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Old 02-08-2008, 01:46 PM
 
Location: Bath, England
8 posts, read 16,975 times
Reputation: 11

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Hi

I'm new to this site and am giving it a try to try and find out something about my Uncle and Aunt above who had connection with Waukesha.

This brother and sister came to the US in the early 1900's from England. Edith was born in India along with another brother Edward, my grandfather, where their parents lived and worked while Len was born in Deal England. The family returned to England in the late 1880's but the father, Joseph, an accountant ,deserted the family in November 1891 leaving them in very straightened circumstances. The 1891 UK Census puts Mother, Fanny, and the then 3 Children in Surrey Street, Bristol, England.

However in 1906 Edith travelled from Liverpool on the SS "Baltic" (the Master was Edward J. Smith who later commanded the "Titanic") to New York. Described as a Missionary, she was destined to go to friends at the Metropolitan Church Association at Waukesha WI.

A record of Border Crossings into the US shows that Leonard arrived in Detroit from Dresden Ont Canada in May 1914 although he had been in the US since 1907 but this entry show that he was going to join his wife Harriet at Waukesha WI.

I have found a web site for the Metropolitan Church Association in Waukesha and the history quoted ties in with the development of a House in Waukesha, Fountain House, in 1906. I have tried to contact them through the site but it does not appear to have been updated for some time and wonder if it has fallen into disuse. Is there anyone in the Waukesa area that may be able to put me in touch with the right people that may be able to tell me of any Wetherill connection there.

Sadly both brother and sister are no longer alive, Len died in 1973 and Edith in 1957 and the last contact that Len had with my father was in 1958 by letter from Jersey City where he then lived - clearly both Len and Edith maintained their religious convictions to the end.

I would love to hear from anyone with any suggestions as to whom I should contact.
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Old 03-20-2008, 03:21 PM
 
Location: Maryland
11 posts, read 25,558 times
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Default some info about Wetherills (and Waukesha)

I got to your post because I was also looking for some info on the Metropolitan Church Association too. My ggg-grandmother lived at the MCA house in Waukesha, along with two of her daughters, from at least 1910-1930. Although I don't have any specific info about the MCA, I do know a little about Waukesha as my parents were born there and I still have lots of relatives in the area. (also lived there as a kid)

I would suggest that you contact the Waukesha County Historical Society and Museum - they are bound to know about it. Waukesha's still a pretty small town. Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum

A quick search in Ancestry.com shows that Leonard was in Urbana, Champaign County, Illinois in 1910 (Federal Census); and Leonard and Harriet were in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey from at least 1920-1930. (Federal Censuses). Leonard filled out a WWI draft registration card on Sept 12, 1918 and was in Jersey City at the time. Leonard was living in a mission while in Urbana.

I was less successful in finding Edith but think she may have been in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania at some point. This is also where Leonard died in 1973 so it seems likely.

If I find anything else I will re-post to let you know.

Although Ancestry.com is a paid service, the Federal Censuses can be found on various genealogy websites, especially through a particular state's site(s). If you want to look at some I mentioned, just query 'federal census illinois' etc. Note that by law, censuses are not available to the public for a minimum of 70 years after they are taken, so you won't see anything past 1930.

Hope this helps.
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Old 03-20-2008, 08:47 PM
 
Location: Maryland
11 posts, read 25,558 times
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Smile Leonard Wetherill et al

Hi -
I found the ship's manifest for Leonard's original entry into US (on 'Baltic' into New York Feb 8 1907). I've also satisfied myself that the Edith I found in Pittsburgh in the 1910 Census is your aunt. I am a little less sure that I found the correct death record for Leonard but it is still in the running. Give me a week or so, and I'll write up what I found. I'll also give you some advice and links on how to get copies of the state and federal records for your aunt and uncle: death cert; naturalization records, social security application, etc.
Topaz
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Old 03-23-2008, 08:35 AM
 
Location: Bath, England
8 posts, read 16,975 times
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Hi and thanks for the info - its appreciated. Sorry I have not responded earlier but we have been away on an early holiday to Italy and returned late last evening. I'll certainly contact the Waukesha County Historical Society as you suggest and see what they come up with. I remain fascinated that Len and Edith went to the US as "Missionaries" and will let you know how things progress.
Many thanks once again and on this Easter Sunday Morning with a little sunshine here in Bath - but chilly - Happy Easter!
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Old 03-24-2008, 10:59 AM
 
Location: Maryland
11 posts, read 25,558 times
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Default Wetherills

Hello -
Thanks for the good wishes, and Happy Easter to you too from (also chilly but sunny) Baltimore, Maryland. Our relatives' paths appear to have converged at several points, so doing some research for you has helped me as well. By the way, I've reversed again and now do believe that your uncle (and his wife Harriet) lived in the Pittsburgh area near the end of their lives and died there. The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) spells his last name as 'Wetherhill' (which is why I hated to say it was definitely him) but I found Harriet's SSDI which has the same 'last known residence'. The records say they last lived in 'Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania' - however the associated zip (postal) code is 15243 which is not in Pittsburgh (PGH) proper, but in the South Hills area of PGH - and guess what! I used to live there too. (That's what amazes me about family research, finding common connectors between discrete families.) It would be interesting to know if Leonard and Harriet were still with the MCA when they lived in PGH. I'll send you what I know/can find about them, and things I think might help, in a couple of weeks.
Till later.
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Old 03-26-2008, 11:44 AM
 
Location: Bath, England
8 posts, read 16,975 times
Reputation: 11
Topaz
Many thanks again. My researches show that Len died in Allegheny although I know very little about Harriet whtsoever or indeed any children they may have had. I have e mailed the Waukesha Historical Soc and await to see what they come up with.

As you say, its is strange the paths that this family tree thing leads you up (or down) - I have come to regard relatives lives as a circles, meeting other circles from time to time and never cease to be amazed at how often locations are repeated in the family without any direct reason WHY this should be.

Look forward to hearing from you when time permits. John W, Bath, England
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Old 03-27-2008, 03:33 PM
 
Location: Maryland
11 posts, read 25,558 times
Reputation: 11
Hi John,
I went ahead and called the Waukesha County Museum to ask them for info on the Metropolitan Church Association and also for anything they knew about any Madisons or Wetherills associated with the church or the town. My grandmother, Leona Postell, (this is how she spelled it) used to be the County Historian and Curator for Waukesha County, so I did a little name-dropping. I talked to their archivist and he has promised to find what he can. (which he would have done anyway, I'm sure, even if my grandmother hadn't once worked at the museum.) I am looking for Loretta Madison and her daughter Marian who lived at the Waukesha MCA facility from about 1910 to at least 1930 and presumably later.

I also called the MCA in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, (this is next door to Waukesha County) and it turns out to be a one-person office - she is the treasurer and one of the few remaining members of the church. She was very sweet and is going to email me anything she finds. Apparently the church had a deaconess' house in Pittsburgh and she thought Edith's name sounded familiar and will look for any references to her or Leonard.

A little of my family's background - my grandmother Leona was married to a Howard Postel (as he spelled it) and his mother's mother, Loretta Madison mentioned above, moved to Waukesha to live at the church residence sometime before 1910. So Loretta and Leonard would certainly have known each other as they lived at the same place in 1910 and later.

I talked to my mother to see what her recollections of the church were - she knew Marian Madison who used to come to their house for visits, and they occasionally went to the church services with her. Marian was active in the church all her life and even wrote some children's bible books (we have a copy and you can even find them on e-bay). My mom thinks the church congregation still lived in its place in Waukesha until at least the mid-Forties, but she doesn't have any recollection of it past that time.

I contacted the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh to see if they had the obituaries for Leonard and Harriet - it'll take a month or so to get them, if available. I also asked for copies of the telephone listings for 1971-73 - that'll at least tell you where they lived.

Per Len and Harriet's residence in Pgh (that's how we abbreviate Pittsburgh up there): any zip code that starts with a '152' prefix belongs to the main Pittsburgh post office distribution center. The two-digit suffix tells you the specific branch post office. The zip codes for branch offices do not necessarily have anything to do with any geo-political boundaries. The 15243 zip code belongs to the Cedarhurst branch post office, but Cedarhurst isn't any sort of town or municipality in itself (I think it is just a neighborhood name). This particular zip code encompasses parts of Scott, Mt Lebanon, and Upper St Clair townships and so it would be impossible at this point to say exactly where your uncle and his wife lived.

I have also found some info on Leonard's wife, and about some other things, so I will write up everything I know and get it to you in a couple of weeks.

til later,
Kathy
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Old 03-28-2008, 08:16 AM
 
Location: Bath, England
8 posts, read 16,975 times
Reputation: 11
Default Waukesha Connections

Hi again Kathy and again thanks

You have been busy on the phone and I look forward to learning of the results of your enquiries. Loretta and Len MUST have known each other and Loretta possibly knew Edith as well. I give below details of where Len was located based on UK and US Census' :

1883 Born Eastry Deal Kent, England 15 March 1883 Third Child of Joseph Wetherill (Accountant)and Anne (Fanny) Wetherill nee Daveney (of Mattishall, Norfolk)

1891 UK Census: Fareholme, Surrey Road, Bristol with Mother and elder Sister (Edith) & Brother (Edward - "Ted" my Grandfather). Their father had deserted the family on 6 November 1891

1907 Left Liverpool on the Baltic for New York

1909 Immgated to US

1910 Urbana Ward 5, Champaigne - Single (Interestingly in my former working life I had customers based in Georgetown Ill who were very keen to display our products in a Garden Centre in Urbana-Champaign - "circles" again!)

1914 Border Crossing at Detroit from Dresden, Canada going to join wife Harriett at Waukesha

1920 Jersey City Ward 7, Hudson. Married to Harriett and with Daughter Gertrude

1930 329 Forrest Street Jersey City with Wilbur aged 9 - Gertrude not mentioned

1952 Pittsburgh - I have a copy of a photo which I have unsuccessfully tried to attach to this believed to be of Len Sister Edith and Daughter Gertrude

1958 177, Lembeck Avenue Jersey City - the address from which the last letter dated January 1958 was sent

1973 October Died at Cedarhurst 15243 Allegehany Social Security No 153 25 4224.

Hope that this "Calendar" may be of some assistance.

I do not have much info on Edith other than she was born in Allahabad/Calcutta India in 1877. Went to the US in 1906 also on the Baltic and died in Morriston NJ on 30 November 1957.

Grandfather Edward also came to the US, I believe in 1907 on the White Star "Cymric" and was apparently a "tooth puller" before returning to the UK at some time and becoming a Dentist although how qualified he was is open to some doubt but I remember him and his second wife Eva very well indeed.

Best wishes - John W

Last edited by johnwetherill; 03-28-2008 at 09:31 AM..
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Old 03-28-2008, 03:50 PM
 
Location: Maryland
11 posts, read 25,558 times
Reputation: 11
Great John. Thanks so much for sharing this. I have a couple of things I've found out that I'll add to the above - and then I really will get that list together for you that includes it all -soon!

Len's wife Harriet's maiden name was Havalsen. She was born in Illinois and both her parents had emigrated to the US from Norway. She was living at the MCA commune in Waukesha in 1910 - single - so she and Len married sometime between the 1910 Census and his trip to Dresden, Ontario in 1914.

I was curious about the documentation I saw for Len's trip to Dresden, Ontario, so I checked with one of the lawyers in my office about the immigration laws then. (she and I have been working together for many years and were involved with two huge projects entailing historical research, some of which was used to establish claimants' immigration status). It seems likely that Len left the US in 1914 in order to re-enter and establish a valid entry date. If Len wanted to naturalize (and I think he eventually did), he needed a valid entry date. If there was any sort of problem with his original entry in 1907, like no certificate of arrival; entered under a temporary status; entered when there was some legal time limbo (since they had just revised the immigration law in 1906) then he needed this new date. The info I saw in the documentation for the 1914 crossing seems consistent with this. There is the question of why he spent 4 months in Canada - usually people left for about a week, or just long enough to get a permanent resident visa from the American Embassy in Canada, but maybe he was doing some missionary work up there.

Daughter Gertrude was living in the MCA commune in 1930. (poor kid).

If you to exchange email addresses, go ahead and use the 'direct message' feature of this website and send it to me - I'll respond with mine.


Til later!
Kathy
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Old 03-28-2008, 09:25 PM
 
Location: Maryland
11 posts, read 25,558 times
Reputation: 11
By the way, I love the idea of 'Ted the Tooth-puller'.
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