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- [S902] Email: Meg Koch, Addie DeMange; Email; 15 July 2011; John Deitz and others.
Good Morning -
.... The story handed down through family is that Addie came to this country with her brother. We have never known where or exactly when she arrived on these stores or if there were other family members with Addie and Joseph (he is buried in Oaklawn in the family plot). They were extremely poor. Now...I don't know whether what follows became family legend to cover Addie's less-than-kind behavior or if it is true. I was told that Addie and her family looked to the Catholic Church for aid when they were still in France and were rudely denied because they had nothing to give. The same shut door scenario was experienced on arrival here. It was Quakers who took in Addie, and that is how she came to live with the Valentine family. Because of her early experiences, Addie was said to have a strong disregard of the Catholic Church that extended to all members of that Church. For years after her daughter Beatrice married Allen Keene, a Catholic, she did not speak to Beatrice. I believe there was also a period when Addie and her son Fred were not on speaking terms. His wife, Babe, was born a Catholic and (horrors!) was a divorcee. Aunt Babe became an active (at least she went to Church every Sunday) member of the Presbyterian Church and all was forgiven.
A side piece. Years ago Uncle Fred's and Aunt Babe's will made provision for the Presbyterian Church to inherit their house on South Country Road. Babe died and Fred remarried to Beatrice Sterns. I suspect wills were changed at that time to provide for Beatrice. Don't know if the Church ever received anything from the estate of anyone involved.
Of Addie's children:
Ada Celestine was my Grandmother. At present there are three living grandchildren - me, my sister in Chicago and Marion's daughter in Florida - and two living great grandchildren.
Flora died young. As a nursing student, she caught something that killed her. For a while she dated a young man who was interested in photography. We have a lovely album of photos that he took of scenes in Brookhaven. Yes, you can all groan, it's in FL.
Lottie married and had one son. When I was young, the son would sometimes arrive on his motorcycle to visit Leila. He lived in NJ.
Emma (and her name is Emma, not Erma) married Rob Morton. For years they lived down what is now called Wallace Lane. I have no idea what happened to any family.
Beatrice had one son, Wallace now deceased.
Viola had two daughters. There are two living grandchildren and two great grandchildren, all of whom live in NJ.
Fletcher lived in CT. For a while I was corresponding with one of his daughters, who I believe has died.
Frederick had no children. I believe he had a twin who died at birth (this I can confirm or prove false from my records that are in FL).
Leila had no children. She lived in the homestead on Old Stump (where Jennie Newey boarded with her) for many years then worked as an aide for various women in Patchogue, then lived with Frances Hand on South Country Road, was moved to McPeaks in Patchogue and finally resided in the nursing home in Brookhaven.
By the way, if anyone sees Peg Taylor, she might have good memories of some of these people, especially Leila.
One final thought - a large family that dwindled fast.
I recall that there is a connection to the Swezey family of Middle Island, but it goes back a long time. To confirm or deny that I will have to dig into my Swezey genealogy book, which is in Florida. Just so you all know, we have too much "stuff" in regard to family histories to drag it north and then south again. The decision was made to leave everything in FL where the house is 24/7 climate controlled. That is just so much kinder to old paper. When we return to FL in the Fall, it is my intention of scan everything, and I will make all that available to all of you via the internet. If you want to see the stuff in person, you'll have to make a visit to Jupiter or let me know the item(s) and I'll bring them back next summer.
Enough of my rambles,
Meg
- [S236] Cemetery: Oaklawn.
- [S191] 1900 Census, Census Place: Riverhead, Suffolk, New York; Roll: T623_1166; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 773.
- [S104] 1910 Census, Census Place: Riverhead, Suffolk, New York; Roll: T624_1083; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 1379; Image: 341; FHL Number: 1375096.
- [S42] 1880 Census, Census Place: Baiting Hollow, Suffolk, New York; Roll: 935; Family History Film: 1254935; Page: 394D; Enumeration District: 324; Image: 0519.
- [S127] Advance, Long Island, 26 Mar 1929, p. 8.
Joseph De Monge of Brookhaven, age 87, died Saturday at the home of his sister, Mrs. Wallace Swezey, death being attributed to hardening of the arteries. He had been run down by an automobile two months previously and sustained a fracture of the leg which confined him to Miss Hughes' hospital, Patchogue, several weeks, since when he had gone about on crutches. He was very popular in Brookhaven, and commonly known as "Uncle Joe," being a farmer, and active up to the time of his accident. He was born in France and came to this country when a boy.
The funeral was held yesterday afternoon from Ruland's funeral chapel, Patchogue, with interment in the Brookhaven cemetery, the Rev. George F. Baker of Stony Brook and Brookhaven officiating. Mr. De Monge leaves his sister, Mrs. Swezey and several nieces and nephews, among whom are Mrs. Thomas Poole, Mrs. Julian Rose, Miss Leila Swezey and Frederick Swezey of Brookhaven, Mrs. Robert Morton of Patchogue, Mrs. Robert Rail of New Jersey, and Fletcher Swezey of New Haven.
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1842 - 1929 (87 years)
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