NYBROOKLYN-L Archives

Archiver > NYBROOKLYN > 2005-03 > 1110218839


From: "Dean Reinauer" <>
Subject: RE: The Ultimate Brickwall
Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2005 13:07:19 -0500


Hi Kathy,
Are you sure she was a runaway? I don't think 4 years is a lot; try
since 1982 for ONE
Branch,having information but the surname in old handwriting - we
searched for YEARS
FOR CLEMON the name absolutely is CLEMOW.
Anyway, maybe your greatgrandmother was married out of the city for
both. My relations,
Lived in Bergen county, raised family in Bergen county, married in NYC
and her parents
Were witnesses. (maybe she was pregnant, and wanted to make sure they
got married, who knows)
2)I have LOTS of various relations who didn't apply for Social security;
born in the 1890's.
My father filled out applications for his Dad, since my grandfather
figured he didn't make much money (not true)he wasn't entitled;
surprisingly, running a business, a fierce democrat,
it was his son looking after his interest, not himself. MAY I ALSO
MENTION that the only way he could prove his age was to have a school
record, prove ABOUT what age he was (for entitlement), and have a
childhood friend verify it, VITAL RECORDS, a lot of them, were destroyed
in a large fire in Paterson, NJ 1902 or 1912.
? Maybe your greatgrandmother was born/schooled/married some other
place.
I have lots and lots of folks that don't appear in the census; might as
well not been on the planet, because they didn't collect SS,appear in a
census; etc. The most inexpensive way to find them city directories,
talk to their descendants. No one ever spelled Reinauer correctly.
Census takers make errors. My grandfather's dad was born in NJ; not
Germany which appears
On the census. Take that into consideration.
I would strongly look for church recoreds.

-----Original Message-----
From: kathleen anderson [mailto:]
Sent: Friday, March 04, 2005 5:55 PM
To:
Subject: The Ultimate Brickwall


I know we all have our brickwalls. I know many people searched for
years and then, suddenly, a bolt of lightning and the wall tumbled --
but only to be replaced with a new one! I know searching for only 4
years on one person is not lengthy -- but there must come a point when
one realizes they will never know the answer, never break down the wall.

I will never know who my great grandmother really was. Oh, I met her
and I remember her. She went by "Anna." I remember her husband,
William Schoenhut. I thought he was my ggrandfather, but he wasn't. I
found out later he was Anna's "2nd" husband. Grandma's father, FRED
SMITH, died when grandma was just a baby.

What I've been told. What my mom has been told. What everyone has been
told. Lies. All lies. Anna was a rare woman -- the kind of woman who
has two maiden names (I think that's REALLY rare!!). The kind of woman
whose birth was not registered (1893?). The kind who never applied for
a Social Security card. The kind who appears in NO censuses under
either maiden name (if her birthday is accurate). The kind whose
marriage was never registered -- during years it should have been. She
was the kind of widow whose husband's death was never noted by any vital
stat. office -- in years it should have been. She was the kind of woman
whose 1st husband was born both in NJ and England -- which must have
been difficult for his mother. She appears in no newspaper article in
either NY Times or Jersey Journal.

She was rare indeed.

It's time to let it go. She was a runaway who hid her identity on
purpose, and her daughter, my grandmother, had no aunts, uncles,
extended family of any kind.

I hate to admit defeat, but one cannot chase down lies.

I feel kind of depressed about this. Anna was my reason for doing gen.
research. I was going to be able to tell my mom who her real
grandmother was, her real grandfather.

Wish it were legal to dig up her bones and just compare my mtDNA to
hers. Oh -- and she wasn't a nice person, either.

- Kathy

______________________________

This thread: