Albert H Loomis, born in 1851 in Columbia County, NY married
Mary W Clark of Delhi, NY in 1873. By
1877, when her father died, they were living in New York City. They were together without any children in
the 1880 census at 196 Waverly Place. I did not find them in the 1900
census. I knew from family tales that
she was Molly Griswold by the time she died in 1939 and was told that she’d
“had twins who died in the flu epidemic”. Actually, Albert had been a surprise
to me as I initially assumed her only marriage was to Charles Griswold.
I searched but did not find any birth or death records for
twins. Eventually, at the Municipal Archives in Manhattan, I did find records
for the death of two young sons: George Clark Loomis born 1874 and Albert Jr born 1876. Within a span of 9 days (Dec 25, 1877 to Jan
3, 1878) they had both succumbed to diphtheria. Not exactly twins, but close in
age and devastated by another type of epidemic. They were both buried in the
Evergreen Cemetery in Brooklyn.
When I could not find Albert and Molly together in 1900 and, since I
knew she had remarried, I thought perhaps he too had died – and was likely
buried with the children in Brooklyn.
But, he was not buried there. Why didn't I find them in the 1900 census? I never looked for him without her.... but, I guess I should have.
I found a record that seemed like a match for Albert in New Jersey but with
another wife, Gertrude. It never dawned on me that they might have split up –
after all the heartache of losing their young children (the two boys and a
daughter in 1881). Checking further, I found Albert’s 1897 marriage record
indicating this was his second marriage. I searched but have still not found their
divorce record.
Albert and Gertrude (Bassett) lived in NJ, where he worked
for the railroad, and they had a son in 1904. In 1910 they were in Clementon.
In 1920 Gertrude was listed as a widow in Vineland, NJ. I have still not found a death record for
Albert. What happened to him?
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