Great-grandparent – 1 out of 8 in this generation
(1897-1978)
Percy was born in 1897 in Yonkers, New York, the son of Frederick Osbon Dutton and Ida Wilhelmina Breithack. Below is a picture of his baptismal certificate, in German, issued by St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Yonkers.
Above, Ida holding Ada; probably Ida’s youngest sister; Percy and Fred in front.
Percy married Helen Agnes Smith in Tarrytown, Westchester, NY in 1928 and they started their family in Nutley, New Jersey. During the Great Depression, Percy had been unemployed in New Jersey but was hired right off the unemployment line to work as a professional engineer for Goodyear Rubber Co. in Providence, Rhode Island. The entire family, including Percy’s sister and mother, moved first to Cranston, RI and then to Warwick, RI.
Percy spent vacations in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod where he built a cottage and served as the president of the Pinecrest Beach Association. He resided with his son, Kenneth, and family in Connecticut later in life. Percy enjoyed smoking cigars and blowing smoke rings through bigger smoke rings. He also enjoyed making his own delicious pizza, having family picnics, playing croquet and sitting by the fire on a cold night. Religion: Methodist.
Percy (right) with Uncle Ken Smith (left), Percy in photo on the right
Census records
- 1900 – Yonkers, Westchester, NY
- 1910 – Yonkers, Westchester, NY
- 1920 – Yonkers, Westchester, NY
- 1930 – Nutley, Passaic, NJ
- 1940 – Warwick, Kent, RI
Percy died of pneumonia in Kent County Hospital, Warwick on 28 January 1978. He was buried in the family plot at Highland Memorial Park, Johnston, Rhode Island.
- View his memorial on findagrave.com
- View his family tree on familysearch.org
A FAMILY HISTORY 