Edith May Jansen, nee Grosart

Post by **Philip Roberts** » 26 Jul 2011 08:48

I have been pretty quiet since March but have been trying to locate the above named in America.. To refresh memories E.M. Grosart married Joseph Jansen Jr., an American citizen, in Liverpool in 1919. They went to live in Atlanta, Georgia, America, in 1920. The same year she applied for a short term American passport to return to the UK to see her family. That is the last I know of her. I have been writing to various people, researchers and Libraries in Atlanta but to no avail. If she had returned to the UK I think my mother's (her sister) family would have let it slip at some time. All they ever said was that she had married and gone to live in America. The immediate Grosart family was quite large, 11 children, and so as we all grew up (I am a grandchild) I think someone would have known something. A cousin of mine, Sylvia, has been very helpful in other inquiries into the family but she is equally baffled and interested.

I thank you for reading this and if there is anything knew or even duplicated I will be grateful. This the last, and missing, leg of my inquiry into my Grosart lineage and then I should be able to put it all together.

Post by **Tina** » 26 Jul 2011 09:10

Hi Philip
I hope one of the crew can help. My subs don't cover this.
Arrival N.Y for an Edith May Jansen in Anc##
Good luck with your search.

Tina

Post by **Philip Roberts** » 26 Jul 2011 09:24

Hello Tina,

Thanks for the quick response. I have tried your line of inquiry and although I know about her port of departure from the UK, Brest, in Brittany, and her date and ship, of sailing into NY, it his her antics after her arrival that I am chasing.

Post by **Tina** » 26 Jul 2011 09:53

Love the comment Philip "her antics"...
In Liverpool you mean?
Cheers me dear
Tina

Post by **Blue70** » 26 Jul 2011 10:03

Here is the arrival at New York from France on Family Search:-

https://www.familysearch.org/search/rec ... SWV-PMW/p1

I can't find any sign of her in England or the USA. The only thing that springs to mind is that with her husband being in the US Navy she may have moved overseas to somewhere like the Phillipines.

Blue

Post by **Philip Roberts** » 26 Jul 2011 10:57

Hello Tina and Bluey,

Thanks again. Tina, I suspect that you know what I meant about her "antics" in Liverpool. This maybe why her profile is rather 'colourful'.
She sailed alone from Brest to NY. I do not know how he travelled but being in the US Navy probably "had his own transport".

Bluey, You seem to have probed into Joseph Jansen Jr.enough to know that he was an Ensign in the US Navy.

I have obtained a copy of a newspaper report from Atlanta that confirms he was in the US Navy and that he was visiting his parents in Fulton County. It mentions that he had married EMG in Liverpool and that he would be going to live in Bayonne, NY, (although I am reliably told that Bayonne is in fact in New Jersey) to set up in business. What happened to Edith is the mystery. There seems to be a number of people named Jansen in Fulton County. The Genealogical Society there clearly state that they will not undertake family research. I am really hoping that someone with the name of Jansen in Fulton County might pick up the threads and help me.

My thanks to you all once again.

Phil

Post by **Philip Roberts** » 26 Jul 2011 11:05

To Blue70,

I apologise for getting your identity incorrect, probably something to do with old age. Yes, it comes with the territory.

Phil

Post by **Blue70** » 26 Jul 2011 11:14

No worries Phil I've been called worse

Blue

Post by **Blue70** » 26 Jul 2011 11:36

This is a curious looking household on the 1930 US Census it includes both a married Joseph Jansen and a Mae Jansen in Fulton, Atlanta, Georgia but the Mae was born in Tennessee:-

https://www.familysearch.org/search/rec ... 2319993200

Blue

Post by **MaryA** » 26 Jul 2011 11:48

Have you tried www.rootsweb.com Although I'm reluctant to recommend another forum, I also know that this site has specific messageboards for surnames and also for locations.
http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.jansen/mb.ashx
http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.n ... ia/mb.ashx

Post by **MaryA** » 26 Jul 2011 12:00

Blue70 wrote: but the Mae was born in Tennessee:-

America is a big place to hide - it's easily done as many of us know when researching our ancestors, they can disappear without trace or even as my own great grandfather did, change their names, we were lucky that he kept in touch with his sister or we wouldn't have had a clue what his name was.

She's definitely somebody to keep in mind.

Post by **MaryA** » 26 Jul 2011 12:16

A little bit of additional information from that 1930 census - Joseph Jr's occupation was Inspector in a Casualty Company and was also a veteran of the World War. His father and brother Walter were jewellers, although the brother appeared to be unemployed at present.

The marriage, presumably of Joseph and Mae in this household (as they are the only two of the younger ones who are married) must have been during 1930 as the age given at marriage is Joseph 32 and Mae 25, the age that they are.

The address is 624 Rockmont Drive (Pelham Road), Atlanta, Fulton, Georgia.

Post by **Philip Roberts** » 26 Jul 2011 13:15

To both Blue70 and Mary A ( I think I have it correct this time)

My gratitude to you is at least in the telling, it really goes beyond that. I am aware of the 1930 Census and the Mae connection but the date does not marry up (no apologies for the pun) with his knibbs moving to Bayonne. I have dug deep into this line of inquiry but I can only repeat my introduction to the effect that duplication of my inquiries are very welcome. Somewhere a nugget will come to the surface. I find it unfortunate that the people in the US of A do not respond to my correspondence. The exception to this is the Library. They found the newspaper cutting for me.

If anyone Stateside can help please understand that I am NOT probing into the Jansen family. All I am after is "My Dear Aunty Eedie". She may have had children who will be my cousins by now.

I will be following up the suggestions made by you all and will keep you informed. Those folks "Wot know about these things" will be aware that 'George Alexander Thomson' came to the surface with persistance and assistance, so Dear Edith "you could run but you can't hide".

Bye Bye for now,

Phil

Post by **Clatterbridgegirl1967** » 26 Jul 2011 13:33

on the passport application Edith signs her name Edith Janson Jr and it has a picture of her. For some reason escaping me it wont let me cut and paste the document page with the photo on. The wording is faded and a lot of it is unreadable but Fulton Georgia is on it so maybe there is a connection with census Joseph and May. It gives her reason for the application as visiting parents.

I couldnt find any children with surname Janson and mothers maiden name Grosart. And I couldnt find her on any uk incoming passenger lists 1920 or 1921.

You mention a possibility of Edith going to live in NY, there is a Edith Jenson in the Naturalisation record petitions 19/5/1943 NY City with a address 1111 Amsterdam Avenue, NY

Post by **Clatterbridgegirl1967** » 26 Jul 2011 13:46

1776-2006
Mae Jensen
Relation: Wife of Jensen, Joseph Jr
Cemetery: Marietta National Cemetery
Cemetery Address: C/O Georgia National Cemetery 2025 Mount Carmel Church Lane Canton, GA 30114
Buried At: Section D Site 2624-C

Joseph Jansen Junior
Birth Date: 7 Jul 1896
Death Date: 13 Mar 1956
Origin State: Georgia
Cemetery: Marietta National Cemetery
Burial Location: Marietta, Georgia, United States
Section: D

Post by **Philip Roberts** » 26 Jul 2011 14:14

Dear Clatterbridgegirl1967, (by gosh that's a mouthfull -is it your old school - never mind)

Thank you for your interest. The passport applicaton copy of her that I have obtained does have her photograph on it. It confirms to me her likeness to her other female members of the Grosart family. Another interesting thing about it is that it is certified by Joseph's father to the effect that Joseph is an American citizen. It doesn't end there. The application asks for the pasport to be sent to an address other than 35 Wade Avenue, South Kirkwood. Because Joseph's father signed the application it suggests that he knew that the passport was to be sent to another address and that she was 'on the trot''. She may have put this on after he had signed it. The application is endorsed that the passport was 'sent special'. I cannot read where it was sent to. That could give me, as they say "one giant step for me-kind".

Thanks again,

Please do not stop, every little helps.

Phil

Post by **Clatterbridgegirl1967** » 26 Jul 2011 15:36

Clatterbridge is were i was born.
Happy to help Phil? It looks more like a name like Mrs Rich Spring!

Ali

Post by **Philip Roberts** » 27 Jul 2011 10:59

Good morning everyone,

All of your suggestions and references I have followed up, even to see if I have missed anything. I am in the process of "poking my oar" into the address in Rockmount Drive. The obvious suspicions are that my Dear Aunty did not stay married to Joseph for very long. People tell me that she should have been issued with a social security number but I can't even 'find the haystack' for that never mind 'the needle'.

My next step is to go up to Liverpool again soon and trawl through the electoral rolls to see if she made a mistake if/when she came back to the UK in 1920s. At least this will give me a pleasant time in my old haunts.

Joseph Jansen Jr. was born on 7th July 1896 and was an unemployed electrical engineer as of June 5th 1918. This is on a copy I have of a Registration Card signed by him on 5th June 1918 in Kirkwood, De Kalb, Georgia. This is slightly at odds with him supposedly being in the US navy at the time of his marriage to EMG in 1919. All of this info. is no more than that, just info.. I have no intention of digging into this unless I have to. It seems so much easier to get info. about the Jansen family itself than to get anything about his wife, namely Edith May. I also have a copy of his brother's (Walter) registration card.

If anyone knows where to research social security numbers it could help. I am aware that they may well be "confidential classified" but I would, at least, like to try.

Thank you for reading this message.

Phil

Post by **Clatterbridgegirl1967** » 27 Jul 2011 11:38

Hi Phil

Could this be the rellie?

marriage: 08 May 1927 —, Charlton, Georgia
spouse: Joseph D. Swancy

record title: Georgia Marriages, 1808-1967
groom's name: Joseph D. Swancy
bride's name: Edith May Grosart
marriage date: 08 May 1927
marriage place: , Charlton, Georgia
indexing project (batch) number: M71238-1
system origin: Georgia-EASy
source film number: 481691

I found it on family search

Ali

Post by **Philip Roberts** » 27 Jul 2011 11:45

Dearest Clatteretc.

Go to the top of the class. You are now on my Christmas Card list. Thank you so much. I bet you felt really good when that came up. Very well done and thank you so much.

Phil

Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum