Immigrant Adam Koerner's grave

The first profile which I put on this blog back on June 3rd was for Adam and Maria Koerner, who came to the United States from Germany about 1850.  When I wrote that, I did not know when or where this immigrant couple died.  Their son Adam had moved to Greenwich some time in the late 1880s but I was not sure about his parents. 

A couple months ago, I found Maria in the 1900 Census.  Remember that her daughter Lena married Phillip Eberhardt who was brother to Adam Jr.'s wife.  Well, I found Maria living with her daughter Lena and her other daughter Maria Berle.  Both Lena and Maria Koerner are listed as widows living with Louis and Maria Berle and their children: Adam, Lena, Louis, Emily and Maria.  They were still living in New York City on First Avenue near 24th Street.

A couple weeks later I found information on a Maria Koerner who died in 1907 at the age of 95.  A person online had seen the Death Certificate and knew she was buried in the Lutheran Cemetery. I wasn't sure this would be the right Maria Koerner, but since the cemetery is only a couple miles from my house, I decided to ride my bike over there and check it out.

Sure enough, I stopped by the office, and they confirmed that Maria Koerner was buried in the cemetery along with Adam and Philip. A very helpful woman in the office gave me the location but didn't know whether there would be a stone or not.  I was doubtful since many immigrants would not be able to afford the expense of a stone back at the turn of the century. 

I rode my bike to the section of the cemetery where the woman had indicated the Koerners were located.  It was far to the back in what was obviously an older part of the cemetery which received few visitors.   The grass had not been mowed in a couple of weeks and was several inches high. It really had the feeling of being out in a field in the country only with scattered gravestones sticking up above the top of the blades of grass.  There was no sence that the largest city in the United States was only a few miles away. 

As I approached the area where the stone would be, I became very skeptical that I would find anything.  The stones were spread out with lots of space between them - space where people were buried but no markers had been laid.

I read each stone, looking for the name and the location marking to help guide my way.  Then I saw it, in the back, at the end of the row. A short, fat stone which read "In Memory of Adam Koerner." I had fulfilled my quest.

You'll notice that Maria's name name does not appear on the stone. It is probable that she died after Philip and the family either did not have money for a stone, or did not have room to add her name on the stone that was already there. Either way, she died in 1907 at the ripe old age of 95 and is buried here with her husband and second oldest son.

As a side note, I returned this morning to take some more pictures and was surprised at the state of the cemetery. You may remember hearing on the news several weeks ago that a tornado touched down in New York City, specifically in Queens and Brooklyn. Apparently the tornado went right through the middled of the cemetery, because there were trees down all over the place.  The path of the storm must have been toward the front of the cemetery, because in the back, where Adam and Maria are buried, the damage was minimal.  These were some pictures I took of trees still not cleaned up three weeks after the tornado hit:



The top of this huge tree was just twisted off the trunk
and thrown on ground under it!



William & Sarah (Cartmel) Crogent

Great Great-Grandparents

1. William John Crogent
+ Sarah Cartmel
2. Frances Harriet Crogent
+ Arthur Joseph Bowman
3. Florence Mary Bowman
+ John Emil Dahlquist
4. Debra Florence Dahlquist
+ Edward Deck Munson
5. Scott Edward Munson

I recently visited the grave of my great great-grandparents, William and Sarah (Cartmel) Crogent, who are buried in Calvary Cemetery which is only a couple miles from where I live.  These were my Nana's grandparents who came to the United States from England. I believe this picture which I posted back in June is of them with their two oldest children. 

Sarah was born about 1865 in Liverpool, England, the daughter Jonathan and Frances (Dixon) Cartmel. She first appears at age 6 in the 1871 Census living in Liverpool with her Father, a millwright, and siblings: Mary J. age 17, Frances H. age 13; Joseph age 10 and John age 4. Her mother had died shortly before the census and her oldest brother, Jonathan, was already living away from home and working as a 14 year old plumbers apprentice.

William Crogent also grew up in Liverpool.  He was born in 1861 and was the son of William and Mary (Curley) Crogent. He first appears at age 10 in the 1871 Census living with his father William age 31, a green grocer, mother Mary age 30 and siblings Ellen age 7, Annie age 5, Elizabeth age 3 and Louisa age 1. His father is listed as born in Prussia and his mother Ireland. 

Liverpool was a bustling port city at the time, and the last stop for many European immigrants before heading to America by ship. So, it is not surprising that by the 1881 Census, William Sr. was away from home working as a sailor.  William Jr. was living with his mother and siblings.  Added to the siblings listed above who are all ten years older are: Martin age 8, Walter age 6, Benjamin age 4 and Joseph age 1.  William Jr's occupation is listed as Brass Finisher, the trade he would continue in America.  He probably had learned the skill as an apprentice for a local merchant.

It is unclear whether William and Sarah knew each other in Liverpool or met after coming to America.  I have been unable to find any specific information on their arrival but conflicting Census records indicate they arrived in the U.S. somewhere between 1885 and 1888. They were married in about 1888 and William became a Naturalized U.S. Citizen on October 22, 1892.  This is the first record of William in America.

In the 1900 Census, William and Sarah were living at 1720 Second Avenue in New York City.  This is located on the Upper East Side between 89th and 90th Street. Their children were listed as: William age 11, Nellie age 6, Frances (my great-grandmother) age 4 and Joseph age 1.  Also living with the family was Sarah's older brother Jonathan, a Plumber.  "Uncle Jonathan" as he was affectionately known to my Nana, lived with the Crogents during every Census through 1930.  He died in 1947 at the age 90!

Uncle Jonathan


By 1910, the family had moved to East 149th Street in the Bronx. Uncle Jonathan was still living with them, along with Sarah's nephew, Christopher Hopkins who was working with his Uncle as a plumber. He is the son of Sarah and Jonathan's sister Frances Harriet, who still lived in Liverpool.

In the 1920 Census, their daughter Frances and her Husband, Arthur Bowman (Nana's parents) were living with William and Sarah.  Nellie, Joe and Christopher Hopkins have moved out but William Jr and Uncle Jonathan are both around.  Also living with the Crogents is William Jrs daughter Eleanor or Elloise. She is the older sister of Nana's cousin William who we all knew as Uncle Willie.

William Crogent died January 21, 1921 only fifteen months before the birth of his granddaughter Florence Mary Bowman, my Nana. He is buried in a plot of graves purchased by Mary Dixon at the time of her husband William Dixon's death in 1894. William Dixon was probably the younger brother of Sarah's mother Frances (Dixon) Cartmel who died when Sarah was a child. Notice that he was the witness on William Crogent's Naturalization Documents back in 1892.  

Sarah lived another 33 years as a loving grandmother to Nana.  She owned property on the shore in Asbury Park, NJ and the families used to vacation there in the summer.  At some point she was unable to pay the taxes and the property was sold or taken by the government.  Besides her brother Jonathan, her brothers John (Jack) and Joseph also came to America and lived in New York.

This picture from about 1932 includes Sarah with her grandchildren, Virgina Crogent, Florence Bowman (Nana), Arthur Bowman and Charlie Martin.

This is a picture of some of the Cartmels which is from some time in the 1930s or 40s. I'm not positive who is who but the back of the picture has the following names as dictated to my mother by Nana: Uncle Joe Cartmel (or Crogent), Aunt Sarah Cartmel (or Crogent), Sadie Cartmel, Jonathan Cartmel, Jack (John)Cartmel, Gramma Crogent and Jack Brower.  We affectionately refere to this picture of these city slickers as "Tobacco Row."

This is a picture of my Nana with her grandmother Sarah.  It is from the late 1930s or early 1940s.

Sarah died in 1953 at the age of 88 and was buried with William in Calvary Cemetery. A strong woman who lost her mother at an early age, she was able to find the fortitude to seek a better life in a strange country.  She raised four children and then helped raising two of her grandchildren. She lived through the death of her husband, the Great Depression and two World Wars. A salute to Gramma Crogent.

Von Deck Marriage Certificate

1. Emil Von Deck
+ Maria Amalie Zantop
2. Pauline Von Deck
+ Adam Koerner III
4. Ruth E Koerner
+ George Willard Munson
5. Edward Deck (Ned) Munson
+ Debra Florence Dahlquist
6. Scott Edward Munson

Emil Von Deck and Maria Zantop were married about 8 years after the Koerners of the previous post, so the type of information on the Marriage Certificate and Return of a Marriage form is basically the same as we have already seen.  Fortunately, the copy quality is much better on this certificate so we do not have to guess at some of the last names.

Emil von Deck & Maria Amalie Zantop
Certificate of Marriage

One piece of information which was unreadable on the Koerner certificate but which is very clear here is the name of the minister and church which performed the marriage: Dr. E. F. Moldehnke pastor of St Peter's German Lutheran Church.  St. Peters is still an active church today at 53rd Street and Lexington Avenue. By searching the church historical records I may be able to find other references to the Von Decks or Zantops.

On the Return of a Marriage, Emil von Deck's birthplace is listed as New York City and his current address is 447 East 78th Street, New York City. This is in a neighborhood on the Upper East Side which is known as Yorkville.  Many German immigrants lived in this neighborhood.  Emil's birthdate is April 29th and he was 25 on his last birthday.  This means he was born in 1862.  Like Adam Koerner, his occupation is listed as barber.

Return of a Marriage

Emil's father is Johann Matthaeus von Deck.  From Census records we know that he used the name Matthaeus and/or Matthew and was born in Germany about 1821.  It was not uncommon in Germany at the time for a family give two or more of their children the same first name with a different middle name to distinguish.  Matthaeus may have had a brother named Johann Frederick or Johann Adam and so he chose to use his middle name regularly.  Notice as a witness to the marriage on the bottom of the return, he signs his name as Matthaeus Deck.  He address is 329 East 72nd Street, not too far from where Emil lived.

Emil's mother is Lina Angelica Junginger. From census records we know that she was born in Germany about 1830.  We also know that she died before 1900 when Matthaeus is recorded in the Census as a widower. 

Maria Amalie Zantop was my father's Great-Grandma Von Deck. She was born September 28, 1866 in Johanisburg, East Prussia.  Although a strong German presence existed there at the time,  Johannisburg is located in Poland today and has changed it's name to Pisz.

Pisz, Poland today from the website http://www.pisz.pl/

Maria's parents are recorded as Carl Zantop and Amalie Ziehfuss.  So far, I have been unable to locate any additional information about Carl. It is probable that he stayed in Europe or died before the rest of the family came to America.

Amalie and four Zantop siblings came to America: Maria, Pauline, Minna and Richard.  Pauline is one of the witnesses to Emil & Maria's marriage.  She lived in the city and never married. She is burried next to Maria in Greenwich, Connecticut. Minna married Julius Becker in 1895. They moved to Greenwich some time between 1900 and 1910.  Amalie lived with them. Richard died in 1895 at the age of 18.

Emil and Maria moved to Greenwich, Connecticut some time before 1900. Their two children, Richard and Pauline (my Grandma Munson's mother), were born in New York City before they moved. Emil and Maria are burried together at Putman Cemetery in Greenwich, Connecticut. Pauline and her husband Adam Koerner are burried with them.

Koerner Marriage Certificate

1. Adam Koerner

+ Maria Eberhardt

2. Adam Koerner

+ Pauline Von Deck

3. Ruth E Koerner

+ George Willard Munson

4. Edward Deck (Ned) Munson

+ Debra Florence Dahlquist

5. Scott Edward Munson

I was very excited recently to receive in the mail two marriage certificates from the City of New York. One was for my Grammy Munson's paternal grandparents and the other for her maternal grandparents.

Adam Koerner & Maria Eberhardt's Marriage Certificate

Adam Koerner and Maria Eberhardt were married on April 27, 1879 in New York City. Quite a bit of information is included on the certificate and the Return of a Marriage form. First, notice that the original German spelling of Koerner is used for Adam's name: Korner with the umlaut over the o. While most of the documentation I have found for the family show that "Koerner" was used after coming to the U.S., occasionally Korner was used. Here, even though his name is listed as Korner, he signs the return as Koerner.

Adam was born in New York and his address is listed as 500 East 12th Street, New York. This is the address where Adam's parents are listed as living a year later at the time of the 1880 Census. It proves this is my great great-grandparents and not some other Adam Koerner and his wife. This is further confirmed by the listed occupation: barber.

Return of a Marriage - whatever that means!

Next, Adam's parents are identified as Adam Korner and Maria Bercke. This is the first indication I have found of the immigrant Mary Koerner's maiden name. Remember that they came from Germany just before Adam Jr. was born and I have been unable to find any information about the family in Germany. Now I have a clue to further investigate. Too bad I don't know German!

One of the great thrills in researching family history is discovering maiden names, and marriage records are one of only a few sources for this information. Here, the bride is listed as Maria Eberhardt born and currently living in College Point. This is a neighborhood in Queens not too far from where I now live. Her parents are listed as Jacob Eberhardt and Maria Weickes.

It turns out that there is a family listed in the 1870 Census in College Point which is almost certainly that of Maria. Jacob "Everhart" age 52 is listed with his wife Mary age 48 and children Philip age 23, Adam age 18, Peter age 15, Mary age 13, Jacob age 10, Lizzie age 8 and Johnnie age 6. The parents and two oldest children were born in Prussia and the other children were born in New York. Jacob and his two oldest sons worked in a Rubber Factory of which there were several in Queens. Adam Eberhardt is one of the witnesses to the marriage of Adam Koerner and Maria Eberhardt. The other is Adam Koerner's brother, Philip.

102 St Mark's Place today.  Adam was a barber and
possibly lived here with his family in 1884.

Further research has revealed that Philip Eberhardt, Maria's older brother, had almost certainly married Lena Koerner, Adam's older sister in 1875. It is also almost certain that two of Maria's brothers were butchers, the occupation which would eventually be passed down to our happy couple's oldest child Adam, my great grandfather.

Adam and Maria are recorded in the Census a year after their marriage living at 544 East 11th Street with their newborn baby Adam, my great-grandfather.  Adam was a Barber and is listed at 102 St. Mark's Place in the 1884 and 1888 New York City Directories.  This was the heart of Little Germany at the time.  By 1892, though, the family had moved to Greenwich, Connecticut where young Adam met and fell in love with his future wife, Pauline Von Deck.

Pauline's father, Emil Von Deck, was also a barber in Greenwich who had moved from New York City. My next post will be regarding his marriage to Maria Zantop.  She was still alive when my father was a child and was known as Grandma Von Deck.

Capt. Thomas Munson part 2

This is a follow-up to my Captain Thomas Munson post. I was in Hartford last week visiting the Center Church which was founded by my Tenth Great-Grandfather Thomas Hooker in 1636. In the ancient burial grounds which are located next to the church is the monument which has been erected in honor the the founders of Hartford. It turns out that Thomas Munson is listed on the monument as one of the 163 men who owned land in Hartford before February 1640.

This monument was erected in 1986 and is made of pink Connecticut Granite. It replaced a brownstone monument which had been erected in 1837. The new monument contains several names which were not on the original monument, including that of Thomas Munson.

Captain Thomas Munson

Tenth Great-Grandfather
Immigrant Ancestor

1. Captain Thomas Munson
+ Joanna (Mew?)
2. Samuel Munson
+ Martha Bradley
3. Samuel Munson
+ Martha Farnes
4. William Munson
+ Rebecca Curtis
5. William Munson
+ Sarah Griggs
6. David Munson
+ Mary Ann Ballard
7. Stephen Munson
+ Nancy Nash
8. John Nash Munson
+ Mary Jane Warner
9. George W. Munson
+ Eleanor A. Parsons
10. Joseph Willard Munson
+ Ida E. Hotchkiss
11. George Willard Munson
+ Ruth E. Koerner
12. Edward (Ned) Deck Munson
+ Debra Florence Dahlquist
13. Scott Edward Munson


The First Munson to arrive in the New World was Thomas Munson who first appears in Hartford, CT as a militia member in the Pequot Wars of 1637. He was born in 1612 in Rattlesden, Suffolk, England, the seventh child of John and Elizabeth (Sparke) Munson. He is the ancestor of all Munsons who live in America today.

The Munson Crest

"Truth Conquers All"

His arrival is not recorded but was probably a few years before 1637. He may have lived in Newtowne (Cambridge) for a while with the other settlers of Hartford, but there is no record of him there or as an original founder of Hartford in 1636. He was a carpenter, and he probably built a house in Hartford on the land he received in recognition for his service in the Pequot Wars. His two-and-a-half acres were on the spot where today I-84 crosses High Street. So, remember that the next time you pass through Hartford on I-84!

He sold this land in 1639 and moved to Quinnipiac (New Haven). Why he did this after such a short stay in Hartford is unknown. It could be that he met soldiers from New Haven who spoke of its beauty and promise or it could be that his skills as a carpenter were more valuable in the wealthier New Haven Colony. Either way, he is one of only two people who left the Hartford Colony to settle in New Haven. He arrived not long after the Fundamental Agreement of the New Haven Colony was established. His is the sixth signature to be added to the Fundamental Agreement after the original sixty-three men established it as law.

The first meetinghouse in New Haven of which Thomas Munson was continually called upon to evaluate for repairs.

Thomas Munson was a man of importance in the new Colony. His judgement was called upon by the general court for a variety of committees in his early life in New Haven. He served as one of four Lieutenants in the town, maintaining and training the militia for watches and protection as necessary.

In 1655, Thomas Munson was one of the leaders of a group within New Haven who wished to start a new settlement on the Delaware Bay. New Haven was becoming crowded and many felt it was necessary to start fresh somewhere else. For a variety of reasons, this new settlement never happened. Imagine how history would be changed if half the people who lived in New Haven at the time, had migrated to the Delaware Bay. There was even some discussion that the group would move to Jamaica! Instead, Thomas Munson Purchased property in the center of town which he would own until his death and which would be passed down for several generations. That property is is traversed today by Temple Street and is located between Walnut and Grove Street. It is part of Yale University.

Thomas Munson continued to live in and serve the town of New Haven for the remainder of his life. In 1656 he was chosen one of seven town selectmen. In 1662 he was chosen to be a Deputy for the town court. In 1663 he served as a deputy on the General Court as a substitute for Lieutenant Nash. He served in these posts off and on throughout his life. He was a member of the General Court in New Haven when it became a part of the Connecticut Colony in 1664 and served as one of the first deputies from New Haven in the General Assembly in Hartford. He also served as foreman of the jury for the first jury trial to take place in New Haven.

In addition to his service in the government offices of the New Haven and Connecticut, Thomas Munson served the in the militia throughout his life. Known early as Lieutenant Munson, then as Ensign Munson and later as Captain Munson. He was continually involved in the watch and protection of New Haven, including leading battalions in King Phillips War, a major Native American uprising which took place in New England during the mid 1670s. He held the position of Ensign, reluctantly, for many years - at first turning it down and later requesting to be removed from it. The ensign carried the flag - and I can only imagine that it would be much harder than it sounds. He never felt that he did it well but since nobody else was willing to do it at all, he was stuck with the job!

Thomas Munson was married to Joanna - possibly Joanna Mew. They were married before 1642 when their first child Elizabeth, was born. In 1643, their only son and my ninth great-grandfather, Samuel was born. Their youngest child, Hannah, was born in 1648. Elizabeth married Timothy Cooper and later Richard Higenbothom. Samuel married Martha Bradley in New Haven before settling in Wallingford. Hannah married Joseph Tuttle.

This is the memorial for Thomas and Joanna Munson in the Grove Street Cemetery. The original stone for Thomas is set in the new memorial.

Joanna died in 1678 and Thomas Died in 1685. They were both buried on the New Haven Green. Their tombstones were later moved to the Grove Street Cemetery where the above memorial was erected.


Thomas Munson was one of the great early leaders of New Haven and you can read more about his accomplishments, ancestry and descendants in the book: The Munson Record.


You can also find out more on the website of the Thomas Munson Foundation.

Update

I updated the Scott Munson's Family Tree page on this blog to include the next generation, my third great-grandparents. In case your not sure how this works, if you double a person's number, it is the number of that person's father. If you double a person's number and add 1, it is the number of that person's mother. If numbers are missing, then I don't know who those parents are yet. For instance, Ida Hotchkiss is #9. Her father, Charles Hotchkiss, is #18 and her mother, Ada Rockwell is #19. Mary Zantop is #23 but there no #46 or #47 because I haven't figured out who her parents are yet. As I add more and more generations, there will be more and more missing numbers.