Annie Theresa Hearn and John Lawrence Werner

It seems to me likely that Annie Theresa Hearn and John Lawrence Werner were romantically involved by at least 1908. However, 1914 is the earliest year for which I found evidence that they had married.

According to civil records Carolyn McLeod Werner, daughter of Annie Hearne and John L Werner, was born in 1914 in Pinebluff, Moore County, North Carolina. According to church records she was born 27 Mar 1914 in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, and baptized 28 Mar 1915 (a year and a day later) in Pinebluff, 62 km west of Fayetteville.

Carolyn's birth was followed by the births of three more children, as well as by a death: Annie's only son with her first husband, Rudolph John Heise Jr, died in Fayetteville 02 Sep 1918. He was 14 years old. According to my mother, the children were playing hide-and-seek, and Rudolph hid by balancing on top of a door. His sister Anna Katharine, not realizing he was there, slammed the door shut. Rudolph died of injuries from the resulting fall. He's buried in the Cross Creek Cemetery, Cross Creek being a township about 3 km NW of downtown Fayetteville. I think Rudolph's sisters may have erected the headstone after Annie's death, as it reads across the top, "BROTHER."

I'm not sure how active John was in the circus during the period 1914-1920. He appears in the "Letter List" in the Billboard published 02 Feb 1918; a piece of mail had arrived for him at Billboard's New York office. "John Werner, of Rye, N. Y.," is mentioned in the Billboard published 11 Jan 1919 as one of the showmen who visited Sig Sautelle's circus office in Newark, New Jersey, but that the only news item I can find for him.

Annie - but not John - was enumerated in the 1920 US Census as living on Hay Street in Cross Creek Township, Fayetteville, with her surviving children:

• Frances Adele Hearne Heise b 12 Dec 1902 in Manhattan, New York.
• Anna Katharine Heise b 07 Jul 1905 in Manhattan, New York.
• Edwina Ruth Heise b 04 Feb 1908 in Portland, Oregon; 1920 Census says New York but this is an error.
• Marjorie Ellen Werner b Apr-May 1909 California per the 1920 and 1930 US Censuses and 1925 New York State Census; Annie would have been in San Francisco at this time.
• George Werner b Apr-May 1911 Pennsylvania per the 1920 and 1930 US Censuses and 1925 New York State Census; Annie was living in Philadelphia at this time but see the discussion of Annie's will below.
• Dorothy Ellen Werner b Apr-Dec 1912 New Jersey or Pennsylvania per the 1920 and 1930 US Censuses and 1925 New York State Census.
• Carolyn McLeod Werner b 27 Mar 1914 in North Carolina, either in Pinebluff (per civil records) or in Fayetteville (per church records), bapt 28 Mar 1915 Pinebluff; these dates agree with census records.
• John Lawrence Werner Jr b 17 Oct 1915 Fayetteville, bapt 22 Apr 1916 per civil and church records; note however that the 1920 and 1930 US Censuses and 1925 New York State Census suggest John was b Apr-May 1915.
• Evelyn Theresa Werner b 27 Jan 1917 in Cross Creek Township, bapt 07 Apr 1917 at St John's; civil records give her name as Theresa Hearn Werner but baptismal and all subsequent records say Evelyn Theresa Werner; dates agree with census records.
• Edwin Lee Werner b 15 Nov 1919; mentioned only in civil birth records and 1920 US Census. Edwin's middle name may be a reference to Annie's younger sister Lillie Lee Hearn, who had died in Manhattan 06 Apr 1918.

I have no further information concerning the youngest child, Edwin Lee, and would assume that he died quite young. However, one more child is recorded as being born to Annie and John: William Thomas Werner was born 07 Jan 1922 in Lakewood, Ocean County, New Jersey per his US Army enlistment records. The information was supplied by his older half-sister and guardian Frances.

Annie's Last Will and Death: 1923-1924

Annie wrote her last will 28 Oct 1923, while she was living in Browns Mills, Burlington County, New Jersey. She was quite specific and careful in the disposition of her "clothing, furs, jewelry and personal belongings":

To Frances Adele Hearne Heise, at my death, my pigeon blood ruby and diamond ring, six silver plated oyster forks; one Japanese serving tray, her gift to me; my sealskin cape and muff.

To Anna Katherine [sic] Heise, at my death, my mink coatee; my new guest embroidered bath towel, her gift to me, one glass preserve jar; Sterling silver knives and forks marked "H". and my amber beads.

To Edwina Ruth Heise, at my death, my Black linx fur set, neck piece and muff; new guest embroidered bath towel, embroidered face towel, both these towels having been given to me by her; Hand painted miniature of my father [after whom Edwina was named]; beaded hand bag in which his miniature is placed; oval ring surrounded with diamonds with center setting.

To Marjorie Ellen Werner, my ermine muff and scarf; Diamond solitaire ring, these gifts made to me by her father. I request that the above mentioned ring shall not be delivered to her until she has reached the age of eighteen (18) years. I want Marjorie to have my gold wrist watch at my death, which is in my trunk, at the present time.

To Dorothy Ellen Werner my Sapphire ring surrounded with diamonds. I request that this ring shall not be delivered to her until she reaches the age of eighteen (18) years.

To Carolyn McLeod Werner my four leaf enamelled clover pin with diamond center. I request that this pin shall not be delivered to her until she reached [sic] the age of eighteen (18) years.

To Evelyn Theresa Werner my gold chain and heart locket with diamond center. I request that this shall not be delivered to her until she reaches the age of eighteen (18) years.

To my son John Lawrence Werner, Gold cuff buttons with diamond chips. I request that these cuff links shall not be delivered to him until he reaches the age of eighteen (18) years.

I request that my five piece Chinese Silk Pongee Hand embroidered bed suite be given to the eldest surviving daughter, and in event of her death, to be handed to the next eldest surviving daughter and so on down.

I direct my Executor to retain from the principal of my estate a sufficient sum to pay for the rental of a box in a safe deposit Company, to contain the bequests of jewelry which I have requested should not be delivered until my daughters and son have arrived at the age of eighteen years.

To me, Annie's bequest to Marjorie of the "gifts made to me by her father" suggests strongly that Marjorie was Annie's eldest daughter with John, conceived during the summer of 1908 when they were both in San Francisco and born in San Francisco the following spring after Annie had returned there from New York.

The other interesting thing to me about these bequests is that John Jr is the only son mentioned by name. Neither George nor William are mentioned by name. Now it might be that the cuff links were the only personal item Annie owned that was suitable for leaving to a son. In that case I would have expected her to leave them to her eldest surviving son. To me, the fact that she left them to John Jr suggests that George, four years older, may have been John Sr's son but not Annie's. Mind that George was only 12 years old at the time Annie made the will, so it's not as if they would have had some serious quarrel that caused her to skip over him.

Certainly Annie was living in Philadelphia during the spring of 1911 when George was born in Pennsylvania. However, Pennsylvania is a large state. And I can't help wondering about the notice published in Billboard 30 Sep 1911: "Harry E. Loomes, care Briggs' Riding Academy, Philadelphia, Pa., would like to know the whereabouts of John L. Werner, who has a horse act, known as Herzog Stallions. Werner sometimes goes under the name of Hall." Did Loomes want to buy or sell a horse? Or was this about a different matter?

I haven't had any luck locating either George or his sister Dorothy, who may have been born in Pennsylvania, in the Pennsylvania Birth Indices for 1911 and 1912.

Having made her specific bequests, Annie then divided the remainder of her estate among "each of my children who may survive me, with the exceptions of my daughters, Frances Adele Hearne Heise, Anna Katherine Heise and Edwina Ruth Heise." "As I have already heretofore provided for my daughters Frances Adele Hearne Heise, and Anna Katherine Heise, by a certain deed of trust made by me, and as I have also heretofore provided for my daughter Edwina Ruth Heise, by a certain deed of trust made by me, I therefore desire that they shall not receive any portion of my estate, except such articles as I bequeathed to them in Paragraph II of this my last will."

Frances and Anna Katharine - but not Edwina, who had not been born yet - were beneficiaries of the deed of trust dated 18 Nov 1905 and funded by Annie's share of her father's estate. Annie had attempted to replace this deed with one dated 08 Jan 1909 which included Edwina, but the courts had deemed the 1905 trust deed to be irrevocable. The wording of Annie's will suggests that by 1923 a separate deed of trust had been written to cover Edwina, but I don't have further details. In particular, I don't know how Annie would have funded a second trust.

Notably absent from Annie's will was any mention of John Sr. The executor was the Farmers Loan and Trust Company of New York City.

Annie died in Browns Mills 30 Jan 1924, three months after making her will. She was 43 years old. I don't know the cause of death. I also don't know where she's buried, but I suspect this may be at the Hearn family plot at the Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Paterson, New Jersey.

After Annie

Annie's death left John with three stepdaughters and seven children of his own, the youngest of whom had just turned two years old.

Frances married Lewis I L Brown in New Jersey 19 Jun 1924, less than five months after her mother's death. As of 1930, her youngest brother William was living with her and her husband and children. She may well have taken charge of two-year-old William as soon as she married.

Anna Katharine and Edwina were enrolled in the Drew Seminary for Young Women in Carmel, New York. The name "seminary" doesn't imply that they were being educated in religious studies. As far as I tell, Drew Seminary offered a more general post-secondary curriculum, although it did not grant degrees.

Three of the children were sent to live with siblings of John's who had no children of their own: Dorothy with Nellie Werner Yost and her husband Harry in Camden, New Jersey, Carolyn with Jacob Werner Jr and his wife Elizabeth in Rye and Evelyn with George Werner and his wife Catherine in Rye.

Finally John himself returned to Rye to live with Marjorie, George and John Jr. They were enumerated there in the 1925 New York State census and the 1930 US Census. 1930 found the family living at 7 Depot Square. John was the proprietor of a garage and auto part shop, while Majorie was working as an usher at a theatre.

The Mount Vernon NY Daily Argus reported 15 Oct 1931 that:

Murray Levine motion picture expert for the Fox Film Company and a resident of 3351 Seymour Avenue, Bronx, yesterday afternoon filed a suit for $50,000 against John L. Werner of Rye, brother of George J Werner, Commissioner of Public Welfare in Westchester County. Levine charges that Werner stole the affections of Mrs. Jean Augusta [Brossman] Levine.

...the Bronx man alleges that Werner, owner of a garage and a string of taxicabs, stole Mrs. Levine's affections about June 1, 1930, and was guilty of misconduct with her for some time before he finally induced her to desert her husband and her three-year-old son and move to Rye, where she was maintained, it is alleged, in a house on South Street.

A few weeks ago... Werner induced Mrs. Levine to return to her home in the Bronx, get her son, and go back to Rye.

Note that at this time Jean Levine was 23 years old, Murray was 35 and John was 57.

The Yonkers NY Statesman reported 07 Nov 1931 that the suit had been discontinued. However, Jean and John seem to have continued to be at least friends. The issue of Billboard published 02 Feb 1935 reported that "Mrs. Jean Levine and John L. Werner, Rye, N. Y.," had been among the recent visitors to the Circus Room at the Hotel Cumberland in Manhattan. (The Circus Room, opened in Sep 1933 and managed by Harry Baugh, was a comfortable lounge at the Hotel Cumberland where circus folks who found themselves in NYC could go to relax, write letters, etc. See for example the description of the Circus Room in Billboard, 09 Sep 1933.)

There's a point to be made here. Growing up, my mother heard a lot from her paternal uncles about how Annie Theresa was a "loose woman." What it looks like to me is that if Annie was "loose," she was so to no greater extent than either of her two husbands, Rudolph John Heise and John Lawrence Werner. The double standard played a major role in how Annie was remembered - or misremembered.

John's oldest son, George, died in Miami, Florida, 04 May 1934, four days after he and a friend broke into a woman's home (Miami News, 30 Apr 1934, 01 May 1934, 08 May 1934). When he started up the stairs inside the house, she fired a warning shot into the air. He kept coming, so she shot him twice, once in the eye and once in the forehead. Frankly, my sympathies are with her, not him.

George was buried in the Werner family plot in St Mary's Cemetery in Rye.

Two years after George's death, a year and a half after the visit to the Circus Room, John L Werner died in the Bronx 27 Aug 1936. His NYC death record states that he was resident in the Bronx at the time of his death. His wife's name is given as Anna, suggesting that he had never remarried after Annie Theresa's death. John was buried next to George in the Werner family plot in St Mary's Cemetery in Rye.