The German Judds

Ordinarily, I don’t use my blog for a fishing expedition. However, I thought perhaps it would prove to be a useful tool in acquiring some needed information. I’m attempting to put together the paternal ancestral lines for my children. I have been successful only to a degree. So let me set up the picture of what I have and then, if anyone reading this has more information on this family, I would be ever so grateful to hear about it.

Somewhere in Prussia, c. 1843, Charles A. Judd was born. Every attempt I have made to find a locality has failed. I’ve even tried using what I thought would be German spellings, such as Karl and Judt, Judtz, Jud. Judis and so on. I’ve searched for immigration but I have no known port of departure or arrival, so the haystack gets bigger and the needle gets smaller. There is no known date of arrival either. My biggest fear is that all the early records were destroyed during WWll.

My first documented encounter with Charles A. Judd is the 1870 Federal census for Cicero, Onondaga County, New York which is dated Aug. 2 1870. This states he is a farmer, age 26, b. in Prussia. He is also married to a woman named Mary and has two daughters, Florence and Etta. Mary is 24, Florence is 4 and Etta is 1. They have a domestic servant, Florence Parker, age 13. This suggests that they had been married at least 4 years, although none of that information was supplied with this census. His wife, as it turns out was Mary L. Parker and Florence Parker was her younger sister. I have also failed to find any marriage record for Charles and Mary.

In the 1875 NY census, they have moved to Gates, Monroe County, NY and have added 3 children to the family. One daughter was born in Onondaga County and two boys were born in Monroe County. The first son was b. in 1873, as he was 2 years old in the census. So there is that much of a time line. This census says he’s a carpenter and is a naturalized citizen. However, in a search for naturalization records I did not find anything for this man.  Florence Parker, who would now be 18, is not listed with this family in this census. I might add I’m equally in the dark about the process for naturalization from 1860-1875. Did he, could he become a citizen because his wife was natural born?

The 1880 Federal Census finds this family in Hamlin, Monroe Co., NY. Hamlin is located in the NW corner of this county and was the last area to be settled. In the 1860-1875 time range, it was settled by a large group of German immigrants, mostly from NE Germany.  I have no way of knowing, but it makes me wonder if he might have known some of the new immigrants and decided to moved to Hamlin to be a part of their German community. The 1880 census does state that both Charles and his wife were born in Prussia. However this proves false for Mary later on. It all depends on what information the person has who answers the questions when the census taker knocks on the door.

By 1892, his oldest son, Charles Nestor Judd, is listed on the NY State census, age 19, living in Wilson, Niagara County, NY as a laborer on a farm. In the same census, but for Hamlin, Mon. Co., NY, first District, Charles A. is listed as a farmer, age 49, with his wife, Mary, age 47, and children - Chester 14, Katie 12. Titus 12, Harry 7 and Early (Earl) 4. In this census, it states that all were born in the USA, including the German immigrant, Charles A. It does not clarify Katie and Titus being the same age. It is possible they were twins.

Big changes have happened by the 1900 cen. where Charles is listed as the head of his household and he is the only member of the family. It states he is 57, a widow, a farm laborer, that he was born in NY and that his parents were both born in NY also.  <Scream> Now it gets really interesting because Mary Judd, age 56, shows up on the 1900 cen. for Hamlin, NY in the household of Frederick Palmer, as a servant. It indicates she is a widow, has had 0 children and 0 children are living. She and her parents were all born in NY. <<Scream>>

Something happened to this family that no one seems to know about. Unfortunately, my children’s grandmother didn’t have any information nor did she have any interest in her Judd relatives. Since she’s no longer with us, I have no other living source to go to for assistance. I believe she distanced herself from the Judds for a reason. Something happened between 1892 and 1900 that tore this family apart, enough so that the married couple continued to live in the same town but each presented themselves as widows. Also, the youngest son, Earl, age 12, is living with his older brother, Chester and his family, in Hamlin in the 1900 census. In the same census, Harry, the next to youngest child is age 17, living as a boarder in the Harry Hamil household and employed as a farm laborer. It also says his birth year was 1878 which is incorrect. His marriage record shows he was 28 in 1914.

I’m working on the theory that Charles died c. 1902. Mary is found in the 1905 NY census living with her oldest son and his wife. In 1909, Mary applied for a Civil War Pension, suggesting Charles served in the Civil War. This poses another mystery since his name does not appear on the roster of the Infantry listed on the application. I can find no death record for Charles or a grave site. Mary doesn’t seem to have been recorded anywhere in the 1910 census, but shows up again in the NY State census for 1915 living in Hamlin, NY. Mary died in 1921 in Sweden NY and again no death record or grave site has been found for her.

Charles A. and Mary L. Parker Judd had the following children:

Florence M., b. c 1866 Cicero, NY

Etta L., b. c 1869 Cicero, NY m. 1903 Frank H. Peck

Harriet Minerva, b. 1870 Syracuse NY

Charles Nestor, b. 1872 Monroe Co., NY, m. 1905 Ellen Hembury, d. 1952 Brockport NY

Otis H., b. 1875 Monroe Co. NY

Chester Emons, b. 1877 Hamlin NY, m. 1897 Clara Baxter

Katie, b 1880, d. bef 1892

Nellie, aft 1880. d. bef 1892

Titus, b. 1882 Hamlin NY, m.c 1903 Millie Crowell, d. 1967 Rochester NY

Harry H., b. 1885 Hamlin, NY, m. 1914 Irene Helbert,

Earl, b. 1887 Hamlin NY m. 1907 Cora O’Keefe

Federal Census Records: 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1920, 1940

NY State Census Records: 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Marriage Records, Birth and Death Records: NY State - Onondaga Co., Monroe Co.,                    Genesee Co.

NARA – Naturalization Records

Castle Garden Port of Entry Records

Notes from a family bible

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