William B. Van Buren (1863-1943) Teamster

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

William B. Van Buren (1863-1843) Teamster
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

William B. Van Buren. He's pretty far away from me in my family line; my 2nd cousin 3x removed. But I don't want to just research Howards, and Van Buren is a fine name. He has this name because his mother, Lydia "Catherine" Howard, sometimes spelled with a "K," married John Van Buren in or around 1850. Catherine was the granddaughter of our patriarch, my 4th great-grandfather, John Godfrey Howard. Click on photos to enlarge

Early Postcard of Warsaw, N.Y.
Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons, public domain

William B. Van Buren was born 12 Jun 1863 in Middlebury, New York. In the household besides his parents were sister Cynthia, brother Charles, and sister Olive. In the 1870 census, he is with his parents in Middlebury along with his brothers and sisters, Cynthia, Charles, Olive, and younger brother Frank, who was born in 1869. By the 1880 census, it was just William and his younger brother along with two cousins, Henry and Charles. These were Seth Howard's boys, who was Catherine's brother. I don't know why they're there, but Seth's entire family was disrupted in the 1880 census, and he's in Michigan with another woman at that time.

William went by "Willie" as a child, according to the census records, so we'll call him Will. He married his 2nd cousin, Flora Howard, in 1882. Her father was Jacob Howard, who was Will's grandfather. If that doesn't create a feedback loop in your family tree, I don't know what will. They were just 3 years apart in age. When they married, she was 15 and he was 18. No shame, no foul, though. The couple stayed in Warsaw, New York, close to Will's family. Flora, at the time of their marriage, had been living in Rochester with her mom, about an hour's drive away today.

The young couple had four children prior to the 1900 Warsaw, NY census: William, born 1883; Katherine, who went by "Kittie," born 1885; Raymond, born 1887; and Flora Macey, born 1891. In the 1900 census, the Van Buren's are all together, Will and wife Flora along with their four children. Also living with them at that time was Flora's sister, on this census listed as Alida Howard. Other sources have her name as Lida and Lydia. There is also a border, Martin Gell. Will's daughter, Kittie, married a Martin Gell. However, this Martin is 15 years her senior. He may have been an uncle, but I don't know, as I didn't research the Gells.

Kittie firstly married Clayton Parmenter in 1907. By the time of the 1910 Warsaw, NY Federal Census, Kittie was already widowed with two young children, Kenneth and Clayton. She and the boys were with her father and mother, Will and Flora, along with her three brothers.

Our subject, Will Howard, Sr., was listed as a teamster in this 1910 census, as would be done the rest of his working days. The eldest son, Will, Jr., was 27 and a machinist for "elevator works." Son Raymond was 22 and a painter at "elevator works." Their youngest, 18-year-old Flora, no doubt named after her mom, was a laundress who worked "in laundry." Their daughter, the newly widowed Kittie Parmenter, was 25. Her occupation was listed as "none," but with a 5-year-old (Kenneth) and a newborn, (Clayton), we all know what her occupation was. I do not know how her husband died, but the newborn Clayton was born after his father's death in 1909 and is named after his father. The elder Clayton Parmenter, Kittie's first husband, is buried with his parents in West Middlebury Cemetery in Middlebury, New York.

The next record is the New York State Census for 1915. It is interesting. Firstly, we have William listed as "head" and as a teamster. His wife was next. There's no different family numbers or house numbers, it's all smooshed together, so perhaps there were more people in that same home? Their son, William was next in line and was also listed as "head." He was still a machinist. His wife was on the next line, Margaret. After Margaret was Katherine Gell, who is listed as a boarder. This Katherine Gell is William's sister, Kittie. After her husband, Clayton Parmenter, died, she remarried Martin Gell 18 Dec 1911, in Ontario, Canada. And now, she was there, not with her husband, but with her brother. Kittie had four children by then, two with Mr. Parmenter and two with Mr. Gell. This census, however, incorrectly had Kenneth Clayton's last name as "Gell." Her two new babies are Stanley and Evelyn. I don't know what's going on with Kittie and Mr. Gell, but it could be as innocent as he was working somewhere out of the city at the time the enumerator came by.

After this, tragedy struck the Van Buren family. I don't know what it is like to lose a child, and I never want to know. The Van Buren family lost three of their four. Firstly Flora Macey died from gastritis, 03 Apr 1912. Will's son, his namesake, died 31 Jul 1917, and I don't know why. He may have lost his life in World War I. He was buried in Warsaw Cemetery. Then Kittie died 14 Oct 1919. Her obituary doesn't say why, just that she died at her parents home. How heartbroken Will and Flora must have been, and I'm certain they never got over any of this. 

In the 1920 census, Will and Flora were still in Warsaw with two of their grandchildren, Kenneth and Clayton Parmenter. The other two grandchildren were in Warsaw, too, but they lived with their father. Will and Flora's only living child, Raymond, was also in Warsaw, living with his wife and family.

In the 1925 New York State Census, Will and Flora are still making it. Will was 61 years old and was still working as a Teamster. Flora was 58. They have three grandchildren living with them now. Their oldest grandson, aged 20, has changed his name from Kenneth Parmenter to Kenneth Van Buren. It might be that his grandparents adopted him or that he changed his name in homage to them. He was a chauffeur! Next is 16-year-old Clayton Parmenter, who was named after his father. Notice that Clayton kept his correct last name. He was listed as a farmer. And surprise! Evelyn Gell, the 10-year-old daughter of Kittie and Martin (Matt) Gell was also living with her grandparents. 

Flora died 25 Feb 1929 at the age of 62, leaving Will all alone on the 1930 census. He wasn't really alone, as he lived with William and Linda Conkle as a "hired man" whose occupation was "none." William Conkle was a farm laborer on a general farm. Will's son, Raymond, was just a few pages away from his dad in this census, so he wasn't far. Raymond was a laborer at a "milk fonderry company."

And finally, sometime before 1935, Will moved in with son Raymond and his family. In the 1940 census, we learn that Will had an 8th grade education and his son, 7th. Raymond was a farmer at "operator," working on his own account. Good for Raymond! 

Will died 10 Mar 1943 at the Wyoming County Community Hospital.

I'm very disappointed Ancestry didn't have more records for the Van Buren family. It would be nice to have seen a better picture of their lives together. I'll keep checking in with the family from time to time to make sure no new information has been added.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Henry F. Howard (1870-1953)

 Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Henry F. Howard (1870-1953)
____________________ 

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Something I've learned, even though it seems like it should have been so clear, is how little information Ancestry really can tell you about your family. For instance, Henry F. Howard, in the 1880 census, the first census that he is counted, lived not with his parents but with his aunt and uncle. His younger brother is living there, too. Henry is 10 and his brother, Charles, is 6. Henry's mom, Frances, was listed with her son, Merritt. Merritt was listed as the head of household and as a carpenter.

A lot of the Howard family line ended up in Michigan, which led my dad to assume that the Howard family, as a group, walked from New York to Michigan. And then - according to his incorrect theory - our direct Howard line walked from Michigan down to Martin County, Indiana. This is untrue, and I have proven that this is not the case. My Howard family line came directly from New York to Martin County, Indiana, perhaps via the Erie Canal. This is where Ancestry's limitations come in. The point is that Henry F. Howard's family was disjointed in the 1880 census, and the cold, hard facts cannot, as of now, tell us why.

Henry F. Howard is my second cousin, three times removed. His parents are Seth C. Howard and Frances Peck. There's that name Peck again. It keeps coming up over and over, seemingly unrelated, but we know that nothing in genealogy is unrelated. My common ancestor with Henry F., though, is his great-grandfather, who is my 4x great grandfather, John Godfrey Howard. When Godfrey came to the colonies from Germany to fight in the Revolutionary War as a Hessian soldier, did he realize how vast and diverse his family would become? Does my father, who has since passed and is in heaven, talk with John Godfrey about any of this? Does it matter by then? I don't know, but I love, love, love researching family stories here on earth! And not just my family, but I have a few Martin County and Orange County, Indiana, families who are unrelated to me that I research and study. It's so interesting.

In 1893, Henry F. married Louise Thompson. My friend and cousin, Glenn, has her listed as Sarah Louise. I'm sure he is correct. He also provides a picture of the happy couple: Click on photos to enlarge

Henry and Louise Howard
Courtesy Lovell Family Collection

In the 1900 census, Henry and Louise lived at 114 State Street in Batavia, New York. They have two children with them on this census. Florence was 4 years old and Ernest was 2. This census tells us how many times she had been pregnant, and it was 2 times. So fortunately, she had not suffered any miscarriages or stillbirths. The home they lived in was rented, and he was a carpenter. His father had also been a carpenter.

In the 1905 New York State Census, the family lived at 307 North Street in Buffalo. He was still a carpenter and living with them were their three children, Florence, Ernest, and Delbert. (I love the name Delbert.)  The two older children were listed "at school," and the youngest, 5-year-old Delbert, is "at home."

In the 1910 census, Henry and Louise lived at 108 E. North Street in Buffalo, New York. Their now four children are listed with them: Florence, Ernest, Delbert, and Dorothy. This census showed that she has had 5 births with 4 living children. The house they lived in was also rented, and he was a carpenter of "buildings." So... a construction worker then? He was a wage earner, so he worked for someone else.

In the 1915 New York State Census, the family lived at 283 Lemon Street. Why did they move around so much? He was still a carpenter. Florence was not in their house anymore, as she was now married and living with her husband. The eldest son, Ernest, who was 17, was a lithographer. Delbert and Dorothy were "at school."

In 1920, the family still lived on 283 Lemon Street in Buffalo. It was Henry and Louise with their two youngest children, Delbert and Dorothy. Henry F. was still a carpenter of "house." Their eldest, Florence, was married and still in Buffalo. Their eldest son, Ernest, was living with Florence and her husband, Albert Windisch! Ernest's wife on the 1920 census was listed as "Mrs. Ernest." Ernest was a "motor mechanic" working in a garage. Florence's husband was a lithographer. They were both wage earners. Of course the women and children's occupations were listed as "none." That was the culture at that time. That doesn't mean, however, that they didn't earn wages. They may have been self-employed as seamstresses or other domestic services.

Funnily enough, after reading Florence's obituary, it said she was a retired seamstress. Why did the census enumerator list her occupation as "none?" Did he just assume that, as a woman, she was at home, keeping house? Did he discount that she was bringing money into the home? Did he even bother to ask what her occupation was?

In the 1925 New York State census, Henry and his wife lived on 374 Florida Street in Buffalo. Their son, Delbert, 25 years old, lived with them as a machinist. Their daughter, Dorothy, 17 years old, was a clerk. Henry was still a carpenter, and he would be listed as such until he retired.

In 1930, Henry and his wife lived with their daughter Florence and her husband, Russell Jones. Also on this census was Florence and Russell's 16-year-old daughter, Doris Jones, and Henry and Louise's 22-year-old daughter, Dorothy Howard. They are also no longer in New York but now are in Detroit, Michigan. Interesting. Dorothy was a "saleslady" at a department store. Florence was listed as a dressmaker at "garmentworks" and her husband a "photo engineer." It is good to see that Florence was given credit for her career as a seamstress and also Dorothy in sales.

Henry F's wife, Louise, died in 1938, if I have researched correctly. Something feels off here, though, and, even after an entire day's worth of researching, I am unable to put my finger on what I'm feeling. I wish I knew more! Hopefully one day I will!

Henry F. Howard
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

 In the 1940 U.S. census, Henry was correctly listed as a widow, still lived with his daughter, Florence and her husband, Russell Jones. They were at 1764 Helen Avenue. And now, Henry's daughter, Doris, who was married to Lanis Robbins, along with their children, lived in the same household as well. On this census, we find out that Henry F. had a 6th-grade education. He apparently is retired, as the block for his employment is blank. I looked up 1764 Helen Street on Google Maps, and it looks like this house has been torn down. Comparing it to other houses in the neighborhood, they look big enough to support three families. Being used to living in a so-called "nuclear family," I find it fascinating how parents and children so often cohabitated together. I love it.

Unfortunately, the cohabitation wasn't enough for Henry F. Howard. And no amount of time on Ancestry can let us know what demons this poor soul was dealing with. I will, of course, continue to study. Unfortunately, Henry ended his own life 28 Oct 1953 by putting a bullet into his head. He and his wife are not buried side-by-side. I'm not even sure at this point if they're in the same cemetery together. There's something there, that is for sure.

Henry with his sister, Ella, who died in 1952
Ella went by many different names in her life
In the end, she went with Ella
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC