52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Ancestor # 5

Peter Van De Veire (1877-1955)

Peter Bernard Van De Veire, was born in Sint-Jan-in-Eremo, Oost Vlaanderen, Belgium on 18 November 1877ⁱ and died in Paterson, Passaic, New Jersey in October, 1955. He was the son of Ivo and Rosalie Francisca (Du Four) Van De Veire. Peter was an only child. His parents married late in life and his mother was 42 when he was born. He married Elodie Dobbelaere in Kaprijke, Oost Vlaanderen, Belgium on 8 October 1900ⁱⁱ. Elodie whose name translates into English as “Alice” was born on 28 September 1882ⁱⁱⁱ in Kaprijke and died in Paterson on 5 August 1955. The name Van De Veire translates from the Dutch as “from the ferry”. One of my ancestors may have ferried people across one of the many rivers flowing through Belgium or Holland.

In the last quarter of the 19^th century economic conditions were poor in Flanders^iv. Crop failures were wide spread and the cottage industry of weaving and making lace had dried up due to factory mechanization. Friends of Peter’s had immigrated to the United States and settled in Paterson. One of them wrote to him and told him the streets in America were lined with gold. Both of his parents died in 1900 and Peter and Elodie were in love. So they married and set sail for Paterson from Antwerp on the Noordland. They stopped in Glasgow, Scotland and departed from there on 14 Mar 1901^v on the Furnesia. They arrived in New York on 26 Mar 1901^vi and were processed through Ellis Island. The ship’s manifest mistakenly listed them as Russian. They went across the East River from Manhattan to Paterson, New Jersey and stayed there for the rest of their lives.

The family was listed in the 1905 New Jersey Census^vii living on Martin Street. In 1905 Peter and Elodie had 2 children, Edward born in October 1901 and Mary born in November 1902. Peter is listed as a laborer. This family was enumerated in Paterson in every census through 1940^viii.

Peter had a number of jobs. For a while he worked in the locomotive factory helping to manufacture train engines. By 1915 he is listed as a cement contractor. Peter met a man who wanted to hire him to work in his cement contracting business. He told Peter that he would teach him everything he needed to know about the business. Peter eventually had his own contracting business and did this until he retired.

Peter built 2 houses in Paterson, both duplexes. He lived on the second floor of one of them and rented the other 3 units. The family home was on Pennsylvania Avenue. They moved into this home in late 1917 in time for the birth of their sixth child, my mother Madeline, in January 1918. This is the home I remember from my childhood. When WWII broke out, my father had just graduated from medical school so, of course, he was a prime target for the military. During the time my father was overseas, my mother and I lived in Paterson with her parents. She was a RN and worked at Wright Aeronautical while my grandparents took care of me. Like most grandparents, mine doted on me. I was a welcome diversion from the worry of the war and concern for 2 sons and 1 son-in-law who were fighting.

Elodie had fallen in the 1920’s resulting in an injury to her back. In 1955 it was decided that surgery to relieve the pressure of a ruptured disc was advisable. The surgery was a success but Elodie died of complications – a blood clot to the lungs. Peter was also in failing health and died shortly after she did. They are buried in Paterson with their youngest child, William, who died of a ruptured appendix at the age of 12. All of their other children outlived them.

Children of Peter Bernard and Elodie (Dobbelaere) Van De Veire, all born in Paterson:

i. Edward Bernard Van De Veire⁶. b. 14 Oct 1901, d. 28 Feb 1988 in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, m. (1) on 16 May 1921 in Plattsburg, Clinton, New York Rose MacDonald and (2)on 24 Jul. 1930 in Connecticut, Mary Agnes Burns, b. 17 Oct 1895 in Rhode Island, d. 30 Apr 1975 in Alameda, Alameda, California.

ii. Mary Van De Veire. b. 18 Nov 1902, d. in Paterson on 31 May 1990. m. 18 Nov 1942, John Kerrigan.

iii. Martha Van De Veire b. 7 Sep 1905, d. 4 Dec. 1994 in North Haledon, Passaic, New Jersey, m. 22 Feb 1933 in Paterson James Blair , b. 30 Oct 1907 in Clifton, Passaic, New Jersey and d 19 Jul 1989 in North Haledon.

iv. Julius Van De Veire. b. 29 Sep. 1908, d. Feb 1987 in West Milford, Passaic, New Jersey, m. 28 Aug. 1937 Edith ( ), b. 12 Mar 1907, d. 6 Jan 1997 in West Milford.

v. Margreth Van De Veire. b. 1 Apr. 1914, d. 1 Jan. 2010 in Randolph, Orange, Vermont, m. (1) Mitchael Orbeck and (2) Joseph Morgan

vi Madeline Van De Veire, b. 29 Jan 1918, d. 26 May. 2012 in Largo, Pinellas, Florida, m. 21 Sep 1941 William Howard Baldwin in Marysville, Marshall, Kansas, b. 29 Nov 1908 in Grand Forks, Grand Forks, North Dakota and d. 20 Jan 1988 in Largo, Pinellas, Florida.

vii. Charles Van De Veire. b. Apr 1921, m. Marjorie Cornish 20 Apr 1947.

viii. William Van De Veire, b. 19 Oct 1925, d. 1937.

iMunicipality of Sint Laureins, subsector Sint-Jan-in-Eremo, Oost Vlaanderen, Belgium, birth certificate for Peter Van De Veire, provided by Paul Cornelis.

iiMunicipality of Kaprijke, Oost Vlaanderen, Belgium, 1900 marriage certificate, Van De Veire-Dobbelaere, provided by Paul Cornelis.

iiiMunicipality of Kaprijke, Oost Vlaanderen, Belgium, 1882 birth certificate for Elodie Dobbelaere, provided b y Paul Cornelis.

ivGoethals, Jozef J. and Karel Denys, CICM. “Searching for Flemish (Belgian) Ancestors”(Baltimore, MD:Clearfield Company, 2007) p. 13-14.

v“United Kingdom: Board of Trade's Commercial and Statistical Department and successors: Outbound Passenger Lists”, digital image,Ancestry.com(http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 6 Jan 2015) departure of Petrus and Elodis Vandeveire.

vi“New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957”, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 6 Jan 2015) arrival of Petrus Vandeveire

vii1905 New Jersey state census, Passaic County, Paterson Ward 10, Enumeration District (E.D.) 2, Sheet 14B, dwelling 172, family 284, Peter Van De Vere; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 16 Nov 2015), citing New Jersey Archives Reference #L-06, film # 37.

viii1910 US census, Passaic, New Jersey, population schedule, Paterson Ward 10, Enumeration District (E.D.) 150, Sheet 13A, page 186 (stamped), dwelling 141, family 271, Peter Vorn De Vere; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 16 Nov 2015), citing National Archivesw and Records Administration microfilm T624, roll 907.

1920 US census, Passaic, New Jersey, population schedule, Enumeration District (E.D.) 141, Sheet 23B, p. 220 (written), dwelling 282, family 509, Peter Van De Veire; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 16 Nov 2015), citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T625, roll 1066.

1930 US census, Passaic, New Jersey, population schedule, Paterson, Enumeration District (E.D.) 77, sheet 34A, page 2017 (written), dwelling 330, family 476, Peter Vander Vere; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 16 Nov 2015), citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm, T626, roll 1381.

1940 US census, Passaic County, New Jersey, population schedule, Paterson, Enumeration District (E.D.) 26-125, Sheet 10B, page 1584 (printed), number of household visited 223, Peter VanDeVeir; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 30 Sep 2014), citing National Archives and Record Administration microfilm T627, roll 2433.