James, John and Mary Ann’s second born son, was baptised at St. Andrew’s Old Church, Hove on 12th Sep 1847.
Leaving England for America
In October 1860, when he was 13 1/2 years of age, James accompanied his mother, father, and six of his siblings on their journey to New York.
Early Days in America
I am still trying to ascertain the Harmer family’s movements during their first few years in America. We know from the 1880 U.S. Federal Census that Mary Ann gave birth to a ninth child, Ada Harmer, at New York (or Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey) in Oct 1862, and that she was baptised in March 1863 at Newark, N.J. 1862/3, therefore, seems to be the time that the family settled in the Newark area.
John Harmer is listed in Holbrook’s street directory for Newark, N.J. for 1869 at ‘h Pike rd n Bridge, South Newark’, with the occupation of ‘Ornamental Plasterer’. This would seem to be where James was brought up.
Marriage
James married 18 year old Alice Warren of Paterson, N.J. at Belleville, Essex, N.J. on 30th May 1871, when he was 23 years old. It seems that Alice was already pregnant with their first child, Elmer, on their wedding day, unless he was born extremely prematurely. Here is a record of their marriage, which indicates that Alice had told the minister that she was 19 years old:
The Minister, Jacob Dailey, must have been slightly confused, as the entry in his own chapel’s register gives Alice’s age as 18:
Later census entries seem to suggest that Alice was actually 16 at the time of their marriage.
Married Life
I have yet to find James and his family in any census returns prior to 1895, by which time James had died. However Holbrook’s street directory for Newark, N.J. comes to the rescue! Printed annually in April, its contents tell us about residents and businesses for the year ending March of the year of publication. From it we learn that James was between April 1879 and March 1882 living at 420 Warren, East Newark, and working as a bartender. Between April 1883 and until the time of his death he was running a saloon at 236 Harrison Avenue, East Newark.
Death
James passed away on 11th February 1889, at Harrison, Hudson, N.J. [New Jersey, Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971]. He was just 42 years old.
Life After James
James’s widow Alice took over the saloon, and continues to appear in the street directories at 236 Harrison Avenue until 1893’s edition. By 1894’s edition she has moved to 617 Harrison Avenue, where we find her up until 1901. She no longer appears to be running a saloon.
By 16th June 1900 when the United States Federal Census was taken Alice was using the surname Murry (sic), gave her status as married, and her completed years of marriage are given as 30. She is the head of the household, and gave her age as 46, and her birth date as May 1858. Out of 11 children born alive, 5 were still living. At home with her were three of her children; Elmer Harmer, 28, (machinist), Alice Harmer, (thread worker/marker) and James Harmer, 16, (at school). Archibald is also listed at 617 Harrison Avenue in Holbrook’s street directory for that year, with his occupation given as an electrician / electrical worker.
The 1905 New Jersey State Census lists Alice at 411 (street name unclear), Harrison, Hudson County with two children; Elmer (who was still working as a machinist) and James (who was working as a winder). Alice (who in this year gave her birth date March 1855) had by now married William Murray, 50. Born in Dec 1854 in Scotland to an Irish mother, he had been living in the U.S. for 48 years but had not been naturalised. He was working as a machinist.
The 1910 United States Federal Census lists Alice and William at 194 6th, Ward 3, Hudson N.J. They were renting. Elmer was 38, single, still at home, and still working as a machinist, ‘Electric Mash?’, as is James, 30. Alice gave her age as 54 (so born in 1855/6), and had been married to William for 16 years – i.e. since 1894. This correlates nicely with the year she gave up the saloon.
Also in 1910 James married Emma Cosman, who was born in 1887 in New York, to a father born in New York and an English mother. Elmer married in 1913, to Rose Leone, born May 1883, in Italy to Italian parents (both marriages can be found in the New Jersey Marriage Index, 1901-2016).
In Holbrook’s street directory for 1911 a James U. Harmer is listed as running a billiards room at 614 Harrison Avenue, as well as a confectioners.
In the 1915 New Jersey State Census Alice (60) and William Murray (59), were still living at 194 6th, Ward 3, Hudson N.J. William was still working. Both Elmer (44) and James (30) were still working as machinists and living at home, along with their wives who were not working.
James died on 2nd January 1916, seemingly without issue. His widow Emma stayed on at the family home, as per Holbrook’s 1917 directory. Emma remarried in 1920, to Delaware-born engineer Owen Brear. In the 1920 United States Federal Census she and Owen (with no children) are living with Elmer and Rose at 194 6th.
What became of William and Alice? I have yet to find death records for either, or an entry in the 1920 census. But I am sure they can be tracked down eventually.
