest any best machinery and appliances. He employs six skilled workmen and the demand for his excellent wagons and trucks is steady. He manufactures for the leading brewers, grocers, etc., of the city. Repairing is done in all branches. Mr. Lutter's vehicles are all hand made, and renowned for their light running qualities and great durability. They are made from the best timber, substantially ironed, neatly fashioned, well proportioned and have no superfluous weight. A select stock of these is kept on hand at surprisingly low figures. Mr. Lutter is a practical, experienced mechanic who thoroughly inspects all his work which is always up to the highest standard. Mr. Lutter was born in Germany and came here thirteen years ago. He is actively connected with the United Lodge, the Knights and Ladies of Honor.


In the 1894 city directory for Newark, Herman had two entries:

His business at 148 Baldwin

His residence at 48 Baldwin


1894 city directory for Newark, New Jersey
Herman Lutter, wagon manufacturer.
Resided at 48 Baldwin; business at 148 Baldwin.
His brother was Otto, blacksmith, residing at 36 Beacon.



The wherabouts of Herman in the 1895 New Jersey state census remain a mystery. Personally, he was separated from his wife, Clara Uhl (1865-1955).



Twenty-two years later, in 1916, a booklet about industry was published to commemorate Newark's 250th anniversary. Herman ran an advertisement.





Telephone Connection
Herman Lutter
Manufacturer of Wagons and Automobile Bodies
Expert Repairing and Painting
141-143 Frelinghuysen Avenue
Newark, N J


Herman's wagon business morphed with the times. He had to manufacture automobile bodies in addition to wagons. And he had a "telephone connection."

In Herman's personal life, he was newly married. His second wife was Emma Neubauer (1864-1946), widow of Louis Grieser (1860-1906).



Saturday, June 22, 2024

Pending Orders

Below is the list of records not available online that were ordered and not yet fulfilled.

The last published list was on February 12, 2024.





Death certificate of James Cummings, 1912


Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed February 9, 2024.

$22 check. (Died in Catskill, Greene County, New York March 11, 1912.)


Death certificate of Jane Cummings, 1899


Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed February 9, 2024.

$22 check. (Died in Catskill, Greene County, New York July 7, 1899.)


Death certificate of John Grant, 1882


Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed February 9, 2024.

$22 check. (Died in Catskill, Greene County, New York December 27, 1882.)


Probate records of Jonas Long, 1837, and William Owens, 1853

Requested of the Richmond County, New York Surrogate's Court. Email dated June 25, 2023.

No fee at this time.


Death certificate of Mollie Schwartz, 1925

Requested from City of Bridgeport and State of Connecticut. Forms VS-39DST mailed April 6, 2023. (Same form number on both town and state forms.)

$20 each via money orders.

Update: April 20, 2024 received document from State of Connecticut. Still waiting for the copy from the City of Bridgeport.


Death certificate of Edward Sheeby [Edmond Sheehy], 1893

Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed March 1, 2022.

$22 check cleared April 2, 2022.

Originally requested in 2015.

Town of Amenia provided an obscure ledger entry in 2023.