Father's Day

My father was John Joseph Babish.  He was born November 23, 1916, in Omaha, Nebraska and died October 20, 1985, in Lakewood, New Jersey.  His parents were Pietro Tommasso Butera (b. 1892, d. unknown) and Sophie Wiktorija Babiarz (b. 1890, d. 1953).  He was known by his given name Libero Butera until his mother left Omaha with him for Pennsylvania in 1922 to escape an abusive marriage.  From that point on he was known as John Babish.  He legally changed his name in 1940.

Here is the earliest picture I have of my father.  My grandmother marked it on the back sometime later.  Note how she calls him John Babish, even though the picture was presumably taken in Omaha in 1917 when he was still Libero Butera.  I can't figure out whether she intended the date to read, July 18, 1937, or July 18, 1917, which is when my father would have been eight months old.  Perhaps she was writing on the photo in 1937, and mistakenly wrote that year.

This is a picture of my father and grandmother.  It is marked on the back, "9 yeares [sic] old John Babish," in my grandmother's handwriting.  This was taken when they were living in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, the town in which my father lived while growing up.

This is John Babish in his army uniform.  It is stamped on the back, November, 1938 or 9 (the last digit of the year is not clear).   John served in the U.S. Army from October 25, 1937 until March 15, 1940.  He spent World War II working in war related industries in New Jersey.

This is a picture of my father taken in July 1940.  It is marked, "Avon-by-the-Sea," on the back.  He and my mother, Grace (Hamill) Babish, had been married about seven months when the photo was taken.

The final picture is my mother and father taken in May, 1983, near their retirement home in Lakewood, New Jersey.

Source: Babish Family Photographs original photographs; privately held by Daniel Babish, Columbia, Maryland, 2013.

Thomas Hamill Answers the Call - For a Price

My great grandfather, Thomas Hamill, served in the Civil War.  He enlisted on September 3rd, 1864, right near the end of the war and served less than ten months before being mustered out in June, 1865. [1]  I thought I'd focus on the circumstances surrounding his decision to enlist.

On July 18, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 500,000 volunteers in order to supply enough troops, hopefully, to end the Civil War, then in its fourth year. [2]  Newspapers, like the Newark Daily Advertiser, were quick to print the proclamation. [3]  The following image is from the July 19th issue.

A key feature of the call for volunteers was the payment of a bounty.  The Federal government offered a bounty of $100 for one year's service as described below in this excerpt from the July 19, 1864, Newark Daily Advertiser. [4]

Along with the call for volunteers was the threat of a military draft if not enough men signed up.  As the proclamation states, "And I hereby proclaim, order and direct that immediately after the fifth day of September, 1864...a draft for troops to serve for one year shall be held in every town, township, ward of a city, precinct, election district, or a county not so sub-divided, to fill the quota assigned to it..." [5]

The threat of a draft was enough make local jurisdictions scramble to fill their quotas.  In Elizabeth, New Jersey, Thomas Hamill's home, the Union County Board of Freeholders voted to pay its own bounty, in addition to the Federal bounty, to volunteers from that county.  Other towns in Union County also began offering their own bounties.  The article below from August 10, 1864, states that the Third Ward in Elizabeth offered a bounty of $400. [6]  

As I mentioned above, Thomas Hamill enlisted on September 3, 1864, right before the September 5th deadline in the call for volunteers specified by President Lincoln's proclamation.  I've already included the front of Thomas Hamill's enlistment document in another post (Decoration Day), but the back of the paper shows Thomas was paid $33.33 as the first installment of his government bounty. [7]  Although I haven't located documentation, I think it's likely that Thomas was also paid a local bounty, either by Union County, New Jersey, or by the City of Elizabeth, or his local ward.

It seems reasonable to assume that Thomas enlisted not only to serve the cause, but to help his family financially.  The large and growing Hamill family was poor.  The 1860 U.S. census record for the Hamill family shows Thomas, his wife Elizabeth, and six children. [8]  By 1864 a seventh child had been born. [9]  Thomas' occupation is listed as "Day Labor" in the census.  Thus, he had no consistent job at that time.  The lure of two bounty payments, a Federal one and a local one, which would help feed his family may have been enough to cause Thomas to answer the President's call.

[1] Thomas Hamill, Pvt., Battery B, 1 N.J. L. Artillery, Volunteer Enlistment, Compiled Military Service Records; Civil War; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780's-1917, National Archives record Group 94; National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.

[2] Abraham Lincoln: "Proclamation 116 - Calling for 500,000 Volunteers," July 18, 1864. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=69996.

[3] "Half a Million Men Called for, by the President of the United States of America: A Proclamation; 19 July 1864, p. 2, col. 1; accessed 24 May 2013,Newark Daily Advertiser, Newark, New Jersey, online images (www.genealogybank.com).

[4] "Half a Million Men Called for..."

[5 Lincoln: "Proclamation 116 - Calling for 500,000 Volunteers."

[6] "Volunteer Movements in Union County;" 10 August 1864, p. 2, col. 4; accessed 24 May 2013,Newark Daily Advertiser, Newark, New Jersey, online images (www.genealogybank.com).

[7] Thomas Hamill, Pvt., Battery B, 1 N.J. L. Artillery, Volunteer Enlistment, Compiled Military Service Records, Civil War, RG 94, NA-Washington.

[8] 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, New Jersey, Union [710], Database online. Census Place: Elizabeth Ward 1; Page: 424; Image: 422; Family History Library Film: 803710. page 86-7 [penned], Thomas Hamul household, dwelling 591, family 716; NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 710; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com); digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com).

[9] 1870 U.S. census, population schedule, New Jersey, Union [890], Database online. Census Place: Elizabeth Ward 2; Page: 378A; Image: 154; Family History Library Film: 552389, Thomas Hamel (Hamill) household, dwelling 355, family 375; NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 890; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com); digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com).

Not Only the Wealthy and Famous Lived at The Dakota

Not every family has a famous ancestor, but every family has some connection in its history with the great, famous, or noteworthy.  It's the six degrees of separation rule.  The connection doesn't always have to be to another person, however.

Consider The Dakota, an imposing apartment building located at 1 West 72nd Street on Manhattan's Upper West Side.  Completed in 1884, it has been home to the very wealthy and famous since it opened.   Among its more well known residents over the years were Judy Garland, Rudolph Nureyev, Boris Karloff, Lillian Gish, John Lennon, Leonard Bernstein and Gilda Radner. [1]

The Dakota, 1 W. 72nd St.
Source: "The Dakota" Wikipedia entry

A review of census records for the period 1910 to 1925 reveals that a number of heads of households at The Dakota were presidents of manufacturing or railroad companies, real estate or stock brokers, or lawyers. [2] [3] [4] [5] Many others were simply 'retired,' but living with several servants.  Here is the Frederick F. Steinway family entry in the 1925 New York State census of The Dakota.  Mr. Steinway's occupation is 'mfr [manufacturer] pianos.' [6]

As the book Life at the Dakota: New York's most unusual address puts it: "The Dakota was not only different and special, it was better - 'The only really good address on the West End,' as Mrs. M. A. Crate used to remind her friends." The book goes on to state, "Mrs. Crate was the building's first housekeeper and served in that capacity until her death in 1931 [sic]." [7] Mrs. Crate (who actually died in 1926, not 1931) was Irene's great great grandmother, Margaretta Argyle (Jones) Crate. [8]  From at least 1910 and perhaps earlier, she lived and worked at The Dakota.  Four census records document her residence and employment there.

In the 1910 U.S. census of Manhattan, Margaretta is listed as "Crate, Margareta," and her occupation is shown as "housekeeper." [9]  I've marked the census page below to show the address of the building and her entry on line 44.

The 1915 New York state census of Manhattan also contains an entry for Margaretta Crate. [10]  In this entry she is listed as "Crate, Margaret A.," and her occupation is listed as "servant (housekeeper)" on line 28.  She appears to be residing with the Edward Clark family.

In the 1920 U.S. census of Manhattan, Margaretta is listed as "Crate, Margaretta."  Her occupation is "Housekeeper/Hotel" as shown on line 36. [11]

At some point in the early 1920s, it appears The Dakota came to contain another of Irene's ancestors, her grandmother, Ida Mae Currey.  When Ida married Irene's grandfather, George Richard Crate, on August 21, 1923, her address as listed on her marriage certificate was "1 W. 72 Street" - The Dakota. [12]  Ida's new husband was the grandson of Margaretta A. Crate!

The 1925 New York state census of Manhattan contains Margaretta's last census entry.  On line 18, Margaretta is listed as "Crate, Margaretta," and her occupation is noted as "Housekeeper." [13]

The last year of Margaretta's life was spent living at her daughter Bertha's house in Cranford, New Jersey.  Bertha made sure Margaretta's obituary mentioned her mother's famous address when she died on October 27, 1926, but apparently she couldn't assure that the local paper would spell Crate or Dakota correctly. [14]  "Mrs. Crape [sic] was born at Minersville, Pa., but for many years had lived at The Dacotah [sic], New York City, until making her home here."

[1] Wikipedia contributors, "The Dakota," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dakota (accessed 31 May 2013).

[2] Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.Year: 1910; Census Place: Manhattan Ward 22, New York, New York; Roll: T624_1045; Pages: 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A; Enumeration District: 1304; FHL microfilm: 1375058, citing NARA microfilm publication T624.

[3] Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012; citing New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1915; Election District: 08; Assembly District: 15; City: New York; County: New York; Pages: 36-41.

[4] Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Year: 1920; Census Place: Manhattan Assembly District 7, New York, New York; Roll: T625_1197; Pages: 12A, 12B, 13A, 13B, 14A, 16A, 16B, 17A; Enumeration District: 553; Image: 827, citing NARA microfilm publication T625.

[5] New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 21; Assembly District: 07; City: New York; County: New York; Pages: 13-16. Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

[6] New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 21; Assembly District: 07; City: New York; County: New York; Page: 13, Frederick Steinway entry. Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

[7] Stephen Birmingham, Life at the Dakota: New York’s most unusual address (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1996), 63; digital image, Google Books (http://books.google.com: accessed 21 March 2010).

[8]  Division of Archives and Records Management, Death Certificates, New Jersey State Archives (Trenton, New Jersey, New Jersey State Archives), Margaretta Argyl Crate; North Plainfield, Somerset County, New Jersey; State of New Jersey, Certificate of Death; 27 October 1926.

[9] Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.Year: 1910; Census Place: Manhattan Ward 22, New York, New York; Roll: T624_1045; Page: 3A, Margareta Crate entry; Enumeration District: 1304; FHL microfilm: 1375058, citing NARA microfilm publication T624

[10] Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012; citing New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1915; Election District: 08; Assembly District: 15; City: New York; County: New York; Page: 36, Margaret A. Crate entry.

[11]  Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Year: 1920; Census Place: Manhattan Assembly District 7, New York, New York; Roll: T625_1197; Page: 16A, Margaretta Crate entry; Enumeration District: 553; Image: 827, citing NARA microfilm publication T625.

[12] New York, New York, Marriage Records NY City Municipal Archives, no. 30692, George R. Crate and Ida M. Currey marriage certificate, 21 August 1923; New York City Department of Records and Information Services, New York.

[13] New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 21; Assembly District: 07; City: New York; County: New York; Page: 16, Margaretta Crate entry. Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

[14] "Mrs. Margaretta Argyle Crape [Crate]," obituary, Cranford Citizen and Chronicle, 28 October 1926, p. 10; online images, The Cranford Library (www.cranford.com/library/ : downloaded 25 January 2010), Searchable Cranford Archive.