Cora Kroether, Duncan Whelan and Fred Bassett

Cora Kroether was born in Manhattan on 28 Dec 1891, the youngest daughter of Maria Rupp and Richard Kroether. Her birth record refers to her as Elisabeth, but on all subsequent records she's called Cora. Her marriage record refers to her as Cora Elsie.

By 1900 the family was living at 1754 2nd Avenue. They were still there in 1905, but by 1910 they'd moved northward to 373 East 156th Street. Cora was working as a milliner.

Cora married Duncan Augustus Whelan in Manhattan on 04 Jan 1913. Duncan was born on 10 Dec 1888, the son of Canadian immigrants John Whelan and Alice "Hesie" Johnston. He was born in Cambridge, MA, but his family had moved to Connecticut by 1890, where his younger siblings were born. In 1900 and 1910 they were living in Greenwich, CT, on the shore of Long Island Sound and the border with New York State.

Cora and Duncan's daughter Marion was born in New York City on May 26, 1914. As of 1917, the family was living at 113 Sherman Avenue, in the Inwood section of Manhattan. Duncan was working as a manager for E L Barnett Inc, which seems to have been involved in financing real estate. Unfortunately, Duncan died on 24 Nov 1918 in the Bronx. He was buried in St Michael's Cemetery in Cora's family's plot.

In August 1919 Cora was invited to visit a school friend, Louise Gasser Bassett, at Louise's home at 8920 117th Street in Queens. Louise and her husband Frederick W Bassett were living on the first floor of the house with their eight-year-old son, Fred Jr. Fred's brother Charles and his wife Edith lived on the second floor and Fred and Charles' parents William and Helen - who owned the building - on the third floor. Cora and Louise had known each other for about 15 years.

Unfortunately, Fred Sr quickly became fonder of Cora than he was of his wife. Louise moved out to stay with friends in Manhattan. On 09 Dec 1919, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that Louise had filed for divorce. Fred responded to her allegations by claiming that she had a beau of her own, a Manhattan businessman named Isidor Wolin. Besides the Eagle, the story was carried in the Brooklyn Standard Union, the Queens Daily Star, the Jamaica Daily Long Island Farmer and the Leader-Observer, "circulating in East New York, Cypress Hills, Union Course, Woodhaven, Brookyln Manor, Ozone Park and Richmond Hill."

The census date for the 1920 census was 01 Jan 1920. It's not surprising that Cora and her daughter Marion were apparently not enumerated. If I were Cora, I wouldn't have been opening the door to strangers either. Louise and Fred Jr were likewise not enumerated, while Fred Sr was enumerated as living with his parents.

Testimony in the divorce trial began on 14 Jan 1920. Charges and counter-charges flew, with no one's reputation spared. On January 20, the jury ruled in favour of Louise Bassett. She received her divorce decree a month later. There was also mention in the newspapers of a separate suit against Cora for $10,000 for alienation of affection, but I wasn't able to find out whether or not anything ever came of this.

Cora and Fred: the 1920s

Frederick William Bassett was the son of William Bassett and Helena Buehler. William was born in July 1863 in Seal, a village in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. Helena was born on 16 Aug 1860 in Baden, either in Blumberg near Villingen or in Friesenheim near Offenburg. Blumberg's only 4 km away from the Swiss border. On the 1920 US Census, in the wake of WWI, Helen gave her country of birth as Switzerland.

William and Helen married in Manhattan on 18 Oct 1886. Frederick William (the anglicized version of Helen's father's name) was born 25 Jul 1887 on Shelter Island on the eastern end of Long Island. At least one of his two younger brothers, Charles Henry Bassett, was born there as well. In the summer of 1896, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle carried ads for the Hortons Point Hotel, William Bassett, Manager. Hortons Point was on the north shore of Long Island, near Shelter Island. By 1900 the family had moved to Manhattan, and by 1905, Fred was working as a metal worker, a trade he was to follow for the rest of his life. He married Louise Gasser in Manhattan on 02 Feb 1910. The entire Bassett family - William and Helen, Fred and Louise, Charles and Edith - appears to have moved from Manhattan to Queens between 1917 and 1919. (The exception is the youngest brother, George Percy Bassett, who had lit out for Florida by 1917 and who spent the rest of his life there.)

Despite a rocky start, Cora and Fred's relationship seems to have prospered once the divorce suit was settled. By 1925 they were married. The marriage was to last until Fred's death in 1957.

Cora's father Richard Kroether died on 05 Feb 1926. After his death, Cora's sister Mathilda came to live with Cora and Fred. The 1930 US Census found Cora, Fred, Marion and Matilda at 8773 118th Street in Queens, two blocks away from the scene of the brou-ha-ha a decade earlier. Fred was working as a sheet metal superintendent.

Trips to Schoharie, a marriage in Queens: the 1930s

"Mr. and Mrs. Fred Bassett of Richmond Hill, L. I., are spending several weeks with Mr. and Mrs. Henry Keyser and family."

Thus reported the Schenectady Gazette on 02 Sep 1931, along with other snippets of news from Schoharie County. Throughout the 1930s, Cora and Fred were frequent visitors at the Keyser farm, often bringing Marion and Mathilda ("Tillie") along with them. On two occasions they also brought Cora's brother Frank Kroether. The length of their stay in September 1931 suggests that this wasn't their first visit, but it's the first visit for which I have any documentation.

The Keysers had arrived in Schoharie County some time in the mid 18th century. (William E Roscoe, History of Schoharie County, New York, 1713-1882, volume 2, page 265.) Henry and Anna van Dyke Keyser were farmers, as was their son George. Their daughters Anita and Maud married two brothers from Schenectady, Henry and William Fasake. Most of the people who visited the Keysers were family and friends from Schoharie Country and Schenectady, including the Fasake clan and Anna's sisters, especially Mary van Dyke ("Mrs Garrett") Dunbar and Nellie van Dyke Rockstroh ("Mrs William") Murray. However, they also had ties with the world outside Schoharie County and Schenectady. George's second wife, Mary Wilke Keyser, was born and raised on Staten Island. She was there in 1920. She had married George on 04 Mar 1924 in Schenectady. How they met, I have no idea.

Neither Cora nor Fred appears to have been related to anyone who lived in Schoharie County or Schenectady. Fred had three paternal uncles who had immigrated to the States, but one died in 1893, one lived in New York City and one lived in Greenwich, CT. Cora and Fred may have been introduced to the Keysers by a mutual friend with both New York City and Schoharie ties, but I don't know who this would have been. It would be useful to know who accompanied them the first time they visited the Keysers - and I don't think this was in September 1931.

Prior to May 1931, notices in the Schoharie Republican and the Schenectady Gazette of people visiting the Keysers are infrequent. Starting in May 1931, they explode in number, the first such notice referring to a visit from Schenectady by Anita and Maud, their husbands and families. Notices of other Schoharie families receiving visitors are common throughout the 1920s, so I know that the change didn't come about due to a change in the publishing policies of the newspapers or because the roads had finally been paved. It might be that the Keysers' friends and family members started to acquire private automobiles in 1931. It might be that the Keysers started to entertain more often. Or it might be that someone in the Keyser household started sending notes into the papers about their guests. In this context it might be worth noting that George's daughter Wanda turned 11 on 18 Dec 1930.

However Cora and Fred came to make the acquaintance of the Keysers they were, as I mentioned, frequent visitors and obviously enjoyed their trips to Schoharie. The Schoharie Republican reported on 05 Oct 1939 that "Mr. and Mrs. Fred Bassett of Richmond Hill, Long Island, recently purchased some property from Mrs. Bert Webb and plan to build a home. Contractor John Fain will start excavation this week."

Cora and Fred's house-building plans may have been affected by the fact that Marion was now married. She had married Edward James Busick on 05 Nov 1935. Edward was born in Brooklyn 11 Apr 1907, the son of Charles Busick and Edna Frisbie, later Edna Frisbie Busick Kaufmann.

The 1940s and onwards

The 1940 US Census found Cora, Fred and Matilda living in the Salisbury Apartments at 85-21 119th Street, AKA Lefferts Boulevard. Marion and Edward lived in the same large building, although in a separate apartment. Fred was working as superintendent at a heating and ventilation plant. Edward was an auditor at R G Rankin, and Marion was a saleslady at Saks & Co.

Matilda died 15 Jul 1940. She's buried in St Michael's Cemetery, where she appears to share a grave with Cora's first husband, Duncan Whelan.

On 18 Jul 1946 the Richmond Hill Record reported that, "Mr. and Mrs. Fred Bassett, formerly of 85-21 Lefferts Boulevard, have moved to Schoharie, N. Y., where they will make their permanent home. Mr. Bassett, retired, has been active in Richmond Hill Republican Club affairs. He and his wife have resided here for about 30 years." Cora and Fred were back in Richmond Hill a few months later when their first grandchild, Edward James Busick Jr, was born on 09 Dec 1946.

Fred died 02 Nov 1957 at the North Community Hospital in Glen Cove, Long Island, 30 km NE of Richmond Hill. The Leader-Observer describes him as being "of Schoharie, N. Y., formerly of Richmond Hill." He may have been visiting on Long Island when he was hospitalized. He was buried in the Old Stone Fort Cemetery in Schoharie. Cora followed him not quite three years later on 18 Oct 1960.

Besides Edward James Jr ("Jim"), Marion and Edward Busick had a daughter, Lynn Marion (Lynn Laskoe in 1999, Lynn Basselan in 2008). There's a good chance they may be the grandnephew and grandniece referred to in Louise Ulmer Kroether's will. Marion's obituary notes that she moved to Schoharie after her parents died. Edward Sr ("Eddie") passed away 02 Dec 1999. Marion passed away 19 Apr 2008 and was buried in the Old Stone Fort Cemetery in Schoharie.