The Payne Family : Part of the Merry Group

Back in 2016 I wrote a Mystery Photo post, "The Mystery of the Merry Group," where I pondered the possible identity of a group of people who appeared in some photos that all seemed to have been taken at the same event. The older lady in the group looked a bit like my great-grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Klein (Dixon) Payne, and the older gentleman certainly resembled her second husband, Thomas Payne. But I wasn't sure, and I had no clue who the other people were.

In recent months I've been in contact with three people who are connected with the Payne family in one way or another. Last week the granddaughter of Thomas Payne, Jr. contacted me. She was able to identify some of the people in these pictures. In fact, she wrote that she has a photo taken on that same day.

My step-cousin said that the photos were taken at Thomas Payne, Sr.'s farm in Massachusetts. I never knew he had a farm in Massachusetts! She also commented that he was very well-off and that at one time he owned a restaurant in New Jersey, and that my Great-grandmother, who she called Mrs. Dixon, ran the kitchen. [I've done some  preliminary research on the restaurant and will report on that eventually.]

So, a photo mystery gets closer to being solved, and I've got more fun things to research.

Here are the photos in question. My Great-grandmother died in 1938 at the age of 70. Andrew was born in 1905, and Thomas was born in 1910 and I would say that they look in these photos like they could be in their mid- to late-twenties. I'm going to guess that this was taken some time in the mid-1930's.

As far as I know, these are the only photos I have of my Great-grandmother that were taken after her marriage to Thomas Payne in 1927. According to my source, Great-grandmother raised Thomas, Jr. and he called her "Mother," and she remembers her father talking about my grandfather, Wallace B. Dixon, and his sister, Hazel. They would have all been children in the combined Dixon/Payne household at the same time.

Standing, from left: unknown; Mrs. Thomas Payne, Jr.; unknown; unknown; Andrew Payne; Mary E. (Klein Dixon) Payne.
Kneeling, from left: unknown; unknown; a dog; Thomas Payne, Jr.

I don't know who the fellow in the white shirt, standing third from the left, is but every time I see him in a photo I think "he sure looks like a Dixon!" He's in a good number of photos that I have with the woman standing on the far left, also unidentified.

From left: Thomas Payne, Jr.; Andrew Payne; unknown; unknown;
Mary E. (Klein Dixon) Payne; Thomas Payne, Senior.
And the dog.

From left: Thomas Payne, Jr.; Andrew Payne; unknown; unknown;
Mary E. (Klein Dixon) Payne; Thomas Payne, Senior.

Thomas Payne also had a daughter named Mary, from his first marriage, and I wonder if the young woman in this photo might be her. And then there's that Dixon-looking fellow in the back again! Who are you?!?
 

Andrew Payne

Still unidentified

 As always, if you recognize anyone in these photos, I'd love to hear from you!

Sources

Private E-mail correspondance with descendant of Thomas Payne.

All photos from Wallace B. Dixon Collection, privately held by the author. 

Andrew Patrick Payne : Birth Record

A breakthrough in the Payne family tree

I've been trying to track down my grandfather's step-brothers and their descendants. It would be nice to know more about them. (If you're a member of the Payne family please get in touch. I have some photos that might be of your ancestors and I'd love for you to have them!)

Briefly, Thomas Payne, longtime boarder with the family of William and Mary (Klein) Dixon, was married and had at least two sons before he married my great-grandmother, Mary (Klein) Dixon. My grandfather told me some stories about his step-brothers, at least one of whom lived in the house with the Dixons. The stories may have involved the making of bathtub gin. Just saying.

You can read previous posts about Thomas Payne here:

• Thomas Payne : A Timeline
• Looking for the Payne Family
• Who are the Children of Thomas Payne

Birth Certificate for Andrew Patrick Payne, 1 March 1905
New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.

Andrew Patrick Payne

Thanks to my NJ reasearcher, Debbie Hadley, I now have a copy of Andrew's birth certificate, AND I now know the name of his mother, Thomas Payne's first wife. As I said, a breakthrough!

It looks like Thomas married Mary Margaret McCudden when she was quite young. As she was 17 when their first son was born, it looks like she may have been 16 or 17 when they married. This helps me narrow down the marriage date to some time in 1904.

This document also confirms Thomas Payne's birth place as Dover, NJ. That is the location that he gives on his marriage certificate to Mary E. (Klein) Dixon. So two bits of agreement on that fact. His age here is listed as 28. His birth date is all over the place on the variety of documents that I have. His WWI draft registration gives 22 March 1876 as his birth date, so this information adds a little weight to that source.

Now there are a few more clues to follow. Hopefully I'll be able to find those Paynes! Stay tuned...

An Odd Coincidence

So, here's a bit of a thing. My grandfather, Wallace B. Dixon, was born one day after his future step-brother Andrew Payne, on 2 March 1905. They were practically twins!

Transcript

State of New Jersey. Bureau of Vital Statistics.
Certificate and Record of Birth [stamped 939]
Name of Child: Andrew Patrick Payne
Sex: Male. Color: White. Date of Birth: March 1 4:33 PM, 1905
Place of Birth: 67 E. Jersey St., Elizabeth, N.J.
Name of Father: Thomas Payne. Father's Birthplace: Dover, N.J.
Maiden Name of Mother: Mary Margaret McCudden. Mother's Birthpalce: Albany, N.Y.
Age of Father: 28 yrs. Occupation of Father: Ship builder.
Age of Mother: 17 yrs. Occupation of Mother: Housewife.
Number of Children in all by this marriage: 1. Number of Children now living: 1.
Name and P.O. Address of Professional Attendant in own handwriting:
Dr. John Keough
Date of Report: March 12, 121 Livingston St. Elizabeth, N.J.

Sources

New Jersey Vital Records, May 1, 1848 to December 31, 1915. NJSA microfilm roll 265 (Birth Certificates 1905: Nist, E. - Pisa), organized alphabetically by surname. New Jersey State Archives, Trenton. Andrew Patrick Payne, b. 1 March 1905. Certificate 939.

"United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZJ6-D9V : 12 December 2014), Thomas Payne, 1917-1918; citing Elizabeth City no 3, New Jersey, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,712,099.  

Marriage record for Thomas Payne and Mary Eliz. Klein. No. 11913, 20 April 1927. New York City Department of Records and Information Services, Municipal Archives, 31 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007.  

Thomas Payne : A Timeline

Here's what I know about Thomas Payne, his children, and his connection with the Dixon family so far.

1876 - 22 March. His 1918 Draft Registration says that Thomas Payne was born in NJ on this date. (1) 1875, 1878, and 1881 are also possible birth years based on other sources. (2, 3, 4) It's a little hard to pin down, but I'm going to go with the date on the Draft Registration since he provided that information himself. The marriage record for Thomas Payne and Mary Eliz. Klein says that Thomas was born in Dover, New Jersey to Patrick Payne and Catherine Gaskin. (3)

1900 - Thomas Payne is boarding with the family of William A. and Mary E. (Klein) Dixon. Age 25, Single, Oyster Dredger. (5)  

1900 - 1905 Probable date range for marriage of Thomas Payne to unknown wife.  

1905 - A family group sheet from a distant cousin gives March 1905 as Andrew Payne’s date of birth. This is confirmed by the 1905 NJ State Census. Thomas Payne, 28; Mary M. Payne, 17; and Andrew Payne, 0 are listed in the same household in Union County, New Jersey. (6) [a calculated birth year for Thomas Payne gives 1877, which makes this a likely match for "our" Thomas Payne.]  

1909 - A family group sheet from a distant cousin gives December 1909 as Thomas Payne’s [the younger] date of birth. [unconfirmed, no source given]  

1915 - A family group sheet from a distant cousin references the 1915 NJ State Census. Thomas Payne and his sons, Thomas and Andrew, are living in Elizabeth, New Jersey. No wife is included in the household. Thomas Jr.'s birth date is Nov 1909, Andrew's birth date is March 1905. (7) [The Family Search database record gives the birth date for Thomas Sr. as Sept. 1877. I have only seen the transcribed entry, not the original.]  

1918 - Sept. 12. Thomas Payne registers for draft. Contact person is Mary Payne, 159 West Grand, Elizabeth, NJ. (1) This is the address given by Mary E. (Klein) Dixon in the U.S. Census two years later. In that census she calls herself a "widow" although her husband was still living at the time. (8) [William Dixon is still listed in the household with Mary E. in the 1915 NJ State Census. (9)]  

1920 - Thomas Payne is boarding with the Dixons, as is his 9-year old son, Thomas [estimated birth year 1911]. 159 West Grand Street, Elizabeth, NJ. (8)

• His age is given as 39, which would make his birth year 1881.
• The census indicates that he is married. He is working as a dock builder.
• Census info now gives his birth place as New Jersey and both his parents’  birthplace as Ireland.
• Mary Dickson (Dixon) is listed as head of household, boarding house mistress, widowed, age 52. Thomas, Wallace, and Hazel Dickson (Dixon), Mary's children, are also in residence. No sign of Andrew Payne.

1927 - April 20th marriage record (NYC) gives Thomas Payne’s age as 49, calculated birth year 1878.(10)

• Born in Dover, NJ to parents Patrick and Catherine (Gaskin) Payne.
• This marriage to Mary E. Klein Dixon is his second. 
• Both Mary E. and Thomas indicate that they are divorced.

1927 - May 23 : Mary E. (Klein) Payne's first husband, William A. Dixon, dies. His death certificate says he's married, to Elizabeth Kline, not divorced. (11) [The plot thickens?]  

1930 - Census records Thomas Payne's age as 59, giving a calculated birth year of 1871.(12)

• Born in NJ. Father born in NJ, mother born in Ireland.
• Gives age at first marriage as 22, calculated date for first marriage some time between 1897 and 1903. He is working as a dock builder.
• A brother, John Payne, age 40, is now living with Thomas and Mary E. Payne. Calculated birth year 1890. He and his father born NJ, mother born Ireland.

1931 - Elizabeth City Directory (13) lists Thomas Payne at 125 West Grand, same address listed on 1927 marriage record.

• Andrew P. Payne is in the same directory, with the same residence listed and “in U S Navy"

1935 - Elizabeth City Directory (14)

• Andrew P. rem to California
• Thomas Payne h 125 W Grand
• Thomas Jr in US Navy r 125 W Grand

1938 - Mary E. Klein Dixon Payne dies on October 3 in Elizabeth, NJ at the home of her daughter. The 1938 obituary for Mary E. (Klein Dixon) Payne, Thomas Payne’s second wife, lists her surviving children as well as three surviving stepchildren: (15)

• Andrew Payne of White Plains, NY
• Thomas Payne of White Plains, NY
• Mrs. Joseph Primiena of Elizabeth, NJ

Citations
(1) "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZJ6-D9V : 12 December 2014), Thomas Payne, 1917-1918; citing Elizabeth City no 3, New Jersey, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,712,099.

(2) 1900 U.S. Census, Union County, New Jersey, population schedule, Elizabeth, ED 102, sheet 7, dwelling 83, family 180, Thomas Payne.

(3)  Marriage record for Thomas Payne and Mary Eliz. Klein. No. 11913, 20 April 1927. New York City Department of Records and Information Services, Municipal Archives, 31 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007. Thomas Payne's place of birth is recorded as Dover, New Jersey. His age on this document if 49, giving a calculated birth year of 1878.

(4) "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch. Mary E Dickson, Elizabeth City Ward 10, Union, New Jersey, United States; citing sheet 10A, NARA microfilm publication T625. Thomas Payne's age is given as 39, giving a calculated birth year of 1881.

(5) 1900 U.S. Census, Union County, New Jersey, population schedule, 5th Ward, ED 102, Sheet Number 7, dwelling 83, family 180, William A. Dixon.

(6) "New Jersey State Census, 1905," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KMHV-P13 : 8 November 2014), Andrew P Payne in household of Thomas Payne, , Union, New Jersey, United States; citing p. 14, line 44, Department of State, Trenton; FHL microfilm 1,688,625.

(7) "New Jersey State Census, 1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV9W-WWXT : 8 October 2014), Thomas Payne in entry for Thomas Payne, 1915.

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

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

(10)  Marriage record for Thomas Payne and Mary Eliz. Klein. No. 11913, 20 April 1927. New York City Department of Records and Information Services, Municipal Archives, 31 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007. 
(11)William Dixon, death certificate No. 611 (23 May 1927), New Jersey Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Trenton, New Jersey.

(12) "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4F1-D1T : accessed 15 February 2016), Thomas Payne, 1930. 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.
(13) Elizabeth Directory 1931 (Newark, New Jersey: Price & Lee Co., 1931), 578-579, Andrew P Payne and Thomas Payne; digital image, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 15 August 2016), Image 299 of 612.
(14) Elizabeth Directory 1935 (Newark, New Jersey: Price & Lee Co., 1935), 523, image 266 of 531, "Andrew P rem to California"; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 15 August 2016).
(15) Mrs. Thomas Payne, obituary, Elizabeth Daily Journal, Elizabeth, New Jersey, 3 October 1938, microfilm image, Elizabeth Daily Journal 30 Sep. 1938 - 12 Nov. 1938, Elizabeth Public Library, Elizabeth, New Jersey.. Obituary for Mary Elizabeth [Klein Dixon] Payne.

Who are the Children of Thomas Payne?

The 1938 obituary (1) for Mary E. (Klein Dixon) Payne, Thomas Payne’s second wife, lists three surviving stepchildren:

• Andrew Payne of White Plains, NY
• Thomas Payne of White Plains, NY
• Mrs. Joseph Primiena of Elizabeth, NJ
   

Andrew and Thomas Payne were also listed as bearers at the funeral in newspaper clipping about Mary E. Payne's funeral.(2)

My grandfather, Wallace B. Dixon, told stories about his stepbrothers. I don’t recall that he ever mentioned a step-sister, but perhaps she never lived with her father in the Dixon home.

Thomas Payne, Sr. and his son, Thomas Payne, Jr., are listed on the 1920 U.S. Census as boarding with the Mary E. (Klein) Dixon at 159 West Grand Street, Elizabeth, NJ. Thomas Jr. is 9 years of age at the time. (3) 

Obituary for Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Payne.
Elizabeth Daily Journal, 3 October 1938. (1)

Funeral services for Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Payne.
Elizabeth Daily Journal, 6 October 1938. (2)

Things to Do

• Look for Andrew and Thomas, Jr. in census records. Perhaps the sister will show up as well.
• Try looking at city directories, both in Elizabeth and in White Plains, NY to see if either of the Payne boys show up.
• Research Joseph Primiena of Elizabeth, NJ. Perhaps there will be information about his wife and her family somewhere. Check census records, city directories, etc.

 Citations

(1) "Mrs. Thomas Payne", obituary, Elizabeth Daily Journal, Elizabeth, New Jersey, 3 October 1938, microfilm image, Elizabeth Daily Journal 30 Sep. 1938 - 12 Nov. 1938, Elizabeth Public Library, Elizabeth, New Jersey.. Obituary for Mary Elizabeth [Klein Dixon] Payne. 

(2)  "Funeral of Mrs. Thomas Payne", Elizabeth Daily Journal, Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey, 6 October 1938, microfilm image, Elizabeth Daily Journal 30 Sep. 1938 - 12 Nov. 1938, Elizabeth Public Library, Elizabeth, New Jersey.. Article recounting details of funeral for Mary Elizabeth [Klein Dixon] Payne.

(3) "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4YG-CQK : accessed 15 February 2016), Mary E Dickson, Elizabeth City Ward 10, Union, New Jersey, United States; citing sheet 10A, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,821,070. 

Looking for the Payne Family

Thomas Payne.
Second husband of Mary E. (Klein)(Dixon)
Cropped from original photo.
Privately held by E. Ackermann, 2016.

Ah, Thomas Payne. My step-great-grandfather is present in so much of my research, and yet he and his family remain strangely elusive. I've been spending some time focusing on the Payne family in the hopes of tracking down some descendants since I think I might have some photos that could be of the Payne clan.

If you happen to be a descendant or relative of Thomas Payne, please, please, please, get in touch!

Boarder, Husband, Step-Father

I can recall my grandfather, Wallace B. Dixon, talking about his step-brothers, though I don't recall that he ever mentioned them by name. Some of his stories involved the making of "bathtub gin," but I'm a little fuzzy on those details. And I remember my mother telling me about the house her grandmother [Mary Elizabeth (Klein) (Dixon) Payne] and Mr. Payne lived in, and how grand a place it was. Other than that, my personal knowledge is scanty.

At least I know what Thomas Payne looked like. How lucky I am to have a great portrait of he and my great-grandmother. The photo above is cropped from that image.

The story of Thomas Payne and the Dixon family is, at least partially, told through U.S. Census records.

1900 (1) - Thomas Payne, single, age 25 [b. March 1875 in this record] is living with the family of William A. and Mary E. (Klein) Dixon and their five children at 10 Fifth Street, Elizabeth, NJ. Thomas is working as an oyster dredger. At this time William A. Dixon has given up oystering as a profession and is working in a carpenter shop. However, his fifteen-year-old son, Willie, is working as an oyster culler. I can't be positive, but it seems likely that it was oysters that brought the Dixons and Thomas Payne together.

1910 - The Dixon family is missing from the U.S. Census for Elizabeth, NJ. At least I haven't been able to locate them!

1920 (2) - Thomas Payne is once again a boarder, this time in a household headed by Mary E. "Dickson" [Dixon] at 159 West Grand Street, Elizabeth. Mary lists herself as a boarding mistress working at home and on her own account. She is also listed as a widow. William A. Dixon is not in the household. [He doesn't die until 1927!] Thomas's age is listed as 39, which would be impossible if he was 25 in the 1900 census. The census taker records him as married, working as a dock builder for a contracting business. Also boarding in the household is Thomas Payne, age 9. I presume this is "our" Thomas Payne's son. Also living in the household are Mary's children, Thomas, Wallace [my grandfather], and Hazel, as well as two male and one female boarders. It must have been a big house!

1930 (3) - Thomas Payne is now head of the household at 125 West Grand Street. Mary E. is his wife. His age is given as 59, which makes him 20 years older than he was in 1920.  Mary's age is 62. I won't get into her numerous age issues here. Living in the household is Mary's youngest daughter, Hazel, who is listed with the surname Payne. Thomas's brother, John, is also there, as well as Mary's 93 year old father, John Klein. A very multi-generational household!

My great-grandmother, Mary Elizabeth (Klein) (Dixon) Payne dies on 3 October 1938 (4), and I loose track of Thomas after that. He's not in the 1940 U.S. Census for Elizabeth, NJ, so I assume he either died or moved elsewhere.

Questions, questions, and more questions!

• When did Thomas go off and get married the first time? Who was his wife, and did they have any other children? My grandfather spoke of stepbrothers, plural, so Thomas must have had more than one son.
• When did William A. Dixon leave the picture and why?
• Where did Thomas Payne go after my grandmother died?
• What became of Thomas Payne's children?

Citations

(1) 1900 U.S. Census, Union County, New Jersey, population schedule, 5th Ward, enumeration district (ED) 102, Sheet Number 7, dwelling 83, family 180, William A. Dixon; digital image, downloaded 5 march 2015, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 5 March 2015); United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.

(2) "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4YG-CQK : accessed 15 February 2016), Mary E Dickson, Elizabeth City Ward 10, Union, New Jersey, United States; citing sheet 10A, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,821,070.  

(3) "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4F1-D1T : accessed 15 February 2016), Thomas Payne, 1930. 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. 

(4) Mary E. Payne, death certificate. New Jersey Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Records, Trenton. NJSA microfilm roll 827 (Death Certificates 1938: Nason – Poz), organized alphabetically by surname. New Jersey State Archives, Trenton.