Johann Friedrich Gustave Breithack

Third great-grandparent – 1 of 32 in this generation

(1842-1909)

Gustave was born in March 1842 in Lüttringhausen, Germany, a quiet little country town where many of the residents were employed as weavers. His parents were Johann Halbach Breithacher and Anna Christiana Wilhelmina Halbach. Gustave moved to the larger town of Barmen (aka Wuppertal), where he married Henriette Christiane Suzanne Friedgen in May 1866 at the age of 24.

Their first three children were born in Barmen:

1. Henriette Augusta Breithack, b.about 1867, m. Frederick Marks Koster
2. Adele Sophia Breithack, b. Oct 1868, m. David Eifert, Jr.
3. Ida Wilhelmina Breithack, b.18 August 1871; m. Frederick Osbon Dutton

Gustave and Henriette emigrated to the U.S. with their three little girls in 1872 and settled at first in Philadelphia, PA. Their fourth child, and first son, was born in Philadelphia in 1872. Sadly, he died there less than a year later of infant cholera.

4. Gustave Breithack, b.Nov 1872, d. 6 July 1873 Philadelphia, PA

They were in Paterson, New Jersey, for a few years, where two more children were born:

5. William John Breithack, b.8 Dec 1874, m. Mary C. Kane

6. Clara Laura Breithack, b.27 Feb 1877, m. George H. Phillips

Another two children were born in Yonkers, NY:

7. Frederick David Breithack, b.23 July 1879, m. Sarah J. Totten

8. Blanche Henrietta Breithack, b.6 Nov 1889, m. Chester Petterson

According to census records, Gustave and Henriette had 10 children, but only seven survived to adulthood. They were still married, but separated, in 1900 when he was living in the Bronx – their youngest child was only five years old.

In January 1909, he remarried to Pauline Schlecter, a woman 20 years his junior. Just nine months later, on October 23, Gustave died under suspicious circumstances. The cause of death was a “perforating pistol wound of head, cerebral hemorrhage (probably suicidal).” The word “probably” leaves room for doubt, however. We will never know, but imagine the anguish of his survivors! Gustave’s body was cremated at Fresh Pond Crematory, Middle Village, NY. His remains were released on November 5, 1909 to John J. Meagher, undertaker. At this time, there is no further information regarding Gustave’s burial.

Emma Wells

Third great-grandparent – 1 in 32 of this generation

(1830-1870)

Emma was born in Coventry, England, the 2nd of 3 children born to Thomas Wells and Mary Ann Morrell. Her mother died when she was nine years old and her father died just a few months after Emma’s marriage to Frederick Osbon Dutton in 1852.

Emma and Fred’s firstborn, Obadiah, died at the age of 4. Emma emigrated with Fred to the U.S. before 1865 and subsequently gave birth to two more children. 

1. Obadiah, born in 1858 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England. Died 1862 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England.
2. Frederick Osbon, born 28 October 1865 in Yonkers, NY. Married Ida Wilhelmina Breithack on 16 June 1894 in Yonkers. Frederick died on 16 October 1933 in Yonkers.
3. Emma Lavinia “Vinnie,” born in June 1869 in Yonkers, NY. She appears in the 1880 and 1900 censuses in Yonkers. She married William J. Hawkes. They had no children.

Emma’s brother, Henry Josiah Wells, immigrated to the U.S. with his wife, Catherine Collins, and was employed in 1875 in Brooklyn, NY as a weaver. They later settled in Paterson, Passaic, NJ, where Henry died on 10 March 1887.

Emma died on 18 Jan 1879 in Yonkers at the age of 48. She was buried in St. John’s Cemetery, Yonkers. Click here to view her findagrave.com profile.

Ida Wilhelmina Breithack

Great-great-grandparent – 1 of 16 in this generation

(1872-1963)

Although Ida was my great-grandmother, I do not have German ancestry according to Ancestry DNA. This is a mystery that I will pursue. Updates to follow.

Ida and her two older siblings were born in Barmen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany to Johann Friedrich Gustav Breithack and Henriette Christiane Susanne Friedgen. Ida immigrated in 1872 as a babe in arms with her mother and two sisters to Philadelphia, PA. Several months later, a brother was born. When that baby brother was 8 months old, he died of cholera in Philadelphia. The family moved shortly after that to Paterson, NJ, and then to Yonkers, NY. In the 1900 census, Ida’s mother indicated that she had given birth to 10 children (I know of 8), but 7 were living.

At the age of 22, on 16 June 1894, Ida married Frederick Osbon Dutton in Yonkers and they had three children:

1. Frederick
2. Percy
3. Ada Mae, b. 19 May 1899 in Yonkers, d. 17 Jun 1987 in New London, New London, Connecticut. In Rhode Island, Ada was employed as a court stenographer. She married Charles Leonard Manchester, the postmaster general of Rhode Island, and they resided together in Warwick, RI until his death on 19 Feb 1951 at 62. Ada continued living in the same home until she became too frail to live alone. In 1987, she moved to Ledyard, Connecticut to reside with her nephew, Ken, and his family and she passed away soon thereafter. Ada was buried alongside her husband in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Ida and Ada

Ida and Ada on the right. Henriette – center back.

  Ida with grandchildren Richard and Marion

Ida died on 19 January 1963 in Warwick, Rhode Island, and was buried in Highland Memorial Park, Johnston, RI.

• Click here for her record on findagrave.com
• View her family tree on familysearch.org