John Thomas W. Willis, Jersey City, New Jersey

[*Sandra*]

Jennie Chapman
I found a Leslie J. Chapman with his birth and death year buried St. Mary of the Lakes, Lakewood. They were the only two Chapmans in the cemetery and their birth and death years were close to each other which is an indication that they married at about the same age.

Your very welcome. Pleased to have helped.

Yes, SSDI record showed Leslie lived in the same zip code area as Jennie.

Leslie Chapman
2 May 1917 and died 22 Nov 1987
Last Residence: 08701  Lakewood, Ocean, New Jersey,
SSN was issued in New York (Before 1951)

There was also anc family tree with Leslie (saying grandfather) so that would have given you a contact but the last log in was over a year ago.

Ellis Island will show the return from the UK in 1923. 

Jennie and tyhe children were on the  UK return passenger list the Caronia 10 June 1923.
Going to Anfield Plain. County Durham.

Sandra

[shellyesq]

John Thomas Willis' WWI draft registration card has him born 1 Oct. 1880 and says he was living in Hoboken, New Jersey.  His nearest relative was Mrs. Jennie Culpitts Willis.

[barryd]

The documentation so far found by everyone is so good that some variable dates are not causing me concern because the people concerned are a long way from their original home and dates do get muddled.  Fortunately I have the baptism of John Thomas Willis and he was baptized 16 November 1879, Parish Church of Burnopfield, County Durham, England. On FREE BDM he was registered in the Lanchester, County Durham,  Registration District in the December Quarter, 1879.  On familysearch.org there are two images on the 1942 Draft Registration and both are the exactly same, both of John Thomas Willis born 16 November 1879. However your find of his WWI registration card has wife's maiden name and where he was living which is fantastic because I have not found them on the 1920 New Jersey census yet.

[barryd]

Jane Colpitts (soon to be Jane/Jennie Willis) arrived at Ellis Island on 3 May 1911 and must have taken the train to Scranton, Lackawanna, PA and married John Thomas Willis the next day 4 May 1911. The marriage is confirmed by Thomas Willis’ WWI draft card with next of kin being Jennie Culptts Willis. (Shelleyesq)

From THE PASSPORT APPLICATION (in 1923 for Jennie and the children to travel to England and back) I have managed to check dates with other references to come up with as good a family group as I can. My thanks to Sandra again for making this possible. Donald was born after 1923. He has his own supporting document.

Rose (Rosanna) (Mrs George Puskas). Born 8 May 1912, DuBois, Clearfield, PA. Passport/SSDI/1940 Census/Find a Grave. The 1940 Census enumerated Rose as having been born in Italy! This is a concern.

Thomas Robert. Born 14 February 1914, Scranton, Lackawanna, PA. Passport/SSDI/National Guard Enlistment 1940/Find a Grave. The passport is ambiguous about Thomas' birth place. It is assumed that it is Scranton.

Jennie (Mrs Leslie J. Chapman). Born 19 October 1916. Scranton, Lackawanna, PA. Passport/SSDI/Find a Grave.

Elizabeth. Born 25 September 1918, Hoboken, Hudson, NJ. Passport. The most likely marriage for Elizabeth was proved to be wrong. A New Jersey couple moving to New Mexico were not the correct couple. See link below.

Donald Willis. (Married Estelle Healey). Born 13 January 1928, Jersey City, Hudson, NJ. Incoming Passengers 1935/ SSDI. Children of Incoming Passengers in 1935 had their birthdates typed on the manifest.
 
http://obits.abqjournal.com/obits/show/112549

[*Sandra*]

The SSDI entries (4 of them) for Elizabeth were the ones with the same birth date as given on the 1923 passport - of which 2 are now discounted.

BUT did you notice on the discrepancies on the 1923 passenger list - the birth date for Elizabeth was 25 th September 1919. (a year later)    A few entries for you to ponder on that one.

Although if Elizabeth died before 1962 then the SSDI records would not pick her up.

Also Rossanna/Rose 8th May 1914 not 1912 - a few more SSDI entries to ponder on that date as well   

Sandra

[magnum702]

I am pretty new to this and this is my very first post but I came across this and am astonished. Jennie Willis/Chapman was my grandmother. I know she was born in Scranton or outside Scranton and she was married to Leslie Chapman who was born in Liverpool. The house on Beacon Ave was in the family until about 3 years ago. Together they had 5 children who have scattered across the United States (2 in New Jersey 1 in Florida 1 in Maryland and 1 in Nevada) and 11 grandchildren (4 in NJ, 1 in Las Vegas, 1 in San Diego 1 in Florida, 2 in Maryland and sadly 2 passed away at young ages). My grandmother passed while I was very young of bone marrow cancer and my grandfather Leslie 2 years later. Sadly I don't have many memories of her.

I did not know Thomas as he passed when I was very young. However the burial in Nutley seems very likely as I know that is where his side of the family lives.

I also did know Rose but I vividly remember Donald. He was a firefighter in Jersey City where his youngest son is now a captain. Donald passed away while I was in high school in either 1993 or 1994. He was very funny and outgoing along with his wife Estelle (Sissy) they had 4 boys who are all within shouting distance of Point Pleasant. However of those 4 boys there are only 2 male grandchildren. And yes Point Pleasant is a beautiful town on the Jersey Shore.

I am not sure when Elizabeth (BeeBee) passed and 2000 might be possible. She was in Maryland but it seems that 2000 would not be right. I think it may have been earlier than that. I only saw her a few times but I remember she also was funny and had a great personality. She has one daughter.

If I can be of any assistance please let me

[magnum702]

I had not searched the passport applications as I did not know they existed. How do I access them?

Jennie Chapman
I found a Leslie J. Chapman with his birth and death year buried St. Mary of the Lakes, Lakewood. They were the only two Chapmans in the cemetery and their birth and death years were close to each other which is an indication that they married at about the same age.

Jennie Willis - the Mother

The passport seems to indicate that the mother was going to England with some children but not the husband? Or did children get put on the wife's passport rather than the husband in those days? Scranton, PA was were Bowes and his future Brother in Law Willis were heading to in 1910. That seems a good place for both families to attend the wedding in 1911.
 
The birth dates for John Thomas W. Willis and his wife Jennie/Jane on the passport application in comparison to the English documents vary slightly . That does not bother me. Jennie probably had to fill in the form with no supporting documentation with her.

Thomas Willis (Jnr)

SSN through the Railroad Board! John Thomas W. Willis was a "Boilermaker's Helper" on a Steam Railroad in 1940. It seems that son Thomas Willis (Jnr) got on with the Railroad too.

Donald Willis

He married Estelle Healey and was a Jersey City Firefighter. Estelle died 31 March, 2004 at her house in Point Pleasant Beach.

What a lot I have to digest. Thank you very much. I will be inputting any further information I can find onto RootChat for others to share.

I recall my father telling me that his grandfather (John) worked for the ferry that ran between Hoboken, NJ and Manhattan. My dad told me that when he was a kid about 5 or 6 they would walk from Jersey City to Hoboken and he would ride the ferry all day with John. He worked with coal.

[barryd]

John Thomas W. Willis parents were born in Ireland. Father Thomas born in Mullabrack, Armagh, Ireland (now Northern Ireland), abt 1844 and mother Matilda McMahon Willis born Ireland abt 1848.

Jane Colpitts Willis wife of John Thomas W. Willis born Annfield Plain, County Durham, England 11 April 1890. Jane Colpitts Willis traces her ancestry back to Edmondbyers, County Durham with the marriage of Robert Colpitts to Margaret Bulman 4 July 1812.

Many thanks for the family information. A group of RootsChatters got things right but confirmation from a family member is very helpful. Passport Applications should be on ancestry.com.

A few days ago I found the death year of Loana Bowes who was the infant travelling with her mother Rebecca Willis Bowes and the future Jane Colpitts Willis to Ellis Island. She was 98 years old when she dropped off the electoral registers near Durham City in 2008.

[barryd]

William Bowes who travelled to Pennsylvania with John Thomas W. Willis is my 2nd Cousin 2 times removed. William Bowes married Rebecca Willis 4 August 1906 Collierley Parish Church, (Annfield Plain). Rebecca Willis is sister of JTWW. William/Rebecca left Pennsylvania at some time before, during or after WW1 and returned to England.