Englehardt Family

Walter J. Huff's paternal grandmother was Barbara Englehardt, whose family came to America about 1851.

Engelhardt plot. Includes their 3 children.

The founder of this branch of the Englehardt family was George Englehardt (1829-1887), born in Germany on September 19, 1851. We know little of his family or where he grew up in Germany. In the 1870 Census he lists Bavaria as where he was born.

Geoge's wife, who came to America with him, was Kunigunda (1824-1927), but was usually known as Cornelia. George died fairly young, but Cornelia lived until 103, spoke only German and was rarly, if ever, sick, so is something of a legendary character. We haven't learned her maiden, but she likely came from the same locale as her husband. In the 19?? census she says she arrived in America in 1851 when the records contained less information than a few decades later.

The primary records we have on George and Cornelia Englehardt are Census records and Cornelia's newspaper obituaries.

Born in 1829 George was about 5 years younger than his wife. He would have been about 22 when he came to America with Cornelia and they had no children yet. As far as we know he settled into the Paterson area at a time when the industrial revolution and mills were just beginning.

In the 1860 Census, at age 33, he is listed as a laborer but already owned is own house at a time when most immigrants rented. At this point they have two children - 6 year old Mary and 3 year old Barbara.

In 1870 George, now 45, is listed as a soap manufacturer and both daughters, at ages 15 and 17, are working in a silk mill. It was not unusual at the time for young boys and girls to have only an elementary education and be sent to work in factories. Paterson had many large mills and work hours were long and could be dangerous.

In 1880 they lived at and owned 166 Sussex Street. George was listed again as a laborer. Mary at age 26 had married and moved out of the family. Barbara at 23 still worked in a silk mill. There is some descrepancy on her age compated to 1870 but perhaps it was the timing of the census. They have also had a son named Joseph also who was 8 at the time. Joseph dies just a few years later in 1884 at age 12. We don't know if it was illness or an accident.

George dies just 3 years after his son in 1887. The Englehardt's are Roman Catholic Germans belonging to Saint Boniface Church and are buried in a family plot in the Holy Sepulchre Roman Catholic Cemetery in Totawa. Fortunately for us the Englehart's gravestone lists all those buried there with dates unlike the Kettman grave stone that only lists the founders name.

The Englehardt's, Kettman's and Huff's were all members of Saint Boniface where masses were in German and there were many social opportunities.

At the time George died Cornelia was 63 and inherited his properties. He seems to have done well and invested in real estate owning several tennements and houses on Court and Sussex Streets in Paterson. The properties were adjacent to each other and would provide an income for Cornelia as she would live there for another 40 years.

By the 1900 Census Cornelia at 73 is living with her grandson Walter M. Huff who at age 14 is a silk worker. They are living at 22 Court Street.

In the 1910 Census at 84 her daughter Barbara Huff is named as head of the household and her son Michael is 14???. The Census indicates she can neither read nor write. They are still living at 22 Court Street.

In 1911 Saint Boniface's Church celebrated its 50th anniversary. The church was founded 10 years after the Engelhardt's came to America. In the Souvenir book published for the anniversary is a page with photos of The Survivor's of the Poineers on which Mrs. Cornelia Engelhardt's photo appears. In the list of donors she contributed $10, a reasonable amount for the time.

In the 1920 Census at 22 Court Street Cornelia is 94 and listed as head of the household. Living with her is her daughter Barbara Huff, now 51 a silkworker at a silk mill. (CHECK FURTHER ALSO 1915). The building is a 3 story tenement with two other families living there also.

Cornelia outlived both of her daughters and died on December 31, 1927 at 103. Her age attracted attention from her church and the newspapers. One write up says that she was said "to have done her own house work, which included the chopping of kindling wood and carrying of coal up three flights of stairs. She refused to ride in automobiles and trollery cars and each Sunday walked a mile to church." She was survived by 4 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren - Walter and Joseph Huff and Mrs Bessie Stagner of 175 Bloomfield Avenue.

Funeral services were at the home of Walter Huff. In her will she left $50 to Saint Boniface. Her houses at 22 Court Street and 187 Sussex Street were left to her grandson Walter Huff who was living at 445 Marshall Street at the time. She also owned lots at 24, 25 and 28 Court Street, 189-191 Sussex Street and 148-150 Atlantic Street. Half of this went to Walter Huff and half to the children of her other deceased daughter Mary Jackson - Andrew Jackson, Mary Brown and Elizabeth Brown? of 175 Bloomfield Avenue.

Descendants

George and Cornelia Engelhardt had only three children; all born after they came to America and all buried in the family plot at Holy Sepulchre Roman Catholic Cemetery. As with the other German Catholic families in the Paterson area from whom Walter Huff is descended, Saint Boniface played a central role. There they were educated, joined the church, met their spouses, were married and raised their own children.

1- Mary Englehardt Jackson (1855-1886) was born a few years after the family came to Paterson. Her education was probably limited as she was working in the nearby silk mill before she was 17. She married John H. Jackson (1853-1940) about 1877 and they had three children - Mary, Elizabeth (Hattie) and Andrew. In the 1880 Census Mary is 26 and living at 135 Attardek Street in Paterson with her husband John, a weaver in the silk mill. His parents were from England. Also with them is their first child Mary, age 2. In the 1885 NJ Census they were living with her sister Barbara and Joseph Huff with their three children. The girls are aged 5-10 and Andrew is under 5. She died a year later in 1886 at age 31, perhaps in childbirth, leaving her husband to raise the three children.

John remarried the in October 1887 to Emma Walker and in the 1900 Census is age 46 living at 84 Bloomfield Avenue in Paterson and working as a mason. The 3 children are still with the at ages 32, 29 and 17. John and Emma have another child Ella age 11. Mary's children all work in the silk mill. Emma dies in 1904 and John lives until 1940. He is buried in Laurel Grove Memorial Park in Totowa. Wife Emma and daughter Ella Jackson Wiliams are buried with him.

2- Barbara Englehardt Huff (1859-1925) was born a few years after Mary in Paterson. Her education was probably limited too as she was working in the nearby silk mill before she was 15. She married Joseph Huff (1852-1892) and they had one child Walter Michael Huff. Joseph died at age 40 when Barbara was only 33. Barbara went back to work in the silk mill. Both widows now Barbara and her mother Cornelia live together at 22 Court Street owned by Cornelia. In 1914 Barbara holds a small mortgage on property at 220-221 Sussex Street. Her last years she lives with her son at 445 Marshall Street. Barbara dies at nearby St. Joseph Hospital on December 30, 1925 at age 66, two years before her mother. Funeral services were held at Walter's home and at St. Boniface. Mrs. Benjamin Huff sand at the funeral. Her estate is left to her son.

Walter Michael Huff (1915-1856) was the only child of Barbara and Joseph. He marries Marie Kettman who he probably met through the Saint Boniface Church community and they have two sons Joseph and Walter John Huff. Walter was a carpenter who lived ?? Marshall Street until his grandmother Cornelia died in 1927 and he inherited much of her property and moved to 187 Sussex Street.

3- Joseph Englehardt (1872-1884), their only son was born much later than his sisters. At the time his mother would have been 48 years old. Joseph died in 1884 at only 12 years of age. We don't know if it was an accident or sickness. He was probably the first interment in the family plot at Holy Sepulchre.