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Greuter Family History
My Greuter ancestors came from a town called Singen, located in the south-western German state of Baden-Wurttemberg, near the border between Germany and Switzerland. On June 15, 1805, my 5-times great grandfather (that's great-great-great-great-great-grandfather) Nikolaus Reitze and his wife Elisabetha (Weber) had a baby girl named Johanna Reitze. Six years later, on January 16, 1812, a farmer named Kaspar Greutter and his wife Xaveria (Reitze) had a baby boy named Kaspar Greutter (Jr.).
Years later, on June 13, 1837, Kaspar Greutter (Sr.) died. Five months later, on November 20, 1837, Johanna Reitze, who was now 32 years old and unmarried, gave birth to a baby boy named Felix Reitze. Felix's father is unknown to us.
A few years later, Johanna gave birth to another boy, Bonifacius Reitze. Finally, by the time little Felix was three years old, his mother married Kaspar Greutter (Jr) on February 15, 1841. Whether Kaspar is the father of the two boys is unknown, but we are assuming he is. Perhaps he was waiting to see if Johanna was going to provide him with sons before he decided to marry her. As a farmer, he would need sons to help him with the farm. Whatever the reason, Kaspar acknowledged Felix and Bonifacius as his sons. Felix Reitze became Felix Greutter and Bonifacius Reitze became Bonifacius Greutter.
While there is no direct evidence that Kaspar Greutter (Jr) was Felix's natural father, the consensus is that he probably was. Therefore, we are accepting the fact that Kaspar and Xaveria Greutter are our ancestors.
As for the possibility that Nikolaus Reitze and Xaveria Reitze are brother and sister, making Kaspar Greutter (Jr) and Johanna Reitze first cousins, we offer this explanation from Tom Peters: "I don't think Nicholas Reitze and Xaveria are siblings. Reitze are very common in the village. Also, they are Catholics and first cousins cannot marry without a dispensation."
If Kaspar Greutter (Jr) was hoping for more sons, then he must have become a little worried when the next three (legitimate) children born were girls: Josepha Greutter, on December 16, 1841; Walburga Greutter, on February 27, 1843; and Symphorosa Greutter, on July 10, 1844. He must have felt some relief when the next two were boys: Ludovicus Greutter, on August 21, 1845; and Sebastian Greutter, on January 19, 1851. The only one, besides Felix, that we know any more about is little Walburga who lived only six months before dying on September 4, 1843.
Barely 20 miles from Singen, in the village of Oberhallau, across the border in Switzerland, Margaretha (Margaret) Surbeck was born on November 18, 1844. Her father, Zacharias Surbeck, was a shoemaker. He was born in Oberhallau on January 12, 1804. Margaret's mother, Barbara Schaad, was born there on April 5, 1808. Zacharias and Barbara were married in Oberhallau on November 20, 1831. Margaret was the youngest of five children. The others were Magdalena Surbeck, born August 1833; Barbara Surbeck, April 1935; Hans Balthasar Surbeck, June 1837; and Hans Georg Surbeck, July 1839. Years later, Zacharias and Barbara died in Oberhallau within six months of each other. Zacharias on May 21, 1871, and Barbara on November 27, 1871.
Oberhallau is in the Swiss canton (state) of Schaffhausen. According to Google Maps, you can walk from Singen to Oberhallau in about 7 hours. There is evidence that Felix and Margaret were married in Germany before arriving at Castle Garden together on August 21, 1865 in steerage aboard the S. S. Duisburg. Steerage is the lowest and cheapest category of passenger accommodation in a ship. Castle Garden was an historic circular fort, located at the southern tip of Manhattan, that served as the United States' first federal immigrant processing station until replaced by Ellis Island in 1892. The ship's manifest identified Margaret as Felix's wife. They settled in Newark, New Jersey. By this time, their surname changed from Greutter to Greuder to Greuter.
Although they were married in Germany, they apparently decided to make it legal in America by getting married at the First German Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Newark on May 10, 1866.
By 1870, Felix and Margaret were living in Newark with their two small children, Felix Greuter Jr., born in Newark on November 29, 1866 and Margaret (Maggie) Greuter, born in Newark on April 5, 1868. Felix Sr. was working as a "maker of harness ornaments." By 1880, he was employed as a "milk dealer" or milkman. He and Margaret were then living at 393 South 8th Street, with Felix Jr. (13), Maggie (12) and three more children, Herman Greuter, born July 8, 1874, Annie Greuter, born May of 1876, and Mary Greuter, born March 21, 1878. Young Felix Jr. was employed as a "ledger maker", later as a "cigar maker.".
Altogether, Felix and Margaret had seven children that I know of. In the very beginning of 1892, Felix was still working as a milkman when he came down with pneumonia and died at home on January 14. He was buried in Woodland Cemetery in Newark. On the 1900 Federal Census, the widowed Margaret claims to have had 10 children. The births of the seven that I have been able to document range from 1866 to 1884. Their stories are told in the sections below.
Six months after their marriage, Felix and Margaret's first child, Felix Greuter, Jr., arrived in Newark on November 29, 1866. We know very little about him. Nearly a year after his father Felix Sr. died from pneumonia, 26-year-old Felix Jr. died from the same condition just two days before Christmas on December 23, 1892. He was unmarried and working as a "cigar maker" when he died. Father and son both died at the family home at 393 South 8th Street. They were buried in the Greuter family plot at Woodland Cemetery in Newark.
Margaret (Maggie) Greuter was born in Newark on April 5, 1868. The Greuters lived at 393 South 8th Street, barely a mile from my Bauer ancestors at 137 Broome Street. Around 1885, my 22-year-old great-great grandfather, Frank Bauer, married 17-year-old Maggie Greuter. They had four children, George Bauer (November 15, 1886), my great-grandmother Anna Bauer (April 1, 1888), Frank Bauer, Jr. (January 19, 1891), and Marie Bauer (November 23, 1894).
One year after the birth of Frank Jr., Maggie's father Felix Greuter died from pneumonia, on January 14, 1892. He was only 53 years old and left Maggie's mother Margaret a widow at 48. A few days before Christmas of that same year, pneumonia claimed the life of Maggie's brother Felix Jr. Margaret lost her husband and oldest son in less than one year.
Two years later, Maggie would experience the same tragic turn of events as her mother. On February 8, 1894, little 3-year-old Frank Jr. died from meningitis. It was around this time that Maggie realized she was pregnant with her fourth child, when Frank Sr. died, on April 23. He was only 30. Like Felix Greuter and his namesake son, Frank and his son were are buried in the Greuter family plot at Woodland Cemetery. When daughter Marie Bauer was born on November 23, 1894, Maggie was left alone at 26 to raise little George, Anna, and Marie.
By 1900, the two widows, Margaret (Surbeck) Greuter and her daughter Maggie (Greuter) Bauer were living at the family home on South 8th Street in Newark. Living with them were 17-year-old Charles Greuter and 15-year-old Henry Greuter, born to Margaret and Felix in 1881 and 1884 respectively; their daughter Annie and her husband Otto Bevensee and their children Henry Bevensee (4) and Frederic Bevensee (3); and Maggie's children Annie (12) and Marie (5).
It's curious that the 1900 Federal Census shows that Margaret was the mother of ten children, with only six still living in 1900. I can account for only seven children.
Maggie worked as a servant to support herself and her children. She and Otto paid rent to Margaret who owned the house free and clear.
On October 10, 1919, Margaret (Surbeck) Greuter was living at the family home on South 8th Street when she died from cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 76. She is buried at Woodland Cemetery.
when this photo was taken in 1935. In the back is her mother
Margaret Bittlingmeier Bogner. On the left is Margaret's mother,
Anna Bauer Bittlingmeier, and on the right is Anna's mother,
Maggie Greuter Bauer.
Maggie (Greuter) Bauer was living at 327 S. 12th Street in Newark when she died of cancer in East Orange on August 26, 1940. She was 72 years old. She joined the other family members who are buried at Woodland Cemetery.
The third child born to Felix and Margaret was Herman Greuter, born in Newark on July 8, 1874. He worked as a "huckster" and a "vegetable or greens peddler". A huckster was a retailer of small goods, working out of a small shop, booth, or stall. He might also be a peddler who goes door-to-door, carrying his wares on a small push cart or a horse-drawn wagon.
On October 1, 1899, Herman married Christina Kritzmacher at the First German Reformed Church at 31 Blum Street in Newark. Christina was born December of 1875 in New Jersey, the daughter of Peter Kritzmacher (1829-1885) and Marie Elizabeth Weigel (1833-1894). Herman and Christina had eight children that I know of.
Herman was a slender man of medium height, with light brown eyes and black hair.
Herman and Christina moved around a lot. In the beginning, from 511 South 10th Street in Newark, to 397 South 8th Street, then finally by 1914 to 407 South 8th Street where they lived for several years. By 1930, they were renting an apartment at 711 South 17th Street in Newark, for $38 per month. This was just two doors down from 715 South 17th Street where their son Charles and his wife Beatrice and their children lived.
By 1940, Herman and Christina were living at 301 21st Street in Irvington when Herman died of a heart attack on March 12, 1940. He was 65 years old. He was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Newark. Five months later, his sister Maggie died and was buried with him in Woodland.
By 1962, Christina was living at 441 Nye Avenue in Irvington and suffering from pancreatic cancer when she died on June 24, 1962 at the age of 86. She is buried with Herman at Woodland Cemetery.
The 8 children of Herman and Christina:
1. Charles George Greuter, born June 8, 1901 in Newark. He married Beatrice Anna Sacks, who was born in Newark on March 9, 1903. Beatrice was the daughter of George Sacks and Mathilde Peucker. Some sources spell the surname Sachs instead of Sacks.
In 1919, Charles and Beatrice lived at 407 S. 8th Street, in Newark. By 1930, they were living with Beatrice's parents at 715 South 17th Street in Newark. Her father, George Sacks, owned the house valued at $6000. In 1937, Beatrice's mother, Mathilde Sacks, died at the age of 52. She was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Newark. By 1940, they were still living at the same place. George worked as a die setter for H. Boker and Company, a tool factory in nearby Maplewood, earning $1050 per year. Charles worked for the same company as a machine operator, earning $1000 per year.
Charles and Beatrice had three children, a daughter and two sons. The daughter, Shirley M. Greuter, was born in Newark on July 21, 1926. The sons were Kenneth Charles Greuter, born in Newark just before Christmas on December 23, 1928, and Leroy E. Greuter, born August 9, 1932.
Charles was 40 years old when he registered for the draft on Valentine's Day in 1942. At the time, he was 5' 6" tall, weighed 165 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion. He also wore eyeglasses. He was missing part of the second finger of his left hand. He does not appear to have served in the military.
In 1953, Beatrice's father died. He was buried with Mathilde at Woodland cemetery. Beatrice suffered from arteriosclerosis and diabetes for several years. She was only 54 years old when she had a fatal heart attack and died on March 17, 1957. She was buried at Hollywood Memorial Park in Union, New Jersey.
After working many years at the tool company, Charles retired in 1963. He then moved to Toms River, New Jersey. On October 12, 1985, at the age of 84, Charles died in Toms River. He is buried with Beatrice at Hollywood Memorial Park.
Shirley worked for the First Jersey National Bank's Gateway office in Newark for over 30 years, starting in 1944 when she was 18 years old. At some point, she moved to Toms River, New Jersey, and commuted daily to the Newark office. She was a member of the Brick Township Presbyterian Church and financial chairman of the Church Women United of Toms River. She was 88 years old when she died on October 16, 2014.
Kenneth was born in Newark, lived in West Orange for 25 years, then moved to Parsippany, New Jersey in 1976. He was a senior service technician at Monroe Systems for Business in New York City, working there for 44 years. He was 5' 11" tall and weighed 150 pounds. He had blue eyes, blonde hair, and a light complexion. In December of 1950, he married Linda R. Lengle. Linda was born Elynore Lengle in 1932, the daughter of Edward P. Lengle and Clara K. Neigle Kenneth and Linda had five sons. He was 61 years old when he died on November 15, 1990. He was buried at Rosedale Cemetery in Linden, New Jersey.
Leroy was an assistant manager with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of New Jersey in Newark, where he worked for 35 years, from 1952 to 1987. He was a Master Mason and very active with various functions of the Freemasons. He was a master of the Nutley Free & Accepted Masons Lodge 25, a patron of the Bloomfield Chapter 76 Order of the Eastern Star, and a member of the Tall Cedars of Lebanon. He moved to Toms River in 1963, continuing to work at BC/BS in Newark. Leroy died August 10, 1987, in Brick Hospital, one day after his 55th birthday. He is buried with his parents at Hollywood Memorial Park.
2. Helen K. Greuter was born in Newark on March 20, 1903. By 1930 she was working as a "foot presser" in a toy factory. She was a member of the Manhattan Park Presbyterian Church in Irvington. She never married. After living most of her life in Irvington, she moved to Brick Township, New Jersey in 1973. She was living there when she died on November 21, 1985 at the age of 82. She is buried at Hollywood Memorial Park.
3. Herman Harry Greuter was born June 11, 1905 at 511 South 10th Street in Newark. By 1930 he was working for the telephone company, and later as a clerk for the Western Electric Company in Newark and Kearny. He was short and slender, standing 5' 6" tall and weighing about 120 pounds. His hair and eyes where brown and he had a light complexion. He never married. He was 37 years old when he enlisted in the Army on March 19, 1943 and served honorably for the duration of the war.
Herman owned a summer home in Toms River, New Jersey. He worked for Western Electric for 43 years until his retirement in 1965. He had been living in Irvington for 35 years until his death on August 14, 1972 when he was 67 years old. He is buried at Hollywood Memorial Park.
4. May Mary Greuter, born November 13, 1907, at 379 South 8th Street in Newark. She appears on the 1910, 1915, and 1920 censuses. By the time she is 15 years old, she was working as a clerk for a brassiere factory in Newark. The last evidence of her existence is on a 1926 Newark City directory where she is listed as a clerk living at 519 South 18th Street.
5. George Raymond Greuter, born February 26, 1910 at 379 South 8th Street in Newark. Like his parents and siblings, George did not go beyond 8th grade in school. He worked as a cable splicer for Public Service Electric and Gas in Orange, New Jersey. He married Margaret Trojko in 1941. Margaret was born in Newark on February 25, 1915, the daughter of Hungarian immigrants Kulman Trojko and Zuzi Zasztko.
George and Margaret lived in Hillside, New Jersey. George was 5' 8" tall, weighed about 150 pounds, with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a sallow complexion. He served with the Army during World War II, from November 1943 through November 1945. Margaret was a Red Cross volunteer. They had one child, a son named Raymond "Ray" George Greuter. Ray was born in Newark on August 30, 1948.
After graduating college with a degree in education, Ray began his 38-year teaching career in Point Pleasant Boro in 1971. He lived in Brick Township, New Jersey most of his adult life. He taught music education and performed professionally on the piano at various venues around the Jersey Shore. His students referred to him as "Groovy Greuter." To others, he was known as "Spicey Greuter." He was musical director for many local Broadway productions, and a pianist at the Old Mill, among others, including Sunday brunch at the Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank, New Jersey. He also had a love for sailing aboard his sleek Sundancer boat.
On August 1, 1987, Ray's father George died in Hillside at the age of 77. His mother Margaret died there on April 2, 1995, age 80. They are buried together at Holy Cross Cemetery in Arlington, New Jersey.
In 2008, Ray retired from teaching. On January 10, 2013, he died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 64. He is buried with his parents at Holy Cross Cemetery. There were several memorials written about Ray. To view them, click here.
6. Margaret Elisebeth Greuter was born January 16, 1912 in Newark. By 1930 she was working a "foot press" in a jewelry factory. On November 13, 1930 she married John Joseph Muha, Jr., the son of Hungarian immigrants John J. Muha, Sr. and Gizella Toth. The Muhas lived in Irvington. The marriage took place at Calvary Church on the corner of 21st Street and 4th Avenue in Manhattan.
By 1935, they lived at 211 Maple Avenue in Irvington, renting for $37 per month. John had an 8th grade education, just like Margaret. He worked as tool maker for a toys and novelties company. His annual salary in 1940 was $2080. He was 5' 8" tall, weighed about 165 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion. He and Margaret had three children, all sons.
Their firstborn was John G. Muha. He was born in Irvington on October 29, 1931. He attended Irvington High School from 1947 to 1951 where he played football and captained the team his senior season in 1950. He served his country as a Marine in the Korean War where he was awarded a Commendation Metal for Valor for his “unhesitatingly and fearlessly leaving the safety of his bunker under heavy and devastating mortar and artillery fire to carry his wounded comrade to where he would receive immediate and effective first aid treatment.” John worked for PSE&G as a field lineman where he serviced Essex County for most of his career.
In May of 1960 John married Mary A. Shafferry, the daughter of Robert A. Shafferry and Marie C. McEnroe. John and Mary lived in Florham Park and raised five sons and a daughter. John was an active member of the community, coaching baseball teams and using his handyman skills to help his neighbors build decks, remodel houses, and build add-ons to their homes.
John was an avid salt-water fisherman and a jack of all trades. After working for PSE&G for 47 years, he retired in 1996 and he and Mary moved to the town of Brick, New Jersey. They lived there for 22 years before John died on June 8, 2019 at the age of 87. Those who knew him said he had a larger-than-life personality and was loved by all. He loved to laugh, adored his family, was quick to forgive, never held a grudge, had an infectious smile, and left an undeniable impression on his family and friends.
John and Margaret's second son was Robert Joseph Muha, born in Irvington on December 11, 1937. He was known as "Moo" by his family and friends. He was a soft-spoken, easygoing man with a great sense of humor. He worked for AT&T as a warehouse man in the cable yard. He married twice. First, to Florine Morrello in 1959, then Geraldine "Jeri" Endee in 1975. Jeri was born in Queens, New York on April 1, 1941, the daughter of Walter F. Endee and Grace Bachmann. Like Robert, she was married twice. Her first husband was Herman Eloe.
Robert and Jeri had several children. They lived in Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey. Robert worked for AT&T for 26 years and after he retired, he worked in receiving for Super Foodtown of Sea Girt, New Jersey. Although Jeri was born in Queens, she grew up in Belmar, New Jersey. She worked for the Azzolina and Scaduto Families Food Circus Foodtown Supermarkets and became their first female Deli Manager. She retired after nearly 30 years in 2005. She and Robert moved to Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey. It was there that he died on June 30, 2005. He was 67 years old. Jeri waged a courageous battle with cancer until her passing on April 9, 2012 at the age of 67.
John and Margaret had another son, William Muha, born in 1941.
In 1970, John and Margaret moved to Brick, New Jersey where Margaret was a sales person in various bakeries, including Pecht's Bakery in Point Pleasant. John was only 56 years old when he died on November 28, 1962. He was buried at Hollywood Memorial Park in Union, New Jersey. Many years later, Margaret was still living in Brick when she died on March 12, 1990 at the age of 78. She is buried next to John at Hollywood Memorial Cemetery.
7. Henry Greuter was born July 30, 1914 at 407 South 8th Street in Newark. He was around two years old when the devastating polio epidemic of 1916 struck him. Newark had the highest per capita infection rate of any American city. A total of 1,360 cases were reported, with 363 deaths. The mortality rate among affected infants was over 31%. While the disease did not kill Henry, it left him paralyzed from the waist down, much like it did to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1920. Ironically, FDR was an adult at the age of 39 when he was stricken.
Although he was unemployed for most of his adult life, Henry did find occasional factory employment. He lived in Irvington and worked as a bartender, at Jimmy's Tavern in Irvington. He was 5' 10" tall, weighed about 186 pounds, with brown hair and eyes, and a ruddy complexion. In 1978 he moved to Toms River to be near his siblings. He died there a few years later on February 1, 1982. Like his sister Helen and his brother Herman, Henry never married. They are all buried together in the same plot at Hollywood Memorial Park in Union.
8. Mildred Greuter, born October 10, 1915 in the family home at 407 South 8th Street. The year 1916 was a rough one for the Greuters and many other families in Newark. Besides the polio epidemic, there was also a measles outbreak that swept through all parts of Newark. 1,355 cases were reported in the first six weeks of the year, with 31 deaths from the disease. On April 6, baby Mildred, Herman, and Christina's eighth and final child, became another sad statistic. She was only 6 months old when she died. An effective vaccination against the disease wasn't developed until the 1960's. She is buried at Woodland Cemetery in Newark where her parents would go when they died.
As you can see, Charles and Henry moved to Toms River in Ocean County where brother Herman owned a summer home, while their sisters Helen and Margaret moved to nearby Brick Township. Upon their deaths, however, they were all buried back north at Hollywood Memorial Park.
The fourth child born to Felix and Margaret was Anna Greuter, born in Newark in May of 1876. Meanwhile, in Segeberg, Germany, Otto Heinrich Bevensee was born on May 20, 1862, 14 years before Anna. While the Greuters were from Singen in the southern extreme of Germany, Segeberg is 530 miles north from there, just above Hamburg. Otto's father was Heinrich August Bevensee; his mother Christiane Mueller. Otto was seven years old when his parents brought him, along with his brother August and sister Marie, to America aboard the steamship Silesia in 1869. They settled in Newark where Otto eventually found work as a "hatter" or "hat finisher".
Otto was 32 years old and living at 53 West Street in Newark when he married 19-year-old Anna on May 18, 1895. Anna was living with her family at 393 South 8th Street in Newark at the time. Otto had a 5th grade education; Anna, 8th grade. They were married at the German Reform Church at 35 Blum Street in Newark. Anna's sister Marie Greuter was one of the witnesses on the marriage certificate.
After the birth of their second child in 1896, they moved from 53 West Street back next to Anna's family, at 391 South 8th Street. They would go on to produce four more children while constantly moving. Between 1900 and 1940, they lived in Newark, then Irvington, back to Newark, back to Irvington, and finally nearby Union. In 1930, they were paying $42 per month for an apartment in Irvington, but by 1940 they owned a two-story single-family home at 231 Winfield Terrace in Union, built in 1927 and valued at $5,000. In 2025, Zillow estimated its value at $608,000.
The six Children of Anna and Otto:
1. Henry August Bevensee, born September 29, 1895 at 53 West Street in Newark. By 1903, the family was living at 393 South 8th Street in Newark when 8-year-old Henry died from an appendicitis attack on November 3, 1903. He was buried at Woodland Cemetery.
2. Frederick Otto Bevensee was born December 5, 1896 at 53 West Street in Newark. Like most of Fred's family, his schooling ended with the eighth grade. He went to work for the Public Service Railroad Company that provided street car service throughout Essex County. He eventually became a conductor for the company and later he was a bus driver. In 1919, he married Tillie Roth. Tillie was born January 28, 1897 in South Orange, New Jersey. Her parents were German immigrants Franz Joseph Roth Jr. and Anna Hulda Blasberg. Tillie was the sister of Hilda Roth who married Anna's brother, Henry F. Greuter. Fred was tall and slender at 5' 9" and weighing 142 pounds in 1942 when he was 45 years old. He had brown eyes, black hair, and a dark complexion.
In 1942, the couple was living at 1410 Springfield Avenue in Irvington. Fred was a bus driver for Public Service Coordinated Transport of Maplewood, New Jersey for 45 years before retiring in 1962. He was also a member of something called the Silver Club in Irvington.
Fred died July 29, 1977 in the East Orange General Hospital when he was 80. He is buried in Rosedale Cemetery in Montclair, New Jersey. Tillie died a few years later, on February 23, 1980 in Irvington. She was 82. She was buried with Fred in Rosedale Cemetery.
3. Otto Frederick Bevensee was born in October of 1897 in Newark. His mother Anna suffered complications during the delivery that left little Otto sick and weak. He died two months later, on December 30, 1897. He was buried at Woodland Cemetery.
4. Mary L. Bevensee, born June 15, 1900 in Newark at 391 South 8th Street. She didn't fare much better than little Otto, dying at the age of six months on December 6, 1900, from a very bad bronchitis attack. She was buried with her brother at Woodland Cemetery.
5. Edna Bevensee, born October 2, 1902 in Newark. After graduating 8th grade, she worked for many years at an undergarment factory before her marriage to William "Bill" Herman Figler in 1931. Bill was born in Newark on July 21, 1902, the son of William Figler and Agusta Scharf.
After graduating from 8th grade, Bill became a riveter for a local factory, and later a truck driver. When he married Edna, he was a shipping clerk for Purolator Products in Newark. He was a tall six-footer who weighed about 165 pounds, with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a light complexion.
At first, they lived in Irvington. They had two daughters, Anne Louise Figler, born around 1932, and Edna M. Figler, in 1935. By 1940 they were living with Edna's parents at 231 Winfield Terrace in Union. Edna had an 8th grade education, just like Bill. Bill worked for Purolator Products starting in 1927 until his death 38 years later.
When Bill died at the age of 63 on December 18, 1965, they were living at 15 Tulip Court in Kenilworth, New Jersey. Edna was still living there when she died several years later, on May 5, 1979 when she was 76. She and Bill are buried together at Hollywood Memorial Cemetery.
Edna and William's daughter Anne Figler graduated from Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield, New Jersey in 1950. Springfield is about 10 miles west of Newark and Irvington. In January of 1957 she married Charles Thomas Stelzer. Charles was born in Newark on September 4, 1930. His parents were Charles F. Stelzer and Adelaide Nisch. Charles was around four years of age when his mother died in 1935. He was then raised by his aunt and uncle, Thomas and Sophie Westlake, who lived in Union. A graduate of Union High School in 1948, Charlie lettered in football, baseball, and Basketball. He was a U. S. Air Force veteran, serving during the Korean War.
Anne and Charlie had four children. Charlie was employed by Exxon Bayway in Linden. Besides being an avid bowler, Charlie also played in several men's softball leagues, and was very active Cranford sports leagues. He was a member of the Deutscher Club in Clark, New Jersey, and the Sunny Acres Civic Association in Linden. Charlie was 84 years old when he died on March 30, 2014. He was buried at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Arneytown, New Jersey.
One of Anne and Charlie's four children was Charles Thomas Stelzer, Jr., born in Plainfield, New Jersy in January of 1958. Charlie grew up in Cranford, New Jersey and would eventually become a long-time resident of Chatham, New Jersey. He was a 1976 graduate of Chatham High School and a 1980 graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University. He was an avid sports fan. He rooted for the Yankees, Giants, Knicks, and Devils. It was this enthusiasm that led him to start D. S. Sports Collectibles, a company that markets sports memorabilia throughout the region. He was a big fan of the Grateful Dead that sometimes outshone his love for New York sports.
In September of 1982, Charlie married Laura J. Lannin. They had three children. The family were frequent visitors to Island Beach State Park in Seaside Heights, New Jersey.
Charlie was just 67 years old when he passed away on June 20, 2025 after a long illness. He was described in his obituary as "truly one of the most generous, funny, and kind-hearted people you can imagine. Everyone felt comfortable and welcomed around Charlie. He raised great, kind children and left a lasting impression on anyone he ever met".
Edna and William's other daughter Edna Figler graduated from Jonathan Dayton High School in 1953 where she performed with the school band as a twirler and majorette. In August of 1958, she married Stanley W. Rogouski, the son of New York born coal miner Stanley Walter Rogouski and Lithuanian immigrant Mary Mazerkvech. Stanley was born December 6, 1931 in Taylor, Pennsylvania where his father worked the coal mines. In May of 1939, seven-year-old Stanley and his family were involved in a serious four-car accident near Scranton, Pennsylvania. Stanley sustained severe scalp wounds, while his mother suffered a fractured pelvis. While everyone involved in the crash was injured, no one died.
Edna and Stanley lived in Kenilworth and Colonia, New Jersey before moving to Roselle around 1967. They had two sons. Edna worked as an assembler for the Tecknit Company in Cranford, New Jersey until her retirement in 2006. They were still living in Roselle when Stanley died on July 27, 2011. He was 79 years old. Two days before her 82nd birthday, Edna died on June 1, 2017. She was buried at Hollywood Memorial Cemetery in Union.
6. William Francis Bevensee was born May 17, 1909 in Newark. He dropped out of high school after his sophomore year and was hired as a clerk for an electrical appliance shop in Irvington. He married Margaret Winifred McNamara in 1935. Margaret was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on March 29, 1909. Her parents were coal miner Michael McNamara and Mary McNally. Margaret had an 8th grade education and had a job as a file clerk at an electric lamp company before her marriage to William.
William and Margaret had one child that I know of, William Donald Bevensee, born on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1936. By 1940 they were living at 470 South 21st Street in Irvington, paying $30 for rent. William served with the Navy during World War II, from March 10, 1944 to November 17, 1945. He was 5' 7", weighed 130 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion. After his discharge, he became a receiving clerk for Kraft Foods of Hillside, New Jersey. Around 1966, the family moved to Bloomfield, New Jersey. Margaret was employed as a fitter for Hahne & Company in Montclair for 20 years.
After Margaret died in Bloomfield at the age of 64 on April 7, 1973, William finally retired from Kraft after 40 years of service. Ten years after Margaret's death, William followed on June 13, 1983 at the age of 74. He and Margaret are buried at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Montclair, New Jersey.
Their son, William D., was an Army veteran, enlisting on November 7, 1958 and honorably discharged on October 19, 1960. In November of 1961, he married Ellen F. Pollard in New Providence, New Jersey. Ellen was born March 31, 1939. Her parents were William Patrick Pollard and Ruth Mae Britt.
William worked as a computer analyst for the Social Security Administration. He and Ellen had a son and daughter. They lived in Reisterstown, Maryland. William belonged to the Knights of Columbus of Sacred Heart Church in Reisterstown. William was 62 when he died after a short illness on May 4, 1999. He was buried at Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery in Owings Mills, Maryland.
Those were the six children of Anna Greuter and Otto Bevensee. In 1935, Anna and Otto were living in Irvington. By 1940, they were living at 231 Winfield Terrace in Union, a house they owned, valued at $5000. They were still living at 231 Winfield Terrace when Otto suffered a heart attack on October 4, 1943. He died 4 days later, on October 8 in St. Elizabeth Hospital in Elizabeth. He was 81. He was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Newark. Anna died years later from an intestinal hemorrhage when she was 82 years old, on August 8, 1958, at 15 Tulip Court in Kenilworth, New Jersey. She was buried with Otto at Woodland Cemetery.
Felix and Margaret's fifth child was Mary Greuter, born March 21, 1878 in Newark. She was 21 years old when she married 24-year-old Frederich Johann Kluge on June 24, 1899, at the Dutch German Reformed Church in Newark. Fred was born December 9, 1872 in Newark. At the time of their marriage, he was living at 382 18th Avenue in Newark. Mary was living at 393 South 8th Street.
Fred was tall with a medium build. He had blue eyes and dark brown hair. He was a mason by trade. His father was William Kluge; his mother Amalia Sieberth. By 1920, Mary and Fred had moved to 737 South 18th Street, and in 1929 they moved to 431 Clark Avenue in Union Beach, New Jersey. They owned the house there valued at $1800. Fred's younger unmarried brother Frank Kluge lived with them. As far as I know, Mary and William never had children. In July of 1949, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with 100 friends and relatives at the Cambridge Avenue firehouse in Union Beach.
On March 4, 1957, Fred died of a heart attack at his home in Union Beach. He was 85. He was buried at Cedarwood Cemetery in Hazlet, New Jersey. Mary died a few years later, on December 8, 1960 at the age of 82. She is buried with Fred at Cedarwood Cemetery.
The sixth child born to Felix and Margaret was Charles Greuter, born June 21, 1881 in Newark. Early in his career he worked as an "iron moulder", a skilled tradesperson who creates molds for casting iron parts and components in a foundry. Later, like his brother Herman, he was a "huckster", and later still a fruit peddler. Around 1906, he married Sophia (Sophie) Rittershofer. Sophie was born in Newark on August 23, 1888. Her parents were Karl Rittershofer and Hedwig Mueller. Charles stood five foot six inches tall and weighed 175 pounds. He had hazel eyes, brown hair, and a ruddy complexion.
Initially, the couple lived at 95 16th Avenue in Newark. They didn't stay long in one place, moving several times to apartments on 15th Avenue and 8th Street. By 1930 they were living at 504 15th Avenue in Newark, renting for $30 per month. By 1940 they were renting an apartment for $42 a month at 862 South 18th Street in Newark. Education-wise, Charles and Sophie had reached as far as the 7th grade in school.
The 5 Children of Charles and Sophie:
1. Ruth Anna Greuter, born June 6, 1907 in Newark. She stopped attending school after eighth grade. She was 16 years old when she married 20-year-old William Patrick Devine on May 7, 1924 at Saint Antoninus Catholic Church in Newark. William was born in Harrison, New Jersey on October 29, 1903. His father was James Devine and his mother Margaret Gormon. William usually went by his middle name of Patrick. He was relatively short at 5' 4" and weighed about 135 pounds. He had blue eyes, brown hair, and a ruddy complexion. Like his wife, he had an eighth-grade education.
Ruth and William rented an apartment at 597 South 11th Street in Newark where William drove a truck for a laundry business. Their monthly rent was $38 and they owned a radio. They had one child, a son named William Charles Devine, born in Newark on March 1, 1926. Sometime around 1935, they moved in with Ruth's parents at 862 South 18th Street in Newark. William and Ruth's brother Felix were deliverymen for a linen supply company. William registered for the World War II Draft on Valentine's Day in 1942. By 1949, Ruth and William were living at 16 Brookdale Avenue in Newark when a reception of their 25th wedding anniversary was held at Bill's Sportsman's Club.
All we know about William Charles Divine is that he was much taller than his father, standing at 5' 10" but weighing only a little more at 140 pounds. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion. Two weeks after World War II officially ended, he registered for the draft on September 18, 1945. He was 19 and unemployed at the time. No more is known about him except he was 76 years old when he died on July 16, 2002. For that matter, nothing more is known about his parents.
2. Felix Julius Greuter was born on March 15, 1910 at 543 15th Avenue in Newark. He had an 8th grade education. In 1930, he was working in a laundry. By 1940 he was a deliveryman for a towel supply company in Newark earning $1872. Sometime later, he became assistant manager for Consolidated Laundry in Newark. He served with the Army during World War II. He was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed a stout 190 pounds.
Felix married a Finnish-born blonde beautician named Gerdis Alice Ily Anderson in 1943. Gerdis was born November 19, 1920 on the Aland islands, located just off the southwest corner of Finland. The Swedish-speaking islands are not far from the coast of Sweden. Gerdis arrived as a baby with her parents to America on July 10, 1922 and settled in Irvington.
Gerdis graduated Morrell High School in Irvington in 1937. She applied for citizenship on May 17, 1940 and became an American Citizen on February 2, 1943, the same year she married Felix. Her blonde hair was accented with Hazel eyes. She was 5' 4" tall and weighed a slim 115 pounds. Her father was a carpenter named Alfred H. Anderson, and her mother Agda Henrickson.
Felix and Gerdis lived in Kenilworth, New Jersey. They do not appear to have had children. After they moved to New Port Richey in Florida around 1975, Gerdis was a poll worker for her voting district. Felix became a charter member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in nearby Holiday. Felix died on April 14, 1995 in Port Richey, Florida, age 85. He was cremated. Gerdis was living in Asheville, North Carolina when she died on December 28, 2002. She was 82 years old. Her brief newspaper death notice stated no services were planned.
3. Charles Emil Greuter was born October 9, 1911 at 393 South 8th Street in Newark. In 1930, Charles worked in the shipping department of a leather factory. In 1939, he married Margaret Studdle, who was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on September 19, 1912. Her parents were a coal miner named George Studdle and Helen Stasukitis.
Charles and Margaret resided at 482 Grove Street in Irvington, renting for $25 per month. Both had schooling through 8th grade. Charles worked as a helper in a towel supply company, making $1275 per year.
Charles served with the Army during World War II, from March 1943 through April 1946. He was 5' 10" tall and weighed a hefty 200 pounds. He had brown eyes with black hair, and a ruddy complexion.
On August 31, 1968 Charles died when he was just 56 years old. He and Margaret were living at 405 Stuyvesant Avenue in Irvington. He was buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover, New Jersey. In 1984, Margaret moved to Cedar Grove, New Jersey. On February 18, 1994, she died at the age of 81 in the home of her sister, Elizabeth (Studdle) Puglisi, in Fairfield, New Jersey. She was buried with Charles at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.
4. Dorothy Greuter was born June 12, 1913 at 393 South 8th Street in Newark. In 1930, 16-yr-old Dotty worked as a presser in a woolen mill. On March 15, 1933, she married Michael Bertelo. Michael was born in Newark on January 10, 1906, the son of Anthony Bertelo and Mary Litella. He worked as a machinist in a machine shop. He worked steadily in 1939, earning an annual salary of $2000. He was short in stature at 5' 2" tall and weighing about 120 pounds. He had black hair, gray eyes and a light complexion. He and Dotty lived at 7 20th Avenue in Irvington with three small children, a son and two daughters. The daughters were Jean Ann Bertelo and Dorothy J. Bertelo.
The son, Michael William Bertelo, the oldest of the siblings, was born in Union on his father's 28th birthday, January 10, 1934. Mike served in the Army during the Korean War. He was employed by Bell Atlantic-New Jersey in South Plainfield for 33 years, retiring as manager in 1992. In June of 1957, Mike married Erna Theaingrid Leonhardt, the daughter of German immigrants Gustav Adolph Leonhardt and Friedel "Frieda" Beigst. Erna was born in Union on May 22, 1936.
Mike and Erna had two daughters, JoAnn Bertelo and Michele Bertelo. They moved to Rahway in 1965. JoAnn has fond memories of her mother's brother Robert Greuter and his wife Eleanor Morris and their children regularly joined them at holiday parties at their house. JoAnn and their son Chuck were close in age. According to JoAnn, her father Mike grew up in the home of Anna (Greuter) and Otto Bevensee at 231 Winfield Terrace in Union.
Erna worked as a bookkeeper with the Premier Die Casting Company in the Avenel section of Woodbridge for eight years. She died January 2, 1998 at the age of 61 and was cremated. A year later, Mike was 65 years old when he died in Rahway on February 11, 1999. Like Erna, he was cremated.
Dotty and her husband Michael lived at 1650 Stuyvesant Avenue in Union. He appears to have died in January of 1960 when he was 54 years old. On October 11, 1976, Dotty died at the age of 63.
5. Robert Clarence Greuter, born May 7, 1916 at 393 South 8th Street in Newark. He had an 8th grade education. By 1940, he was working in a bakery, with a salary of $1300. Then he was stricken with rheumatic fever that kept him unemployed for several months. He recovered, and in 1943, married Eleanor Frances Morris, the daughter of Stephen Daniel Morris and Frances L. Holler. Eleanor was born in Newark on August 17, 1919. She had 12 siblings. She was 16 years old in 1936 when her father died, leaving the mother a widow with 13 children.
Robert was a heavyset man, weighing 200 pounds at 5' 9" in height. He had brown hair and eyes, and a ruddy complexion. He and Eleanor lived in Irvington where Robert owned and operated a produce truck serving the Clinton Hill and Irvington areas for more than 40 years before retiring in 1980. They had four children that I know of, a daughter and three sons.
The daughter, Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Greuter, was born in Newark on February 16, 1944. In 1962, she graduated from the Frank H. Morrell High School in Irvington where she was known for finding great fun in laughing and being with people. In July of 1966, she married Edward Weber. They settled in Scotch Plains, New Jersey and raised a son and two daughters. Betty was a member of the Saint Bartholomew Rosary Altar Society and president of the Women's Bowling League at Strike n' Spare in Green Brook, New Jersey. She was a member of the 'Hopefuls' bowling team. She was 70 years old when she died a week before Thanksgiving on November 21, 2014. She was entombed at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, New Jersey. Edward followed four years later, on March 5, 2018. He was 78 years old. He was entombed with Betty at Fairview Cemetery.
One of the sons, Charles Edward Greuter, was born February 21, 1959. He was known as Chuck. He graduated from Irvington High School in 1977 where he was known as "Greuts" and was a member of the National Honor Society. He worked for Prudential Insurance of Roseland, New Jersey and Macy's at Menlo Park Mall. He lived in Irvington and has not appeared to have married. At some point, he moved to Roselle Park where he died June 7, 2011, at the age of 52, after a long illness. As per his request, there was no viewing and his remains were cremated.
Robert and Eleanor were still living in Irvington when Robert died at the age of 66 on July 11, 1982. Eleanor moved to Roselle Park in 1987, and was living there when she died at the age of 75 a few days before Christmas on December 21, 1994. She and Robert are buried together at Hollywood Memorial Park in Union, New Jersey.
Christmas eventually became a very sad holiday for the family. First, Charles and Sophie were living at 42 Norwood Street in Newark when he died of heart failure on December 25, 1953. He was 72 years old. Incredibly, Sophie was 66 and still living at 42 Norwood Street in Newark when she died of the same disease exactly one year later, at Columbus Hospital in Newark, on December 25, 1954. They are buried together at Hollywood Memorial Park in Union, New Jersey. Then, Robert's wife Eleanor died a few days before Christmas in 1994.
Charles and Sophie's great-granddaughter, JoAnn Bertelo, Michael W.'s daughter, believes Dorothy Greuter's husband, Michael Bertelo, also died around Christmas.
Felix and Margarets' seventh and final child, Henry Franklin Greuter, was born in Newark on July 21, 1884. After his father died, Henry was living with his mother Margaret at 393 South Eighth Street in Newark when he married Hildegarde "Hilda" Roth in 1911. Hilda was born June 2, 1894, the daughter of Frank Joseph Roth Jr. and Anna Hulda Blasberg. Hilda's sister Tillie Roth, married Frederick Otto Bevensee, the son of Otto Bevensee and Anna Greuter. Anna was Henry's sister.
Henry was a short man with a medium build. He had brown hair and brown eyes. Early on, He worked as a driver for a lumber yard. He and Hilda had two children, Henry F. Greuter, Jr. and Anne E. Greuter. By 1920, they were living at 49 Winans Avenue in Newark. Henry was working as a motorman for the Public Trolley Company. By 1930, they were living at 2243 Morris Avenue in Union where Henry was now employed as "depot master" for a "car house".
Henry was living at 10 Sharon Avenue in Irvington when he had a heart attack on December 19, 1934. He lasted one week and died on December 27 in Beth Israel Hospital in Newark. He was only 50 years old. He was buried at Hollywood Memorial Park in Union, New Jersey.
By 1940, Hilda was living at 12 41st Street in Irvington with her second husband, James Walsh Whalen. James was born in Massachusetts on June 14, 1899. He was a public service worker, earning $2200 per year. He was 5' 9" tall, weighed about 170 pounds, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a ruddy complexion. Both James and Hilda were grade school drop-outs. Living with them was Hilda's son, Henry Greuter Jr. and his wife, Hildegarde.
Hilda and James were living at 1281 Springfield Avenue in Irvington when, on July 15, 1969, Hilda died at the age of 75. She is buried at Hollywood Memorial Park with Henry. Although I have yet to determine the exact circumstances, James Whalen died 6 days later, on July 21. I don't know where he is buried.
Children of Henry and Hilda:
The first was Henry Franklin Greuter, Jr, born at 433 18th Avenue in Newark on August 20, 1912. His birth certificate, however, recorded his name as Franklin Henry Greuter. Regardless, he was always known as Henry Franklin Greuter. He later worked as a bookkeeper for Prudential Insurance. He was 5' 11" tall, weighed 170 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, and interestingly, a dark brown complexion.
In 1938, Henry married a woman with the same first name as his mother. This was Hildegarde Maria Manz born in Stuttgart, Germany on October 28, 1912. Like Henry Jr.'s mother, Hildegarde was known as Hilda. Her father Karl Manz was born in Diessenhofen, Switzerland. Her mother, Louise, was born in Zuffenhausen, Germany, just 5 miles north of Stuttgart. Hilda's formal education in Germany went as far as the fifth grade.
She was twelve years old when she arrived in New York with her mother aboard the S. S. Columbus just before Christmas on December 22, 1924. Hilda's mother Louise was described as a rather tall woman at 5' 8". She and Hilda were both green-eyed blondes. Hilda was tall, like her mother. Even though she was only twelve, she was 5' 6" tall. They would eventually join her father in Hillside, New Jersey.
Just before she married Henry, Hilda returned to the town of Freiburg in Germany to visit her Aunt Rose Hoffman. Freiberg is about 60 miles west of Stuttgart. She returned on June 10, 1938 aboard the S. S. Deutschland.
Hilda was working as a clerk for an insurance company when she married Henry, possibly Prudential Insurance where Henry was employed. They lived with Henry's mother and her second husband James Whalen in Irvington. Henry and Hilda had two sons, Henry Franklin Greuter III and Kenneth Carl Greuter.
They were living in Cranford, New Jersey when they moved with the boys to Jacksonville, Florida around 1953. Henry eventually retired there from Prudential.
Henry and Hilda's second child was Anna Erna Greuter, born April 26, 1915 at 618 South 10th Street in Newark. On July 5, 1933, Anna married Russell Arthur Tyson, who was born October 1, 1910 in Belleville, New Jersey, just north of Newark. Russ worked for Public Service Transport, a street railway and bus company in New Jersey that operated from 1917 to 1980, and which eventually became the New Jersey Transit Authority. Russ was tall and slim at 5' 11" and 130 pounds. He had brown hair, gray eyes, and a dark complexion. He and Anna had a son and a daughter.
Anna and Russ moved to Jacksonville, Florida around 1953 with Henry and Hilda. Henry was 64 when he died there on April 30, 1977, followed by Anna on September 19, 1980 when she was 65. On December 21, 1997, Hilda died at the age of 85, and Russell, who was living in Snellville, Georgia with his son Russell Jr. and suffering from Alzheimer's, was last in 1999 at age 88. They are all buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Jacksonville.
