Grabhorn Family Blog: Alexander Grabhorn, Jr. Life Sketch
Alexander Grabhorn, Jr. was born in Hoboken, New Jersey on March 19, 1897 to
Alexander Grabhorn Sr.(1866, ) and Julia Borries (1868 ).
Alexander Sr.'s father's name was August (1829-1888) and his mother's name was Alexandra Thomas(1848-?). Both came from the Germany/Prussia area and immigrated in July of 1865. Alexander Sr. was the second oldest of 7 children born in Hoboken, New Jersey:
His siblings were: John, 1865; Agusta,1873; Antonio, 1875; Mattie, 1876; Antoinette,1878; and Charles,1885; Alexander Sr. was a gold engraver apprentice at age 12 according to the New York 1880 census where he appears with his family.
On the 1905 Census for Hoboken, the family is living at 916 Bloomfield Street and Alexander Sr.'s occupation is recorded as jeweler. His mother, Julia Borries, probably died before 1909 but no death record of her has been found so far. No divorce record has been found either. Alexander Sr. married Jane Newkirk (1885-) on September 4 of 1909. She appears on the 1910 census with Alexander, Jr., 8, and Merwyn 3, his only sibling.
On the 1910 census the family is found at 923 Castlefront Terrace in Hoboken and Alexander Sr's occupation is listed as a manufacturer of Jewelry. Alexander Jr is 13 and Merwyn is 8 years old.
He married Lucy Deighn Flynn ( 1899-1983) on March 4, 1918 in Hoboken, NJ.at age 20.
No record has been found of Alexander, Sr.'s death date. We can assume the date was before 1920 because Alexander Jr. had taken over his father's Jewelry business by that time.
The 1920 Census records Alexander, Jr. and proprietor of a Jewelry Manufacturing Company. By this time he owned a home at 36 21st Street in Orange, Essex, New Jersey with wife Lucy and daughter Agnes Lucy .
Agnes Lucy Grabhorn was born January 5, 1919, Orange, NJ and died March 27 1986,
Madeline Grabhorn was born June 18, 1920. and died January 9, 1924, Orange, NJ
Shirley Grabhorn was born July 8, 1922, Orange, NJ
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| Agnes Lucy, with Madeline about 1923 |
The 1930 census records Alexander, Jr. as a manufacturer of Jewelry, owning a home on 126 Woodland Avenue in East Orange City, New Jersey with wife Lucy, daughters Agnes Lucy and Shirley, Mother - in - law Agnes Flynn ( 1899-1963). Also a servant Carrie Snipe lived with the family.
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| Agnes, Lucy, Shirley, Alex, Agnes Lucy |
The 1940 Census shows Lucy living separately with Shirley in East Orange, renting a place on Ivanhoe Terrace. Lucy's occupation is shown as Practical Nurse
Albany, New York.
Married Willa Marjorie Green (1907-1961) sometime in October of 1944.
Alex was ahead of his years financially until the depression of 1929. He finally closed the doors od his diamond jewelry wholesale-retail business in 1936. He then joined the Pepsi-Cola Company as a sales manager in Albany, N.Y.
Later, around 1939, he joined Gulf Oil as a real estate representative. He became an assistant district manager for Gulf Oil., while he lived in Buffalo, New York. He retired in 1960 and entered the real estate business specializing in commercial properties.
He was associated with Red Cross Blood Drive when it was inaugurated in 1950, serving as a donor recruitment chairman. In 1956 he served as vice-chairman of the Red Cross Blood program in Buffalo. And then he became chairman of the co-ordinating committee of 20 Red Cross chapters in western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania.
Alex was founder and president of the Buffalo Chapter of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America. S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A. He organized several chapters in succeeding years. Alex was the district chairman for several years and was eventually a vice-president at the national level. Throughout this time he MC'd (master of ceremonies) at many barbershop shows. He was a judge at district and national competitions.
For many years he was closely identified with the United Appeal and the Community Chest as one of their top leaders as chairman of the Speakers Bureau. While in Buffalo he became a member of the Brookfield Country Club, Buffalo Athletic Club, the Greater Buffalo Advertising Club, and the Engineering Society of Buffalo.
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| Alex is 3rd from the left |
Willa and Alex enjoyed 17 years of marriage and spent many of their anniversaries on vacation in Bermuda up until her death in 1961.
His two girls grew up and married in the 40's.
Shirley married Frank Walton on March 21, 1942 and had three children:
Pete Rust Walton, April 19, 1945
Sandra Lynn Walton, January 25, 1947,
Lawrence Paul Walton, April 26, 1952
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| Lucy in chair and Pudge standing in back Frank, Shirley, Sandy, and Larry |
and had two children;
William Ainsworth Rankin, Jr. January 19, 1948
Patricia Rankin, August , 1952.
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Next Blog: Shirley and Pudge Grabhorn..life sketch
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Anything you would like to correct, add facts or photos to this blogpost, just send me an email and I will make sure it is posted as an update on the next blogpost.
Yes, It was a beautiful day in NJ. Mr. F was the photogragher. He brought all his equipment
ReplyDeleteto take pictures of our family. Mom and Dad were in love with their family. They worked
hard for their home and in the community.
Corrections: Lucy is sitting in the chair. She loved to be surrounded by Family. The handsome
ReplyDeleteyoung man in the gold shirt is Larry. He married his High School sweetheart. It is the colored
photo. September 6, 2018