This is the letter that I sent to the address in an earlier query... Chrisehere@aol.com ... The return of the letter do to a missing person is a real setback in my thinking ... Here is their query... FITZGERALD Searching for parents name of Charles Fitzgerald born Dec 15,1900 died Sept 1, 1965. Children were Charles Allen ( deceased) Lewis Joseph ( deceased) James ( deceased) Annemarie, ( nee Davie, VanArtsdalen, My father and uncles and aunt were all born in Camden , NJ. Charles father name for Joseph I have no name for my great grandmother, or when great grandfatherwas born.. Charles FItzgerald ( born Dec15, 1900 ) married Anna Marie Haubois. Thank you. 29 Jun 1998, Christine Ann Fitzgerald, Chrisehere@aol.com ----------------------- Here is my message to that person if they are out there, or if you know them... Christine Ann Fitzgerald ... Whoa! Did I find a Fitzgerald connection at last? Here is an abbreviated list of mine... If it registers, let me know, and we can better swap data... Wilson Fitzgerald, b. Feb. 26, 1819, d. June 1905 Wife Joanna Colhouer, b. abt. Sept. 1826, d. Feb. 1908 Married March 11, 1845 Children: James L. b. abt. 1842 Elizabeth R. Fitzgerald b. September 27, 1846 Anna Wilson Fitzgerald b. September 9, 1849 Mary Emma Fitzgerald b. February 18, 1852 Clara Fitzgerald b. January 21, 1853 Fannie Bockius Fitzgerald b. November 26, 1856 ( my g-grandmother) John Lawrence Fitzgerald b. October 16, 1858 Wilson Fitzgerald b. November 14, 1860 The only ones who could have passed on the Fitzgerald name were obviously, James L. and John Lawrence and Wilson. Of these, I have nothing on James L. Fitzgerald. John Lawrence Fitzgerald married Adele Annie Kite, but I have no list of children. Wilson married Amanda A. Smith. I have no children listed. Now, before my top name of Wilson Fitzgerald, I have his father, from PA, George K. Fitzgerald died bef. Nov. 1865 and his wife Elizabeth Rees, b. abt. 1788, d. Nov. 1865. Marriage date Oct. 3, 1807 in St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia. They had two other children, besides Wilson... Laurence R. Fitzgerald b. abt. 1824 -- no further data, and George K. Fitzgerald b. abt. 1813 -- no further data. Most of these are buried at North Laurel Hill Cemetery across from Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. A magnificent site mentioned and shown on the Web. I have much notes for Wilson... I paste them below. Please try really hard to see if we are related. I am frustrated at every turn, and I think you are really and truly related! Thanks, Vince According to the Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, PA: Permit for an interment in North Laurel Hill. No. 21025 Philadelphia, June 9 1905. The Superintendent of NORTH LAUREL HILL will please prepare a Grave for Wilson Fitzgerald 48 York St. Camden N.J. North row sp. 1 fm East Collect order signed by son of owner. Age, 86 Years, Months, in Lot No. 281 and East 1/2 of 283 Section W F.S. Simmons 309 Market St. Camden N.J. Undertaker. Interment to take place on Saturday the 10th day of June at 4 o'clock, P.M. Wm J. Proud. Benj. W. Richards Superintendent. Treasurer. per B. Linn Originally poor. He was joined in the flour and grain trade by Louis T. Derousse, who would become his son-in-law. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A lookup service for the 1850 New Jersey Census (over the World Wide Web) produced, from the book... "New Jersey 1850 Federal Census INDEX: Fitzgerald, Wilson State: NJ County: Camden Co. Location: Middle Ward Page #052 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Barbara Harland... BHarland@email.msn.com found this for me... North Ward Camden, 9 June 1870, pg.1, dwelling 4, family 4 Wilson Fitzgerald 51 m w grain dealer born PA real estate $16000 personal property $5000 Joanna 44 f w keeping house born NJ Clara 15 f w born NJ Fannie B. 13 f w born NJ John L. 11 m w born NJ Wilson 8 m w born NJ James L. 27 grain dealer born NJ real estate $8000, personal property $3000 All Wilson's children resided in Camden as of 1886, when Prowell stated they did so. Married by (according to Prowell) Rev. Mr. Abercromby. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is a large excerpt from George Reeser Prowell's "History of Camden County": WILSON FITZGERALD, one of the notably successful business men of Camden, began life as a poor boy. He was a son of George K. and Elizabeth (Rees) Fitzgerald (married October 3, 1807, by Rev. Mr. Abercromby, at St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia), and was born February 26, 1819, in the Northern Liberties, Philadelphia. When nine years of age his father died, and he, being obliged to make his own living, went upon a farm in Montgomery County, where he became inured to hard work and laid the foundation of a rugged constitution and those habits of industry and thrift which he has maintained throughout his life. He remained upon the farm until he was sixteen years old, and then, resolving to learn a trade, and choosing that which had been his father's he entered as an apprentice the cooper-shop of Titus & Edwards, on Commerce Street, above Fifth, Philadelphia. Here he worked for five years for his board and an allowance of twenty-five dollars per year for clothes. The youths of to-day would consider themselves very hardly used or abused had they to endure the rigid laws of labor which then prevailed. During the five years' apprenticeship, which it was customary to serve in nearly all trades, the only holidays allowed were the Fourth of July and Christmas, and the apprentice boys were given on each of these occasions the sum of twenty-five cents for spending money. This was all the cash they received, and was prized accordingly. Their habits were of necessity frugal, and they were safe from many of the temptations to which the young men of to-day fall ready victims. After he has "served his time", young Fitzgerald went to work as a journeyman for John Edwards & Son, on Bank Street, working one year at six dollars per week for the four subsequent years. He then determined to start in trade for himself, and opened a cooper-shop on Greenleaf court (now Merchant Street), with a capital of two hundred dollars, which, by rigid economy, he had saved from his scanty earnings. After carrying on business, with a fair degree of success, for eleven years, he sold his shop to the man with whom he had learned his trade, and removed to Camden. This was in March, 1845, immediately after his marriage, to which we shall again advert. He bought property on Stevens Street, where he was in reality a pioneer, as that vicinity was then a common, showing no improvement except the little house which he built there for twelve hundred dollars. This became the home of Mr. Fitzgerald and his wife, and very proud indeed was the young man of the modest house which his labor and thrift had provided. He continued building in that neighborhood, as his means permitted, until no less than twenty-six houses had arisen in testimony to his enterprise, completely changing the aspect of that part of the town. When he first went to Camden he rented a house on Federal Street, above Second, and in it started what was probably the first green grocery and provision store in Camden. In 1856 he bought property at Beasley's Point, Cape May County, N.J., and for five years followed farming there, also carrying on, in the summer, a boarding-house. In 1861 he sold this property and, returning to Camden, established himself in the grain, flour and feed business on Front Street, below Market, in the old Hollinshead Hotel building. This store was subsequently extended through to Market Street. Here Mr. Fitzgerald probably carried on the first wholesale flour business which was transacted in Camden. About 1871 he moved to his present place of business, Nos. 10 and 12 market Street, which building he erected. His son, John L., is associated with him, under the firm-name of Wilson Fitzgerald & Co., in the management of this house. They have a very extensive trade in flour, feed, seeds and fertilizers. In connection with this business, Mr. Fitzgerald brought to the city the first salt that ever came here in bulk -- a ship's cargo from Turk's Island. He was also instrumental in bringing about the system of delivering in Camden unbroken carloads of produce and merchandise from the West, by which immense sums of money have been saved. He first, as an experiment, brought the cars from Trenton, and this led to, or rather forced, the adoption of the present plan of ferrying the cars across the river from Philadelphia, thus placing unbroken bulk freight at the doors of Camden's warehouses, mills and stores; and that, too, when it is through billed, as cheaply as it can be delivered in Philadelphia. In addition to his mercantile business, our subject carries on a large farm on the Delaware River, about midway between Woodbury and Mantua Creek, and he has a house there as well as in the city. His has been a very active life, and his prosperity, well-deserved as it is, has followed as a logical result from his industry and integrity. Mr. Fitzgerald is a Republican, but not a politician. He has held a seat in the City Council for six years -- three years representing the Middle and three years the North Ward. On March 11, 1845, Mr. Fitzgerald was united in marriage with Joanna Colhouer. They have had seven children, five of whom are living. Elizabeth, born September 27, 1846, married Walker W. Chew; Anna, born September 9, 1849, is the wife of Louis T. Derousse; Mary Emma, born February 18, 1852, died in infancy; and Clara, born January 21, 1853, died in more advanced years; Fannie Bockius, born Nov. 26, 1856, married J. E. Stockham; John Lawrence, who is associated with his father in business, was born October 16, 1858, and married Miss Adele Annie Kite; Wilson, the youngest of the family, born November 14, 1860, married Miss Amanda A. Smith, and resides in Camden, as do also the other children of Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald.