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Subject: Re: [NJHUNTER] Lake / Tiger
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 21:01:17 EST
Bill,
Garret Lake owned land in Naughright, Morris Co. It appears that his
grandson, Jacob W. Lake, my grgrgrgrandfather, owned that land during his lifetime.
Chambers Early Germans mentions that Garret bought the land ca 1802 from Fred
Zavering. (I am replying from memory, but will check to make sure I have it
right.)
When I was a child, my grandmother Eda Belle Snook Parr, the grgranddaughter
of Jacob Waldorf Lake, mentioned going to Naughright to visit the Lakes. My
mother and I are trying to learn from relatives b. 1920's what they remember
about the Lake farm. At some point in time, my grandmother's sister and her
husband (my grandfather's brother) worked that farm.
Jacob Waldorf Lake m. 1st Margaret McCracken, but my grgrgrandfather Alvah
Decker Lake was b. to Jacob and Margaret's sister Phebe B. McCracken. Recently
Peggy Lake Oswald found an 1878 marriage record for Jacob and Phebe 25 years
after Alvah's birth in 1853! Phebe lived in the home of Margaret and Jacob in
the 1850 Census so I believe that Jacob and Phebe were lovers and it appears
that perhaps Margaret never divorced him and perhaps died before 1878 when
Phebe and Jacob married!
There were several children from the marriage to Margaret and some from the
Jacob-Phebe liaison. At least one daughter from Jacob-Margaret lived with
Nancy McCracken Sharp, sister of both Margaret and Phebe. I am not sure where all
the children were after Jacob became involved with Phebe. (I find this
situation quite amusing as two of my grandmother's sisters ended up in the same
situation: The younger sister stole the oldest sister's husband.)
In 1880, Jacob listed his occupation as "dentist" in the US Census! I am
still pondering that!
Jacob became an alcoholic and was known as "Ol Jake Lake, the Town Drunk" at
the time of his death. This information was reluctantly given to me by Kittie
Lake Koumans, his granddaughter who was still driving a car in her mid-90's.
I had the impression that by that the time Jake died he was not financially
solvent.
I do not know when the land was sold, but it is possible that Paul Lake, son
of Alvah Decker Lake and grandson of Jacob ran the farm. I am still not
certain about that.
Jacob Waldorf Lake b. 1816 d. 1895. Alvah Decker Lake b. 1853 d. 1937. Eda
Belle Snook Parr d.1999 at age 99 1/2.
I do think I have a record of Garret's burial site and will look it up.
Hahn appears as Henn and Han and Hann, etc.
My father referred to Alvah Decker Lake as "a crusty old bird"! I have two
pictures of him. He was tall and slim and perhaps light haired or white by
that time. The odd thing is that he held his hands in exactly the same position
that my dad did---like he was holding up his trousers by holding his wrists
against his body at waist level. Never pointed that out to my dad, but it
amused me!
The Lakes were very tall. Alvah Decker Lake's brother Dori was about 6' 7"
according to family legend! He had to stoop to enter doorways. Most of my
grandmother's sibs were tall--the women around 5' 7" and up and the men over 6'
2" and up!
Nancy Parr in NJ
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