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This is another in a series of pages about families that lived and thrived in Camden. I stumbled across a series of family pages while searching for material about Cedar Street on the web. A number of web-pages have and/or will be derived from the articles I found on the Munion, Reilly, Gedling, Kessler, Felkas, and Redfield families by John James Reilly. Needless to say these these pages are open to participation by the descendants of the families mentioned.... as a rule they are inspired by e-mail I've received from one or more family members. If you see something in error or feel that something should be added, PLEASE contact me via e-mail sop it can be added. Like everything else on this website, and in our lives, it's a work in progress. I welcome all comments, criticisms, and contributions..... pictures are more than welcome. Feel free to contact me by e-mail Phil Cohen, Camden NJ |
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Munion DOROTHY M. KESSLER REILLY was the daughter of JAMES H. and CATHERINE GEDLING KESSLER. JAMES H. KESSLER was the son of ALBERT and AMANDA MUNON KESSLER. AMANDA MUNION KESSLER was the daughter of WILLIAM H. MUNION whose father was also named WILLIAM H. MUNION. AMANDA MUNION KESSLER was the daughter of ABIGAIL A. RAINE MUNION who was married to WILLIAM H. MUNION. The parents of ABIGAIL A. RAINE MUNION were JOHN RAINE and ABIGAIL A. CHEW. The
Munion and Raine Generations William
H. Munion
John and Abigail A. Raine William
H. Munion
Abigail A. Raine Amanda
Munion Kessler According to the 1880 U.S. Census
Amanda Munion was the daughter of William H. and Abigail Munion.
She was 8 years old in 1880 which gives her a birth year of 1872.
Amanda had a brother named Webster who was 3 years old in 1880 which
means his birth year was 1877. Amanda
1872 Webster
1877 Amanda is a connecting link between the Munion, Raine and Kessler
families’. Her father was a Munion, her mother was a Raine and her
husband was a Kessler. The 1900 U.S. Census has Amanda Munion married
to an Arthur (Albert) Kessler. They had been married for 9 years which
places the marriage in the year 1891. Arthur is 35 years of age and
has a birth month of March in the year 1865. Amanda is 27 years of age
and has a birth month of May in the year 1873. Arthur and Amanda and
their parents were all born in New Jersey. In 1880 Amanda has her
mother, Abbie Munyon, and her brother, Webster living with her. Abbie
is 46 years old and widowed.
Dorothy
1926 Verna
1928 Dorothy
would marry Edward Reilly and Verna would marry Robert Connelly. Webster
Munion Webster Munion was the son of William H. and Abigail Munion and the
brother of Amanda Munion. According to the 1880 U.S Census Webster was
3 years old which would place his birth in the year 1877. His father
is 40 years of age and his mother is 25 years old. He is with his
family in Upper Penns Neck Township, Salem County, New Jersey. Each
member of the family has been born in New Jersey including the
grandparents. In the year 1900 Webster and his mother Abigail Munion
are living with his sister Amanda wife of Albert Kessler. Also, living
with the Kessler’s are their two daughters Linda, age 5 and Anna,
age 1. Webster is now 22 years old which gives his birth date as
March, 1878. His mother, Abigail, is a widow now at the age of 46.
This indicates a birth month of January in 1854. Webster is working as
a waiter. According to the 1920 U.S. Census Webster is now married and living at
2127 Chadwick Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Webster is 43 years
of age working as a conductor on a railroad. He is married to Emma,
age 40, who was born in Pennslyvania. Her father was born in South
America and her mother in Maryland. Living with Webster and Emma
Munion is her mother. She has the last name of Albert
and Amanda Kessler According to the 1900 U.S. Census Albert and Amanda Kessler were renting a house at 414 Second Street, Camden, New Jersey. They were the parents of:
Linda
Kessler married a Jacob F. Bender and according to the 1920 U.S.
Census they were both 19 years old when they married 1912-1913. In
1920 they were living at 146 South
Thirty Second Street, Camden, New Jersey and owned their own home.
Jacob and his parents were all born in Pennsylvania and Linda and her
parents were all born in New Jersey. Jacob
worked as a Mechanical
Draftsman; Linda was at home. In 1920 they had three children: Jacob
B. (Edward) 7 years old Robert
A.
4 years and 9 months old Ada L.
6 months old In 1930 the Bender’s were still living at 146
South
Thirty Second Street
and their home was valued at $6500.
Jacob was 38
and Linda was 37 and their children Anna
H. Kessler married a Walter Reighn according to the 1920 U.S. Census.
At this time they lived at 226 Milton
in Camden, New Jersey. Walter in
1920 was 30 years old and Anna was 21 which would make his birthday
about 1890 and her birthday about 1898. His occupation is listed as
woodman. Anna and Walter and both their parents were all born in New
Jersey. The Reighn’s were married about 1915. In 1920 there were two
daughters: Rebecca age 4 and Amanda and 11 months old. Perhaps Amanda
is named after her grandmother Amanda Munion Kessler who was the
mother of Anna, Linda and James. Living with the family is Albert
Kessler, age 50, and widowed. He is the husband of Amanda Munion
Kessler and the father of Linda Kessler Reighn. The place of birth for
both of his parents is listed in the 1920 U.S. Census as Germany. The
immigration of his parents brought the Kessler family to America.
Being 50 in 1920 puts Albert’s birth about 1870. This information
also indicates that Amanda Munion Kessler died sometime after 1904
when her last child James was born and before 1920 because Albert is
then a widower. Walter and Anna Reighn By 1930 Walter and Anna had moved to Penns Grove Township in Salem County, New Jersey. According to the 1930 U.S. Census they are living at 15 Fralie Woods Grove and renting for $8.00. Walter’s occupation is fisherman: Shad fishing. He is now 39 years of age and was married at age 24. Anna is 32 and married when she was 17. This means they were married in 1915. Albert Kessler is no longer living with them. Walter and Anna now have 6 children:
James
H. Kessler, the son of Amanda Munion Kessler, and Catherine M. Gedling
would marry sometime in 1924. According to the 1930 U.S. Census in
1930 James
H. was 28 and Catherine M. is 22. He was 22 years old and
she was 16 years old at the time of their marriage. 1930
U.S. Census In 1930 the Kessler family was living at 1033
Segal Street in Camden,
New Jersey, and was renting a place for $15.00. Dorothy was now 4
years 2 months old and Verna was 1 year 4 months old. James
H. was
working as a staker at a leather factory which was located at the end
of Segal Street. Catherine was not working having two small children
at home. All members of the family were born in New Jersey and the
parents of each were born in New Jersey, with the exception of
Catherine’s father, Harry Gedling, who was born in Delaware. This
fact helped trace the Gedling line. James and Catherine lived just two
doors down from her mother, Rhoda Gedling, who was now married to a
George Wilson, at 1037 Segal Street. There was a cousin, Clarence
Dougherty, living with them in 1930. He was 28 and single, worked as a
riveter in a shipyard. Two
Tragic Events The
years 1930 and 1931 would be tragic years for the Kessler family,
especially for the two little girls, Dorothy and Verna. Two events
took place that would affect the girls for the rest of their lives. First,
Catherine Kessler would leave James
Kessler for another man. This
would take place sometime between April 1930 and September 1931. For a
short time Dorothy and Verna would be with their mother and her new
husband. There is some question as to whether they were ever married.
The children’s grandmother, Rhoda Gedling Wilson would at some point
turn her daughter, Catherine, into the authorities, for some
illegalities involving support payments from the State of New Jersey.
Dorothy and Verna would become wards of the state and eventually Rhoda Gedling
Wilson would be given custody of the children. She would raise them in
a very strict home environment until they graduated from high school.
Catherine would raise a whole new family with Monroe, while the girls
were abandoned by their mother and would have contact with her only
sporadically in the years to come. The girls would be haunted by the
questions of why their mother left them and why they could not have a
regular family like their half brothers and sisters. (For more details
of this time period please read the section of Dorothy’s early life
in the Reilly Family history.) Skillman
Village for Epileptics Second,
the father, James
H., whose Grand Mal epilepsy would worsen, also, he
developed mental problems apparently in response to Catherine’s
leaving. This would result in James
being institutionalized for the
rest of his life at the Skillman Village for Epileptics in Skillman,
New Jersey. James
H. Kessler was living at 545 Cedar Street
in Camden, New Jersey
with one of his married sisters, Anna Reighn in 1931. On September 15,
1931 James was
court ordered by Judge Samuel M. Shay of Camden to be
committed to Skillman Village. At the time he was 27 years, 5 months
and 28 days old according to the Register of Admissions ay Skillman.
Dorothy was about 5 years old and Verna about 3 years old when this
happened. Admissions
Record Searching for more information about
James as a patient at
Skillman Village contact was made with the New Jersey Division of
Archives and Records Dorothy
and Verna His
two little girls would only be able to visit him at Skillman a few
times over the years. Dorothy only remembers only making three visits
to see her father at Skillman. Two times when she was young and her
great grandmother Munion took her. She was the mother of Amanda Munion
who married Albert Kessler, the parents of James
H. Kessler. During
one of those visits James became very belligerent and said some
horrible things to Dorothy and Verna who were barely in their teens at
the time. Years of being in an institution had taken their toll on
him. The last time that Dorothy and Verna saw their father was when
Edward and Dorothy Reilly and Bob and Verna Connolly visited him was
some time before he died. They took a train, a bus and then a cab in
order to get to Skillman Village. James
was very sick, bedridden and did not even know that his girls were
there. The only thing that Dorothy and Verna have from their
father is a letter he wrote to them
April 4, 1940. It is all that remains of his life. At the time Dorothy
was 14 years old and Verna was about 12 years of age. Dorothy
kept the fading, worn, dog-eared letter from her father in her bible for over 60 years. He was 55 years,
10 months and 4 days old when he died on January 11, 1958. The
Sacred Grounds Cemetery James
H. Kessler would be buried at The Sacred Grounds Upper Cemetery of the
Skillman Village for Epileptics. For over 45 years the location of James
H. Kessler’s grave was unknown to the family. In 2002 the
Upper Cemetery as it was called was “Forgotten
in Death, Remembered in Life” The
cemetery was in such bad condition the local Rotary Club was asked to
help clean up the deteriorated cemetery; removing fallen trees,
clearing out the overgrown brush and fixing and setting upright any
fallen or broken headstones. Today the Rotary Club maintains the
cemetery on a yearly basis; bush hogging and cutting the grass around
the graves. Their motto for this project is “Forgotten in Life,
Remembered in Death.” The rediscovered Upper Cemetery was renamed
The Sacred Ground Upper Cemetery of Skillman Village for Epileptics.
There are a few A
Thanksgiving Day Visit On
Thanksgiving Day in 2002 John Reilly and his son, Edward, traveled to
Skillman in order to be shown by a local resident the location
of this obscure and long forgotten cemetery. Aerial photos reveal the
close proximity of the cemetery to the Village. On a remote knoll
there is a large, square clearing surrounded by woods and farmland not
far from the large, pretty homes that make up much of upscale
Montgomery County. It is a quiet place where only the sounds of birds,
the rustle of squirrels through the leaves and the mournful cry of a
distant cow can be heard. It is a place of deer and turkey. A serene
place. A Sacred Place. The cemetery is located on the south side of
Rock Brook off of Burnt Hill Road. Turning from Burnt Hill Road into a
corn field there is a dirt road that meanders its way through two
other corn fields. The dirt road seems to be more of a path for farm
tractors. But following the path to the top of the hill, going through
a canopy of tall trees that opens to the entrance of the hidden
cemetery; which bears a sign proclaiming you have arrived at The
Sacred Grounds Upper Cemetery of the Village for Epileptics at
Skillman. “We
Have Remembered” John
and Edward stood silently at the grave looking at a maker. It was
painted white with black lettering long ago, but 5 decades of being
exposed to 50 harsh winters, the paint has chipped off in spots and
rust has appeared on the metal Skillman
Village 1898-1998 Skillman
Village for Epileptics is located in Skillman, New Jersey, about 18
miles north of Trenton. The Skillman Village began in 1898. At the
time until the early decades of 20th century The Village
was considered an innovative residential center and one of the first
to separate epilepsy patients from the insane. Historically, people
with epilepsy were considered mentally ill. The facility was designed
to function like a small, self-contained “town.” There was a
powerhouse, several residential units, a theater, hospital/medical
facilities, agricultural areas, landfill or dumps, a wastewater
collection system and treatment plant. The Skillman Village is James
Kessler had two sisters both older than him. Linda, who was born
in September, 1894 and Anna, who was born in October 1898, according
to the 1900 U.S. Census. James was born in 1904. William
H. and Abigail A. Munion In
the 1870 U.S. Census there is a William Munyon and an Abigail who live
in the Upper Penns Neck Township of Salem County, New Jersey. He is 32
years old and she is 16 years old. They have no children at this time.
The year 1870 could be the year they were married. It is interesting
to note that the Munyon’s are living 3 houses away from Abigail’s
parents, John and Abigail A. Rain. The 1870 U.S. Census indicates that
William can not read or write. According to the 1880 U. S. Census
William H. and Abigail A. Munion are still living in Upper Penns Neck,
District 2, Salem County, New Jersey. He is 40 years old and she is 25
years of age. This puts his birth year as 1840 and her birth year as
1855. His occupation is listed as laborer and to the census question:
“Is this person sick or temporarily sick so as to
be unable to attend to ordinary business or duties? If so, what is the
sickness or disability?” The answer is “yes” and the word
“weakness” is the notation. Abigail’s occupation is listed as
housewife. All in the family and their parents were born in New
Jersey. There are two children:
William
H. Munion’s Father? In
the 1880 U.S. Census there is a listing for a William H. Munion who is
a 77 years old widower and living
by himself in Upper Penns Neck, Salem County, New Jersey. He
was born in New Jersey as were his parents. He works as a laborer. At
77 years old William’s birth year would be 1803. There is at this
time no direct evidence that shows that the William H. Munion born in
1803 is the father of the William H. Munion born in 1840. It is
interesting to find in the 1860 U.S. Census that there is a William
Munion living in Upper Penns Neck, Salem County, New Jersey. William
is 54 in 1860 which places his birth year close to 1803. His wife is
Ann, age 59 and his son John B. Munion is 18 years of age. William and
John B. work as farm laborers and Ann’s occupation is listed as
“Housewifery.” The value of William’s personal estate is noted
as $50.00. Again, there is no direct evidence that links the William
Munion of the 1860 U.S. Census and the William H. Munion of the 1880
U.S. Census as being the father of William H. Munion born in 1840. In
1860 William H. Munion would have been 20 years of age and not living
with his family for the William of the 1860 U.S. Census to be his
father. The Parents of Abigail A. In
the newspaper obituary for Abigail A. Munion, who was married to
William H. Munion, her maiden name is given as Rain. William H.
Munion’s pension records name John and Abigail A. Rain as her
parents. It seems that the daughter was named after her mother. In a
search of the www.ancestry.com
website’s Ancestry World Tree Project for the name ‘Rain’
produced a marriage record between a John Rain born 1826 and an
Abigail Ann Chew born 1831. They were married November 9, 1848. Also
at Ancestry.com there is a listing
in New Jersey Marriages 1684-1895 for the marriage of a John Rain and
Abigail A. Chew on November 9, 1848. Her parents are listed as Jonas
C. Chew born February 22, 1807 and Lucretia M. Pierce born October 22,
1808. Among the 9 children born to John and Abigail A. Rain was an
Abigail A. Rain born 1854. This is the Abigail who married William H.
Munion. John and Abigail A. Rain According to the 1860 U.S. Census John and Abigail Rain are living in
Upper Penns Neck Township, Salem County, New Jersey. John is 34
years old and Abigail is 29 years old. He is a laborer and she is in
“home duties.” The value of their personal estate is $50.00. There
are five children:
John
is 54 years old and Abigail is 49 years old. They have been married
for 32 years. Abigail has borne 7 children over a 28 year period with
an 11 year difference between the births of the last two children.
Jonas C. is now 21, single and working on a nearby farm as a laborer;
though he had been unemployed during the year for 4 months. Elmer C.,
age 16, is also working as a farm laborer. The 1900 Census shows son William Reighn farming in Pilesgrove Township. He had moved to Burlington County by 1910 and later to Evans Street in Camden, where he reisded when the Census was taken in 1920. His son, Private Richard L. Reighn, was killed in action while fighting with the United States Army in France in 1918. Linking
the Generations The
conclusion that links Abigail A. Rain Munion as the daughter of John
and Abigail A. Chew Rain extends the generations for the Rain and Chew
families. Through the Ancestry World Tree Project on Ancestry.com
is found a submission under the “Swedish Longacre’s and Related
Families” that traces the Rain family line beginning with Abigail A.
Rain who married William H. Munion and was the The
Civil War Military and Pension Records for William H. Munion from the
National Archives provides a wealth of information and insight for
William and Abigail Munion. There were 125 pages of military and
pension records obtained from the Civil War Era dating back 120 to 140 years ago. A summary of pertinent genealogical
information is provided for William H. and Abigail A. Military Record of William H. Munion |
