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Friday, August 25, 2017

HISTORY-Josiah Dennis Manse

I was going to go to the celebration but then remembered I do not like noise or crowds. so. Took a detour and took photos on my way back to the apartment on August 17 2017. Really wanted to checked out the old school house a bit more, maybe next time.


















I was there around noon and not a soul around.

Thursday, August 10, 2017

FAMILY-Lautenbach-Griffith - Vineland Training School

 After fooling around with non blood for too long I decided to tackle this!

Allen Leopold Griffith was my first cousin 2 times removed. Whatever that means! He was born 12th of September 1901 in Philadelphia to Nathan Michner Griffith and Mary K Lautenbach, better known as Auntie Mamie. Auntie Mamie was my 2nd great aunt- my grandfather Charles Edward Chrystie's aunt. Nathan was a lawyer in Orphans Court in Philadelphia for many years. He introduced my mother to buttermilk and let her eat fresh figs from the fig tree in his office.


Nathan and Mary appear in the 1900 census. But I cannot find them in 1910-1920-1930-1940. Found them after many tries. 1910-20-30 & 40!
1910 Nathan, Mary, Alan and Mary's mother Clara Lautenbach. Clara lists herself as married in 1910 and 1920  but Charles the husband is nowhere to be found. He died in 1922 and she in 1927. He died in Arkansas where he had supposedly remarried a Martha Chapman. Just to get it out of the way here are those four censuses.
1910 Nathan, wife Mary son Allen and Mary's mother Clara. It would make sense that Clara was there to care for Allen.

1920 Nathan, Mary son Allen and Mary's mother Clara

1930 Just Nathan and Mary. Allen is in Vineland and Clara died in 1927.

1940 census- Nathan and Mary





I digress. The focus here is on Allen. As the story goes when he was an infant; which in those days could mean anywhere from birth to 3 years old, a family friend was visiting and lifted him in the air. A bit too energetically and the child hit his head. Legend has it that he was never "right" again and drew clocks.

So we all knew that he was institutionalized at Vineland School in New Jersey. Not sure when. He appears in the 1930 census there and 1940. I know he died there. Mom says he was always dressed formally in a suit and white shirt and tie and was very handsome. I have no photos of him.

Vineland has gone through many transformations since it was founded back in the 1800s. In 1930 you were an inmate. Ten years later a student-pupil. Big difference in this politically correct world. I will provide here two links- one of the abandoned buildings of Vineland- the other of the wikipedia link describing the school. Interesting note- Pearl Buck the writer sent her daughter there. The 1940 census takes up 16 pages! Most of them students. One or two pages teachers and staff.
well the first link "died" so here is another.
Vineland Training school

Wikipedia link

1930 census for Allen as an inmate

Allen in the 1940 census as a pupil. Line 69

***
the 16 pages in order for Vineland School in 1940. Easier to browse 16 pages for an ancestor than doing a single search.

page one- clerks- administration- teachers researchers

page two attendants cooks butchers housekeeping

page three- nurses cooks plumbers teachers.
page four- pianist engineer, night attendant


page five- pupils- Acme- Bockian

page six- pupils- Bodley- Cotrell


page seven- Crane- Fichen


page eight- Flanagan - Hendricks

page nine- Hendricks- Holisch

page ten- Korzelius- McCurdy


page eleven- McKinley- Parliman

page twelve- Parsons- Rogers

page thirteen - Roloff- Stewart


page fourteen- Stratton- Wion ?

page fifteen- Weeth- Zuccarino


page sixteen- blank not sure why it was submitted-


enumerator Viola L  Fath
April 1940.