Engram Family Part 2

I told you the story of the Ingram/Engram family beginning with Jacob Sr and his wife Katherine Duy until her death in 1916. She left behind her husband and five children ages 22 through 10. Part 2 covers the family through the 1930s.

Jacob Jr. and World War I

In between 1916 and 1920, Jacob Jr., 22 years old, registered for the armed services in June of 1917. He began his military service on April 1, 1918 with Company C of the 312th Infantry, part of the 78th Division. This was a unit known as the “Black Cat Division” which participated in combat during the final weeks of the war in November 1918 engaging in the offensive known as the Pursuit Toward Sedan (Google AI). They shipped out of Brooklyn New York on May 20, 1918 on the Port Melbourne. However, Jacob was NOT on that ship. The passenger list indicates that he and 4 other soldiers were AWOL and 4 others were in the base hospital.

He was then attached to the 153rd Infantry Regiment which was activated for the war as part of the 39th Division. The soldiers in this regiment were used as replacements for soldiers in other units. These units were known as “Depot Brigades” and were established to receive, equip, and train new recruits for service before they were sent to the front lines. This lasted from May 19th through July 13th when he was transferred to Company I of the 49th Infantry and he shipped out of Brooklyn NY on the Regina D’Italia on July 18, 1918.

The primary purpose of 49th Infantry Regiment was to provide replacement troops for front-line combat units.

I don’t know whether Jacob endured any front line action while in France but it’s interesting to me that both he and my paternal grandfather, Charles Jakiela, both served in France in waning months of World War I.

He sailed home on the Imperator, a German ocean liner that had been seized after Germany’s surrender and used as a troop transport ship over three voyages returning over 25,000 troops, nurses and civilians to the United States. They landed in Hoboken New Jersey on July 13, 1919 and from there he traveled to Camp Merritt in New Jersey for his Honorable Discharge on July 23, 1919.

I’ve shared the family story, confirmed by my Aunt Judy, of my grandmother keeping the family Christmas tree up from December 1918 until his return. Was their affair going on during this time period? I don’t know and the discovery of Jacob as my biological grandfather wasn’t made until after she passed away. But I think if she or my Aunt Tootsie had an inkling of it, they would have spilled the beans!

Jacob went back home to the farm on the Pelham Parkway/Williamsbridge Road in the Bronx where we find them in the 1920 census. Jacob Sr is 57 and Jacob Jr is 24 and single. They are farming on leased land.

This is the point of his life, my grandmother’s life, really coincide because Jacob Jr. is my mother’s biological father. My grandparents and their 4 children were living in Yonkers NY according to the 1921 directory. At some point in 1921, they moved briefly to East Hampden Massachusetts, and then to New Britain Connecticut, where my mother was born on April 5, 1922. I will never know the circumstances surrounding this, but perhaps she found she was pregnant and decided it was time to get out of New York. The home where the family lived in New Britain was owned by one of her Ingram uncles and I’m still working on the concrete connection of Jacob Sr to this family.

By 1930, Jacob Jr is living in Flushing in Queens County New York. He is 34 years old, single and renting the home. Also living there is his sister, Elizabeth, her husband Albert Klein and their two children, Adeline, 8, and Robert, 3. His occupation is as a farmer of a “truck farm” and Albert is his assistant.

It is possible that Jacob Sr was involved in this farm as Aunt Joanne, my mother’s half sister, told me the following –
“My father made sure his father was cared for throughout his life. When my dad had his own farm in the late 20s…early 30s, his dad was involved. For a time my Grandpa was employed as a groundskeeper at Woodlawn Cemetery on the border of Bronx and Westchester. I’d say through the influence of my Dad.

It is also through this farm that Jacob Jr. met his wife, Anna Maria Augusta Winner. The Winner farm was adjacent to Jacob’s farm. Jacob and Anna were married on December 16, 1934 when Jacob was 39 and Anna was 24.

Something interesting – I have a postcard from, what looks like a postmark of 1934 sent from my mother when she would be 12 years old, to her “father” Konrad Posluszny, with a picture of the Paramount Theater in Brooklyn. She is with her mother. As hard as I try I can’t see the full date but I wonder if they were visiting Jacob and the family or would they have gone to Jacob and Anna’s wedding? Another thing we’ll never know.

The Sisters

Shortly after Katherine passed away, Theresa, Katherine, Elizabeth, Louise, and Hannah left their father, and brother Jacob, and moved to New York City. They show up in the 1920 Federal census living at 123 West 128th Street. Theresa is 26, a registered nurse, Katherine, 21, a sales lady, Elizabeth, 20, a telephone operator, Louise 12, a stenographer, and Hannah, 13 in school. I wonder what contact the daughters had with their father in the time after they left and during the time their brother was gone. According to Google AI, the approximate distance between the two locations is 9-10 miles. Factors affecting distance and travel would be the limited road network, paved versus unpaved roads, and mode of transportation.

Barbara Theresa / Tessa

On December 18, 1923, in Bronx NY, Theresa, 29, known as Tessa, marries George Francis Murphy, 34 born in New York City NY. He is one of five sons of John Murphy and Susan McAliney of New York City and is a longshoreman.

Louise is a witness to their marriage along with George’s brother John Jr. It’s fairly impossible to decipher the residence address but they did get married in the Bronx.

Theresa gives birth to a daughter Irene Theresa in May of 1927 and a daughter Rita Louise in April of 1931.

In the 1930 federal census, George, Theresa, and Irene, 3 years old are living at 59 Early Street in the Bronx and George is now a Draftsman for an electric company. Theresa is now “at home” and is no longer nursing. Although it’s listed “the Bronx”, they actually live on City Island. Mark and I were there for a wedding years ago!

Katherine and Louise

While Theresa was dating George Murphy and planning her wedding, Katherine and Louise were playing basketball! According to the Evening World on January 29, 1921, it was “a newly organized quintet composed of former high school girls” and was “desirous of booking games with any female team.”

The team was the Manhattan A.C. Lassies and they played their games at the Manhattan Casino at 155th Street and 8th Avenue. I cannot find any information by Googling the name of this team, the information is from Newspapers(dot)com. They also played at the Central Casino at 154th and Macombe place. They were so popular they played a championship game at Madison Square Garden!

Unfortunately, the roster was never listed and the articles faded out by November of 1923.

Katherine/Kathryn/Kitty and Louise continued to live together and in the 1930 federal census they are on Walton Avenue in the Bronx. They are 32 and 28 and both stenographers. Katherine for the Aviation industry, and Louise in insurance. The family story is Katherine worked as a secretary for Charles Lindbergh. Google says he didn’t have a business or an office so perhaps it was through the aviation company she worked for that she met him.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth has an interesting story….She got married on June 6, 1917 at the age of 19 to Barney Michkind, 24 years old. But, she’s in the 1920 federal census with the rest of her sisters and listed as single.

In 1922, she has a daughter Adeline with husband Albert Klein and a son Robert, in 1927.

The 1930 federal census, they are living on Kisseana Boulevard in Flushing New York and they are living with Jacob Jr. He is 34 and single, and Albert works with him as an assistant. It says Jacob has a “truck farm” in which he produced a variety of perishable fruits and vegetables and transported them to urban centers. The census says both Elizabeth and Albert were 21 when they got married. More on that story in the next post.

Hannah/Johanna/Joan

I’m going to assume that Katherine, Louise, and Hannah were all living together in the 1920s.

On June 1, 1927, Hannah, one month away from her 21st birthday, and listed as Johanna on the marriage license index, married Anton Zeiss Jr. who is 24 years old.

In the 1930 federal census, she and Anton are living in Pennsauken Township New Jersey which is outside of Philadelphia and by today’s traffic, 2 hours on the interstate. He is a draftsman for a radio company.

Recap –

In the 20 years after Katherine died, Jacob Jr was overseas in World War 1 and had a child (my mother). Barbara/Tessa got married and had 2 children. Katherine and Louise lived together, worked as stenographers and played basketball for a few years. Elizabeth got married, divorced and married(?) again and had 2 children. Hannah got married and moved to New Jersey.

More to come!