Desperate Times for the Desjardins - 1911

Yesterday I wrote about the passing of my great great grandfather, Damas Desjardins, in October of 1911. I shared his obituary from the newspaper, The Patchogue Advance, which was the local newspaper for Patchogue, Long Island, New York.

Another article ran in that same paper two months later on December 28, 1911. It read as follows:

Mrs. Desjardin who has started a little store at her home on Avery avenue finds her business has been injured by reports that her husband died of a contagious disease. This is not true and her friends who sympathize with her efforts protest against this unkind attitude which is severely damaging her. Mrs. Desjardin's stock is entirely new and she is endeavoring to support a family of six and keep them together. She has has three deaths in less than three months.

Great great grandma, Malvina Ethier-Desjardins, did not have it easy; certainly not in 1911.

I know that one of those three deaths mentioned at the end of the article was that of her husband, Damas Desjardins who died on October 9, 1911.

In the family plot at St. Francis de Sales Cemetery in Patchogue, I discover the second death to be that of Anna Desjardins who, according to the headstone, was born on July 30, 1911 and died on December 18, 1911. I suspect that Anna may have been a grandchild of Malvina and Damas; whose child Anna was though, I am not sure. In 1911, Malvina was about 47; I suppose Anna could have been the child of Malvina and Damas but I doubt it.

The third death to take place in the family in 1911 occured on October 10, 1911; just the day after Damas died. On the 10th, the family lost a newborn, Clement Mono, aged 3 months. I learned this by purchasing the plot records for a grave in Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens County, NY. Clement was the son of  Emma Desjardins-Monno and Clement Monno, Sr.

In 2009, I was able through the use of the New York City Death Index provided by The German Genealogical Group's online, to track down the death certificate for my great grandfather, Albert Gardner.

I then purchased a copy of the certificate from the New York City Municipal Archives.

From that certificate I learned that Albert was interned in Calvary Cemetery.

Upon contacting Calvary Cemetery via phone, I learned Albert was interned with three others.

I visited the cemetery to learn there was no headstone which was not a surprise really, my relatives rarely have headstones.

The only way for me to know who was buried in cemetery 3, section 36, range 10, plot G, grave 16 was to order a plot record. I do not recall the exact price but in my opinion, it was steep; I remember that!

However, that plot record provided information about three relatives that I may have never otherwise discovered; Clement Mono, Edward Desjardins who the plot was purchased for in 1903 and who was the brother of my great grandfather Albert Gardner, and Alinna Ethier who I believe to really be Olivine Page-Ethier, my 3rd great grandmother who was born in Quebec, Canada and who was buried in Calvary Cemetery on December 14, 1906 at the age of about 70. I suspect Olivine died in the City of New York but I have never been able to locate a death certificate for her.

Obituary: Damas Desjardins, my great-great grandpa

Yesterday, October 9, 2012, was the 101st anniversary of the death of my great great grandfather, Damas Desjardins. He was my maternal grandfather's paternal grandfather; if you can follow that.

I once interviewed my maternal grandfather about his family history. Grandpa Gardner was not terribly forthcoming with information. He shared but not in the same overly informative way other relatives have shared. In speaking with him, he mentioned that he grew up in Patchogue, Long Island, New York; although everything I have found on him roots him in Astoria, Queens County, New York. He told me his parents families came from Quebec, Canada; and that at some point the family name was changed from Desjardins to Gardner.

My search in Patchogue led me to this obituary about my grandpa's grandpa; confirming just what Grandpa Gardner said and many facts essential to my Gardner/Desjardins Family research.

You too can search through historic Suffolk County New York newspapers for free online through: http://apa3.olivesoftware.com/Default/Skins/Suffolk/Client.asp?Skin=Suffolk&AppName=2&AW=1349891397195

The Patchogue Advance

October 13, 1911

Damas Desjardins

Damas Desjardins died at his home on Avery avenue early Monday morning in his sixtieth year of his age, after suffering for eight months with a complication from diseases. The funeral was held on Wednesday, with service in St. Francis de Sales' Roman Catholic church at 9:30 a. m. The Rev. Fr. Cronin officiating and internment was made in St. Francis cemetery. Mr. Desjardins was born in Montreal, Canada. he was a carpenter by trade and was employed for a long time in New York. He had lived with his family in Patchogue for nearly five years. Mr. Desjardins was known to his friends here by the name of Gardiner, and Anglicization of his French family name. He leaves a widow and ten children some of whom live in the city.

Desjardins Family Plot, St. Francis de Sales' Cemetery, Patchogue, NY

Very hard to read here but this is the footstone with the family name.

D. D. is Damas Desjardins.

My Tree and the Ahnentafel Numbering System

There are many different numbering systems used by genealogists. In addition of the standard systems, I know many people who make up their own systems to keep ancestors in order. In the charts that I am going to share here, I use Ahnentafel, also known as the Eytzinger or Sosa Method. 

This system allows for the numbering of direct ancestors beginning with a descendant; me. The number of a person's father is the double of their own number, and the number of a person's mother is the double of their own, plus one. For example, I am number 1 in my own family tree. (But of course!) My dad is #2, my mom is #3, my paternal grandfather would be #4 (my dad (2) times 2 = 4), my maternal grandmother would be #7 (my mom (3) x 2 +1 = 7). Thus, fathers are always even numbers, mother's are always odd numbers.

In this blog I am only trying to speak of my dead. A friend asked why I didn't list the names of my relatives so someone googling a common ancestor might stumble across my blog. Well, that is my intent but I thought perhaps that discovery might come in time as I write about my relatives. But it got me to thinking that it couldn't hurt to actually post my family tree now.

Protecting the identity of my living relatives though, I am only posting my direct ancestors from my great grandparents back to my 3rd greats. I figure the details about their lives and others will come out in my blog over time. Some of my lines go much further back, most go at least one more generation, but at the very least I can name all 32 of my great great great grandparents.

In addition to posting this portion of my tree, I will list their names in text so that they can be googled. If you are a visual person like myself , though, you might want to see the tree. Therefore, I am explaining how the numbering system presented here works. 

So that this information can be searched by a search engine I am including the facts in the tree above as text below:

My Great Grandparents

8. Abram Thomas Earle (b. 13 January 1891 - d. 13 November 1973, my father's paternal grandfather)

9. Ethel Mae Losee (b. 14 February 1896 - d. 27 May 1960, my father's paternal grandmother)

10. Charles Aloysius Henry (b. 26 March 1896 - d. 14 June 1949, my father's maternal grandfather)

11. Anna Marie Sauer (b. 19 July 1899 - d. 8 May 1986, my father's maternal grandmother)

12. Almond Desjardins a.k.a. Albert Gardner (b. 21 September 1891 - d. 11 February 1946, my mother's paternal grandfather)

13. Mary Elizabeth Sharp a.k.a. Mayme Sharp (b. 2 October 1891 - d. 28 January 1961, my mother's paternal grandmother)

14. James Aloysius Fay (b. 11 February 1893 - d. 1 October 1964, my mother's maternal grandfather)

15. Mary Prince a.k.a. Mary Prinz (b. 15 October 1893 - d. 17 July 1983, my mother's maternal grandmother).

My Great-Great Grandparents

16.  Abraham Earle (b. 1849 - d. 1890, father of #8 above)

17. Sarah Samms (b. 1857 - d. 1899, mother of #8 above)

18. John M. Losee, Jr. (b. 1870 - d. 1940, father of #9 above)

19. Flora A. Smith (b. 1875 - d. 1920, mother of #9 above)

20. Victor Henry II (b. 1874 - d. 1908, father of #10 above)

21. Annette Hinch (b. 1868 - d. 1952, mother of #10 above)

22. William George Sauer (b. 1870 - d. 1932, father of #11 above)

23. Agnes Gray (b. 1871 - d. 1941, mother of #11 above)

24. Damase Desjardins (b. 1850 - d. 1911, father of #12 above)

25. Malvina Ethier (b. 1864 - d. 1944, mother of #12 above)

26. Daniel Sharp (b. 1825 - d. 1898, father of #13 above)

27. Lydia Marie McLean (b. 1868 - d. unknown, mother of #13 above)

28. Michael Fay (b. 1851 - d. 1915, father of #14 above)

29. Agnes C. Joyce (b. 1865 - d. 1933, mother of #14 above)

30. Johann Prinz a.k.a John Prince, Jr. (b. 1853 - 1925, father of #15 above)

31. Sabina Krantzel (b. 1860 - d. 1926, mother of #15 above)

My 3rd Great Grandparents

32. Elias Earle (unknown dates)

33. Sophia Goodyear (b. 1808 - d. unknown date)

34. Reuben Samms (b. 1830 - d. 1869)

35. Frances Organ (b. 1837 - d. 1925)

36. John M. Losee, Sr. (b. 1841 - d. 1918)

37. Susan Amelia Combs (b. 1843 - d. 1904)
38. Gershom Smith (b. 1844 - d. unknown date)
39. Sarah Garvey (unknown dates)

40. Victor Henry (b. 1838 - d. 1896)

41. Mary Carrillion (unsure of maiden name) (b. 1855 - d. 1907)

42. James Hinch (b. 1816 - d. 1886)

43. Jane Kavanaugh (b. unknown date - d. 1886)

44. George Sauer (b. 1827 - d. 1891)

45. Anna Schmitt (b. 1835 - d. 1899)

46. Thomas Gray (b. 1844 - d. 1899)

47. Anna Hughes (b. 1843 - d. 1904)

48. Eusebe Desjardins (b. 1825 - d. unknown date)

49. Elizabeth Clement (b. 1818 - d. unknown date)

50. Augustine Ethier (unknown dates)

51. Olivine Page ( b. unknown date - d. 1906)

52. Peter Sharp (dates unknown)

53. Annie Moore (b. 1782 - d. 1868)

54. Donald McLean (b. 1822 - d. unknown date)

55. Elizabeth Walker (b. 1842 - d. 1871)

56. Lawrence Fay (b. 1819 - d. 1879)

57. Bridget Kelley (b. 1832 - d. 1892)

58. John A. Joyce (b. 1828 - d. unknown date)

59. Mary Ann O'Neill (b. 1829 - d. 1911)

60. Johann Prinz (b. 1826 - d. 1888)

61. Franzisca Preuss (b. 1830 -d. 1902)

62. Heinrich Daniel Krantzel (b. 1825 - d. 1884?)

63. Elizabeth Goetz (b. 1830 - d. 1896)

Genealogy Research Begins at Home

Or at least it should! Often newbies to genealogy research will jump right in with both feet and start searching for grandma and grandpa or worse, great-grandma and great-grandpa. Don't do it! Start with what you know - - You!

Some may think that sounds silly or obvious or a waste of time but in 100 years when your great grandchild or great-great niece comes across your records his or her first question will likely be, "Who left me this?" Tell them. Put them on the right path. Include in your family document collection a note about yourself, how and why you started this research, where you've looked, what you found, and oooh, a copy of your birth certificate; maybe a diploma, your marriage license...something about you!

And then link back through documentation one generation at a time. Once you have your birth certificate, add your parent's marriage license to your collection, then their birth certificates, then each of their parent's marriage license. Create your family's paper trail. Let no date go undocumented. 

Many years ago I was shown an old family bible. Like many old family bibles there were handwritten notes regarding dates of birth and death for various family members. There was one very descriptive note about the death of Lydia Ann Losee (nee Smith). But who wrote the entry, I have no idea. I suspect it may have been Lydia's youngest daughter Sarah Elizabeth Losee but I'll never be sure. Well, I suppose if I found some known handwriting samples and could compare the entry to them, maybe, maybe then i could know with some certainty; but the likelihood of that is slim to none.

On the facing page is a notation that reads "Rote By J. Losee, Mother." Lydia Losee's mother was not J. Losee though. Lydia's mother was Elizabeth Raynor-Smith who per-deceased Lydia. That "Rote By J. Losee, Mother" refers to the following pages which list dates of birth for the children of Jane and Leonard Losee.

I believe in my heart of hearts that Jane Losee, my 5th great grandmother, born in about 1776 and who died in 1856, wanted me to know that she too cared about the history and records of our family. Additionally, I trust the dates of birth she wrote for her children more than any other document I may discover. 

And that family bible was not in an archive, I didn't see it online in some database; that family bible was in a relatives home. The Memorial Cards I wrote about in earlier entries; those cards were in my family bible at home and given to me by my grandmother from her home. HOME...that is where you should start your genealogical research! What do you or your close family members already own that reveals facts and dates about your family?

In short, start your family research with yourself at home.

The New York City Municipal Archives

Located at 31 Chambers Street in Manhattan, the New York City Municipal Archives is open to the public Monday through Friday. Their hours are posted on their website: http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/html/about/archives.shtml.

Founded in 1950, the archives preserves and makes available the records of New York City dating from the early 17th century to the present. It holds approximately 160,000 cubic feet of records. The collections include office records, manuscript material, still and moving images of the city, maps, blueprints, census, city directories, and most notably, vital records; an essential resource for patrons conducting family history research based in New York City. 

I have used the Archives several times because like many Americans when my ancestors emigrated to the United States they arrived in NYC. Whether it was for a short time or for the remainder of their lives, many of them lived in one of the five boroughs; Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, or the Bronx. 

To begin your search of vital records in the New York City Municipal Archives I would recommend that first you go through the indexes which you can do through the comfort of your own internet connection. The two genealogical groups have worked together to make these important indexes available to everyone; the German Genealogy Group and the Italian Genealogical Group. 

By going to either of those sites you can search the vital records indexes which will provide you with the very important certificate number. Having that certificate number for the record you want will expedite your request significantly. You can make your request with or without the  certificate number online through the Municipal Archives website: http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/html/vitalrecords/home.shtml for a reasonable price of $18.50 (with shipping).

You can also download a form and mail in your request.

However, if you have a long list of individuals to search for you might be best off going in person. Many people do not realize that they can go and observe these records for free. 

When I go to the Municipal Archives I go for a whole day. I leave my home early in the morning via the Long Island Railroad. I take the subway downtown and spend hours going through microfilm looking at certificates. I simply can not afford to purchase a copy for every record I want to look at. And sometimes I just want to look; perhaps I'm not 100% sure this person in the index is indeed my relative. I have an awful lot of Smiths in my genealogy. If you're taking a guess that document records details of your ancestors life, just a guess is not worth $18.50 to me. At the Archives you can just look and take notes. If you're there and you find a record you want a photocopy of they only charge you $11 on site.

The New York City Municipal Archives has provided me with a wealth of information. It is a wonderful research facility. And the work the German Genealogy Group and the Italian Genealogical Group has been an invaluable resource. I can not praise them enough.

However, your genealogical research should start at home...

...I'll preach about that in my next post.

I digress...The Importance of Tourism

Taking a break from my dead people to share my love of tourism...

I wrote about this same topic online somewhere else a few years ago but it is something I feel strongly about...I am in love with travel. AND honestly, it really can benefit you and your genealogy research to get to know the history of your country, region, state, and neighborhood. It helps one to understand the time and place in which our ancestors lived.

In my senior year of college I set a personal goal to drive to each of the 48 contiguous states before I turned thirty; the age at which I was sure you had to be grown up. I was just a few days shy of reaching that goal and a few years later I had the opportunity to add a great feather to my cap; I drove to Alaska. You’d be surprise how many people don’t think it’s possible to drive to Alaska. I blame that on cartographers. Every U.S. map that I have seen has Alaska cut out into its own little box, just floating there off to the side. That’s not really where it is, but I digress…

A few years later I was asked to give a presentation to my local DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) On any topic of my choosing. I decided to share with them some stories from the road, answer some of the most commonly asked questions that I get, and give them a little bit of insight into how helpful the Internet can be when planning a road trip.

In preparing for my DAR presentation I discovered that I have never truly been a tourist in my own home state of New York. Oh, sure, I had been to Niagara Falls, spent a weekend in the Catskills, driven out to the Hamptons in summer traffic (a fate worse than death), and climbed the steps of the Statue of Liberty (a fate seriously close to death). And I have scanned Lake Champlain for New York State’s version of the Loch Ness monster, loving known as “Champ,” but I have never really been a tourist. I have never gone to a location in New York just to see what it’s like; just to learn something about the area. No, during my trips around New York I have often been the tour guide taking relatives from far away to see the sights that define New York.

It was then that I decided it was high time to get my tourism on; to discover a part of New York that I didn’t really know. I charged up my camera, pulled up the figurative black knee socks (I never really where socks), and hit the highway for parts less known.

“In the bosom of one of those spacious coves which indent the eastern shore of the Hudson, at that broad expansion of the river denominated by the ancient Dutch navigators the Tappan Zee, where they always prudently shortened sails and implored the protection of St. Nicholas when they crossed, there lies a small market town or rural port, which by some is called Greensburgh, but which is more generally and properly known by the name of Tarry Town.”

Thus begins one of the greatest short stories to be born out of New York, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow written by Washington Irving in 1820. If you are not familiar with the ominous tale of the headless horseman and the ill-fated teacher, Ichabod Crane, which is set right here in my own backyard, I highly recommend you pick it up. It is available on Google books [http://books.google.com/books?id=zAl0j_FUTnkC&lpg=PT23&dq=The%20Legend%20of%20Sleep%20Hallow&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=&f=false].

If you do have the opportunity to tarry while in the Tarrytown area, I recommend a visit to Sunnyside, home of Washington Irving. A visit to an author’s home gives you a perspective on his or her life like no writing ever could. You will be permitted to linger in his study, climb the stairs to his bedroom, hold the handrails he held, and look out onto the ever changing Hudson River which sweeps by his home.

Up the road a piece from Sunnyside you can visit the grave of Washington Irving in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Like me, you might be surprised to learn that this is also the resting place of steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie; cosmetics empress Elizabeth Arden; and the “Queen of Mean,” Leona Helmsley. This sleepy, little market town was the retreat of many famed and wealthy individuals. Irving himself was pretty much a rock star in his day, hosting guest such as Charles Dickens, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and President Martin van Buren.

If you do happen to be in the area in October, plan ahead; purchase tickets online to an event called The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze at Van Cortland Manor in the town of Croton-on-Hudson. I am going next weekend with a few friends and I can't wait!! Blaze consisted of a display of more than 5,000 carved pumpkins. Words and photos cannot capture the amazing glow of never-ending fields of jack-o’-lanterns.

For those of you who may never get to go to Tarrytown, I invite you to be a tourist in your own area. What is your hometown known for? How did your town come to be what it is today? And what do you really know about it? Can you separate the facts from the legends? If not, I bet your local librarian can help you with that!

Speaking of Memorial Cards...

This is the oldest memorial card I own; Ann Gray died April 14, 1904. Two or three years ago my paternal grandmother, who everyone calls Nanny, gave a bunch of memorial cards to me. This was among them.

Now my Nanny was born in 1929. Her mother was only a very small child in 1904; great-grandma was born in 1899. Therefore this memorial card had to have come from my grandmother's grandmother, Agnes Gray-Sauer (my father's mother's mother's mother - for those of you drawing charts). Agnes Gray-Sauer was born in 1871 and died in 1941. I believe this to me the memorial card for Agnes Gray-Sauer's mother; Anna Hughes-Gray.

Note that these women never really hyphenated their last names. This is a modern day convention that I use to keep track of my female ancestors.

According to Ann's memorial card she was 68 years old when she died in 1904 placing her birth in about 1836. According to her death certificate though, Ann was 60 years old at the time of her death. I am not sure which date is correct but for my records I use the later, 1844, as her year of birth. 

I do not own a copy of Ann's death certificate; #14429 Manhattan 1904 from the City of New York. I have, however, observed the document at the New York City Municipal Archives at 31 Chamber's St. in Manhattan. 

The New York City Municipal Archives is a treasure for anyone who had ancestors who lived in New York City; and not just Manhattan but all of the boroughs; Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx. My next entry will be on how to use this research facility; for now though, more on Ann Gray.

From her death certificate I have noted many facts. Ann died after having suffered from pneumonia for about a week. Her parents names were Terrence and Eleanor Hughes; no maiden name was given for her mother. Ann lived at 542 East 11th St. in Manhattan but was born in Ireland. According to the death certificate she had lived in the U.S. for 54 years placing her date of immigration at about 1850. She is interned at Calvary Cemetery which I have visited many time but have not yet seen her grave-site. I will soon...I promise.