Frances Meincke and Bartholomew Longthon

Annie Francis [sic] Meincke was born in Manhattan on June 30, 1890, the daughter of Martha Wilke and William Meincke She was usually called Frances.

She grew up at different addresses in Manhattan. In the 1910 Census, she's referred to as Frances O Meincke, suggesting that she might borrowed the name Ottilie from her aunt Anna Franciska Ottilie.

As of 1920 Frances and her parents still living 1965 Seventh Avenue. Frances was working as a stenographer at a bank. She married Bartholomew Edward Longthon in Manhattan on December 31, 1925.

Bartholomew was born on June 12, 1878, in Coxsackie, Greene County, New York. His parents were Raphael Longthon, a French Canadian, and Marcella Hart, the daughter of Irish immigrants Bartholomew and Margaret Hart. Bartholomew or "Bart" was the fourth of five brothers.

The Albany Evening Journal reported on June 4, 1900, in its Coxsackie news that the former postmaster had retired and that the new postmaster would be assisted by Bart Longthon as chief clerk. However, it may be that Bart had also been employed as a clerk under the former postmaster. The Windham NY Journal reported on March 13, 1902, that "Mr. Bart Longthon, after several years' faithful services as clerk in the Coxsackie post-office, has resigned his position, and accepted another as traveling salesman for Lansing Bros. of Albany."

Over the next eight years Bart seems to have divided his time between Coxsackie and Albany. He's sometimes referred to in the papers as "Bart Longthon of Albany," but in both the 1905 New York State Census and the 1910 US Census, he was enumerated in Coxsackie. In 1905 Bartholomew and his three unmarried brothers were enumerated as living with their parents. However, Marcella Hart Longthon passed away on December 14 or 15, 1909. Raphael survived his wife by five months, passing away on April 21, 1910.

In 1910 the four unmarried Longthon brothers were enumerated as living with Patrick Longthon, the third brother of the five. Patrick was married, with two children - and also the chief of police. By 1915 only the youngest brother, Louis, was still living with him and his wife.

Bartholomew was listed in the 1910 census as being employed as a travelling salesman in cigars and tobacco. By 1918, when he registered for the WWI draft, he was living at Keelers Hotel on Broadway in Albany, still working as a travelling salesman but now for the Federal Rubber Co. He gave his employer's address as 38-40 West 67th Street, NYC. He's quite likely the Bart Longthon who was enumerated in the 1920 US Census at 25 West 65th Street, NYC, although he told the census taker that both of his parents were born in Ireland. He also said that he was the manager of a tire company.

Not quite three years after Bartholomew and Frances Meincke were married, Francis' mother Martha Wilke Meincke died, on September 22, 1928. According to her death certificate, she was living at 562 West 164th Street in Manhattan.

The 1930 US Census record for the Longthon/Meincke household is rather hilarious. The official census date was April 1, 1930. Frances and Bartholomew arrived in NYC on April 28 aboard the SS Dresden out of Cherbourg. The passenger manifest gives their address as 562 West 164th Street, NYC, the same address as on Martha's 1928 death record. However, when the census taker came to call on April 11, they were told that the household consisted of "Abe" Longthon born in 1888, his wife "Bertha" born in 1890 and Bertha's father "Charles" Meincke born in 1860. It was "Bertha" who supplied this information to the census taker. "Abe" and "Bertha" had supposedly been married in 1913. "Abe" had been born in New York to German parents. "Bertha" and "Charles" had been born in Germany - true in William Meincke's case - and had supposedly immigrated in 1895. Abe worked as a salesman of coats and suits.

There are no other existing records for "Abe" and "Bertha" Longthon. I suspect that Martha simply didn't feel that she owed the government information. She and Bartholomew also seem to have been disinclined to talk to the census taker in 1940. However, Bartholomew did register for the WWII draft in 1942. At the time he and Frances were living in NYC either at 330 West 72th Street or 310 West 55th Street - the registration card is confusing on this point. Bartholomew was employed as a manufacturer's agent.

Bartholomew and Frances returned to France at least twice after WWII was over. They left LeHavre aboard the SS America on June 24, 1953, and arrived in NYC six days later. Their address in NYC was 541 East 20th Street. In 1955 there was another trip. The Longthons left LeHavre, again aboard the America on June 27, 1955, again arriving in NYC six days later. (Is it relevant that Frances' birthday was June 30?) However, this time the address at 541 East 20th Street was enclosed in parentheses, with 510 East 23rd Street typed next to it.

The return from LeHavre in 1955 is the last record I have for Frances. Bartholomew died in Coxsackie on December 16, 1957. His passing doesn't seem to have occasioned any notice in the local papers.