Back in the Day : 1911

It's sometimes difficult to imagine what the world looked like for previous generations of our ancestors.

I recently found a great video on YouTube showing New York City in 1911. I though it would be great to share that here, since my family "homeland" (Elizabeth, New Jersey) was just across the river, and no doubt my ancestors travelled to that bustling metropolis on occasion. In fact, my grandfather had a portrait made there in 1912 at the studio of E. Jennings & Co. at 22 Front Street. That neighborhood is quite close to where the Staten Island Ferry docks today.

The city of Elizabeth, on a much smaller scale of course, would have had some similarities at the time. Street cars, horse-drawn delivery wagons, and of course the people would have been dressed like their counterparts in New York.

 
Here are a few post card views of Elizabeth from the same era.

This shows the Elizabeth waterfront, with the spires of St. Patrick's just right of center. This scene would have been familiar to my Dixon oystermen earlier in the decade. By 1911 is seems like they had gone on to other, more landlocked,  jobs.
This postcard was postmarked in Elizabeth on June 28, 1909, and again in San Bernardino, CA on July 3.
Six days coast-to-coast. Not bad!
[If you're kin to Louise Scheerer, who sent the card, or Mina Krieger, who recieved it, drop me a note.]

Aside from the fact that the streets seem to be populated entirely by children, this is how First Street in Elizabeth
would have looked around 1911. Note the trolley, similar to those in New York City. Maybe some of the passengers
were heading for Oppenhimer's Fancy Goods store the on the left.
This card was printed by the Elizabeth Novelty Co., which was in existance between 1904 and 1916.

Wallace B. Dixon : WWII Deferment Classifications

Selective Service Registration Certificate, 1940

Wallace B. Dixon registered for the Draft on 16 October 1940 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. (1) He was 35 years old, and was living at 763 S. Broad St. with his wife Sophie, and their children, Wally, Jr. and Mary.

As noted in my previous post, my grandfather was issued an ID card in 1942, by the US Coast Guard, indicating his work for Standard Oil of NJ, which involved transport and storage of oil.

1943 Notice of Classification, 3-A, men with dependants,
not engaged in work essential to national defense.

I don't know what his classification was from his draft registration in 1940 until 1942, but I have his classification cards from 1943 and 1944. [I'll update this post when I've recieved his classification files from NARA.]

On 22 September 1943, the local Draft Board determined that Wally be classified as 3-A, which is "Men with dependents, not engaged in work essential to national defense."(2) (3)

In 1943, Wally and his family were still living at the S. Broad St. address.(4) His son, Wally, Jr., would not graduate from high school until the following year. His daughter, Mary, would graduate in 1945.(5)

According to a note written by Wally, and a copious number of photographs, he and possibly Sophie, and certainly Wally, Jr. spent time between 1943 and 1945 living in Miami, Florida.(6) It seems likely that Mary remained in Elizabeth, living either with her mother or her maternal grandparents, Constantine and Alice (Rimkus) Karvoius.

Two other pieces of official ephemera also prove that, at least starting on 13 March 1944, Wally was living at 340 NE 17th Terrace in Miami, and continued to do so until some time after 28 September 1944. Both of these State of Florida driver's licenses list that address, and also give an occupation of "inspector." (7)

1944 Florida Driver's License

1945 Florida Driver's License

I had always assumed that the time my grandparents spent in Florida was related to some health issues, but I think now that they were related to his job, "inspector"[?], with Standard Oil. None of the classification cards indicate deferrment based on health issues.

October 1944 Notice of Classification, 4-A,
men who have completed service, OR deferred by
reason of age.

The first of two classification cards issued in 1944, on March 3, shows a change of classifications to 2-B. (8) Class 2 deferrments were based on occupational status, and 2-B indicates "men necessary to national defense." (3) 

March 1944 Notice of Classification, 2-B,
men necessary to national defense.

The second card issued in October of that year classifies Wally as 4-A.(9)  Category 4 is for men "deferred specifically by law or because unfit for military service." His categorization as 4-A, which is "men who have completed service," was generally not considered at time of war according to one source (3), is also listed as "man deferred by reason of age" in another source. After 31 August 1945, that included men who were age 26 or older. (10) 

Either way, his deferrment from active military duty lasted for the duration of World War II.


Sources

(1) Defense Security Service D. S. S. registration certificate, D.S.S. Form 2, 16 October 1940; privately held by Elizabeth Traina Ackermann, 2018. Wallace Bernard Dixon, 763 S. Broad St Elizabeth Union N.J. has been duly registered on this 16th day of October 1940.

(2) Local Board No. 11, Elizabeth, NJ Selective Service Classification Card, 22 September 1943; privately held by Elizabeth Traina Ackermann, 2018.  DSS Form 57. Wallace Bernard Dixon, Order No. 1585 has been classified  in Class 3-A (H).

(3) "Military Classifications for Draftees." Compiled by Anne Yoder, Archivist, Swarthmore College Peace Collection, 2007. [http://www.swarthmore.edu/library/peace/conscientiousobjection/MilitaryClassifications.htm] Updated 2011 and 2014. Viewed 28 May 2018.

(4) Wallace Bernard Dixon (Roselle, New Jersey), "Handwritten list compiled by writer", After 1974; privately held by Elizabeth Traina Ackermann, 2018.  List of cars owned and residence addresses. 153 Clark Place 1925-1929. 239 Marshal St Store 1929-1934. Garfield St. Li[nden] 1934-1934. 763 So. Broad St. 1934-1943. 340 NE 17th Terr [Miami, FL] 1943-1945. 214 Inslee Place 1945-1952. 1023 Thompson Ave Ro.[selle] 1952-.

(5) Yearbook Staff, TeeJay: Yearbook of Thomas Jefferson High School (Elizabeth, New Jersey: Senior Class of Thomas Jefferson High School, 1944), no page numbers; Senior Class Photos; Class Will; Class Mirror.

Battin Hish School, "Commencement Program 1945", (N.p.; left center page). Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey. 1945.  Elizabeth Traina Ackermann, 2018; inherited from her mother, Mary E. (Dixon) Traina. Mary E. Dixon is listed among the graduates.

(6) "Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Multiple Registrations", digital image, The National Archives, Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Multiple Registrations. NARA Record Group 147. Draft Registration Cards for Florida, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947.  Fold3.com (https://www.fold3.com/image/607556630). Downloaded 9 December 2017. Wallace Andrew Dixon, living in Miami, Dade, Florida. Registration dated 8 July 1944.

(7) State of Florida Driver's Licenses, issued in 1944 and 1945 to Wallace B. Dixon; privately held by Elizabeth Ackermann, [address for private use], 2018. Inherited by his daughter, Mary E. Dixon Traina, and then by her daughter, E. Ackermann. Licenses give birth date, physical description, occupation [Inspector] and address of Wallace B. Dixon.

(8) Local Board No. 11, Union County Selective Service Classification Notice, 3 March 1944; privately held by Elizabeth Traina Ackermann, 2018.  DSS Form 57. Wallace Bernard Dixon, Order No. 1585, Class 2-B.

(9) Local Board No. 11 Selective Service Classification Certificate, 25 Oct 1944; privately held by Elizabeth Traina Ackermann, Christiansburg, Virginia, 2018.  DSS Form 57. Local Board No. 11, Union County, NJ, Old City Hall, Elizabeth. Wallace Bernard Dixon, Order No. 1585 has been classified in Class 4-A.

(10)" Selective Service System Classifications for WWI, WWII, and PWWII through 1976."  Computer UFO Network [http://www.cufon.org/CRG/memo/74911231.html], 28 May 2018. This is, admitedly, a website dedicated to providing "accurate" information on unidentified flying objects. They don't indicate a source for their information, but it seems to mostly agree with the list from Swarthmore, source number 3 on this page.

Wallace B. Dixon : Shift Breaker 1942

My Grandfather didn't serve in the Military during WWII. But that's not to say that he didn't serve his country. As an employee of the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey, Gramps was involved with oil transport and storage – a vital war-time function.

This identification card (1) issued by the US Coast Guard and signed by the Captian of the Port of New York, is a treasure, as it gives a glimpst at his service in 1942, and also includes a photo and a physical description.

Wallace B. Dixon's US Coast Guard ID card, 1942. (1)

The back of the Coast Guard ID card.
My Grandfather was 37 years old when this photo was taken.

A "shift breaker," according to the Petroleum Dictionary by Lalia Phipps Boone, is also sometimes known as a "swing man."

A worker who replaces other operators when they are off duty. The rotating shift causes a gap in the regular line-up, and since operation in a refinery must be continuous, a worker must be employed who is trained for several positions. He is next in line for promotion, and since he is qualified for more than one position, he is a very valuable employee. (2)

Sources

1. Captain of the Port of New York, United States Coast Guard identification card, 28 Apr 1942; privately held by Elizabeth Traina Ackermann, Christiansburg, Virginia, 2018.  Card 0?1, Serial Number 427664. Wallace Bernard Dixon, Shift Breaker, Oil Move. & Stor.; Employed or sponsored by Standard Oil Co. of N.J.

2. Boon, Lalia Phipps. The Petroleum Dictionary. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman,  Oklahoma. 1952. p. 300. Viewed on Archive.org [ https://archive.org/stream/petroleumdiction00boon/petroleumdiction00boon_djvu.txt], 27 May 2018. 

My Great-Grandmother Owned a Monkey

Not my grandma, not her monkey!

See the original on the fascinating
Tumbler Blog
"An Unnatural History."

Oh, how I wish I had a photo of Mary Elizabeth (Klein) Dixon Payne and her monkey to share with you. [If, by chance, you have one, I hope you'll share it with me!] This Fun Family Fact comes courtesy of of a step-cousin, who's father, Thomas Payne, Jr. brought the monkey back from his Navy travels and gave it to his step-mother.

Just another example of the treasures you find when you contact cousins, and step-cousins, you've never met. This particular step-cousin has shared some great information about the Payne family, and has helped me identify some photos. Love it!

Did anyone in your family have unusual pets?

Welcome to 2018

Wallace A. Dixon, circa 1926, in the lap of unidentified woman.
Elizabeth, New Jersey. Personal collection,
E. Ackermann, 2018.

Happy New Year!

I generally start my year on the blog with a baby, a traditional icon of new beginnings in the New Year. This year's New Kid on the block is my dear Uncle Wally [Wallace A. Dixon, 1926-1988] in the lap of someone I don't know. Not his mother, not any of his maternal aunts. Possibilities include paternal aunts, or possibly a cousin or family friend. If you recognize her, give me a shout. [Hey! It's a two-for-one! New Years baby and a Mystery Photo! Yippee!]

Missing Records : John Dixon in the Civil War

Well, howdy friends. Have you ever been this close to  solving a family history mystery only to be thwarted by a missing or misplaced document or file? I sincerely hope not, because I'm here to tell you that it is great big no fun.

Here's the situation. My great-great-grandfather, John Dixon (b.abt. 1837, d. after 1917) was a veteran of the Civil War. He enlisted in 1861 and deserted two month after he mustered in. [He was later pardoned and served with his regiment through the end of the war.] I have a theory that he deserted because his wife, Isabel was either having trouble with her pregnancy, or their infant children (I believe she gave birth to twins) were not doing well. I had hoped to find his Court Martial files with the case notes to discover what reason he gave for deserting the Army.

Natually, I turned to Debbie Hadley of Bring Out Yer Dead, who does research for me in New Jersey. She was going to be spending some time at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and agreed to dig up the court martial case file for me.

The Good, the Bad, and the Letter from Abraham Lincoln 

 

The good news : Debbie did find a file relating to my John Dixon.

The bad news : the transcript of the trial was missing.

The good news : there was some useful information in the file, including the name of the officer who requested John's pardon and return to duty. There were also a lot of notes about where the files had been sent. They got around a bit and the clerks dutifully noted the particulars.

The bad news : There was no mention of the final resting place of the file. They don't appear to be at the National Archives. Which means they could be in any number of places, or they may no longer exist. Vexing.

And then there's the letter from Abraham Lincoln. Naturally, it's not addressed to or written about John Dixon, though his case is mentioned in some of the notes written on the letter. The letter itself concerns one Joshua Francis Noble. It appears Joshua deserted at the same time as John, from the same regiment, was court martialed and sentenced at the same time, and also had a pardon requested by the same officer as John. The letter is President Lincoln's inquiry into the status of Joshua Noble's case on behalf of Joshua's wife. The poor man had been sentenced to prison in the Tortugas, and although the pardon was approved, the paperwork was misplaced. Eventually he got sorted out and returned to his regiment.

Here's the President's letter. You can click on the image to make it larger.

Dear Judge Advocate General, where in the world is Joshua Noble?
His wife would like to know.
Yours truly, A. Lincoln (1)

Here's the response from the Judge Advocate General, and a sideways note from Mr. Lincoln. Ditto with the click to enlarge.

Dear Mr. President, I have no clue. The War Department mislaid the file.
We did sort out that John Dixon fellow.
Illegibly, Judge Adv. General. (1)

And here are the notes written on the back of the paper. Ditto, click, enlarge.

Summary of the cases of Dixon and Noble, with mysterious clerical notations. (1)

If you have any suggestions on where one would look for the missing court transcripts, please leave a comment or send me a note.

I'll be writing more about John Dixon soon, and will also put a transcript of the documents that were in the file up here on the blog.


Source Citation

1. Court martial case file, 1863-1865; John Dixon and Joshua F. Noble, File NN98; Court Martial Case Files 1809-1894; Record Group 153: Records of the Office of the Judge Advocate General (Army); National Archives and Record Administration, Washington, D.C.

Wedding Bells 1955 : Dixon and Traina

My mother, Mary E. Dixon, married her best friend's brother, Frank J. Traina, on May 15, 1955. From photographs I have seen, Mary was well acquainted with the Traina family for years before she and Frank tied the knot.

The wedding took place in Union, New Jersey, and was a civil ceremony performed by a Magistrate of the Court. Mary's Matron of Honor was her future sister-in-law, Frances (Traina) Carlino. The Best Man was Frank's friend, Leo Piazzo.

Here are a few photos from their wedding day.

Mary (Dixon) Traina gets help with her hair
from her sister-in-law and
Matron of Honor, Frances (Traina) Carlino.

Mary (Dixon) and Frank Traina
15 May 1955

Matron of Honor, Frances (Traina) Carlino
and Best Man, Leo Piazzo

The toast.
Frank and Mary (Dixon) Traina toast,
as Fran (Traina) Carlino looks on.

The happy couple and their parents.
Left to right: Joseph Traina and Lillian (Maita) Traina;
Frank and Mary (Dixon) Traina; Sophie (Karvoius) and Wallace B. Dixon.

Mary (Dixon) and Frank Traina cut the wedding cake.

Frank Traina dancing with his sister, Mary Ann,
and Mary (Dixon) Traina dancing with her brother, Wallace A. Dixon.

The happy couple in a snazy car.
Mary (Dixon) and Frank Traina.

Sophie (Karvoius) Dixon : Safety First!

"How to Keep My Family Safe"

"...an ideal way for the lady of the house to improve the safety of her family..."

One of the promo pictures from the contest.
Sophie (Karvoius) Dixon, 1959.
Collection of E. Ackermann, 2017.
(1)

On 19 Feb 1959 a letter went out from G.R. Murrell, Manager, to the employees of the Esso Standard Oil refinery in Bayway for a safety contest. In it he invited "the wives of our employees and the married women employees at Bayway to develop a Home Safety Program for their families." Entry forms and instructions were included with the letter. The forms listed the leading causes of home accidents and asked the entrants to explain the ideas that they found successful in preventing these types of accidents. "English composition will not be judged, only the safety activities presented..." in each contestants submission. (1)

Offering a total of $750 in prizes, each contestant was also eligible to select an award from the Esso safety award catalog. (1)

My grandfather, Wally Dixon, was employed at Esso. He retired in 1960 after 28 years of service. (2) He probably encouraged his wife to enter. I would love to see the completed form that my grandmother submitted for this contest.

And the winner is...

You're a winner! I would have loved to have seen my Grandmother's face when she got this telegram.
E. Ackermann, 2017. (1)

 On April 15 my grandparents went to the Bayway Refinery so my Grandmother could accept her award.

Sophie Dixon accepts her award from G.R. Murrell.
Her husband, Wallace B. Dixon looks on.
Esso Standard Oil Co. Bayway Refinery.
Photographic Group. Number 1016-2. 15 Apr 1959.
Collection of E. Ackemann, 2017.

"Wins Esso Safety Contest"
click image to enlarge
E'Port Observer, June 1959
E. Ackemann, 2017

 According to this article in The E'Port Observer, newsletter of the Elizabethport Works of the Singer Corporation, "It took a Singer employee, Sophie Dixon of the Oil Milling Department, to win first award in an Esso Bayway Refinery safety contest." (3)

"Mrs. Dixon used a humorous approach to offer practical safety suggestions. Among them: "If the roof of the car must be held up. the car or the driver should be replaced." Another comment was that people who work in gardens and backyards should not go beyond their limit, lest they overcome garden fragrances with liniment. She encouraged drivers to "leave baby shoes where they belong" because they clutter up visibility in a car."

I was thrilled to find this article which provides a glimpse into the winning entry, as well as a little snapshot of what other members of the family were doing at the time."Mrs. Dixon has been with Singer for 18 years. Her sister, Estelle Karvoius, is chief clerk of Dept. 33 and a daughter, Mary Traina, is in the Employment Office." It also reports that my grandfather was on sick leave from Esso at the time.

All of the contest winners and their spouses. The Dixons are on the far left, Mr. Murrell is in the center.
Were my grandparents very short, or are all those other people freakishly tall?
Esso Standard Oil Co. Bayway Refinery. Photographic Group. Number 1016-8. 15 Apr 1959.
Collection of E. Ackemann, 2017.

Safety First!

Wallace B. Dixon, showing the shoe
that saved his toes.
E. Ackermann, 2017. (1)

The caption my grandfather wrote on the back of this photo says

Wallace B. Dixon

Summer 1953

Sheer luck!

Safety shoes purchased at Bayway

Be careful out there! (Especially when you're mowing the lawn.)


[This photo is probably not related to the 1959 contest, but I thought it was fun.]









Sources

(1) Sophie (Karvoius) Dixon - Correspondence and photographs relating to Esso Home Safety Contest; E. Ackermann, 2017.

(2) Esso Standard. Retiree Identification Card. Issued to Wallace B. Dixon. Esso Standard, Division of Humble Oil and Refining Company, Bayway Refinery. E. Ackermann, 2017.

(3)  "Wins Esso Safety Contest," E'Port Observer; A Publication of the Elizabethport Works of the Singer Corporation. (June 1959): p. 2.  

Wally Jr. Strikes a Pose

Wallace Andrew Dixon [Wally Jr.]. b. 1926 - d. 1988.
Taken some time in the early-mid 1930's?
Collection of E. Ackermann, 2017.

I love this photo of my Uncle Wally. That pose! Those socks!

Buddie, lounging on the porch.
"@ 120" 1936. Elizabeth, NJ.
Colleciton of E. Ackermann, 2017.

And then there's the dog, Buddie, making a cameo appearance in the background. I have other photos of Buddie lazing on a porch that are dated around 1936, so that puts this photo in that ballpark. The photos are labeled on the reverse "Buddie @ 120. 4 '36" and although I have done my best, I have yet to identify a Dixon residence that had the number 120. [You'll find a photo of my Grandfather's sister, Hazel, on the same porch in a previous post. She is in a slightly more precarious position.]

I think it's possible that "120" could have been family shorthand for 125 West Grand St., the home of my Great-grandmother and her second husband, Thomas Payne, from 1930 until around 1938. My grandparents lived at 763 South Broad St. during that time period, so it's not their home.
Other possibilities are 121 Elizabeth Ave. or 127 E. Jersey St. Or it really could be some other relative's home with the address 120. Always a mystery!

Julian Place

A place and a moment in time.

My great-grandparents and their children moved frequently, though mostly within the city of Elizabeth, New Jersey. When I find them in a city directory I can guess that they had moved on from the listed address by the time the book was printed and distributed. That leaves me always one step behind as I try to piece together their lives.

I do know that on 9 April 1924, Mary Elizabeth (Klein) Dixon and her three youngest children lived at 2 Julian Place. (1) George Thomas was 26 and my grandfather, Wally, was 19. I'm sure they were both working and helping to contribute to the household. Hazel, the youngest, was 15 and was likely going to school.

The first mention that I found of my grandfather
living at 2 Julian Place.

Mary Elizabeth had filed for a divorce from her husband, William A. Dixon, the previous year and this address is mentioned in a deposition given on the 9th of April. The same address is also given on my grandfather's motor vehicle registration for that year.(2)

Prior to 1911, when the postcard below was mailed, we get a glimpse of the place they called home in 1924. Fast forward thirteen years and replace some of those carriages with automobiles and you can imagine what their street might have looked like.

The corner of Julian Place (on left) and Morris Ave. (on right), Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Postcard in collection of E. Ackermann, 2017.

In a snippet from the 1922 Sanborn Map (3), the size and shape of the building at the intersection of Julian Place and Morris Avenue are a match. The only real puzzle is that the map only shows addresses starting with number four, and it appears that the very corner space has an address on Morris Avenue. This leads me to believe that perhaps the residences on the upper floors were given the number 2, while the street level businesses started at 4. The map shows a staircase leading to the upper floors to the right of the office at number 4. In the postcard you can see the entry next to the leftmost striped awning on the first floor.

1922 Sanborn Insurance Map. (3)
Elizabeth, N.J. (Vol. 1, Sheet 3). Princeton University website.

Meet the neighbors 

Residents of Julian Place.
1924 Elizabeth (NJ) City Directory
* denotes person has telephone (4)

 Here are the folks that lived and worked on Julian Place. This is the whole street – it was only one block long. Notice that the Dixon family isn't listed here. They don't appear at all in the 1923 or 1925 directories either. Perhaps they choose not to be in the listing, or maybe they were boarding with one of the other residents. We'll probably never know.

If you notice, the left side of the street is occupied by the Central Rail Road of New Jersey passenger station. So not only can you imagine the sights and sounds of an urban neighborhood, but you can add to that frequent passing trains, and all those folks getting on and off the trains. What a busy place!

The neighborhood was also full of businesses – real estate brokers, express agents, plumbers, painters, auto and bicycle repair, restaurants. The business at number 8, A.B. Swick,  probably explains the rather extravagant awnings on the corner building. 

Julian Place today

A look at the same block today shows some changes. The buiding that my Great-grandmother and her children lived in is no longer standing. The lot is now occupied by a restaurant with outdoor seating on the corner. The old train station still stands across the street, although it looks like it now houses a restaurant. Train passengers board from the elevated platform on the bridge that crosses North Broad Street. A number of the older buildings on the block on Morris Avenue are still there, giving a bit of a feel of the old neighborhood.

Corner of Julian Place and Morris Avenue, Elizabeth, New Jersey.
The buiding on the corner, where my Great-grandmother and her children lived is no longer standing.
Today that space is occupied by a restaurant with outdoor seating. There's still a nice view of the old train station.
Image : Google Earth.

Buidings on Morris Avenue, heading away from Julian Place. Elizabeth, New Jersey.
It looks like a lot of the old buildings still stand.
Image: Google Earth

Sources

(1) Dixon, Mary E. vs. Dixon, William A., 25 July 1923, Chancery Court Records; Superior Court Records Management Center, Trenton, New Jersey; NJSA microfilm 2-23, file number C64-517, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, New Jersey.

(2)  Passenger Vehicle Registration, NJ Dept. of Motor Vehicles; Wallace B. Dixon Collection; privately held by Elizabeth Ackermann, [address for private use], 2016. 

(3) Elizabeth, N.J. (Vol. 1, Sheet 3). Sanborn Map Company. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1922. Princeton University website http://map.princeton.edu/mapviewer/#/xs55mf363 . Accessed 12 March 2017. 

(4) Elizabeth City Directory 1924. Newark, New Jersey: Price & Lee Co., 1924. Page 574. Digital images. Ancestry.com. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com : [Accesed 12 March 2017].

Marshall Street Mystery : Conflicting Evidence

Sometimes you just wish your ancestors would give you a straight story, or that the documents you find might be deemed reliable.

I don't know that it's crucial, or even vaguely important, that I determine exactly where on Marshall Street my great-grandparents lived with their family. It is vexing that I can't find them in the 1910 U.S. Census, and I keep hoping that getting an address for them might lead me to a census record.

In two posts I wrote in May of 2016, I started to explore this problem. You can read them here:

54 Marshall Street
54 Marshall Street : A Room With a View?

Since then, I've found more information about the Dixon family during that time period. They moved quite often, and I'll write more about that in another blog post. Suffice it to say that William wasn't an ideal husband, and the family was often forced to move due to lack of rent money. (1)

Today I'm going to summarize the three pieces of conflicting information that I have regarding the family's address on Marshall Street in Elizabeth between the years 1909 and 1911.

City Directories

Both the 1909 and 1911 Elizabeth city directories list William A. Dixon, carp[enter] at 54 Marshall Street. (2,3)

There are actually two William A. Dixons listed in the directory, the other boards at 57 Butler. At that same address we find "boarding" Frank and Alexander Dixon, Jr. Also listed is Alexander Dixon, presumably the senior. Both Alexanders are oystermen, Frank and William are leatherworkers. This is clearly a different Dixon family.

Since my great-grandfather is known to have worked as a carpenter from around 1900, I believe that the Marshall Street William is mine. Additionally, there is another William Dixon, William H., boarding at 54 Marshall. My grandparents had a son named William, born in 1885. His middle initial was J according to his birth record, but I've also seen it recorded as C.

In the 1911 directory it appears that Alexander senior has died. His widow, Mary, is boarding at 161 Elizabeth Avenue. William the leatherworker and the junior Alexander are also now at this address.
Frank Dixon is not among the Dixon listings for this year.

Carpenter William A. and laborer William H. Dixon continue to be listed at 54 Marshall in 1911. And so I conclude that this is "my" William A. Dixon. One might also infer from this that they lived at 54 Marshall Street between at least the years 1909 and 1911.

Hazel Dixon's Birth Record

William & Mary (Klein) Dixon's youngest daughter, Hazel, was born 16 January 1909. You can read about her birth record in detail in an earlier post from February 2016. In that document the midwife, Therese M. Leyerer, records the place of birth as 65 "Marchal" Street. (4)

Neither the 1909 or 1911 directories have any listings in the street directory for a "Marchal" Street, leading me to conclude that she was spelling "Marshall" the way she pronounced it. Remember, this is the same document where William's occupation is "Carp Endor," actually "carpenter."

Additionally, the 1903 Sanborn Map for Marshall Street (5) shows that number 65 would have been located in the Pattern Storage building of the ship building company that occupied most of that side of the street. The ship building facility only increased in size over the years, by 1918 (6) it occupied nearly the entire block, so it seems unlikely that some time between 1903 and 1909 that a residence would have been located on that spot. Only those lots with even-numbered addresses on that block were residential. The same is true today. A comparison of the Sanborn maps and Google Maps for that street show that the numbering hasn't changed. 

Given the whimsical nature of the information in this document, or at least Mrs. Leyerer's interpretation of the information, I take the address with a grain of salt. Hazel may have been born on Marshall Street, but it seems unlikely that the address was number 65.

The Divorce Deposition

So, here we arrive at the heart of the matter. In 1924 Mary Elizabeth (Klein) Dixon petitioned for a divorce from her husband, William A. Dixon on the grounds of desertion. She claims that he left the family in September of 1912 and for the next twelve years provided no support for her or her children.

In Mary's deposition, she states:

For two years before the desertion [in September 1912], I lived on Livingston Street, between First and Second Streets; Second Street, between Jersey Street and Fulton Street, from there to Marshall Street, between Second and Third Streets, and then to South Second Street, and from there to Elizabeth Avenue between Fifth and Sixth Streets.

Please take a moment to process this. The family lived in at least five different locations in the two years between 1910 and 1912. Additionally, if they were living on the block between Second and Third Streets, the house numbers ran from 200 to 255 on the 1903 Sanborn Map.(7)  This is neither the 54 from the city directories or the 65 from the birth record.

So it seems that, at some point roughly between 1910 and 1912, the family did live on Marshall Street. Had they lived on Marshall Street more than once?

Conclusion...Confusion

I'm willing to accept as true that the family of William A. and Mary E. (Klein) Dixon did, at some point, live on Marshall Street in Elizabeth, New Jersey. I have three separate and unrelated documents that support that.

It is possible that they occupied a residence with the address of 54 Marshall Street, given the fact that it appears in both the 1909 and 1911 city directories. Supporting this is the listing in two city directories, and the fact that it was a residential address as indicated on both the 1903 and 1918 Sanborn insurance maps. However, they do not appear at that address in the 1910 U.S. Census, and given William's reported inability to come up with regular rent payments it seems a little bit unlikely that they lived at the same address for three consecutive years.

It is highly improbable that they resided at 65 Marshall Street, given the industrial nature of that side of the street. I don't consider Mrs. Leyerer to be a highly reliable source for any information other than the actual birth of the child. However, number 65 would have been in the same block as number 54. So there's that.

It is possible, given the nature of the testimony of Mary E. (Klein) Dixon under oath that the family did live in the 200 block of Marshall Street sometime around 1911-1912. One does have to keep in mind that the testimony was given about twelve years after the fact, and it is possible that with all of the moving the family apparently did Mary may have confused the exact location.

My conclusion is that the family did probably, at some point, live on Marshall Street. It is possible that they lived on Marshall Street two different times, once at number 54, and once in the 200 block. Is it vitally important that I know exactly when and where? At this point, I think not. It seems more important to acknowledge this as an exercise in examining conflicting evidence, and as a reminder that you can't always believe what you read.


Sources

(1) Dixon, Mary E. vs. Dixon, William A., 25 July 1923, Chancery Court Records; Superior Court Records Management Center, Trenton, New Jersey; NJSA microfilm 2-23, file number C64-517, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, New Jersey.

(2) Elizabeth Directory 1909, Volume III. Newark, New Jersey: Price and Lee Company,  p. 193.  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line: accessed 14 May 2016]. Image 101 of 417. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Entry for William A. Dixon.

(3) Elizabeth Directory 1911, Volume IV. Newark, New Jersey: Price and Lee Company,  p. 201. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line: accessed 14 May 2016]. Image 102 of 418. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Entry for William A. Dixon. 

(4) Hazel Dorothy L. Dixon, birth certificate 79 (16 January 1909), Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, New Jersey. 

(5) Insurance Maps of Elizabeth, New Jersey. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1903. Sheet 75.
Princeton University Library: Sanborn Maps of New Jersey: Elizabeth.

(6) Insurance Maps of Elizabeth, New Jersey. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1918. Sheet 75.
Princeton University Library: Sanborn Maps of New Jersey: Elizabeth.


(7) Insurance Maps of Elizabeth, New Jersey. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1903. Sheet 73.
Princeton University Library: Sanborn Maps of New Jersey: Elizabeth.

I can beat that

Afternoon, Winter, Grandma and Grandpa's House

Me, early 1960's,
cooking up something good at Grandma & Grandpa's house.

Oh, that eggbeater. Did there ever exist a more fun kitchen utensil for a child? Some of you may be too young to remember eggbeaters, with their turning gears and whirling beater parts, and the cool sound they made.

Here is my Grandpa Dixon's recipe for "Egg Nog," which is probably what I'm in the process of making here.

• 1 egg - raw
• milk - enough to fill the glass
• vanilla - a teaspoon
• sugar - as much as it takes

Beat until frothy or until you get tired. Drink happily.

Yes, we ate raw eggs back then. I don't know anyone who ever got sick from it. And, I might add, it was pretty darned yummy.

This photo was taken in the early 1960's in my Dixon grandparents' kitchen. I loved that wallpaper! Still do. I know this was taken in the afternoon because the sun is shining in the front window, which faced pretty much due west, if I recall correctly.