Part 1
Nocera Inferiore
Part 2
Castellammare di Stabia
Part 3 - Brooklyn
Frank & Elizabeth
Lanzara Ancestral Chart
Giuseppe
Francesco
Cemeteries
Causes of Death
Photos
Documents
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GROTHUSEN FAMILY HISTORY
Peter and Catherine Grothusen
Peter was born in Lehe, Germany on October 15, 1836. Catherine, whose maiden name we have not discovered, was born somewhere in Germany in August of 1833. She was three years older than Peter. They married in Germany around 1861 and their son Heinrich was born in Lehe on January 11, 1863. Anna Grothusen, who arrived with them in 1867, was born in Germany in August of 1848.
Peter's occupation is listed on the ship's manifest as Mason but he eventually became a milkman. The family lived on the east side of Manhattan at 431 East 75th Street for several years. It appears that Heinrich became a naturalized U. S. citizen on July 19, 1872 even though he was just nine years old. His father and mother did not become citizens until November 19, 1878. The family moved to West Hoboken, New Jersey just prior to 1885. In 1925, West Hoboken merged with the nearby town of Union Hill to become what is known today as Union City.
Henry Grothusen and Lena Schopman
While Peter continued as a milkman, his son Johann Heinrich, who was now known as John Henry, or mostly by his middle name of Henry, found work at a wagon building company. He was 23 years old when he married Carolina "Lena" Sophie Schopman at St. John's Lutheran Church in West Hoboken on September 25, 1886. Lena was born in New York in February of 1867. We have yet to discover who her parents were. Henry and Lena eventually settled in an apartment at 150 Paterson Plank Road in West Hoboken. Henry switched to painting wagons at the wagon company. He and Lena had six children. One of the children has not been documented but was probably born and died between 1888 and 1900.
1. Christine Grothusen and Paul Johns
Paul and Christine established a home at 27 Irving Street in Jersey City. Paul was 5' 4" tall, weighed 145 pounds, with black hair, gray eyes, and a ruddy complexion. He and Christine raised two children. The first was Dorothy Christine Johns. She was born in Jersey City on September 24, 1913. She grew up to become a public-school teacher. The family was living at 137 Maplewood Avenue in Bogota, New Jersey when Dorothy married Henry Hudson Weilage on November 26, 1942. Henry was born in Secaucus, New Jersey on September 24, 1909, the son of Herman Weilage and Adeline Hoffmann. Henry worked as a timekeeper under the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA), one of the American New Deal agencies that existed from 1935 to 1943. He was tall and lanky, standing at 5' 10" and weighing 135 pounds. He had brown hair, hazel eyes, and a light complexion. He also had a noticeable scar on his right cheek.
Henry was living with his widowed mother Adeline at 17 Center Avenue in Westwood, New Jersey when he married Dorothy. A year later, he enlisted in the U. S. Army and served honorably through the rest of World War II. He and Dorothy lived in Bogota, New Jersey where Henry was a 32nd degree Mason in Union City. At some point they moved to Dalton, Pennsylvania, located several miles northwest of Scranton, where Henry became the owner of the Abington Toy and Hobby Shop in the nearby town of Clarks Summit, located just south of Dalton. He also served as president of the Nicholson Rotary Club, located just north of Dalton. Dorothy was an occupational therapist at the Clarks Summit State Hospital. She and Henry had two sons and a daughter.
In 1975, Henry retired and he and Dorothy moved to Largo, Florida where they became members of Christ Presbyterian Church. Dorothy was 87 years old when she died on August 26, 2001. She was followed by Henry a few months later, on November 6, 2001. He was 92 years old. Their cremated remains are interred together in a mausoleum at Serenity Gardens Memorial Park in Largo.
Paul and Christine's second child was Elwood Paul Johns, born in Jersey City on November 30, 1916. After graduating high school, he became a bank clerk for Chase National Bank in Manhattan. He was 5' 6" tall, weighed 130 pounds, with red hair, hazel eyes and a ruddy complexion. On October 20, 1941, he enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps where he attained the rank of Staff Sergeant and served overseas as a camera technician for the famous "Flying Knight" squadron of the 49th Fighter Group, based in Australia and the Philippines. His squadron was cited by General Douglas MacArthur for its part in the invasion of the Philippines. It was responsible for shooting down more than 550 enemy aircraft. It was Sergeant Johns responsibility for the efficiency and upkeep of the aircraft gun cameras that contributed to the squadron's impressive record.
After his discharge from the Army in 1946, Elwood married Anna Claire Sullivan in Dover, New Jersey on November 28, 1946. Anna dropped her first name and was known by her middle name, Claire. She was born in Dover in 1919, the daughter of John Leo Sullivan and Mary T. Rieger. They lived briefly in Dover, then moved to Teaneck, New Jersey, eventually to 672 Lucy Avenue in Teaneck. They raised two daughters, Sandra M. Johns and Judy Johns. Claire was a secretary for the Cokesbury Publishing Company in Teaneck.
Sandra was born in Teaneck on November 5, 1947. She graduated from Teaneck High School and the State University in Athens, Alabama and married a soldier named James Michael English on September 16, 1967 at the Saint Anastasia Roman Catholic Church in Teaneck. James was born in Alabama in September of 1946. They lived in Germany while James was stationed there with the Army. Later, they returned to Alabama where they had a daughter. Sandra worked as the assistant director of purchasing for the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Alabama. She and James were living in Decatur, Alabama when she died at home on April 24, 2004. She was just 56 years old. She was buried at Burningtree Memorial Gardens in Decatur. When James' mother Belle died in 2011, she was buried next to Sandra.
2. William Grothusen and Elsa Menzel
By 1927, 37-year-old William was living at 925 De Mott Street in North Bergen, New Jersey when he married Elsa B. Menzel on July 11, 1927. The marriage took place in a little town in upstate New York called Sanford, just a short distance from Elsa's home in McClure. Elsa was born in Jersey City in February of 1890, the daughter of Austrian immigrants Joseph Menzel and Bertha Seeliger. At some point her family moved to a farm located between McClure and the nearby town of Deposit, New York.
Elsa was a 37-year-old school teacher at the time of the marriage, the same age as William. It was the first marriage for each. Immediately after the wedding, they honeymooned aboard the S. S. Fort Victoria and traveled to Bermuda. They rented an apartment at 725 18th Street in Union City where they stayed for many years. Another apartment in the building was rented by William's brother John, who was known as "Harry", an automobile painter like William. Harry was married to Elsa's sister Anna Menzel, who like Elsa was a school teacher.
William continued working as a painter and commercial letterer. He was a member of Doric Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Salaam Temple (a New Jersey chapter of The Shriners). Elsa was a member of the Mecco Chapter Order of Eastern Star, affiliated with the Masons. She and William were still living at 725 18th Street in Union City when he died suddenly at home on September 14, 1954. He was 64 years old. Elsa retired from teaching after 50 years and was still living at the apartment until January 25, 1973 when she died there at the age of 82. She and William were cremated at the Garden State Crematory in North Bergen, New Jersey.
3. Edward Grothusen and Alvina Schmidt
At the time of the marriage, Alvina was working as a laundress, and she was very pregnant. One month after marrying Edward, Alvina gave birth to their son Wilbert Paul Grothusen on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1915. Not long after, the family moved to Keansburg, New Jersey and settled at 248 Seeley Avenue, a short distance from Waackaack Creek which drained into nearby Raritan Bay. Around the same time, Henry and Lena with Henry's widowed mother Catherine, moved to 33 Raritan Avenue in Keansburg, not far from where the Amusement Park is located today.
this is Alvina's mother Johanna (Kraus) Schmidt, who the family called Anna.
Henry and Edward became house painters. After Wilbert, Edward and Alvina had two more children. Charles Henry Grothusen was born in Keansburg on September 2, 1919. Then came Hazel Dorothy Grothusen on January 12, 1925. Edward's painting extended beyond houses. He was an artist who left behind several beautiful paintings. Click here to see a few of them.
On a cold January 27th in 1933, Edward was pushing a cart loaded with a week's supply of firewood for his family on the old Route 36 when he suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 39. His 13-year-old son Charles was with him when Edward suddenly stopped and told Charles he felt weak and sat down along the side of the road to rest. A few minutes later, young Charles noticed his father was strangely quiet. He tried to rouse him but it became apparent that something was very wrong. Terrified, the boy waved down a passing motorist who was able to summon Keansburg Chief of Police Charles McGuire. By the time a local doctor was called to the scene, Edward was declared dead. It was determined that he had probably died instantly. He was buried at Cedarwood Cemetery in Hazlet, New Jersey.
Alvina had just observed her 35th birthday a few days before her husband's untimely death. She was now a widow and responsible for the sole care of Charles, his 17-year-old brother Wilbert and sister Hazel who had recently celebrated her 8th birthday. Wilbert and Charles eventually became the wage earners of the family. By 1940, Wilbert was working on a garbage truck, and Charles as a dishwasher in a restaurant.
By 1950, Alvina and Wilbert were living at 19 Route 36 in Keansburg, which was known as Bayshore Boulevard in the 1940's. Living with them was Hazel and her husband Joseph Catello LaMura and their 3-year-old daughter Joene. Hazel and Joe were married at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church in Keyport on August 3, 1946. Joe was working as a plumber's helper and Hazel a waitress in a restaurant. More can be learned about them on the Carmela and Catello LaMura page.
Wilbert, who was known as "Will" and periodically unemployed, dropped out of school after the seventh grade. He had progressed from working on a garbage truck to mason's helper to glazer in a tile factory. He never married. He was 5' 6" tall, weighing 120 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes and a sallow complexion. In 1953, he survived an auto accident that sent him to the hospital with a head laceration. He was a passenger in the car when the driver tried to avoid hitting a dog that ran in front of the car. Will contracted bronchopneumonia in 1960 when he was 44 years old and eventually died at Riverview Hospital in Red Bank on March 20, 1960. He was buried with his father at Cedarwood Cemetery in Hazlet.
Charles was 5' 9" tall, weighed 140 pounds, with brown hair and eyes, and like his brother Wilbert, he had a sallow complexion. He did not go beyond sixth grade in school. He served in the Army Air Force during World War II. He was a member of the 87th Air Service Group of the famous 58th Bombardment Wing, pioneer Superfortress unit. He was a military policeman in the Headquarters and Base Service Squadron of the B-29 pioneers who first took the giant bombers into combat and established one of the outstanding records of the war in operations against the Japanese. Charles' flew with his unit over India, China and Tinian, over the broadest territory covered by any Air Force unit. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Corporal.
In 1943, while still serving in the Army Air Force, Charles married Catherine Brandt. Catherine was born in Brooklyn on September 15, 1919. Her parents were William Brandt and Frances Leonardi. While Charles continued serving in the war, she lived at home with her parents in Brooklyn. After the war, they settled in Brooklyn where Catherine gave birth to two boys, James "Jimmy" Charles Grothusen in 1947, and Robert "Bobby" Francis Grothusen in 1951. At some point, Charles began working at Bell Labs in Holmdel, New Jersey.
Alvina was still living at 19 Route 36 in Keansburg when she died at the Emory Manor Nursing Home in Madison, New Jersey on May 30, 1970. She was 73 years old. She was buried with her husband and son Wilbert at Cedarwood Cemetery in Hazlet.
Charles and Catherine's marriage did not last and in July of 1972 Charles married Charlotte Schlorff Pasch. Charlotte was born in Berlin, Germany on March 27, 1926. She had been married before, to Siegfried Pasch and had a son Joachin "Jack" Pasch, and three daughters, Gesine "Tina" Elise Pasch, Margarete Pasch and Barbara "Baba" Ann Pasch. Interestingly, the name "Pasch" derives from an ancient word meaning Passover or Easter. Charlotte was a Registered Nurse and worked at several hospitals. Her husband Siegfried was only 49 years old when died on June 1, 1970, a week before his 50th birthday. He had been born in Stralsund, Germany on July 5, 1920 and like Charles he worked at Bell Labs in Holmdel.
A year before Charles and Charlotte were married, Charlotte's son Jack married Margaret Reed, and two years after, daughter Tina married her step-brother Bobby on August 4, 1974.
Bobby's marriage to Tina did not last either. She was awarded a divorce in 1976 and in December of 1976 she married Robert McGowan. They had a daughter and a son. In May of 1980, Bobby married April Catherine Sickles. They had a son before that marriage also ended in divorce. Bobby married for a third time on April 4, 1987 to Candice "Candy" Loraine Kaplan.
Very little information has been found about James "Jimmy" Charles Grothusen, Bobby's brother, except that he was born in Brooklyn on November 18, 1947 and died sometime before his mother Catherine in 2007. Catherine, Charles' first wife, was a secretary for Public Service Insurance Company in New York City until her retirement in 1981. She was living at Shorehaven Trailer Park in Hazlet when she died on September 25, 2007, ten days after her 88th birthday. She chose to be cremated.
The year 2013 turned out to be a tragic time for these families. On March 24, 2013 Charlotte died at the age of 86 in Port St. Lucie in Florida where she and Charles had been living for the previous 33 years. Barely two weeks later, on April 4, 2013, Charlotte's daughter Tina (Gesine) died suddenly at her home in Brick, New Jersey. She was only 57 years old. After her divorce from Bobby Grothusen and marriage to Robert McGowan in 1976, she raised two children and became a real estate agent for Diane Turton Realtors. Her husband was a crane operator for the Ameristeel Corporation in Raritan New Jersey and a Vietnam War Army veteran. He died four years after Tina in 2017. They are buried together at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veteran Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, New Jersey.
Two weeks after Tina's death, Charlotte's husband Charles Grothusen died in Port St. Lucie on April 19, 2013. He was 93 years of age.
4. John Henry "Harry" Grothusen and Anna Menzel
Two days before his 34th birthday, Harry traveled 150 miles northwest and married a teacher named Anna Elizabeth Menzel on August 10, 1929. Anna was born in Union City on September 29, 1896 but her parents moved to a farm near McClure, New York where the wedding took place. It was two weeks before her 33rd birthday when they married. Her parents were Austrian immigrants Joseph Menzel and Bertha Seeliger. In fact, Anna was the sister of Elsa Menzel who married Harry's brother William two years before in 1927, requiring William to make the same trip to marry Elsa. The two automobile painting brothers married the teaching sisters, and all of them were well into their thirties when they did.
The two couples even lived together in an apartment building for many years, at 725 18th Street in Union City. Neither couple had children. Anna, like her sister Elsa, was a teacher and spent most of her career teaching kindergarten at the Hudson School in Union City. After graduating from Sara Gilmore Elementary School in Union City, her parents moved to the farm between McClure and Deposit, New York and Anna graduated from Deposit High School. She earned her teaching degree at Oswego Normal Teachers College and started teaching in Union City just before her 20th birthday in 1916.
As stated above, they were all living at the apartment building at 725 18th Street in Union City when William died suddenly at home on September 14, 1954. He was 64 years old. He chose to be cremated.
Like his brother Edward, Harry was blessed with an artistic ability. Here are some examples of that.
Over the years, Anna became known for her calm and orderly kindergarten classroom environment by constantly keeping her little charges occupied with a well-planned program. She was still teaching after 43 years when she died of a heart attack at home on February 5, 1960. She was 63 years old. Like her brother-in-law, she chose to be cremated. Six years later, Harry followed her, again dying at home, on November 5, 1966, and he too chose cremation. He was 77.
Elsa continued to grind on and finally retired after teaching for 50 years. She died not long after at the age of 82, at home, on January 25, 1973 and was cremated.
5. Curtis Grothusen and Emma Luyster
Curtis Dietrick "Dick" Grothusen was Henry and Lena's fifth (or sixth) and last child. He was born in West Hoboken ten years after Harry, on October 4, 1905. They were still living at 150 Patterson Plank Road. Curtis was working in a glass factory in Jersey City when he married 16-year-old Emma Frances Luyster on June 10, 1928. Emma was born in Rockaway, New Jersey on December 23, 1911, the daughter of James Luyster and Grace Holley. The Luysters were living at 161 Danforth Avenue in Jersey City, not far from the glass factory where Curtis worked.
Curtis and Emma lived at 82 Webster Avenue in Jersey City. Neither had more than an eighth grade education. Curtis was 5' 4" tall, weighed about 130 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes and a light complexion. He and Emma raised five children. The family changed residences several times. In 1940, they moved from Jersey City to 608 11th Street in Union City, which was less than two miles from their original home in Jersey City. By 1950, they were back in Jersey City at 786 Tonnele Avenue. That home was torn down many years ago and is now a garage. Curtis also changed jobs quite often, from working in a glass factory to house painting to driving a truck for the Tonnele Lumber and Wrecking Company. He was also a member of the Ideal Pigeon Club and the Terrace Social Club of Jersey City.
Curtis and Emma's first child was Curtis Francis Grothusen. He was born in Jersey City on May 14, 1929. He grew up to become a plumber, eventually working in that capacity for the Werner Brothers Plumbing and Heating Company of Jersey City. In 1948, he married Gladys Mildred Jensen, the daughter of James A. Jensen and Frances Buser. Gladys was born in Jersey City on October 8, 1928. They raised three children: Daniel "Dan" Grothusen (1949), Darlene "Dolly" F. Grothusen (1954) and Keith James Grothusen (1956).
In September of 1953, New Jersey was experiencing a severe drought and Jersey City declared a state of emergency and warned against undue waste of water usage. To make matters worse, a service pipe leading from the Grothusen house to Tonnele Avenue burst and water had been leaking from the pipe causing the busy roadway to constantly flood, not to mention the waste (a gallon of water per minute!). Curtis (the father) had been warned several times that it was his responsibility to have the pipe repaired but he complained that plumbers were either too expensive of reluctant to work on the busy highway. After several weeks of back-and-forth arguments between Curtis and the city, he agreed to make the repairs himself with the help of two of his sons, one of whom (Curtis) was a plumber. On Sunday, October 18, 1953, with a barricade provided by the police department and working with a permit from the highway department, Curtis and his sons tore up the roadway, located the source of the leak and made the necessary repairs. They worked from 6am until midnight to get the job done.
On July 21, 1956, Curtis (the father) was attending the first annual outing of his Terrace Social Club, held at Klein's Grove picnic grounds in Mountain View, New Jersey. He was there with his wife Emma and their youngest child James. The park had a pool with a lifeguard platform from which the more daring attendees dove from into the pool. Curtis had climbed to the top of the platform, lost his footing and fell. During the fall, he struck his head on a diving board and threw him across to the concrete spillway that carried water away from the pool. He was taken to Saint Joseph's Hospital in Paterson where he died six hours later from a fractured skull. He was only 50 years old. He was buried at Weehawken Cemetery.
Curtis (the son) retired early from Werner Brothers, presumably because of illness. He died at Jersey City Medical Center on October 3, 1979. Ironically, he was 50 years old, the same age as his father when he died. He chose to be cremated. Gladys worked as a cashier for the ACME supermarket in Secaucus, New Jersey and was 76 years old when she died on April 21, 2005.
Curtis and Emma's second child was Christine Grace Grothusen, born in Long Branch, New Jersey on January 16, 1932. At the time, the family was living in Jersey City. So, why was she born 50 miles away in Long Branch? For one thing, Curtis' parents were living in Keansburg which was only 15 miles from Long Branch. Perhaps Emma was visiting them when Christine decided she was ready to be born.
Christine attended the William L. Dickinson Public High School, then went to work for Radio Corporation of America electronics company in Kearny, New Jersey. On October 18, 1952, she married Frank Joseph Wilke, the son of Otto G. Wilke and Anna L. Hesse. Frank was born in Union City on January 25, 1929. He worked for Yardley of London Cosmetic Manufacturing firm in Union City. They had three sons: John R. Wilke (1956), Paul Curtis Wilke (1959) and William F. Wilke (1963).
At some point Christine and Frank divorced. She became a payroll clerk for Skoloff & Wolfe law offices in Livingston, New Jersey. She was living in Franklin, New Jersey when she died at the age of 62 on May 3, 1994. She was interred at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey. Frank died in Fort Myers, Florida on July 26, 2007. He was 78 years old.
The third child for Curtis and Emma was George W. Grothusen. He was born in Jersey City in October of 1935. Like his brother Curtis, he was a plumber working for the same company, the Werner Brothers Plumbing and Heating Company of Jersey City. In September of 1955, he married Thelma Anne Carrajat, the daughter of Julius Carrajat and Bertha Ehlers. Although Julius was born in New Jersey, his father was from France and his mother from Ireland. Thelma was born in Jersey City on January 7, 1937. The marriage took place at the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jersey City.
George and Thelma had two children: George Frank Grothusen (1957) and Donna Harriet Grothusen (1961). At some point George and Thelma divorced. Thelma went to work as a packer for Speadmark, Inc., a department store distribution center located in Secaucus, New Jersey. She was still working there when she died at Riverside General Hospital on April 15, 1984. She was only 47 years old. She was buried at Cresthaven Memorial Park Cemetery in Clifton, New Jersey.
In May of 1980, George married for the second time, to Carolyn Ida Fairchild. Carolyn was born March 12, 1941 in Jersey City. Her parents were Harry R. Fairchild and Alice E. Huyler. Carolyn had been married before, in 1958 to Reuben Corey Allen. After that union produced three sons and three daughters, the marriage ended in divorce in 1971. In 1977, Carolyn moved to Toms River, New Jersey where she married George in 1980. Around the same time, she began working as a data entry operator for the Ocean County (New Jersey) Board of Social Services.
In 1985, George Frank Grothusen married Joyce Gannon and his sister Donna married Wayne Jay Woods in 1989.
George and Carolyn were still living in Toms River when she retired from the Board of Social Services in 1994. She was only 58 years old when she died on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2000 at Beth Israel Hospital in Passaic, New Jersey. She was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Toms River. At the time of her death she had 16 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
In November of 1937, Curtis and Emma welcomed their fourth child, John A. Grothusen. All we know about him is that he lived in Bayonne, Carlstadt and Toms River.
Finally, we come to James W. Grothusen, the fifth and final child. He was born in Jersey City in January of 1952. We know a little more about him than we do about his brother John. In November of 1980, James married Veronica "Ronnie" M. Brady, the daughter of James Brady and Joan M. Mackay. Ronnie was born in August of 1955. She and James lived at 4 Oak Street in Keyport, New Jersey and had two daughters, Colleen, 1987 and Erin. Colleen was a graduate of Raritan High School in Hazlet. She died at a tragically young age of 28 on March 23, 2016. She was buried way up north at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York where her grandparents James and Joan Brady are buried.
Passings
In July of 1897, a Mrs. Frank Furst and her three young daughters, aged 10, 8 and 7 years, were also living at 731 Cortlandt Street. In an article posted on the Jersey City Evening Journal, Mrs. Furst had sworn out a warrant for the arrest of Peter on a "serious charge in connection with her three daughters." There is no other mention of this in the newspaper archives. At the time, Peter was 60 years old.
Regardless of the outcome of this story, Peter had only a few years left in life. On January 30, 1912, he walked out of his house on Cortlandt Street, toppled over onto the sidewalk and died. A doctor determined he died of "apoplexy", otherwise known as a brain hemorrhage or stroke. He was 75 years old. He was buried in the Grothusen family plot at Weehawken Cemetery in North Bergen, New Jersey, located right next to Union City.
Henry and Lena Grothusen moved to Keansburg around 1910 after living in West Hoboken for 25 years. After the death of Henry's father Peter in 1912, his mother Catherine Grothusen came to live with Henry and Lena in Keansburg. Catherine was 86 when she died there on April 12, 1920. Her funeral services were held at the home of her granddaughter Christine Grothusen Johns at 833 Madison Street in the New Durham neighborhood of North Bergen. Although her obituary says Catherine was buried in Fair View Cemetery in Middletown, New Jersey, she was actually placed next to Peter in the Grothusen family plot in Weehawken Cemetery. Fair View Cemetery is not far from Keansburg and is the location of the graves of several members of the Gould family.
In her will, Catherine bequeathed $5,000 to each of her grandchildren. That would have been Christine, William, Edward, Harry, and Curtis for a total of $25,000. $5,000 in 1920 was a sizeable sum, equivalent to more than $80,000 in 2024. If anything was left over from the estate, it went to Henry, who was her executor.
Henry and Lena first lived at 33 Raritan Avenue in Keansburg, then later moved a half mile to 33 St. James Avenue. Henry joined the Exempt Fireman's Association, a charitable organization. Although they were now living in Keansburg, there is some evidence that Henry owned a restaurant back in West Hoboken during the 1920's. The restaurant was called the "Wishbone Restaurant", located at 154 Paterson Plank Road, very close to their old home at 150 Paterson Plank Road. West Hoboken (Union City) and Keansburg are about 40 miles apart.
celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at Ye Cottage Inn in Keyport.
Henry had less than three years to live. He was 86 years old when he died in his home at 33 St. James Avenue on March 2, 1949. He was buried in the Grothusen family plot at Weehawken Cemetery. A few years later, Lena died on January 10, 1954 at home. She was 86 years old. At the time, she had 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She was buried with Henry at Weehawken Cemetery.
Christine (Grothusen) and Paul Johns lived in Union City and Bogota, New Jersey for several years where he worked as a plumber for a firm in Jersey City. Paul was a member of the Malta Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons in Union City, and the Masonic Club in Bogota. In 1952, Paul retired and he and Christine moved to Dalton, Pennsylvania in 1952 where their daughter Dorothy and her husband Henry Weilage were living. They became members of the Dalton Methodist Church, and the Abington Branch of the Lackawanna County Retired Folks Club. Christine belonged to the Women's Society of Christian Service (WSCS), Juanita Chapter 8, Order of Eastern Star.
Christine and Paul were living with their daughter Dorothy and her husband Henry Weilage at 531 Bank Street in Dalton when Paul died at home on November 6, 1965. He was 77 years old. He had been suffering from heart disease for several years and finally died from congestive heart failure. He was buried at George Washington Memorial Cemetery in Paramus, New Jersey. He and Christine would have observed their 53rd wedding anniversary on November 27. Christine had been suffering from arteriosclerosis for several years and she died at home a few years after Paul on March 25, 1968, a week before her 81st birthday. She was buried with Paul at George Washington Memorial Cemetery.
Elwood and Claire Johns were still living at 672 Lucy Avenue in Teaneck when she died in Holy Name Hospital on July 10, 1971. She was only 52 years old. She was buried at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus. Thirty years later, Elwood was living with his daughter Sandra and her husband James English in Decatur, Alabama when he died two weeks before his 85th birthday on November 14, 2001. He was buried at Burningtree Memorial Gardens in Decatur where 56-year-old Sandra would be buried when she died a few years later, on April 24, 2004.
The Schmidt and Gould Branches
Conrad was born Johann Konrad Schmidt on June 27, 1874 in Bavaria, Germany. Johanna Marie Kraus was born 120 miles west of Bavaria in Wurttemberg on October 1, 1871. Conrad immigrated to America in 1891, while Johanna arrived in 1893. They were married in Hoboken on March 15, 1896. Conrad was a candymaker or confectioner by trade. Between 1906 and 1910 they moved from Hoboken to Jersey City, ending up at 60 Lundy's Lane. They became naturalized American citizens in 1910.
Information about Charles Schmidt, born in Hoboken on December 9, 1901, has proven to be difficult to find. He appears last as an 18-year-old on the 1920 Federal Census, living with his parents on Lundy's Lane and working as a lithographer (graphic designer) at a printing company. Nothing more can be found out about him.
Lillian Schmidt was born in Hoboken on July 16, 1906. Johanna gave birth to one more child, Helen, in 1912. While celebrating her 50th birthday in 1921, Johanna developed a bad case of bronchitis. At the same time, Conrad became sick with a severe sinus infection. Johanna's bronchitis worsened and she died on November 9, 1921 at the family home on Lundy's Lane. She was buried at Flower Hill Cemetery in North Bergen, New Jersey. Conrad's medical condition brought him to a hospital in New York for an operation but he ended up dying there just two months after Johanna on January 2, 1922. He was only 47 years old. He was buried with Johanna at Flower Hill Cemetery. At the time of the sudden passing of both their parents, Charles was 20, Lillian 15, and Helen 9.
Two years later, around 1923, 17-year-old Lillian married 19-year-old Stephen Niklas Puff. Stephen was born in Jersey City on December 6, 1903, the son of Louis N. Puff and Johanna Hoffman. He was a painter for a furniture factory. Like Lillian, he dropped out of school after the 7th grade. He stood at a short 5' 3", weighed about 165 pounds, with brown hair, gray eyes and a light complexion. At some point in his life, the big toe on his right foot was amputated. He also had a noticeable scar on his forehead. He and Lillian had four children.
When their first child was born, they were living at 504 Central Avenue in Jersey City. That child, Lawrence "Larry" Charles Puff, was born on April 16, 1926. He grew up to become a polisher for a metal plating company. In 1948, he married Rosemary Julia Dios, the daughter of Spanish immigrant Manuel De Dios Aguila and Antoinette Frank. Rosemary was born in Jersey City on January 4, 1929.
Larry was a brown-eyed red-head who stood 5' 8" tall, weighed about 140 pounds, and had a light complexion. He and Rosemary had two daughters, Joanne and Annette. Around 1960, Larry became a surveyor with the city of Jersey City. He and Rosemary were members of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Jersey City and Rosemary was a member of their Rosary Society.
Around 1987, Rosemary began working as a dietary aide for Jersey City Public School Number 23. In 1991, Larry retired from his surveying job after more than 30 years. Rosemary retired from her dietary aide job and they both moved to Keyport, New Jersey in 1994. They then became communicants of Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Keyport where they also served as eucharist ministers and Larry became a member of the Knights Of Columbus. Rosemary was also the treasurer of New Horizons with the Keyport Legion Senior Citizens Apartment Complex, served on the Advisory Board of the Keyport Senior Center, and volunteered with the Meals On Wheels program. She was also active in the Keyport Republican Party.
Rosemary was 76 years old when she died on September 1, 2005. She was entombed in a mausoleum at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, New Jersey. Larry followed her five years later on November 16, 2010. He was 84. He was placed with Rosemary at Holy Cross Cemetery.
On April 28, 1929, Lillian and Stephen welcomed their second child, Herman Raymond Puff. Herman was working as a timekeeper for the Kenyon Electronics Company in Jersey City when he married Anna Lucy Pipi in 1952. Anna was born in Jersey City on August 9, 1926. Her parents were Louis Pipi and Rose Concetta Simone. On Herman's 30th birthday, Anna gave birth to their only child, a son named Steven Puff, born in Jersey City on April 28, 1959.
Herman became another member of this family branch to die young. Just one week after his 40th birthday, and his son's 10th, he passed away on May 4, 1969. Herman was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery. Anna lived on for many years before her passing at the age of 67 on December 12, 1993. She was buried next to Herman at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Claire Muriel Puff, child number four, was born in Jersey City on October 13, 1934. She married Batholomew "Bart" De Maio in 1956. Bart was born in Hoboken, New Jersey around 1928. His parents were Joseph De Maio and Mary Terminello. Bart enlisted with the United States Marines and served for nine years from the latter part of World War II through the Korean War, during which he was wounded in action. Claire was his second wife. On August 23, 1952, while still serving with the Marines, Bart married a 20-year-old widow named Joan Rae Fulgham, the daughter of Herbert Linwood Fulgham and Ada Windsor. The marriage took place at the Naval Station Norfolk chapel in Virginia. Joan was born in Norfolk in 1932. The marriage did not last. In 1953, Bart was awarded a divorce from Joan based on her desertion.
Claire and Bart lived in Teaneck and had a son Bart De Maio Jr. and a daughter Debbie De Maio. Claire was known for her eternal optimism, easy laugh, and welcoming nature. She loved preparing and serving delicious meals on her well-dressed table to her cherished family and friends. When she was about 40 years of age, she began working for the Burnham Insurance Company in nearby Englewood Cliffs. She worked full time with them for 35 years, retiring when she was 75 years old.
Bart died on April 10, 2008 at the age of 79. He was buried at Madonna Chapel in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Claire had a long struggle with congestive heart failure. She was 81 when she died on January 17, 2016. She was buried with Bart at Madonna Chapel.
Lillian and Stephen were living at 1182 Summit Avenue in Jersey City in 1940 where Stephen worked as an automobile painter. Lillian was pregnant with what would become their last child when 38-year-old Stephen died on July 25, 1942. It was one week after Lillian's 36th birthday. Stephen was buried at Flower Hill Cemetery in North Arlington, where Lillian's parents are buried. Five months later, the fourth and last child, Helen Emily Puff was born in Jersey City on January 4, 1943.
Besides baby Helen, Lillian still had to raise teenagers Larry and Herman, and 7-year-old Claire. She found a widowed construction worker named Joseph Leonardo who had seven motherless children of his own. Lillian and Joseph married and moved to an apartment building at 94 North Street in Jersey City. They moved a block away to 47 Graham Street where Joseph died on June 16, 1956. He was 62 years old. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington.
In celebration of Lillian's 55th birthday on July 16, 1961, she and her children vacationed in Keansburg, then enjoyed a party for her at Tippy's Restaurant in Jersey City.
In June of 1962, Helen married James "Jimmy" Trancucci, the son of John Trancucci and Lena Frushon. Jimmy was born in Queens, New York on August 9, 1940. Although he was born in Queens, he grew up in Jersey City and moved to Union City in 1960. He and Helen had a son named James Trancucci Jr.
Lillian was living at 218 Kings Court in Teaneck when she died on May 10, 1970. She was 63 years old. She was buried with her first husband Stephen at Flower Hill Cemetery.
In 1984, Helen and Jimmy moved to Port Monmouth, New Jersey. Helen became another member of the Puff family to die too soon. She was just 45 when she died on February 15, 1988. She was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, New Jersey. Jimmy continued on for many years before he died almost exactly 30 years after Helen on February 7, 2018. He was 77 years old. He was buried with Helen at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Helen P. Schmidt, born in Jersey City on April 14, 1912, married David Henry Gould. David was born in Buffalo, New York on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1913. His parents were a street car conductor named David M. Gould and Maude Mooney. Young David became a truck driver and was a member of local 478, International Brotherhood of Chauffeurs and Teamsters, Newark. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion.
There is some evidence that David may have been married before, to Marguerite Veth in 1932, and they had six children. In any case, he and Helen had two daughters, Lana Gould and Lola Gould.
David was only 44 years old when he died after a short illness on March 18, 1957. At the time, he had been living at 19 Route 36 in Keansburg with Alvina Grothusen and her son Wilbert. He was buried in Fair View Cemetery in Middletown, New Jersey. Helen was living in Harrison, New Jersey with Lana and Lola.
Lana Karen Gould was born October 7, 1946. She married Kenneth F. McColligan in North Arlington, New Jersey in August of 1970. They had a daughter and a son. Lana and Ken were living in Stratford, New Jersey when she died at Virtua West Jersey Hospital in Marlton, New Jersey on December 6, 2010 at the age of 64. She was buried at Saint Joseph Cemetery in Chewslanding, New Jersey.
Helen worked for more than 40 years as a waitress and was working at Max's Diner in Keansburg when she finally retired. She appears to have also been married to Thomas W. Johnson, although when that was is not certain. Thomas had two children, Dolores Johnson and Thomas W. Johnson, Jr. Around 1978, Helen moved from Harrison to Mieleville Trailer Park in Hazlet, New Jersey. She was 70 years old and suffering from Leukemia when she died four years later on August 10, 1982.
Thomas "Tommy" W. Johnson, Jr. was 87 years old and living in Lakewood, New Jersey when he died on March 20, 2021. He was born in Jersey City on February 12, 1934 and was known as a hard worker with a great sense of humor. He was married to Eleanor Flynn. They were proud members of Saint Justin the Martyr Roman Catholic Church in Toms River, New Jersey. Tommy was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, New Jersey.
