Bernard Dixon Sinks For Third Time!

It's less than one mile from 326 East Jersey Street, Elizabeth, New Jersey, to the South Front Street Bridge. Taking a 15 minute walk, down East Jersey Street to the waterfront, where the Staten Island Sound meets Newark Bay you pass one- and two-family homes, small apartment buildings, and locally owned businesses. As you cross First Street, you're just one block from the water. Today, when you get to the waterfront, you'll see a marina and a waterfront park. In 1915 the area was more industrial. Ship yards and manufacturing facilities edged the water, along with rail-lines for transporting goods.

1916 postcard of First Street, "down the Port", Elizabeth, New Jersey.
First Street is one block inland from South Front Street, and runs parallel to the waterfront.

On a Sunday in June, 1915, with leisure time at hand, 9-year-olds Bernard Dixon [later known as Wallace Bernard] and Andrew Payne, were ready for an afternoon of play. They left the house at 2 o'clock under strict orders to stay away from the docks. Three friends joined the pair and the five boys headed straight for the waterfront.

They ended up at the old South Front Street bridge, which crossed the Elizabeth River. The Crescent Ship Yard was on the near side of the bridge and the river, and they would have been able to see the New Jersey Dry Dock Company just across the bridge.

Elizabeth, New Jersey, 1916.(1)  Click to enlarge map.

Also on the other side of the bridge, about 200 feet down the road at 3 South Front Street, was the boathouse belonging to John W. Van Pelt & Son. The Van Pelts were in the business of renting boats. John W. was about 73 years old in 1915, and in the New Jersey State Census of that year his occupation was listed as "Bridgeman." John H. Van Pelt, John W.'s son, was 45 years old that year, and his occupation was Boatman.

The boys reached the river bank, and were playing there for about an hour when Bernard stepped on a log at the edge of the river near the bridge. One of his friends gave him a playful shove, and into the water he went!

Mr. Van Pelt heard the boys screaming and yelling for help and ran the 200 feet from his boathouse to the river bank, diving into the water to save Bernard. The panicked boy had, by the time Mr. Van Pelt arrived, sunk under the water of the river for the third time! Only his cap floating on the surface marked the place where he had gone down. Using that as a marker, Van Pelt dove to the bottom of the river where he was able to find Bernard and grab his coat collar. Draging the dazed boy to the surface, Van Pelt quickly revived him.

Bernard was the fifth child that Mr. Van Pelt had rescued at what seemed to be a popular spot for children to play.

Bernard [And Mr. Van Pelt] Make the News

 

Article from the Elizabeth Daily Journal,
June 7, 1915, page 13. (2)

I never, ever heard my grandfather talk about this nearly fatal event in his life. Maybe he didn't think it was any big deal, or maybe he just didn't want to remember it. If I hadn't been searching the 1915 Elizabeth Daily Journal for information on a different ancestor it's possible I never would have come across the article that tells the tale.

Thanks to the quick thinking of John Van Pelt, I'm here today to share the story with you.

Here's the  complete transcript:

PLUNGES INTO RIVER TO SAVE LITTLE BOY

John Van Pelt, Boatman, Dives Overboard as 9-Year-Old Bernard Dixon Sinks for Third Time — His Fifth Rescue.

Bernard Wallace Dixon, aged 9 years, had a narrow escape from death by drowning Saturday afternoon, and John Van Pelt, proprietor of the boathouse on South Front street by the Elizabeth river, is in line for a hero medal. This is the fifth child he has rescued from drowning in two years at the same spot where the Dixon boy almost lost his life.

The boy is the son of Mrs. Mary Dixon, of 326 East Jersey street. About two o’clock Saturday afternoon he and a chum, Andrew Payne, aged 9 years, who boards with the Dixons, ran away to the waterfront. The boys had been given strict orders to avoid the docks, but with a party of three other own age, they slipped away for an after noon’s play.

About an hour after they reached the South Front street drawbridge the Dixon boy mounted a log on the edge of the river near the bridge. One of the boys playfully gave him a push, and the lad lost his balance and fell in. The boy who pushed him became frightened and ran away. The other boys screamed and the struggling youngster in the water also had the presence of mind to cry for help.

Mr. Van Pelt, who was across the bridge about 200 feet from the scene, heard the cries and ran from the boathouse to the edge of the river. He dived for the Dixon boy, who had then gone down for the third time. The position of the latter’s hat indicated the point for which to dive, and the quick work of the rescuer came in the nick of time. Groping on the bottom, Mr. Van Pelt got a firm hold on the lad’s coat collar and brought him, dazed to the surface. It required but a short time to revive him.

Elizabeth Daily Journal, Monday, June 7, 1915. Page 13.

And, Finally, a Bit About the South Front Street Bridge

At the time my grandfather "went down for the third time," the bridge at South Front Street was doing the same.

By 1889, a draw bridge spanned the river at South Front Street. As industrial growth spread south of the Elizabeth River into the Bayway section of Elizabeth, the crossing provided an important link between the Elizabethport and Bayway areas. Lumber businesses that were initially located on the north side of the river eventually expanded their operations south to the area located along South Front Street and Arthur Kill with spur lines connecting to rail transportation. Industrial growth continued during the boom years surrounding World War I and through the 1920s when the current bridge was constructed (Sanborn 1889, 1903, 1923; Bauer 1906). (3)

According to a report in the Elizabeth Daily Journal on May 7, 1915 the bridge was seeing a lot of vehicular traffic that was beyond it's capacity:

The committee on drawbridges pointed out that the South Front street bridge is ovetaxed with modern motor traffic loads of ten and twelve tons frequently going over the old structure, built in 1871, while the safety capacity is scarcely more than seven tons. It stated that the South First street bridge is ample for all traffic, but asked that the Board of Works be requested to fix up the streets leading to it, which were said to be in deplorable condition. The report and accompanying resolution were adopted.

With the advent of World War I, issues of transportation, defense, and resource allocation opened the next chapter in the bridge's story. According to the excellent website, bridgesnyc.com :

Plans for a movable bridge at South Front Street were approved on July 3, 1916 by the Secretary of War. A riparian grant (a deed granted for normally state-owned tidelands) was obtained for $260 from the state of New Jersey in 1917, officially allowing the bridge to be constructed by the City of Elizabeth. The American Bridge Company built the bridge, beginning in 1920; it opened to traffic in 1922.

Bridgesnyc points out that the South Front Street bridge was, at one time, one of six moveable bridges that allowed the Elizabeth River to accomodate ocean-going vessels. When the NJ Turnpike opened in 1951 shipping shifted from the water to the highway and the decline of heavy river traffic began, and with it the decline of the county's bridges on the Elizabeth River.

Although the bridge had been slated for repairs as late as 2011. However, structural concerns caused the city to leave the bridge in the open position and eventually to close it completely. Good for river traffic, but vehicular traffic had to be routed to the South First Street bridge. (4)

As of January 2018, this was the state of the bridge, left in the open position. Click on the image to enlarge it. (5)








Notes and Resources

(1) E.J. Grassmann, Map of the City of Elizabeth, New Jersey 1916. Copyright 1916 by E.J. Grassmann, Elizabeth Novelty Co., Publisher. Digital image: Rutgers University Special Collections < http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu >

(2) "Plunges into River to Save Little Boy," Elizabeth Daily Journal, Monday, June 7, 1915. Page 13. Elizabeth, New Jersey Public Library, digital collections, Elizabeth Daily Journal Archive < http://www.digifind-it.com/elizabeth/newspapers.php > downloaded 9 June 2019.


(3) Deborah Baldwin Van Steen. Goethals Bridge Replacement, Richmond County, New York and The City of Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey: Volume 1; Historic Architectural Resource Study, New Jersey, Revised Report, July 2008; pages 69-71. Accessed online < http://www.goethalseis.com/pdfs/deis/appendix_e1_vol1.pdf > 6 October 2019. Describes history and significance of the bridge built around 1920.

(4) "South Front Street Bridge," posted by shayna, December 20, 2011. bridgesnyc: Bridges in the New York Metropolitan Area. Website < http://www.bridgesnyc.com/2011/12/south-front-street-bridge/ > viewed 6 October 2019. The article has many good photographs and gives a succinct  history of the bridge, it's unique design, and the location next to the superfund site of the Chemical Control Compnay. For photos dating from August 2015, see also the website LTV Squad < http://ltvsquad.com/2015/09/09/south-front-street-bridge-elizabeth-nj/ >.

(5) Wikimedia Commons contributors, "File:S Front Street Br weight jeh.jpg," Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository,https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:S_Front_Street_Br_weight_jeh.jpg&oldid=334409375 (accessed October 6, 2019).

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.

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!]

Easter 1964 : Bonnets!

Ah, Easter! Chocolate bunnies, jellybeans, dyed eggs, and the dreaded Easter outfit. Please, take a moment to absorb the rediculous things that we are wearing on our heads. [You can click on the images if you want to make them larger.]

Mom, Grandma, and me. Easter 1964. Warinanco Park.
Collection of E. Ackermann, 2017.

That's my Mom, Mary (Dixon) Traina, in the black mushroom hat, complete with some sort of half-veil thing. No idea what is on the veil. It looks like a bug.

My Grandma, Sophie (Karvoius) Dixon, looks a lovely in neutrals, with her spiky ribbon pouf-hat. Her purse looks big enough to put me in!

 And then there's little me. Snappy double-breasted camel-hair coat, eh? You can see my whole ensemble below.

Easter 1964. Liz enduring the indignity of The Bonnet.
Warinanco Park, Union County, NJ.

Check out my little yellow suit! This may be the most well-coordinated outfit I've ever worn in my life! But really, what the heck were they thinking with the hat? The daisies are bad enough, but what's with the mound of yellow bow meringue on top?

The Easter bonnet was my least favorite holiday tradition. And I probably had a few unkind thoughts about the gloves and the saddle shoes as well. But what's a four-year-old to do?

Endure. Simply endure. The Easter baskets full of treats are on the horizon...

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].

Minnie Dixon and Milton Moore : Marriage Certificate

On Sunday, 30 September 1905, Minnie Elizabeth Dixon married Milton George Moore. (1)

Milton was 22 years old, and a resident of West New Brighton, Staten Island, New York. His parents were Sarah (Fullegar) and William Moore. (1) Milton was the oldest of four children. His siblings were Edith (b abt 1887), Charles (b abt 1893), and Percival "Percy" (b abt 1894). (2) At the time of his marriage to Minnie he indicated that his occupation was "chauffer." (1)

Minnie, also 22 years old, had been born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey. (1, 3) She was the oldest  child of Mary E. (Klein) and William A. Dixon. At the time of the wedding Minnie had six living siblings (two others had died as children), and in four more years her youngest sister, Hazel, would be born. (4) Minnie was living at 54 Marshall Street, Elizabeth, NJ at the time of her marriage. I assume this was the family home. (1)

The wedding ceremony was performed by the Rev. Henry Hale Sleeper, the Pastor of Grace Episcopal Church in Elizabeth. (1, 5) The witnesses were Anna Sleeper, the Reverend's wife, and  Frank Carberry, who's connection is unknown at this time. (1)

Certificate and Transcription

Marriage Certificate for Minnie Dixon and Milton Moore, 30 September 1905. (1)
New Jersey State Archives, NJ Vital Records.

State of New Jersey. Bureau of Vital Statistics. 399
Certificate and Record of Marriage.

Full Name of Husband: Milton George Moore
Maiden Name of Wife: Minnie Elizabeth Dixon
Place of Marriage: Elizabeth
Date of Marriage: September 30 1905
Groom's:
Residence: 137 Richmond Terrace. West New Brighton, Staten Island
Age: 22. Number of Marriage: One
Color: White
Occupation: Chauffeur
Birthplace: U.S.
Father's Name: William [R? or A?] Moore
Mother's Maiden Name: Sarah Fullegar

Bride's:
Residence: 54 Marshall St. Elizabeth, NJ
Age; 22. Number of Marriage: One
Color: white
Name, if a Widow: ---
Birthplace: U.S.
Father's Name: William A. Dixon
Mother's Maiden Name: Mary Elizabeth Klein

Witnesses: Frank H. Carberry, Anna E. Sleeper
Signature of person officiating and P.O. address: Henry Hale Sleeper, Elizabeth


Sources

(1) Milton George Moore and Minnie Elizabeth Dixon marriage certificate, (30 September 1905), New Jersey Vital Records, May 1, 1848 to December 31, 1915: microfilm roll 201 (Marriage Certificates 1905: Matt - Mule), organized alphabetically by surname of groom; New Jersey State Archive, Trenton, New Jersey.

(2) 1910 Federal, Richmond Borough, New York, pop. sch.; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed ); NARA microfilm publication T624_1072; Page: 10A.

(3) Unnamed [Blank] Dixon, birth certificate D40 (5 April 1884), New Jersey New Jersey State Archives, Trenton. Believed to be Minnie, as the date agrees with other documents.

(4) Compilation of information from a variety of sources too numerous to list here. Please see the page on this blog "Dixon Family Tree" for a list of names of the children. 

(5) Elizabeth Directory 1905 (Newark, New Jersey: The Price & Lee Company, 1905), page 463, Sleeper, Henry Hale, Rev.; digital image, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 20 November 2016), image 232 of 334. "Sleeper, Henry Hale Rev., pastor Grace Episcopal Church, h 225 E Jersey."

Things I Learned in School : GRIP

You know you're addicted to genealogy when:

1. You spend your summer vacation at a genealogy institute
2. You're having a nice time pouring through archival supply catalogs
3. You think a fun thing to do on your day off is re-humidifying old rolled photos and documents

I guess I'm hooked :-)

During the last week of June I was lucky enough to attend GRIP - The Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. Imagine a whole week of classes immersed in one topic! In my case it was Family Archiving: Heirlooms in the Digital Age with Denise May Levenick. Does that not sound perfect for where I am right now, surrounded by family "stuff?" [Which will now officially be referred to as "The Mary Dixon Traina Collection."]

One of the nifty hands-on techniques that we learned was how to flatten rolled photos and documents without cracking or damaging them. I had read about this technique before I took the class, but was a little hesitant to try it. Doing this in class gave me the confidence to try it myself when I got home. Denise Levenick has a very thorough tutorial on her blog if you think you'd like to try it yourself.

Here's what I did to flatten my photo

 

The the secret to success here is humidity. Your tight little rolled photo or document is bone dry and needs to be relaxed so you can frame it or store it properly.

My first re-humidification project was a rolled photo. When I peeked inside it looked like a class photo. But it was very tightly rolled and the print emulsion would certainly have cracked if I had tried to flatten it out as dry as it was.

The first two photos here are my "before" pictures.

It's very important that you not unroll and try to flatten a photo or document that is in this condition.
You may cause irreversible damage.

 

To start the process, I took a large plastic bin with a lid, put some water in it and then placed a plastic coated dish rack inside. I only added enough water to make it an inch or two deep. The dish rack is the type you use to create additional storage inside your cupboards.

Then you just put on the lid and wait. It's a good idea to check on the project every few hours to make sure that no condensation is building up on the inside of the lid. You don't want water dripping on your photo or document.

After three hours my photo had started to soften up a bit and I was able to unroll it a little bit more.

It took about seven hours in the bin to get the photo relaxed enough to lay flat. Or reasonably flat. I was hesitant to leave it in the bin overnight, since I wouldn't be able to monitor the possible condensation. So at the seven hour mark I called it "good enough" and proceeded with the next step.

The photo is laying face up on top of a piece of archival blotting paper from Gaylord. On top of the photo I put a sheet of parchment paper, the kind you use for cooking and baking. Then there is another piece of archival blotting paper on top of that.

Those layers are being pressed under stacks of books. Yes, I read murder mysteries at Christmas. Please, don't judge me.

And here are the results!

Re-humidified photo, pressed and dry.

 
Getting the photograph flat revealed that it is the 1942 class photo for Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The photo is not perfectly flat, but is relaxed enough that I would be comfortable framing it or putting it in flat storage [archival, of course!].

Here are two close-ups of the photo, front and back. The girl in the striped shirt with the great smile and the dimples is my mom. I love how happy she looks in the picture. 

Mary E. Dixon, right of center in the striped shirt.
Citation: Photographer unknown. Class Photograph, Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School.
1942: Elizabeth, New Jersey. Photographic Print. Mary Dixon Traina Collection, privately held.

Flattening the photo also gave me a chance to study the back of the photograph. It looks like some of Mom's classmates signed it. Transcribing all those names will be a little project. I can check the 1945 Battin High School Yearbook to see if any of the girls also graduated high school with Mom.

Names on the back of the photograph. Classmates from Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School.
Elizabeth, New Jersey. 1942.

Citation

Photographer unknown. Class Photograph, Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School. 1942: Elizabeth, New Jersey. Photographic Print. Mary Dixon Traina Collection, privately held.

54 Marshall Street : A Room With A View?

Today the neighborhood around 54 Marshall Street, home of William A. Dixon and his family around 1909-1911, includes a large public school, a waterfront park and the Elizabeth Marina. There is also a mixture of homes, businesses, and industry.

 In the years that my great-grandparents lived there, you would certainly find the mix of residence and business, but this waterfront area was also heavily industrial. I can imagine that the neighborhood was never quiet.

A water view...almost.

If you stand with your back to the Staten Island Sound, at the foot of Marshall Street where it begins at Front Street, the Dixon home was in the third building from the corner on the left-hand side of the street. The building was comprised of three flats, or apartments, one family per floor.

The front windows of each flat looked out on an industrial site: The Bethlehem Shipyard. The site housed a machine shop and a foundry, as well as offices and storage buildings. It took up the whole block on the opposite side of Marshall Street. Across Front Street, on the waterfront, were additional metal and carpentry shops and the shipways. Rail lines on Front Street brought in supplies. All of these industrial buildings stood between the Dixons and a view of the water. Perhaps they could catch a glimpse of it from time to time.

Here are two clips from the Sanborn Maps from 1903 and 1918 showing the neighborhood. I've added the red arrows to indicate the Dixon home at 54 Marshall Street. If you follow the link in the caption, you'll see a list of all of the Sanborn Maps for Elizabeth that are available through the Princeton University Library website.

You will notice some changes in the neighborhood. The portion of Franklin Street between First and Front Streets is gone by 1918. The Bethlehem Ship Building Company took over those two full blocks for their operations. Despite that industrial growth, the residences on Marshall, and in the block behind on Elizabeth Avenue are still there.

1903 Sanborn Map. The red arrow indicates 54 Marshall St.
Insurance Maps of Elizabeth, New Jersey. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1903. Sheet 75.
Princeton University Library: Sanborn Maps of New Jersey: Elizabeth.

1918 Sanborn Map. The red arrow indicates 54 Marshall St.
Insurance Maps of Elizabeth, New Jersey. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1918. Sheet 75.
Princeton University Library: Sanborn Maps of New Jersey: Elizabeth.

The neighborhood today

Here's a Live Street View of 54 Marshall Street today, courtesy of Google Maps. The three story house with the brick first floor is where the Dixon family lived. It appears that the three structures shown here, numbers 50, 52, and 54 are the same buildings that were there in 1910. They all appear in the both the 1903 and 1918 Sanborn Maps.

Take a virtual drive around and check it out. It looks pretty nice with the school and waterfront park, there are some new homes mixed in among the older buildings, along with neighborhood stores and restaurants. And, finally, it looks like the current residents of number 54 got that water view.




This is the link to the image on Google Maps.

Sources

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

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

Google Maps. Showing 54 Marshall Street, Elizabeth, New Jersey.

54 Marshall Street

A Missing Census Record and Fun With Maps

The 1910 U.S. Census is problematic. My great-grandfather's family is missing from the population schedule. Yes, missing. Poof! No William A. Dixon and Mary E. (Klein) Dixon, no offspring. They are simply not among the listed residents of Elizabeth, New Jersey. [See update, below.]

I've checked the 1910 Census index on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org, and have looked at every Dixon listed in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Yes, every single one. Some day I'm going to write a paper about the Dixons of Elizabeth. All of them. Just so I can sort them all out and figure out who's who. But I digress.

After banging my head against the brick wall of the census for a while I thought of my old pal, the City Directory. William Dixon, carpenter,  appears in both the 1909 and 1911 Elizabeth City Directory at 54 Marshall Street.(1, 2)

Back to the census to see who lived at 54 Marshall Street. 

I will not  lie, this was a laborious process. But by narrowing down my search criteria to the 4th Ward and Marshall Street, I found...

The Marchesi family. Adolph, his wife, Rose, and children Harry, Albert, Anita, Ellen, and Alice. The parents and two older children were born in Italy, the younger ones were born in New Jersey. Adolph worked at the sewing machine factory, Singer. (3)

The Marchesi clan was the only household listed at 54 Marshall. So, what gives?

On a completely different page, sandwiched in, out of order, I found a William Dixon who lived at 50 Marshall Street. (4) He was an oysterman, a widow, and appeared to be a boarder in a house full of other men. He was born in 1864, and his father was from Ireland and his mother was from England. Pretty sure this was not my William Dixon, as by this time he was working as a carpenter and his father was born in New Jersey and his mother in Ireland.

Of course, my great-grandmother might have kicked him out of the house and the person who answered the census questions was making things up. But then, where was the rest of the family? The city directories clearly show him at 54 Marshall in the years bookending the census.

[Update 3 February 2017. It looks like the Dixon family did live on Marshall Street, probably at some point in 1910. 

The 1924 divorce records for William A. and Mary E. Dixon include an affidavit by Mary [the petitioner for the divorce] that states that in the two years before his desertion of the family in 1912 the family lived "on Livingston Street, between First and Second Street; 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." (8)

No wonder they are so hard to track down. That's five addresses in two years! But it does confirm that they did live on Marshall Street, at least briefly.]

Maps, Maps, Maps

When you're lost, look at a map. This is good advice for many situations. The insurance maps created by the Sanborn Company are my go-to for seeing what used to be in a neighborhood. Princeton University Library has a lovely collection of Sanborn Maps of Elizabeth digitized and available online.

I consulted the 1903 and 1918 maps that show Marshall Street. (5,6)

1903 Sanborn map showing 54 Marshall Street. (5)
Princeton University

1918 Sanborn map showing 45 Marshall Street. (6)

A little explanation is in order. The structure at 54 Marshall is a three story dwelling designated as "Flats." This means that a single family occupied each floor. The first floor is brick. Sometime between 1903 and 1918 it looks like the single story at the back was converted to three stories, possibly an open frame porch.(7)

Given the information in the City Directories, and the fact that the building was set up to hold three families, I'm willing to accept that the Dixon family lived there, but the census enumerator missed them completely. Scenarios abound as to why that might have happened.

That being said, if you happen to run across the family of William A. Dixon in the 1910 US Census, please let me know!

Stay tuned!

I'm going to tell you a little bit more about the neighborhood, and show you what 54 Marshall Street looks like today.


Sources

(1) 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.

(2) 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.

(3) Adolph Marchesi. 1910 US Census; Census Place: Elizabeth Ward 4, Union, New Jersey; Roll: T624_909; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 0062; FHL microfilm: 1374922. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line: accessed 14 May 2016]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). 

(4) William Dixon. 1910 US Census; Census Place: Elizabeth Ward 4, Union, New Jersey; Roll: T624_909; Page: 21A; Enumeration District: 0062; FHL microfilm: 1374922. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line: accessed 14 May 2016]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.  Original data: Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls).

(5) Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey (Sheet 75). Sanborn Map Company. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1903. Princeton University website: http://map.princeton.edu/mapviewer/#/w6634592x . Accessed 14 May 2016.

(6) Elizabeth, N.J. (Sheet 75). Sanborn Map Company. New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1918. Princeton University website http://map.princeton.edu/mapviewer/#/ng451k80x . Accessed 14 May 2016.

(7) Description and Utilization of the Sanborn Map 1942. Sanborn Map Company, New York, New York. p.12. http://www.dahp.wa.gov/sites/default/files/SanbornMapGuide_1942.pdf. Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, www.dahp.wa.gov; accessed 14 May 2016. 

(8) 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. Page 30, deposition of Mary Elizabeth Dixon.

Hazel Dixon, Where Did You Go?

My grandfather's sister, Hazel, remains elusive. It seems to run in the family.

I thought I was doing really well when I got her birth record in the mail. I wrote about that back in February. Other details about her life remain unknown. Marriage, children, death record? Simply not found. Yet.

To recap, here's what I know.

• 1909: Hazel Dorothy L. Dixon was born on 16 January in Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey. Her parents are William A. Dixon and Mary E. Klein.
• 1910: The entire family is so far undiscovered in the Federal census for this year.
• 1915: Hazel appears in her parents household in Elizabeth in the New Jersey State Census.
• 1920: Hazel appears in her mother's household [Mary E. is listed as head of household, William is not listed there.] in Elizabeth in the Federal Census. Also living in the house as a boarder is Thomas Payne, Hazel's future step-father.
• 1930: Hazel appears in the Federal Census living in the household of Thomas Payne and his wife, Hazel's mother, Mary Elizabeth (Klein Dixon) Payne in Elizabeth, NJ. Hazel is 21 years old, single, and working as a clerk in an insurance business.
• 1936: Hazel poses for this photograph, identified as "Hazel @ 120" with writing on back. I don't know where "120" is. At first I thought it said "130" but then I found other photos with similar inscriptions and confirmed that it is "120."

Hazel Dixon in April of 1936 on the porch of "120."

Inscription on the back of the photo.

Inscription from the back of a photo
of Buddy, the dog.

A review of city directories for the years around 1936 don't show the Dixon or the Payne family at a "120" address. The timeline of what I know about Hazel ends right there. If she married it would have been after 1930.

A few leads

I have two possible leads on more information. Both are from Family Group Sheets that were created by a cousin of Wallace Dixon, my grandfather. The first sheet is not dated, it simply gives Hazel's birth year and month, and for the name of spouse it says "Wimmer." A second form adds the name "Louis" to "Wimmer." A third family group sheet, dated 21 Oct 1996,  has a little more information written in for some of the children in the family. For Hazel it again just lists her birth month and year. But for spouse it records "James Sullivan" and it gives a death date for Hazel: 21 May 1957. There are no sources cited for any of this information.

Database searches for Hazel with either of these possible spouses has turned up nothing. I have sent to the NJ Department of Health Vital Statistics and Registry in the hopes that I can get a death certificate for her and that it will shed some more light on Hazel's life after 1930.

So now we wait.

Sources

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

"New Jersey State Census, 1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV9W-WW8H : accessed 15 February 2016), William Dixon, 1915.  

"United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org). Mary E Dickson, Elizabeth City Ward 10, Union, New Jersey, United States; citing sheet 10A, NARA microfilm publication T625.  

 "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 15 February 2016), Thomas Payne, ED 61, sheet 7B; household 166. Citing The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. GS Film Number 2341121, digital folder 004951973, image number 00896.

Hazel Dixon , Photograph, Hazel Dixon sitting on porch railing of house. Inherited from Wallace B. Dixon, brother of Hazel Dixon. Privately held 2016 by Elizabeth Ackermann.

[author's name withheld] Family Group Sheets for family of William A. Dixon. Privately held 2016 by Elizabeth Ackermann.

Clara Viola Dixon Marries John J. O'Hare

Wedding Bells : November 21, 1912

St. Patrick Catholic Church, Elizabeth, NJ
Collection of E. Ackermann, Karvoius Family Photos

One of the documents that I received recently from the New Jersey State Archives was a "Certificate and Record of Marriage" for John J. O'Hare and my great-aunt, Clara Viola Dixon. Just to put her in context on the family tree, she is the daughter of William A. Dixon and Mary Elizabeth Klein, and the sister of Wallace B. Dixon, my grandfather.

This document confirms that Clara V. was the daughter of William Dixon and Mary Klein. The 1900 US Census gives November of 1892 as Clara's birth date, and this marriage record aligns with that information.

Although the document that I received does not indicate specifically where they were married, an index record on FamilySearch.org gives St. Patrick Catholic Church as the "Event Place." 

Here's the transcription:

State of New Jersey. Bureau of Vital Statistics.
Certificate and Record of Marriage. No. 478

Full name of husband : John J. O'Hare
Maiden name of wife: Clara V. Dixon
Place of Marriage: Elizabeth, Union Co., N.J.
Date of marriage: November 21st 1912

Groom's
Residence: 312 Livingston St. Elizabeth, N.J.
Age: 24 yrs
Color: White
Single
Number of marriage: 1
Occupation: Driver
Birthplace: Elizabeth, N.J.
Father's name: John
Mother's maiden name: Julia Fitzgerald

Bride's
Residence: 82 Second St. Elizabeth, N.J.
 Age: 20 yrs
Color: White
Single
Number of Marriage: 1
Birthplace: Elizabeth, N.J.
Father's name: William
Mother's maiden name: Mary Kline

Witnesses: Joseph Donovan, Grace Andrews
Signature of person or officer of society officiating and P.O. address: J. P. O'Malley, 211 C[????] St.

Sources

New Jersey, Certificate and Record of Marriage, 478, John J. O'Hare and Clara V. Dixon, 21 November 1912; New Jersey State Archives, Trenton. 

"New Jersey Marriages, 1678-1985," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FZ5C-5D4 : accessed 16 April 2016), John J. O'Hare and Clara V. Dixon, 21 Nov 1912; citing 1,398,789

1900 Federal Census, Union County, New Jersey, population schedule; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 5 March 2015 ); record for Viola Dixon; FHL microfilm: 1240996.

Wally's Confectionery

Confectionery & Novelties

My grandfather, Wallace B. Dixon, was fond of sweets. There was always a dish of candy on the coffee table in the living room of my grandparents' house. There was always soda in the fridge. And after dinner, nearly every night, Gramps had a "dish" of ice cream while he watched TV. The kids in the neighborhood could always count on a hand-out, and I enjoyed free run of the treats as long as I promised to eat all my dinner.

Mary E. Dixon in front of
Wally's Confectionery, c. 1930.

It should come as no surprise that Wally Dixon, for a brief time, owned a real candy store. I've had this photo of my mother standing in front of Wally's Confectionery for a while now. Census records helped me date the photo, at least approximately.

My grandparents married in 1925. By the time the 1930 census rolled around they had two children, Wally (almost 4 years old) and Mary (2 1/2 years old).  They were living at 239 Marshall Street, Elizabeth, NJ in a building that housed two other families.

According to the 1929 Elizabeth City Directory, the family was living at 153 Clark Place, so they hadn't lived on Marshall Street for very long. The 1930 directory gives the Marshall Street address for both the residence and the business, which is listed under "Confectionery and Ice Cream - Retail." The 1931 directory listing is the same. By 1933 Wallace Dixon is no longer listed as a confectioner.

The directories also show that my grandfather was at work at a regular job as well. In 1929 he's working as a soap maker. The residential directories for 1930 and 1931 list him as a confectioner, but the 1930 census shows that he is working as a laborer for an oil company. In 1933 the city directory shows him as a painter at the Standard Oil Company.

Who was minding the store?

The 1930 census gives an additional insight into the workings of Wally's Confectionery.

The top line is for "Wallis" Dixon, the bottom line is for Sophie Dixon.

The top line of this extract from the 1930 census is for my grandfather, listed as "Wallis" Dixon. The second line is the entry for Sophie, his wife. My grandmother was not only keeping watch on her two toddlers, but she was also minding the candy store while her husband was working his "day job."

Timing is everything

On 29 October 1929, the stock market crashed marking the start of the Great Depression. It was probably not the best time to own a fledgling business. It's possible that the short life of Wally's Confectionery was in part due to the larger economic picture. Between 1929 and 1933 the unemployment rate reached nearly 25%. Certainly at a time where money is tight people were spending less on candy and "novelties." It must have been quite a struggle to keep the business afloat, a struggle that they eventually lost.

The 1935 Elizabeth city directory shows that the family had moved to 763 South Broad Street, leaving their home and business on Marshall Street. My grandfather continued working for Standard Oil, in all it's incarnations, until he retired. My grandmother got a job with the Singer Manufacturing Company where she stayed for the rest of her working life.


Sources
Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Elizabeth Directory 1929, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1935. Price & Lee, Newark, New Jersey.  

1930 census of United States, Population Schedule schedule, Elizabeth, Union, New Jersey, Year: 1930; Census Place: Elizabeth, Union, New Jersey; Roll: 1385; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 0029; Image: 844.0; FHL Microfilm: 2341120. 239 Marshall Street. Dixon: Wallis, Sophie, Wallis Jr., Mary E.; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com).