Without
Emmanuel Victor Dath and his wife Mary Louise Vandeweerden, many families
wouldn’t be possible. Their
descendents are scattered across the United States and other countries. In the U.S. their family legacy lives
on in South Carolina, North Carolina, Utah, California, South Dakota, Texas,
Florida, Colorado, Arizona, Delaware, New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, Oregon, Minnesota and Massachusetts….at least. The diversity of surnames with lineage to Emmanuel and
Louise includes Budin, Butler, Carr, Dath, Funk, Getto, Kane, Martin, McMeaken,
Patterson, Pestana, Platt, Post, Rettman, Sokol, St Louis, Wells,
Wheatley and many more.
Their legacy
continues to unfold and in many ways, so does their own story. There are many
tales yet to be heard and facts to be discovered. What we do know of Emmanuel
and Marie Louise gives us a window into their lives and times that are very
different from today. It is a story of great risk, reward, love, tragedy and a
few alleged family scandals!
To get to know
them and their story you have to travel back to Belgium first. I wish I could
take us all the way back to Ath Belgium, the origin of the Dath surname. The
town of Ath is located in the southern French-speaking Walloon province of
Hainaut. Dath or d’Ath means “from Ath.” But that isn’t where this story begins….at least not
yet. We’ll start by traveling
north of Ath to the Flemish-speaking region of East Flanders, Belgium to trace the roots of Emmanuel Dath and then follow his journey to America.
Emmanuel's birthplace
Emmanuel
Victor Dath was born on Wednesday, October 10, 1866 in Waasmunster, Belgium, a
Flemish-speaking province in East Flanders. His original Belgian birth record
and his United
States Petition for Naturalization document confirm this. At the time
of his birth, Belgium was a young country having won its independence in 1830
following an uprising against Dutch ruler William of Orange. Belgium’s first
king, King Leopold I, was the reigning “King of the Belgians” at the time of
Emmanuel’s birth. In the United States, Emmanuel’s future home, President
Andrew Johnson headed a country healing from the wounds of the Civil War and
the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Waasmunster
is nestled about halfway between the Belgian cities of Ghent and Antwerp in the
region of Waasland. The town sits about twice as far from the capital city of
Brussels to the southeast (45 minutes by car). Waasmunster owes its name
to the Romans who gave the name “Waas” to this area meaning “marshy land” and
the early presence of a monastic community (Wasiae – Monsterium). In 1237-38
nuns from the convent of Les Prez Prochins set up the abbey of Roosenberg near the Durme river, a small
tributary of the Schelde. (Note: The Schelde flows from France through Belgium and could have provided a means for the early Dath family to arrive in Waasmunster.) The
original abbey and multiple generations of it to follow were burned or
destroyed. Napoleon’s troops once
used the abbey as barracks. Emmanuel would have seen the second generation of
the abbey. The third generation of
Abdij van Roosenberg , built in 1975, still stands in the town of
Emmanuel Dath’s birth. Today, you can even enjoy a Belgian beer that honors the
history of the abbey…Abji van Roosenberg blond!
While
Waasmunster boasts three castles or large manor homes, it never rose to the
prominence of many neighboring towns and cities. Agriculture and sheep—they helped fuel the Belgian textile industry—were likely features of the
landscape at the time of Emmanuel’s birth in 1866. Waasmunster was small enough that an 1866 map of the region doesn’t note it or the Durme River. The closest towns on the map
are Lokeren and Dendermonde. Around 10,000 people live in Waasmunster today.
Emmanuel’s family roots
Emmanuel was the son of Melania Dath and a father to be named. His birth record has been translated to read, "In the year 1866, October 11, at 3 hours in the afternoon in front of mr .... employee of the town of Dendermonde, province of Oost Vlaanderen, Blondina van vynck, midwife 75 years old, living in the city, has presented a male child, born the day before at 10 o'clock in the morning to Melania Dath, 19 years old, living in the city, unmarried daughter of Michel Dath, carpenter, and Maria Carolina De Maere, at home of his parents, in the municipality, [Possibly "Schietakkerstraat" or "Shooting street" or "Stationsstraat"], and wanted to give the full name of Emanuel Dath." The circumstances surrounding his birth impacted every generation thereafter. The Dath surname that Emmanuel inherited comes from his mother, Melania, not from his father [name unknown].
Emmanuel was the son of Melania Dath and a father to be named. His birth record has been translated to read, "In the year 1866, October 11, at 3 hours in the afternoon in front of mr .... employee of the town of Dendermonde, province of Oost Vlaanderen, Blondina van vynck, midwife 75 years old, living in the city, has presented a male child, born the day before at 10 o'clock in the morning to Melania Dath, 19 years old, living in the city, unmarried daughter of Michel Dath, carpenter, and Maria Carolina De Maere, at home of his parents, in the municipality, [Possibly "Schietakkerstraat" or "Shooting street" or "Stationsstraat"], and wanted to give the full name of Emanuel Dath." The circumstances surrounding his birth impacted every generation thereafter. The Dath surname that Emmanuel inherited comes from his mother, Melania, not from his father [name unknown].
Melania was born
June 4, 1847. The name Melania is a variant of the English name
Melanie. The name “Melania” has
largely disappeared from use in Belgium today. Melania’s parents, Emmanuel’s grandparents, were Michel Dath
(1820 – 1893 dates to be confirmed) and Maria Carolina De Maer (1822 – 1875 dates to be confirmed). Putting these dates
into perspective, consider that Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell were
born the same year as Melania.
That means access to household electricity and telephones were years
away for the Dath family in Belgium. Melania's father Michel was born while James
Madison stood as President of the United States and only five years after Emperor Napolean was
defeated near Waterloo in present-day Belgium (then part of the United Kingdom
of the Netherlands).
Emmanuel’s
mother, Melania, had several siblings. Between 1844 and 1858 all the Daths
found in the birth records for the town of Waasmunster, Belgium belong to her
family. No Dath family records were found in Waasmunster for prior
years. Known siblings at this time
include: Emile Dath, born June 1844; Gustave Dath, born December 22,
1845; Sidonie Dath, born May 1, 1849; Marie Dath, born October 24, 1850;
Octavianus Dath, born April 1852; Sophie Dath, born January 1854; Albertus
Dath, born August 1856; Sidonie Sophie Dath, born May 1858. Not much is
known of Melania's siblings. Only Guatave Dath has been found in later
records thus far. Gustave Dath married Marie Elisabeth Rombauts on November 3,
1872 in Meechlen,
Belgium, a town not far from Waasmunster.
There is a record for a Melania Dath who was married to Josephus De Keirsmaeker from Tielrode, Belgium (a town not far from Waasmunster). It is unknown if this was Emmanuel's mother. On May 3, 1877 Josephus died. If this was Emmanuel's mother, then we know he had at least one sibling (half or full) from this marriage. The Melania Dath that was married to Josephus had at least one child, Maria Sylvia who married in 1883.
There is a record for a Melania Dath who was married to Josephus De Keirsmaeker from Tielrode, Belgium (a town not far from Waasmunster). It is unknown if this was Emmanuel's mother. On May 3, 1877 Josephus died. If this was Emmanuel's mother, then we know he had at least one sibling (half or full) from this marriage. The Melania Dath that was married to Josephus had at least one child, Maria Sylvia who married in 1883.
We do know for sure that Emmanuel had siblings. He appears to have been Melania’s oldest child as he is the
first and only child of hers to be found in Waasmunster records. However, a
brother named Jan Frans Dath appears in Brussels records. Jan Frans Dath,
was born on February 2, 1879 when Emmanuel was 12 years old. A Belgian marriage record confirms all
of this for Jan Frans. When Jan Frans Dath married Barbara Van Stigel on
December 29, 1902 in Brussels, his birth date was recorded. Also, the
record identifies Melania as the mother of Jan Frans and Emmanuel as his
brother. No father is recorded in the transcribed document.
Other known
siblings of Emmanuel are half brothers and sisters. Melania Dath married
Jacobus (Jaak) Campens on July 2, 1881 in Brussels. This was at least the
second marriage for Jacobus. From her marriage with Jacobus it appears
Melania had three children: Celestina Hendrika Campens (born 1884);
August Campens (born 1887); Juliana Campens (born 1890). Melania
was listed as the mother of the bride when Celestina Campens married Jan Frans
Boterdael on April 10, 1906. Melania is identified as the mother of the groom
when August Campens married Anna Maria Spruyt on May 27, 1909 in Belgium. Jacobus was deceased at the times of these weddings. It appears he died
in 1891.
One thing to
note is that years later Emmanuel’s death certificate recorded his father as
“Jacob Dath”. It is possible that
this was a reference to Jacobus Campens, his presumed stepfather. Of course it might be possible that Jacobus was the unnamed father Emmanuel that was left off of Emmanuel's birth certificate. More puzzling is that Emmanuel’s mother
is listed as “Jane ____” on Emmanuel's death certificate. The last name is not decipherable. This might suggest that his mother Melania was known as
Jane, not by her given name.
Or it could be some sort of confusion in the family as information was
passed down and possibly obscured either intentionally or unintentionally.
There are no known pictures of Emmanuel in his younger years nor any of his parents or siblings. Fortunately, there are documents that describe him later in life that give us a clue to his youthful look. At age 45 he was described as being 5' 7" and 160 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair. Those blue eyes would surface again and again in later generations.
There are no known pictures of Emmanuel in his younger years nor any of his parents or siblings. Fortunately, there are documents that describe him later in life that give us a clue to his youthful look. At age 45 he was described as being 5' 7" and 160 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair. Those blue eyes would surface again and again in later generations.
Emmanuel gets married and starts a family in Belgium
With his Marriage to Zoe, Emile Jake Dath's family began to grow and he began to move about the country. Emile and Zone's first child was Louise Dath (Later: Gormely), born July 11, 1915 in Nebraska. This is where the story gets interesting. Members of the Poublon family record that Louise Dath was not the natural born child of Emile and Zoe, but rather adopted from Zoe's brother Maurice Isadore Poublon (1898 - 1963) and his wife Louise DeBusshire Poublon (1900 - 1950).
Robert Jake Dath, born September 10, 1917 in Montana was the second member of Emile and Zoe's family. Emile's World War I draft registration card (1917 - 1918) shows him living in Laurel, Montana, working for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company as a mechanic. For some reason the card identifies Mulhausen, Alsace Lorraine as his birth place. That is the only time I found such a reference. There is also an almanac for Montana that shows Emile working as a mechanic for the railroad.
So, the question becomes why did Emile and Zoe move to Nebraska and Montana to begin with? Different people in the family have offered offered up reasons based on family rumors. One of the more scandalous reasons offered was that Emile may have secured a family inheritance from Belgium that was not entirely his and fled West. A less scandalous suggestion (but one that could be related) is that Emile went westward to get involved in raising sheep for the wool industry he knew so well. It is also possible that they weren't entirely alone in planning this western adventure. We know for sure that Zoe had Poublon family connections in Nebraska too (Maurice and Louise Poublon at least). An interesting tale passed down by some is that part of the western journey might have actually involved some time in a horse and wagon.
If raising sheep seems like a stretch idea for someone who appears to have had zero experience with farm life, consider that Emile and Zoe tried raising sheep years later when he "retired" to a farm in Perkasie, Pennsylvania.
Research on Emile's military service record is incomplete, but records indicate that he served from March 28, 1918 - May 20, 1919. Upon returning, Emile rejoined his family in Newton, Massachusetts, living at 6 Silver Lake Ave. He began working in woolen mills according to the 1920 Census. Zoe worked in a woolen mill as well. Their family would grow by one in Massachusetts, with the arrival of Edward Emile on August 20, 1920. At some point they moved back to Passaic, N.J. where several of Zoe's relatives resided.
Around 1921 Emile took a position with Kent Mills Manufacturing. The following is taken from a 1921 publication of America's Textile Reporter: "Emile J. Dath, formerly associated with the Forstmann & Hoffmann Company, Passaic, N.J., and Thoma Wolstenholme Sons & Company, Philadelphia, is now with the Runnymede Worsted Mills of the Kent Manufacturing Company, at Clifton Heights, Pa." His father Emmanuel also moved to Clifton Heights to work for Kent Manufacturing. Records indicate that Emmanuel was in Newton Massachusetts through at least 1923.
Emile and Zoe's other children would be born in Upper Darby Pennsylvania in an area adjacent to the mills and Clifton Heights. Today that neighborhood is known as Drexel Hill, but back then is was likely called Oakview or even Kellyville. Russell George Dath was born May 7, 1922; Roy Alfred was born July 12, 1923; Emile Jake Jr., was born October 18, 1924; Muriel Zoe (Dath) Martin (and later Funk) was born about 1925; Zoe Sarah Dath (Later: Wells) was born about 1926; Irene Jane Dath (Later: Post) was born about 1927. The 1920s mark the beginning of an era in which the Emile and Emmanuel Dath became heavily involved, and were apparently very successful, working for Kent Manufacturing. (Note: Kent Manufacturing operates today as Kentwool based out of Pickens, South Carolina).
August Dath
The second oldest of Emmanuel and Marie Lousie married on July 1, 1912. August Dath was 20 and his bride, Annie Josephine Post (B: 2/23/1893, Cambridge, MA > D: 6/27/1984, Medina, OH), was 19. They married in Newton, MA. Annie's parents were Albert Post and Anna Joyce. Her parents were French Canadians. It appears August and Anna had only one child, Anna Louise Dath, born July 6, 1913. Sadly, Anna only lived a few months, dying October 19, 1913 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Based on the 1910 census we know that August Dath was an machinist in a woolen mill in Newton, Massachusetts at the start of the decade. His 1914 Petition for Naturalization identifies his occupation as "Overseer in drawing.” By 1917-1918 he was in the military. A 1920 census record might shed more light on his whereabouts and activities, but it has not been discovered yet.
Jeanne (Jane) Dath
Jeanne Dath is listed as a sewer in blanket factory in the 1910 US Census. She was about 15 at the time. At the end of the decade the 1920 US Census found her engaged in a sewing job in a worsted (woolen) mill and living with her parents and her sister Marie. Before the decade was out she married Harry E. Butler (B: 10/25/1896, Newton, MA; D: 12/14/1987, Paris, Oxford, ME). Jane and Harry were married February 22, 1920 by Robert L. Rae, a clergyman from Newton, Massachusetts. In the decade ahead they had seven children.
Marie Dath
The 1920 US Census indicates that Marie Dath was living with her parents. Sometime shortly thereafter she married William Fenton Hunnefield (B: 1/5/1899, Dedham, MA > D: 8/28/1976, Nantucket, MA). In the 1920s and William Hunnefield would become a professional baseball player. He was an infielder who played for the Chicago White Sox (see baseball card) and Cleveland Indians of the American League and the Boston Braves and New York Giants of the National League in a six-season career from 1926 to 1931. In the next decade they would have two children, Marcia (B: Sept 10, 1920, MA) and Joyce (B: 7/16/1928, IL > D: 11/28/1992, Richmond, VA).
Gerard Henry Dath
The youngest of Emmanuel's kids, Gerard Henry Dath was still a child in 1910. By the time World War I emerged he was able to enlist, possibly in the Marines. At the time he was living at 254 Pearl Street, Newton, Massachusetts, just blocks from the previous addresses he had lived at with his parents. Like his older siblings, Gerard Henry Dath married just before the decade was out. In 1919 Gerard Henry married Ardella Porter (B: 11/7/1899, ME > D: 2/6/1997). Henry was 18 and Ardella was 19. Ardella's mother's maiden name was Davis and was from Maine. Her father was from Canada. Over the next two decades they would have three children: Lola M. McHugh (B: 5/1920); Dorothy (Dorrie) (B: Abt. 1929) and Gerard Henry Jr. (B: 5/1932).
End of an era: The passing of Emmanuel and Louise Dath
Emmanuel and Marie Louise
The 1930 US Census found Emmanuel and Louise living at 48 W. Berkley Ave., Clifton Heights, PA. He was a "superintendent" at a local woolen mill, Kent Mills. Unfortunately, tragedy would befall them in the 1930s. On September 9, 1931 Marie Louise died at age 60 and 7 months. To make things more difficult, the cause of death was ruled "strangulation by suicide" brought on by "temporary derangement." Family tradition indicates that she fought a painful battle with cancer leading her to this desperate act.
On November 13, 1932, a little over a year after Marie Louise passed away, Emmanuel Dath died while in Wayland, Massachusetts. His body was returned to Pennsylvania, where he was buried "from the home of his son Emile Dath" who was working for the Kent Manfacturing Company in Oakview, PA (now known as Drexel Hill, Upper Darby, PA), a short distance from Emmanuel's residence from a year prior. One notice reported that, "The Kent Manufacturing Company showed their respect for Mr. Dath by closing one of their mills where he held an official position for many years." Emmanuel was buried with his wife at Mount Zion Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania (see their memorial).
Emmanuel's official death registration document recorded for Wayland, MA, does provide a bit of intrigue. The record clearly lists "Jacob Dath" of Belgium as his father. We know from his birth record that he was born to an unwed Meliania Dath. So, who is Jacob? Was Jacob a reference to his stepfather, Jacobus Campens? To add to the confusion, the mother in his birth records is listed as Jane. I can't read the last name (It appears to start with a "Wa..."). Was Melania also known as Jane? What is to be made of her last name not being Dath then? Hopefully future research will yield some answers.
Emmanuel Dath married Marie (later “Mary”) Louise Vanderweerde around
1887. More research is needed to find the exact date and location. He
would have been about 21 and she would have been about 17. His wife,
Marie Louise, was born January 24, 1871 in Belgium to August
Vanderweerde and Marie Jeanne (Van something….last name unclear). There
are varying spellings of her surname in the records (e.g., Van de
Weerde). There is ample evidence that a spelling often repeated on the
Internet and scribbled on the back of some family photos, Vanmulyda, is completely erroneous. Both her
official death record and various marriage records for her children
support this position. "Vanmuldya" is a misnomer most likely rooted in
poor spelling and/or faulty interpretations of notations found in ship
manifests and/or census records. Marie Louise had at least two siblings,
brothers Charles and Louis.
Emmanuel
and Marie Louise had at least five children in Belgium. Knowing their
family history, it is easy to see where some of their names came from.
Emile Jacques (Jake) Dath was born July 20, 1888; August Dath, was born
September 6, 1892; Jeanne (later “Jane”) Dath, was born November 1,
1895; Marie Dath, was born January 20, 1898; Gerard Henry Dath, was born
June 9, 1900.
While we don’t have a complete picture of how Emmanuel and Marie Louise supported
their family in Belgium, there are some clues in various Brussels
almanacs. The almanacs are essentially the address books and many also recorded
occupations.
The 1902 Almanac for Brussels finds people likely to be Emmanuel and Marie Louise living at 988 Chausee de Mons., Brussels. You can visit this address
on Google Maps today. This address is in Anderlecht, which is a
municipality within the capital of Brussels. There are other records in
which the Dath family indicates they are from Anderlecht. Nobody else
with the name of Dath is found in the almanac. At the time, his
occupation was listed as "poissons fumes et a la daube," which Google
Translate interprets as "smoked fish and beef stew." A second occupation for Emmanuel that
same year is found in the wedding records for his brother Jan Frans.
There his occupation is listed as “metsersgast,” which Google translates
as “mason’s guest” (mason’s apprentice?). That title is consistent with the course Emmanuel would follow in years to come.
The 1904 City of Brussels' Almanac finds Emmanuel and Marie Louise living at 1054 Chausee de Mons., Brussels. At this time his occupation is identified as a
"Aunages" is a reference to a measurement of cloth. Combined and with "merceries" this suggests that she had a shop
The last early 1900 Brussels almanac to reference a Dath was the 1904 edition. Why? Emmanuel and Marie Louise journeyed to the United States in 1906.
"Aunages" is a reference to a measurement of cloth. Combined and with "merceries" this suggests that she had a shop
The last early 1900 Brussels almanac to reference a Dath was the 1904 edition. Why? Emmanuel and Marie Louise journeyed to the United States in 1906.
Immigration
The journey
Emmanuel Dath (age 39), Marie Louise Dath (age 36) and their son August Dath (age 14) are the first of their family known to immigrate to the United States. They first journeyed from Belgium (possibly via the Netherlands) to Harwich, England before they boarded a ship in Liverpool headed for the United States in September 1906. A United Kingdom embarkation document for Liverpool verifies these details. There are some Liverpool dockside scene from that period captured in pictures.
We do know something more of the longer leg of the immigrant journey, the one from Liverpool to New York. The family traveled aboard Cunard Lines' RMS Lucania, a British steamship launched in 1893. A robust (but incomplete) history of of the Lucania's transatlantic voyages (not including Emmanuel's) is published online. It is clear from this history that many thousands of immigrants across Europe preceded the Dath family as passengers on the Lucania. Not many would follow them. The Lucania was decommisioned less than a year after Emmanuel's journey.
A ship picture and postcard paint a picture of what Emmanuel and his family saw dockside in Liverpool. A deck plan for the ship walks you through the layout of the ship. What class the Dath family traveled in has yet to be confirmed, but it seems likely that they were in 3rd class since later family trips were in 3rd class. The Lucania had accommodations for 600 1st class, 400 2nd class and 1,000 3rd class passengers and over 400 crew. Cunard describes in detail aspects of the Lucania and her sister ship the Campania in a 1902 brochure about Cunard. The ship was over 622 feet in length and 65 feet in width. For comparison, the Titanic was 883 feet long and 92 feet wide.
As reflected in the numerous pictures and illustrations within the Cunard brochure, first class accommodations on the Lucania and Campania were stunning in their prime. Many rooms were Renaissance and Elizabethan era inspired. Grand dining halls, libraries, and outside promenades might remind you of the famed Titanic. It is fun to think that maybe Emmanuel and his family were able to catch at least a glimpse of this. There are pictures showing 2nd class state room accommodations and 3rd class accommodations (2-berth and 4-berth rooms) aboard the Lucania and Campania. There are also images of the 2nd Class Dining Saloon. You can't help but wonder what the environment was like for the Dath family as they traveled aboard. Cunard describes the basic accommodations and amenities like this:
"...there are some eighty-five second-class state rooms of various sizes, besides a handsome dining saloon, an adequately-furnished drawing room, and a comfortable smoking room. Of this accommodation, as well as that which is devoted to the third-class passengers, which is in every respect excellent, and an immense improvement on the sort of thing which constituted the 'steerage ' of earlier days..."
Arrival
On a fair weather day, Saturday, September 22, 1906, Emmanuel Dath, Marie Louise and August arrived on board the Lucania at Ellis Island, New York. That year an estimated 5,099 Belgian immigrants passed through Ellis Island (out of 1.1 million immigrants). They disembarked after an estimate 8-day journey from Liverpool, England (plus whatever time it took to get to Liverpool from Belgium). Eight days is a bit longer than average for this ship, so the calculation could be off by 2-3 days, or maybe they encountered circumstances that slowed their transit. They had $120 with them to start a new life in the United States. Adjusted for inflation, that is about $3,000 in 2011.
While we can't see Emmanuel and his family disembarking from the Lucania, there is 1906 film footage of immigrants at Ellis Island on YouTube today. An article, “Ellis Island: Gateway to America for European Immigrants – Working of a Receiving Station is which Five Thousand Immigrants may be Examined in a Single Day.” (Commercial America, Volume III, Number 1, July 1906, P. 12-13) gives you a real feel for the experience too:
"When a vessel carrying immigrants reaches New York harbor and has passed the preliminary inspection and the inspection of the quarantine officials, the immigrants are taken off on barges belonging to the Immigration Service, and these barges are brought to Ellis Island and tied up at a convenient landing stage immediately beside the station.
The immigrants, on landing, are passed at once to rooms in the lower floor of the building where they are grouped for convenience in examination. When the examining officials are ready, the Immigrants start in line up wide stairways leading into the main receiving-hall. Near the head of the stairs stands the first of the medical inspectors, whose duty it is to examine each immigrant as to the condition of his head and scalp and for any general deformity.
The immigrant next passes to the second inspector who examines him for any deformity of hands or feet and for any evidence of scrofulous or tuberculosis scars on the neck. The third inspector at the end of the inspectors’ alley examines for any contagious or evident difficulty with the eyes.
The grouping of the immigrants in these alleys is done according to numbered tickets, which correspond, to the immigrant’s number on the ships manifest. When the immigrants enter the vessel in Europe they are classed into groups of 30 and separate manifests, or lists, are made out for each group. These manifests must give the name, sex, age, and the general description of each immigrant, together with his nationality, his point of departure, and his destination. It must also show something of his general character, including such questions as to whether he is a polygamist or anarchist, and whether he has ever been in any almshouse, insane asylum, or other charitable Institution. It must also show the approximate amount of money he has and mast indicate pretty clearly whether he is in a position to make his own living after he reaches the country.
The immigrant, after being assigned to the proper alley, is brought before an inspector who puts him through an examination, which is designed to check up the information, which is given on the ships manifest. After this examination, he is passed to the proper waiting room, to which he goes by way of two or three other inspectors who give him an examination covering different features.
Those Immigrants, who expect to go direct to New York City, and to remain there, are sent to a special waiting room, where they are taken to New York on the Immigration Bureau ferry, Ellis Island, and are landed at the famous barge office at Battery Park."
It turns out Emmanuel did plan going directly to New York City. Emmanuel indicated that they were headed to the household of a friend, D. Bogaert, who lived at 650 W. 158th Street in New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood (north Manhatten). The building that stood there at in 1906 is gone, but some of the neighboring walk-up brownstone houses still stand and give you a sense for the sights that likely greeted Emmanuel, Marie Louise and August during their first days in America. It is worth noting that Belgian marriage records indicate that someone with the last name Bogaert attended the wedding of Emmanuel’s brother Jan Frans in 1902, so this might have been a very close family connection.
The world Emmanuel and his family stepped into differed not only in language (they identified themselves as Flemish speaking), but in politics and culture. Theodore Roosevelt was President of the United States. The September 22, 1906 headlines of the New York Tribune (which sold for just 3 cents) featured U.S. - Cuba tensions (Marines and sailors had arrived to protect U.S. interests). Another headline that day addressed the possible rise in the price of milk from 8 cents to 9 or 10 cents a quart. The paper contained advertisements for round-trip NYC to Atlantic City trips for just $2.50 on the Pennsylvania Railroad. The sports page featured the pennant race in baseball. The Chicago Cubs, with 107 wins had topped the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds and were well ahead of the National League pack. The Yankees, playing the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, swept a double header and were leading the American League. The White Sox would go on to upset the Cubs in the Worlds Series later that year.
More family journey to America
Emmanuel Dath (age 39), Marie Louise Dath (age 36) and their son August Dath (age 14) are the first of their family known to immigrate to the United States. They first journeyed from Belgium (possibly via the Netherlands) to Harwich, England before they boarded a ship in Liverpool headed for the United States in September 1906. A United Kingdom embarkation document for Liverpool verifies these details. There are some Liverpool dockside scene from that period captured in pictures.
We do know something more of the longer leg of the immigrant journey, the one from Liverpool to New York. The family traveled aboard Cunard Lines' RMS Lucania, a British steamship launched in 1893. A robust (but incomplete) history of of the Lucania's transatlantic voyages (not including Emmanuel's) is published online. It is clear from this history that many thousands of immigrants across Europe preceded the Dath family as passengers on the Lucania. Not many would follow them. The Lucania was decommisioned less than a year after Emmanuel's journey.
A ship picture and postcard paint a picture of what Emmanuel and his family saw dockside in Liverpool. A deck plan for the ship walks you through the layout of the ship. What class the Dath family traveled in has yet to be confirmed, but it seems likely that they were in 3rd class since later family trips were in 3rd class. The Lucania had accommodations for 600 1st class, 400 2nd class and 1,000 3rd class passengers and over 400 crew. Cunard describes in detail aspects of the Lucania and her sister ship the Campania in a 1902 brochure about Cunard. The ship was over 622 feet in length and 65 feet in width. For comparison, the Titanic was 883 feet long and 92 feet wide.
As reflected in the numerous pictures and illustrations within the Cunard brochure, first class accommodations on the Lucania and Campania were stunning in their prime. Many rooms were Renaissance and Elizabethan era inspired. Grand dining halls, libraries, and outside promenades might remind you of the famed Titanic. It is fun to think that maybe Emmanuel and his family were able to catch at least a glimpse of this. There are pictures showing 2nd class state room accommodations and 3rd class accommodations (2-berth and 4-berth rooms) aboard the Lucania and Campania. There are also images of the 2nd Class Dining Saloon. You can't help but wonder what the environment was like for the Dath family as they traveled aboard. Cunard describes the basic accommodations and amenities like this:
"...there are some eighty-five second-class state rooms of various sizes, besides a handsome dining saloon, an adequately-furnished drawing room, and a comfortable smoking room. Of this accommodation, as well as that which is devoted to the third-class passengers, which is in every respect excellent, and an immense improvement on the sort of thing which constituted the 'steerage ' of earlier days..."
Arrival
On a fair weather day, Saturday, September 22, 1906, Emmanuel Dath, Marie Louise and August arrived on board the Lucania at Ellis Island, New York. That year an estimated 5,099 Belgian immigrants passed through Ellis Island (out of 1.1 million immigrants). They disembarked after an estimate 8-day journey from Liverpool, England (plus whatever time it took to get to Liverpool from Belgium). Eight days is a bit longer than average for this ship, so the calculation could be off by 2-3 days, or maybe they encountered circumstances that slowed their transit. They had $120 with them to start a new life in the United States. Adjusted for inflation, that is about $3,000 in 2011.
While we can't see Emmanuel and his family disembarking from the Lucania, there is 1906 film footage of immigrants at Ellis Island on YouTube today. An article, “Ellis Island: Gateway to America for European Immigrants – Working of a Receiving Station is which Five Thousand Immigrants may be Examined in a Single Day.” (Commercial America, Volume III, Number 1, July 1906, P. 12-13) gives you a real feel for the experience too:
"When a vessel carrying immigrants reaches New York harbor and has passed the preliminary inspection and the inspection of the quarantine officials, the immigrants are taken off on barges belonging to the Immigration Service, and these barges are brought to Ellis Island and tied up at a convenient landing stage immediately beside the station.
The immigrants, on landing, are passed at once to rooms in the lower floor of the building where they are grouped for convenience in examination. When the examining officials are ready, the Immigrants start in line up wide stairways leading into the main receiving-hall. Near the head of the stairs stands the first of the medical inspectors, whose duty it is to examine each immigrant as to the condition of his head and scalp and for any general deformity.
The immigrant next passes to the second inspector who examines him for any deformity of hands or feet and for any evidence of scrofulous or tuberculosis scars on the neck. The third inspector at the end of the inspectors’ alley examines for any contagious or evident difficulty with the eyes.
The grouping of the immigrants in these alleys is done according to numbered tickets, which correspond, to the immigrant’s number on the ships manifest. When the immigrants enter the vessel in Europe they are classed into groups of 30 and separate manifests, or lists, are made out for each group. These manifests must give the name, sex, age, and the general description of each immigrant, together with his nationality, his point of departure, and his destination. It must also show something of his general character, including such questions as to whether he is a polygamist or anarchist, and whether he has ever been in any almshouse, insane asylum, or other charitable Institution. It must also show the approximate amount of money he has and mast indicate pretty clearly whether he is in a position to make his own living after he reaches the country.
The immigrant, after being assigned to the proper alley, is brought before an inspector who puts him through an examination, which is designed to check up the information, which is given on the ships manifest. After this examination, he is passed to the proper waiting room, to which he goes by way of two or three other inspectors who give him an examination covering different features.
Those Immigrants, who expect to go direct to New York City, and to remain there, are sent to a special waiting room, where they are taken to New York on the Immigration Bureau ferry, Ellis Island, and are landed at the famous barge office at Battery Park."
It turns out Emmanuel did plan going directly to New York City. Emmanuel indicated that they were headed to the household of a friend, D. Bogaert, who lived at 650 W. 158th Street in New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood (north Manhatten). The building that stood there at in 1906 is gone, but some of the neighboring walk-up brownstone houses still stand and give you a sense for the sights that likely greeted Emmanuel, Marie Louise and August during their first days in America. It is worth noting that Belgian marriage records indicate that someone with the last name Bogaert attended the wedding of Emmanuel’s brother Jan Frans in 1902, so this might have been a very close family connection.
The world Emmanuel and his family stepped into differed not only in language (they identified themselves as Flemish speaking), but in politics and culture. Theodore Roosevelt was President of the United States. The September 22, 1906 headlines of the New York Tribune (which sold for just 3 cents) featured U.S. - Cuba tensions (Marines and sailors had arrived to protect U.S. interests). Another headline that day addressed the possible rise in the price of milk from 8 cents to 9 or 10 cents a quart. The paper contained advertisements for round-trip NYC to Atlantic City trips for just $2.50 on the Pennsylvania Railroad. The sports page featured the pennant race in baseball. The Chicago Cubs, with 107 wins had topped the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds and were well ahead of the National League pack. The Yankees, playing the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, swept a double header and were leading the American League. The White Sox would go on to upset the Cubs in the Worlds Series later that year.
More family journey to America
Emmanuel’s
oldest known son, Emile Jacques (Jake) Dath, arrived April 3, 1907 at
age 18 on the Kroonland. He arrived under the name Jaques Dath with $20
and plans to visit his father in Newton, Massachusetts.
Eight months later, on Christmas Eve 1907, Marie Louise Dath arrived at Ellis Island again. This time she traveled on the Zeeland,
which set out from Antwerp, Belgium on December 14. On this occasion
she arrived with three of her children: Jeanne Dath (Age 11); Marie Dath
(Age 9); Gerard Henry Dath (Age 7). Her mother, Jeanne Vanderweerde
(Age 56) arrived with her. Marie Louise indicated that her brother
Louis was still back in Belgium. She also indicated that she was headed
to 36 Gray St, Newton, Massachusetts, to be with her husband Emmanuel.
She was carrying $50.
Getting to work
On the ship manifest for the Lucania Emmanuel’s occupation is identified as “weaver.” It wasn't long after arriving in the US that Emmanuel got to work supporting his family employing his "weaver" experience. One of Emmanuel's earliest efforts at making a living was in the textile mills of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Woonsocket was a large textile center with a number of "French mills" that included a significant number of Belgian immigrants. However, his days in Rhode Island were relatively brief. Within a few months his family set up residence in Newtown, Massachusetts, another area rich in textile mills.
Emmanuel also demonstrated that he had an entrepreneurial streak early on. Building on his experience working with D'Aoust Brothers in Brussels' wool industry, Emmanuel marketed "Dath Wool Oil" and "Dath Wool Soap" in trade publications like the American Textile Reporter. In 1907 the soap was marketed as the "The Best Soap for the Cleaning and Scouring of Wools Ever Made" and used in the "Great Woolen Mills of Europe for over 30 Years."
Family connections to the homeland
In January 1912, just a few months before the Titanic would sink on its transatlantic voyage, Marie Louise’s brother Charles Vanderweerden (or Van der Weerde) traveled from Antwerp on the Manatou with his wife Rosalie. Charles was born in Anderlecht, the same Belgian area the Dath's resided in before departing. Rosalie was born in a different town, possibly Houffalize (the handwriting on the ship manifest is difficult to read). Charles indicated that his mother (Marie Louise’s mother) was back in Belgium living at 2 du Drapeau in Anderclecht. So, maybe Jeanne Vanderweerde, who we know visited Emmanuel and Marie Louise earlier, never stayed in the US. Charles and Rosalie headed to Newtown, Massachusetts to be with Emmanuel and Marie Louise. No records have been found indicating that they decided to permanetly stay in the United States.
Getting to work
On the ship manifest for the Lucania Emmanuel’s occupation is identified as “weaver.” It wasn't long after arriving in the US that Emmanuel got to work supporting his family employing his "weaver" experience. One of Emmanuel's earliest efforts at making a living was in the textile mills of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Woonsocket was a large textile center with a number of "French mills" that included a significant number of Belgian immigrants. However, his days in Rhode Island were relatively brief. Within a few months his family set up residence in Newtown, Massachusetts, another area rich in textile mills.
Emmanuel also demonstrated that he had an entrepreneurial streak early on. Building on his experience working with D'Aoust Brothers in Brussels' wool industry, Emmanuel marketed "Dath Wool Oil" and "Dath Wool Soap" in trade publications like the American Textile Reporter. In 1907 the soap was marketed as the "The Best Soap for the Cleaning and Scouring of Wools Ever Made" and used in the "Great Woolen Mills of Europe for over 30 Years."
Family connections to the homeland
In January 1912, just a few months before the Titanic would sink on its transatlantic voyage, Marie Louise’s brother Charles Vanderweerden (or Van der Weerde) traveled from Antwerp on the Manatou with his wife Rosalie. Charles was born in Anderlecht, the same Belgian area the Dath's resided in before departing. Rosalie was born in a different town, possibly Houffalize (the handwriting on the ship manifest is difficult to read). Charles indicated that his mother (Marie Louise’s mother) was back in Belgium living at 2 du Drapeau in Anderclecht. So, maybe Jeanne Vanderweerde, who we know visited Emmanuel and Marie Louise earlier, never stayed in the US. Charles and Rosalie headed to Newtown, Massachusetts to be with Emmanuel and Marie Louise. No records have been found indicating that they decided to permanetly stay in the United States.
On March 15, 1915 Marie Louise Dath arrived at Ellis Island for a third time. Traveling on the Orduna
from Liverpool, England, she arrived with three of her children: Jeanne
(Jane) Dath (Age 19); Marie Dath (Age 17); Henry Dath (Age 14). They
indicate that they were headed to 185 Chapel Street, Newton, Massachusetts to be with Emmanuel.
Exactly
why Louise and members of the Dath family returned to Belgium twice in
nine years is not known, but close family bonds were a part of it. The
second trip involved bringing the rest of the immediate family over to
the US. There is a family story that suggests the third trip was the
result of a death in the family and an inheritance in Belgium. The family members that journeyed back to Belgium then
became trapped by the onset of World War I when Germany invaded Belgium in August 1914. The story goes that they
were interned in a concentration camp. However, the story goes that the commandant was
educated in the US and loved baseball. Henry, who was 14 at the time
also loved baseball. With his knowledge of the details of baseball, the
commandant believed them that they were just there visiting. He
released them and told them they had 24 hours to get out of Belgium. They allegedly caught a
fishing boat to England and later left from Liverpool to return to the US.
There is no way substantiate the details, but the story is an
interesting tale.
Regardless, of the reasons behind the three trips, the expense of three trips seems to suggest that they were doing well financially after arriving in the US.
There is nothing so far that suggests that Emmanuel ever returned to Belgium or that his mother, Melania, ever came to the United States. There are credible sources on the Internet, including a well-researched family tree for the Campens, that indicate that Melania died on August 2, 1916 in Belgium. What became of Emmanuel's siblings and half-siblings is unknown.
Regardless, of the reasons behind the three trips, the expense of three trips seems to suggest that they were doing well financially after arriving in the US.
There is nothing so far that suggests that Emmanuel ever returned to Belgium or that his mother, Melania, ever came to the United States. There are credible sources on the Internet, including a well-researched family tree for the Campens, that indicate that Melania died on August 2, 1916 in Belgium. What became of Emmanuel's siblings and half-siblings is unknown.
Taking root in the United States: 1910 - 1920
Emmanuel and Marie Louise
The 1910 US Census found Emmanuel and his entire family, plus his mother-in-law, living with him at 190 Chapel Street in Newton, Massachusetts. Emmanuel was a listed as a machinist in the woolen mills industry. It is worth noting that at this time a book, "Chemical abstracts, Volume 4, Part 1" makes reference to a "composition for dressing textile stocks" that is attributed to Emmanuel Dath. In 1912 he was issued a patent for a "Cleaning device for roving," which was also related to textile production. By the time of the 1920 US Census, Emmanuel was 53 and Marie Louise was 49. It appears that that Emmanuel was working as an "overseer" in a worsted (wool) mill. Marie was not working at that time.
The 1910 US Census found Emmanuel and his entire family, plus his mother-in-law, living with him at 190 Chapel Street in Newton, Massachusetts. Emmanuel was a listed as a machinist in the woolen mills industry. It is worth noting that at this time a book, "Chemical abstracts, Volume 4, Part 1" makes reference to a "composition for dressing textile stocks" that is attributed to Emmanuel Dath. In 1912 he was issued a patent for a "Cleaning device for roving," which was also related to textile production. By the time of the 1920 US Census, Emmanuel was 53 and Marie Louise was 49. It appears that that Emmanuel was working as an "overseer" in a worsted (wool) mill. Marie was not working at that time.
Emile Jake Dath
On September 23, 1911 Emile Jake Dath,
at age 25, became the first of Emmanuel’s children to get married.
Emile married Helene Vendermeeren, age 22, daughter of Pierre
Vendermeeren and Amelie Loquet. Helene, who was born in France, was a
mill operator and Emile was an “overseer.” The marriage took place in
Haverhill, Massachusetts. For unknown reasons, they were married for
less than 5 years.
Just a few years after his marriage to Helene, around 1915, Emile Jake Dath married Zoe Sarah Poublon.
Zoe was a Belgian immigrant too. Born in Wevleghem, Belgium (about an
hour West of Brussels) on May 5, 1895. Zoe was seven years younger than
Emile. She arrived on the Finland at age 20 on September 28, 1912. She intended to visit her sister, Martha Gyspeert
(married to Victor Gyspeert) at 156 President Street, Passaic, New
Jersey. Her American born niece, Alice Gyspeert, age 3, traveled with
her on this trip. No other family member appears to have joined them.
Zoe was the daughter of Isadore Polidor Poublon from Menen, Belgium (Born: 1852, Died: 1920) and Maria Louise Seys Dussasoix (Born: 1856/1858, Died: 1940/1950). Zoe had many siblings, most of whom appear to have immigrated to the United States. They included several brothers and sisters from (Note this includes information that is sourced and unsourced): Florimond Poublon, Jules Poublon, Emil Poublon, George Maurice Poublon, Maurice Poublon, Madeline Poublon, Martha (Poublon) Gryspeert, Mathilda (Poublon) Pille, Pauline (Poublon) Von Gompel, Emma Poublon, Leona Poublon and Zeele Poublon.
Zoe (Dath) Wells, provided this detail in a 1996 letter to a relative: "I'll start with my mom. She was born in Flanders, Belgium. And she spoke Flemish. She went to school until she was 13 then she had to work as a house maid. My mom came to the states when she was 18, where she went to work in a woolen mill in Paterson, N.J. Mom met Dad while she was working there and they married two years later. There were 14 children in her family. Many came to the states. One of my Mom's sisters married a man (naturally) who owned a leather factory."
Zoe was the daughter of Isadore Polidor Poublon from Menen, Belgium (Born: 1852, Died: 1920) and Maria Louise Seys Dussasoix (Born: 1856/1858, Died: 1940/1950). Zoe had many siblings, most of whom appear to have immigrated to the United States. They included several brothers and sisters from (Note this includes information that is sourced and unsourced): Florimond Poublon, Jules Poublon, Emil Poublon, George Maurice Poublon, Maurice Poublon, Madeline Poublon, Martha (Poublon) Gryspeert, Mathilda (Poublon) Pille, Pauline (Poublon) Von Gompel, Emma Poublon, Leona Poublon and Zeele Poublon.
Zoe (Dath) Wells, provided this detail in a 1996 letter to a relative: "I'll start with my mom. She was born in Flanders, Belgium. And she spoke Flemish. She went to school until she was 13 then she had to work as a house maid. My mom came to the states when she was 18, where she went to work in a woolen mill in Paterson, N.J. Mom met Dad while she was working there and they married two years later. There were 14 children in her family. Many came to the states. One of my Mom's sisters married a man (naturally) who owned a leather factory."
With his Marriage to Zoe, Emile Jake Dath's family began to grow and he began to move about the country. Emile and Zone's first child was Louise Dath (Later: Gormely), born July 11, 1915 in Nebraska. This is where the story gets interesting. Members of the Poublon family record that Louise Dath was not the natural born child of Emile and Zoe, but rather adopted from Zoe's brother Maurice Isadore Poublon (1898 - 1963) and his wife Louise DeBusshire Poublon (1900 - 1950).
Robert Jake Dath, born September 10, 1917 in Montana was the second member of Emile and Zoe's family. Emile's World War I draft registration card (1917 - 1918) shows him living in Laurel, Montana, working for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company as a mechanic. For some reason the card identifies Mulhausen, Alsace Lorraine as his birth place. That is the only time I found such a reference. There is also an almanac for Montana that shows Emile working as a mechanic for the railroad.
So, the question becomes why did Emile and Zoe move to Nebraska and Montana to begin with? Different people in the family have offered offered up reasons based on family rumors. One of the more scandalous reasons offered was that Emile may have secured a family inheritance from Belgium that was not entirely his and fled West. A less scandalous suggestion (but one that could be related) is that Emile went westward to get involved in raising sheep for the wool industry he knew so well. It is also possible that they weren't entirely alone in planning this western adventure. We know for sure that Zoe had Poublon family connections in Nebraska too (Maurice and Louise Poublon at least). An interesting tale passed down by some is that part of the western journey might have actually involved some time in a horse and wagon.
If raising sheep seems like a stretch idea for someone who appears to have had zero experience with farm life, consider that Emile and Zoe tried raising sheep years later when he "retired" to a farm in Perkasie, Pennsylvania.
Research on Emile's military service record is incomplete, but records indicate that he served from March 28, 1918 - May 20, 1919. Upon returning, Emile rejoined his family in Newton, Massachusetts, living at 6 Silver Lake Ave. He began working in woolen mills according to the 1920 Census. Zoe worked in a woolen mill as well. Their family would grow by one in Massachusetts, with the arrival of Edward Emile on August 20, 1920. At some point they moved back to Passaic, N.J. where several of Zoe's relatives resided.
Around 1921 Emile took a position with Kent Mills Manufacturing. The following is taken from a 1921 publication of America's Textile Reporter: "Emile J. Dath, formerly associated with the Forstmann & Hoffmann Company, Passaic, N.J., and Thoma Wolstenholme Sons & Company, Philadelphia, is now with the Runnymede Worsted Mills of the Kent Manufacturing Company, at Clifton Heights, Pa." His father Emmanuel also moved to Clifton Heights to work for Kent Manufacturing. Records indicate that Emmanuel was in Newton Massachusetts through at least 1923.
Emile and Zoe's other children would be born in Upper Darby Pennsylvania in an area adjacent to the mills and Clifton Heights. Today that neighborhood is known as Drexel Hill, but back then is was likely called Oakview or even Kellyville. Russell George Dath was born May 7, 1922; Roy Alfred was born July 12, 1923; Emile Jake Jr., was born October 18, 1924; Muriel Zoe (Dath) Martin (and later Funk) was born about 1925; Zoe Sarah Dath (Later: Wells) was born about 1926; Irene Jane Dath (Later: Post) was born about 1927. The 1920s mark the beginning of an era in which the Emile and Emmanuel Dath became heavily involved, and were apparently very successful, working for Kent Manufacturing. (Note: Kent Manufacturing operates today as Kentwool based out of Pickens, South Carolina).
August Dath
The second oldest of Emmanuel and Marie Lousie married on July 1, 1912. August Dath was 20 and his bride, Annie Josephine Post (B: 2/23/1893, Cambridge, MA > D: 6/27/1984, Medina, OH), was 19. They married in Newton, MA. Annie's parents were Albert Post and Anna Joyce. Her parents were French Canadians. It appears August and Anna had only one child, Anna Louise Dath, born July 6, 1913. Sadly, Anna only lived a few months, dying October 19, 1913 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Based on the 1910 census we know that August Dath was an machinist in a woolen mill in Newton, Massachusetts at the start of the decade. His 1914 Petition for Naturalization identifies his occupation as "Overseer in drawing.” By 1917-1918 he was in the military. A 1920 census record might shed more light on his whereabouts and activities, but it has not been discovered yet.
Jeanne (Jane) Dath
Jeanne Dath is listed as a sewer in blanket factory in the 1910 US Census. She was about 15 at the time. At the end of the decade the 1920 US Census found her engaged in a sewing job in a worsted (woolen) mill and living with her parents and her sister Marie. Before the decade was out she married Harry E. Butler (B: 10/25/1896, Newton, MA; D: 12/14/1987, Paris, Oxford, ME). Jane and Harry were married February 22, 1920 by Robert L. Rae, a clergyman from Newton, Massachusetts. In the decade ahead they had seven children.
Marie Dath
The 1920 US Census indicates that Marie Dath was living with her parents. Sometime shortly thereafter she married William Fenton Hunnefield (B: 1/5/1899, Dedham, MA > D: 8/28/1976, Nantucket, MA). In the 1920s and William Hunnefield would become a professional baseball player. He was an infielder who played for the Chicago White Sox (see baseball card) and Cleveland Indians of the American League and the Boston Braves and New York Giants of the National League in a six-season career from 1926 to 1931. In the next decade they would have two children, Marcia (B: Sept 10, 1920, MA) and Joyce (B: 7/16/1928, IL > D: 11/28/1992, Richmond, VA).
Gerard Henry Dath
The youngest of Emmanuel's kids, Gerard Henry Dath was still a child in 1910. By the time World War I emerged he was able to enlist, possibly in the Marines. At the time he was living at 254 Pearl Street, Newton, Massachusetts, just blocks from the previous addresses he had lived at with his parents. Like his older siblings, Gerard Henry Dath married just before the decade was out. In 1919 Gerard Henry married Ardella Porter (B: 11/7/1899, ME > D: 2/6/1997). Henry was 18 and Ardella was 19. Ardella's mother's maiden name was Davis and was from Maine. Her father was from Canada. Over the next two decades they would have three children: Lola M. McHugh (B: 5/1920); Dorothy (Dorrie) (B: Abt. 1929) and Gerard Henry Jr. (B: 5/1932).
End of an era: The passing of Emmanuel and Louise Dath
Emmanuel and Marie Louise
The 1930 US Census found Emmanuel and Louise living at 48 W. Berkley Ave., Clifton Heights, PA. He was a "superintendent" at a local woolen mill, Kent Mills. Unfortunately, tragedy would befall them in the 1930s. On September 9, 1931 Marie Louise died at age 60 and 7 months. To make things more difficult, the cause of death was ruled "strangulation by suicide" brought on by "temporary derangement." Family tradition indicates that she fought a painful battle with cancer leading her to this desperate act.
On November 13, 1932, a little over a year after Marie Louise passed away, Emmanuel Dath died while in Wayland, Massachusetts. His body was returned to Pennsylvania, where he was buried "from the home of his son Emile Dath" who was working for the Kent Manfacturing Company in Oakview, PA (now known as Drexel Hill, Upper Darby, PA), a short distance from Emmanuel's residence from a year prior. One notice reported that, "The Kent Manufacturing Company showed their respect for Mr. Dath by closing one of their mills where he held an official position for many years." Emmanuel was buried with his wife at Mount Zion Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania (see their memorial).
Emmanuel's official death registration document recorded for Wayland, MA, does provide a bit of intrigue. The record clearly lists "Jacob Dath" of Belgium as his father. We know from his birth record that he was born to an unwed Meliania Dath. So, who is Jacob? Was Jacob a reference to his stepfather, Jacobus Campens? To add to the confusion, the mother in his birth records is listed as Jane. I can't read the last name (It appears to start with a "Wa..."). Was Melania also known as Jane? What is to be made of her last name not being Dath then? Hopefully future research will yield some answers.
A new generation: 1930 - 1950
The
descendents of Emmanuel and Marie Louise Dath are spread all over the
country today. Family have been found in South Carolina, North
Carolina, Utah, California, South Dakota, Texas, Florida, Colorado,
Arizona, New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Oregon, and
Massachusetts, The story of how they got there and where they came from
is still to come....
