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).

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. 

Wedding Bells 1925 : Karvoius & Dixon

 On October 26, 1925 Wally Dixon and Sophie Karvoius were wed. It was Sophie's 19th birthday. Wally had turned 20 in March of that year.

The ceremony took place at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church on Ripley Place in the Elizabethport neighborhood of Elizabeth, New Jersey. St. Pete's (as we called it) was a Lithuanian church that Sophie's immigrant parents attended, and which the extended family would continue to attend for many decades.

Reverend Joseph Simonaitis performed the wedding ceremony. The witnesses were Sophie's youngest  sister, Estelle Karvoius, and Wally's friend, Peter Moretti.

My grandfather looks so dapper in his bow-tie!
Left to right: Jimmy Fahey, Wallace B. Dixon,
best man Peter Moretti, and an indentified friend.

Sophie Karvoius in her wedding dress.
1925.

Sources
The photos and the wedding invitation are from my personal collection.

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.  

Wallace B. Dixon 1912

Wallace B. Dixon. 1912.
Held by E. Ackermann, 2017.

The original photo of Wallace B. Dixon. 1912
E.L. Jenkins & Co., 122 Front St. N.Y.
Held by E. Ackermann, 2017.

This is my grandfather, Wallace B. Dixon, at seven years old. The photograph was taken by E.L. Jenkins & Co., 122 Front Street, New York. The handwriting on the front of the original mounting is my grandfather's.

I haven't been able to learn much about the photography studio, but I did find another photograph with the same mounting by way of a Google search. Interstingly, that photo of a young man also appeared to have been taken outside, next to the front steps of a building. I wonder if this was Jenkins's particular style of portrait photography. If you know anything about them drop me a note.

You can see a photo of Wally B.'s son, Wally A. Dixon, at about the same age in my previous post, "Wally Jr. Strikes a Pose."

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].

Everything was not just as it should be

When my grandfather, Wallace B. Dixon, was nineteen years old his mother filed for divorce from his father. The year was 1923, and, according to the divorce documents, William A. Dixon had deserted the family in September 1912. (1)

The divorce documents are decidedly one-sided, as William chose not to respond to the suit in any official manner. We only get his wife's side, but affidavits given by Mary Elizabeth (Klein) Dixon and others tell a story of an abusive husband who drank away the rent money, forcing the family to move frequently — often several times in a year. Mary Elizabeth says "My husband made so much disturbance and did not give me money to pay the rent, so I had to move."

Mary Elizabeth testifies "For two years before the desertion, 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."

In May of 1912 William deserted the family for the first time, out of fear that Mary Elizabeth would have him arrested again for abusing her. He was gone for three months. Returning to the family, he "promised faithful to do what was right."

At the end of September 1912 William was drinking again. The family had been living on Elizabeth Avenue for a little over a month when a visit from the landlady prompted Mary Elizabeth to ask her husband for the rent money. According to her, William became abusive and told her to get the money herself, he did not care how she did it. Fearing further abuse, Mary Elizabeth went to her daughter Clara Viola (Dixon) O'Hare's house on Marshall Street and stayed the night. At that time she would have had three children aged eighteen and under – George Thomas, eighteen; Wallace, seven; and Hazel, three years old. Presumably she took them with her. My grandfather states in his testimony that he went to his sister Viola's house with his mother.

Q. Why did you go to your sister's.
A. I don't recollect now. Everything was not just as it should be.
Q. There was some trouble between your father and mother?
A. That had happened quite a few times.

Mary Elizabeth and her children stayed away from home until the following afternoon. "I then went back home and everything was gone, it was an empty house. The people downstairs said that he had sold some, and took some with him." Wallace adds "...there was a few odd pieces of furniture left; the house had practically been stripped."

According to Wallace, they went back to his sister's house for a few days, then moved to West Orange for a while before returning to Elizabeth. Mary Elizabeth petitioned the Overseer of the Poor, Mr. Sattler, to help her find her husband. The authorities did find him. They "ordered him to pay" and when he did not he was arrested and sent to jail for six months for failing to support his family. When he got out of jail he made a few meager payments to his wife, and then quit. Eventually the family learned that William had moved to Staten Island. Mary Elizabeth had to support herself and her children, going out to work and taking in boarders. Her son George Thomas was probably working by that time, and likely contributed to the family's support, as did my grandfather when he became old enough to work.

William A. Dixon with his two youngest children,
Wallace Bernard and Hazel Dorothy.
I believe this was taken around 1920.
Held by E. Ackemann, 2017.

At the time of the divorce William was living at 124 Grand View Avenue in Staten Island. He was employed as a carpenter at the Brewer Ship Yard, also in Staten Island. My grandfather testifies that he and his sister, Hazel, had made several visits to their father at his home there. So, presumably they maintained some sort of relationship with him.

On 29 May 1924 Mary Elizabeth was granted a divorce from her husband. She was given custody of Wallace and Hazel, and was granted permission to resume her maiden name.

On 20 April 1927 she married Thomas Payne(2), a long-time acquaintance and boarder with the Dixon family. Thomas had been a boarder with the family in 1900, prior to his first marriage.(3) By 1918 he was again living at the same address as Mary Elizabeth, 159 West Grand Street (4), and he and his youngest son were listed among several boarders in her household at that same address on the 1920 U.S. Census.(5) After their marriage the couple moved into a house that they owned, 125 West Grand Street, and for the first time in her life Mary Elizabeth had a home that she could truly call her own.(6) I would like to believe that they lived together happily until her death on 3 October 1938.(7)

William A. Dixon was living back in Elizabeth and was employed as a carpenter when he died on 23 May 1927, at the age of 64. I don't know who the informant was for his death certificate. That document records that at the time of death he was married to "Mary Kline".(8)

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) Marriage record for Thomas Payne and Mary Eliz. Klein. No. 11913, 20 April 1927. The second marriage for both bride and groom, took place at the Municipal Building in Manhattan. New York City Department of Records and Information Services, Municipal Archives, 31 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007. Certified copy held by Elizabeth Ackermann, 2016.

(3) 1900 Federal Census, Union County, New Jersey, population schedule, , ; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed ); FHL microfilm: 1240996.

(4)"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.  

(5)"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. 

(6)"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.

(7) 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.

(8) William Dixon, death certificate No. 611 (23 May 1927), New Jersey Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Trenton, New Jersey. 

Hazel (Dixon) (Wimmer) Sullivan : Obituary

There are times when one is grateful that the family kept "things." I found this laminated obituary for Hazel tucked into my Grandma's bible, along with about a bazillion funeral cards.

Death notice and obituary for
Hazel (Dixon) Sullivan, 21 May 1957
Elizabeth Daily Journal, Elizabeth, N.J.
Laminated card, private collection,
E. Ackermann, 2017.

Elizabeth Daily Journal
N.J.
May 21 1957
scrapbooks Inc. so. plainfield, n.j.
In Memoriam

SULLIVAN-Hazel, of 32E Pioneer Homes, Elizabeth, widow of James Sullivan and daughter of the late William and Mary Dixon.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend the funeral from the James J. Higgins & Son Mortuary, 414 Westminster Ave., Elizabeth, on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. High Mass of Requiem, St. Patrick's Church at 9 a.m.
Interment, Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

Mrs. Hazel Sullivan

Mrs. Hazel Sullivan, 47, of 32E Pioneer Homes died today at St. Elizabeth Hospital after an illness of several months. She was the widow of James Sullivan.

A native of Elizabeth, Mrs. Sullivan was a daughter of the late William and Mary Dixon. Prior to 1950, she was employed as a comptometer operator by Diehl Manufacturing Co., Finderne.

Surviving are a sister, Mrs. Claire Greaves, with whom she made her home, and two brothers, Wallace Dixon of Roselle and John Dixon of Elizabeth.

The funeral will be conducted from the James J. Higgins & Son Mortuary, 414 Westminster Ave.

A few notes

According to this obit, Hazel was living with her sister Clara Viola (Dixon) (O'Hare) Greaves when she died. Clara was 17 years older than Hazel. It must have been very difficult for her to see her youngest sister pass away.

We see also that Hazel had two other surviving siblings when she died - my grandfather, Wallace B. Dixon, and their older brother, John Dixon. John was 15 years older than Hazel, but she and my grandfather were just four years apart. There was a gap of 8 years between Wally and the next oldest, George. Hazel and Wally would have been the only children in the house by the time they were in school.

Citation

Hazel Dixon Sullivan obituary, Elizabeth Daily Journal, Elizabeth, New Jersey, 21 May 1957, laminated clippings. Collection of E. Ackermann, 2017. Obituary and funeral arrangements.

Wallace B. Dixon : Patent Holder

Cover page of Letters Patent granted to
Wallace B. Dixon in 1963.
Collection of E. Ackermann, 2017

In 1963 my grandfather, Wallace B. Dixon, was awarded a patent for a toy camera(1). He was quite proud of this achievement.

A search on Google recreates the text and images presented here. It also lists later patents that referenced my grandfather's, including two from Fisher Price Toys, and one from Mattel, Inc.(2)

The attorney who helped my Grandpa with his patent filing was Richard L. Cannaday. They became lifelong friends. I remember going to visit Mr. Cannaday in his office, and seeing him at my grandparents' home. He was a very nice man. I think he was responsible for Gramps getting an annual holiday delivery of giant Hersey chocolate bars, and other treats.

My grandfather did some work for Mr. Cannaday, restoring and repairing antique firearms. It gave him an excuse to buy a lathe for his basement workshop.  Mr. Cannaday also had Gramps help out with other patent work. He built a model of an apparatus for "rocking a human being," a patent later granted to Mary V. Neal. (3) [My baby doll stood in for the person in the scale model.]

The camera patent was never sold, and the toy was never produced. But I think my grandfather was satisfied with his achievment.

The Letters Patent

You can click on any image here, as well as the one above, to enlarge it.

Sources

(1) Letters Patent No. 3,090,158 for Toy Camera, United States Patent Office; Dixon Family Collection; privately held by Elizabeth Ackermann, [address for private use], 2017. Original certificate and documentation, with drawings, for U.S. Patent granted 21 May 1963.

(2) Google Patents (https://www.google.com/patents/US3090158 : accessed 10 January 2016), transcription of patent by W.B. Dixon, with images.

(3) Richard Cannaday to Wallace B. Dixon, 5 March 1966, Letter File Box, 2 page letter; reference firearm repair, Mary Neal [inventor], privately held by Elizabeth Ackermann, [address for private use], 2017.