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."

Ralph E. Moore : Birth Record

Minnie Dixon's Second Son

Ralph E. Moore c. 1945

Ralph E. Moore was born on 13 February 1909 at the home of his parents at 30 Barker Street, West New Brighton, Staten Island, New York. The house was a short distance from the north shore of the island. Across the narrow channel of the Arthur Kill is Bayonne, New Jersey. It appears that the original house at that address has been replaced with a more modern duplex, but if you look at the street view in Google Maps there are plenty of older homes on the block that can give some flavor of the neighborhood in the early 20th century.

Ralph, who came to be know as "Bucky," was the second son born to Minnie (Dixon) and Milton Moore. Minnie was the first child of Mary Elizabeth (Klein) and William A. Dixon, and was a native of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Milton, son of William and Sarah Moore, had been born in West New Brighton. He was employed as a "marine engineer."

Transcription of Birth Record

Birth Certificate for Ralph E. Moore,
born 13 February 1909
Municipal Archives, New York City

The City of New York.
Department of Health.
State of New York.
Certificate and Record of Birth.
No. of Certificate, 436.

Name of Child: Ralph E. Moore
Sex: Male
Color: White
Date of Birth: Feb 13, 1909
Place of Birth, Street and No. : 30 Barker St., West Brighton
Father's Name: Milton Moore
Father's Residence: 30 Barker St.
Father's Birthplace: West New Brighton
Father's Age: 24
Father's Occupation: Marine Engineer
Mother's Name: Minnie E. Moore
Mother's Name before Marriage: Minne E. Dickson [Dixon]
Mother's Residence: 30 Barker St.
Mother's Birthplace: Elizabeth, N.J.
Mother's Age: 24
Number of previous Children: One
How many now living (in all): Two
Name and address of person making this report: F. C[?]ley, WNB
Date of Report: [blank]
[stamped received ? 5 1909]

Sources

Ralph E. Moore, birth certificate 436 (1909), Municipal Archives, New York City Department of Records and Information Services, New York, New York. 
Google, Google Map showing 30 Barker St., West New Brighton, Staten Island, New York. Copyright Google 2016. (https://goo.gl/maps/X1dcyxyjxMz : accessed and linked 2 September 2016).

Switching Gears : Motoring Monday

Let's take a break from Mystery Photos for a while and switch gears to enjoy a little gem I found in the Wallace B. Dixon Collection [a.k.a. Grandpa's Stuff]. As part of my new archival enthusiasm I decided to try out my shiny new micro spatula and remove some photos and ephemera from one of those awful "magnetic albums" that my grandfather put together. I found some treasures there! Gramps had saved nearly every automobile registration for every car he owned, as well as most of his driver's licenses. Neat.

For the next several weeks we'll be enjoying Motoring Monday as we explore Wally Dixon's automotive history. 

Buckle up!

Motoring Monday : The 1920 Model T Ford Sport Racer

Wallace B. Dixon's first car. This is a blue 1920 Model T Ford "Sport Racer."
At the wheel is Wally Dixon's nephew, Milton "Derby" Moore.
Privately held by E. Ackermann, 2016.

Wallace B. Dixon
in the early-mid 1920's

First, let's just marvel at the wonderfulness that is my grandfather's first car.  Pretty awesome, isn't it? According to a handwritten note (1) that I found in the album along with the car registrations, Wallace B. "Wally" Dixon owned this car from 1922 to 1925. He must have purchased the car when he was 17 years old.

Wally Dixon married my grandmother, Sophie Karvoius, in 1925 (2). This must have been the car he drove when they were courting. Did he have to sell it when they married? Did my grandmother ever ride in it? Did my grandfather actually race this car? So many things we may never know!

The young man pictured behind the wheel is Milton "Derby" Moore, my grandfather's nephew. Derby was only two years younger than his uncle, due to the age gap between Wally Dixon and his oldest sister, Derby's mother, Minerva (Dixon) Moore. [You can read more about the Moore family in this post.]

My grandfather gave the particulars of this vehicle in a note taped to the back of a framed copy of the picture.

He refers to the car as "The Original Green Hornet."
[No doubt he was making a joke,
as the car was blue when he owned it -
if the Vehicle Registration card is correct.]
Privately held by E. Ackermann, 2016. 

In this note that Wally Dixon wrote he calls the car a Ford "Hot Rod." The 1924 and 25 Vehicle Registration cards call it a 1920 Ford Model T Sport Racer. Interestingly, I've found very little on the internet about this type of Model T. I have to wonder if the body of the car was a later addition to the original chassis. It doesn't appear to be a standard production model. At least not that I've been able to find.

The Model T was first introduced by Ford in 1908. It was remarkable for the many "firsts":

• first car affordable for the middle class
• first mass produced on moving assembly lines
• first car with completely interchangeable parts

You can find a nice summary of the history and specifications of the Model T at Wikipedia.

License and Registration, Please

 

1924 Vehicle Registration for the
Ford Model T Sport Racer owned by Wallace B. Dixon.
Privately held, E. Ackermann, 2016.

It was pretty remarkable to find these New Jersey Passenger Vehicle Registration cards for the Model T from 1924 and 1925.  There is some good automotive information here.

The "Green Hornet" was actually blue. It was a 1920 model with 4 cylinders and a screaming 23 horsepower engine. Zippy! Remarkably, the cost of registering this passenger vehicle went from $4.60 in 1924 to $9.20 in 1925. Highway robbery!

1925 Vehicle Registration for the
Ford Model T Sport Racer owned by Wallace B. Dixon.
Privately held, E. Ackermann, 2016.

Notice that the street address for the 1925 registration is on West Grand Street. Interestingly, no Dixons are listed at that address in the 1923, 1924, 1925, or 1926 Elizabeth City Directories. The address on the 1924 registration, Julian Place, was previously unknown to me and I believe requires further investigation. A quick look at the Elizabeth City Directory for 1923 and 1925 don't show my grandfather as a resident at that address, although I suppose it's possible that he boarded with someone in the building.

Wallace B. Dixon's Auto Driver's License, 1925.
Privately held, E. Ackermann, 2016.

Finally, we have Wallace B. Dixon's 1925 Auto Driver's License. Here we get a great physical description of my grandfather at age 20 : 5'4" tall, 135 pounds, light hair, blue eyes. His signature is there as well.

I hope you've enjoyed this first installment of Motoring Monday! See you next week.







Citations
(1) Photograph of Wallace B. Dixon's first car, scanned image of original, note taped to back. Owned 2016 by Elizabeth Ackermann, granddaughter of Wallace B. Dixon.

(2) Certificate of Marriage for Wallace B. Dixon and Sophia Karvojius, 26 October 1925, No. 2368 (issued 1984), Registrar of Vital Statistics, City of Elizabeth, New Jersey; Office of Registrar of Vital Statistics, City Hall, Elizabeth, New Jersey.

(3) "Ford Model T." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 July 2016. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_T : accessed 02 Aug. 2016). 

Sources

Photograph of Wallace B. Dixon's first car, scanned image of original, note taped to back "The Original Green Hornet, Date - 1922, Make - Ford "Hot Rod," Enlarged cylinders, special gears under slung springs, etc., Owner - Wallace B. Dixon, Milton (Derby) Moore at the wheel." Owned 2016 by Elizabeth Ackermann, granddaughter of Wallace B. Dixon.

New Jersey Passenger Vehicle Registration issued to Wallace B. Dixon, 1924, replacing original No. 397464. Owned 2016 by Elizabeth Ackermann, granddaughter of Wallace B. Dixon.

New Jersey Passenger Vehicle Registration issued to Wallace B. Dixon, 1924, No. 117471. Owned 2016 by Elizabeth Ackermann, granddaughter of Wallace B. Dixon.

New Jersey Auto Driver's License issued to Wallace B. Dixon, 1925, No. 378299. Owned 2016 by Elizabeth Ackermann, granddaughter of Wallace B. Dixon.

Update : Minnie, Clara, and Hazel Dixon

Through the magic of the Internet I've been contacted by some cousins I've never met, and they have begun knocking down some brick walls. Thank you to my Moore cousins!

Minerva "Minnie" (Dixon) Moore

These cousins, grandchildren of my grandfathers eldest sister, Minnie, have helped fill in a lot of blanks. I now know that Minnie's name really was Minerva. She married William Moore and they had two sons, Ralph "Bucky" Moore and Milton "Derby" Moore. And here they are:

Ralph "Bucky" Moore

Milton "Derby" Moore

This solves a photo mystery for me. The photo of Derby had a caption written on the back by my grandfather so I knew his name. But I did not know the connection to my grandfather. Now I know that they were first cousins.

The second mystery is found in a photo that I will feature in an upcoming post. The photo featured two couples, both unidentified. But thanks to two sets of new-found cousins I have now identified both couples and know their connection to the family.

 

Clara Viola "Toots" (Dixon) O'Hare Greaves 

Clara Viola was called "Toots" and she once had a thrift shop in Elizabeth. My cousins also confirmed something that I had suspected - Clara had been married twice. I've written before about her marriage to John O'Hare. Her second husband had the surname Greaves. More clues to research!

Hazel Dorothy (Dixon) Sullivan

My cousins tell me that Hazel, the youngest of the siblings, was married to a man with the surname of Sullivan. As far as anyone can remember, she had no children.

Hooray for Cousins!

All of this information should help my research quite a bit. I'm hoping that my cousins will have some memories of my grandfather's siblings, and of growing up in Elizabeth. I'd really like to know more!