On This Day- August 6, 1919

On this day in my family's history, my great grandparents, Eugene Everett Cook (1898-1979) and Rene Marion Duryea (1900-1943), married in Manhattan, New York.

Marriage Record of Eugene Cook and Rene Duryea
August 6, 1919
Manhattan, New York, United States.
Harold Lockwood Duryea and Alwine Wrage were the bride's brother and sister-in-law.
(Certain New York City records are available online free of charge at
the Department of Records and Information Services)

Both resided in New Jersey at the time of this marriage. It was not uncommon for residents of New Jersey to marry in nearby New York City. Eugene lived in Newark, Essex County, with his parents, Charles Cook and Minnie Bishop. Rene lived in West Hoboken, Hudson County, with her parents, Abraham Brewer Duryea and Nellie May Cummins. (West Hoboken is now a part of Union City.)

The couple had two children, Beulah (my grandmother), in 1921, and Jeane, in 1925.

This was the first marriage for both. Rene died in 1943 in Warwick, Orange County, New York.

Eugene remarried to Gladys Marvin (1904-1986). They resided in Florida.

Beulah Cook (my grandmother)
Eugene Cook (my great grandfather)
Gladys Marvin (wife of Eugene)
1978 in Florida

Eugene was my only great grandparent who was alive when I was born. I don't think we ever met.

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.