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Hello Rick,
I know there are a lot of areas I still need to respond to, but I wanted to put this on your plate (as if you don't already have enough). This is in reponse to your point #5.
There is one area of my hunt for Henry Deuel's family, which I believe, deserves the most attention. Now my Aunt Jesse was born in 1929 and she has been a tremendous help with our research. My grandfather didn't talk much about his past, but at times he did. So far all the stories that my Aunt Jesse remembers hearing from him have turned out to be true in some way. My sister and I were amazed at her recall. Even when we doubted her, something would turn up to confirm her memory.
So considering her perfect record on all the family rumors, Cindy and I felt it was paramount that we concentrate our attention here. Here is the story that we believed would yield a gold nugget. In reality all we have now is some fools gold. At least that is how I feel. There still might be more than a kernel of truth somewhere here.
My Aunt Jesse remembers when she was a little girl, hearing my grandfather telling someone else that he had an uncle who was a judge and another close relative who was a book publisher. My aunt even remembers him telling this person where they lived, in New Rochelle New York. Armed with this info we first found all the judges in New York and examined their families with a fine-toothed comb.
Amazingly we hit pay dirt right away, but in the end it only left us more confused. There is a line of Deuels who spelled their name Duell, who all followed the legal profession. It began with Rodolphus Holland Duell, who was born in Warren, N.Y., Dec. 20, 1824, son of Joseph and Phebe (Potter) Duell. He was admitted to the bar at age 21. In 1848 he removed to Cortland, N.Y., where for forty years he was one of the foremost lawyers of central New York. He was elected county judge (1855-59) and served in the national congress (1859-63 and 1871-75). In 1875 he was appointed commissioner of patents. He died on February 11, 1891. He was married in 1846, to Mary Ledyard Cuyler and had four children: Louis C., Charles H., Kate L., and Richard C.
His son Charles Holland Duell was born at Cortland N.Y. Apr. 13, 1850. He was admitted to the bar in 1872 and removed to New York City in the fall of that year. He became a member of the firm Tomkins & Duell. In 1878 and 1880 he was chosen to represent the 13th district of the state in the state assembly. In January 1898 he was appointed commissioner of patents. (If you type his name in a search engine, you will get thousands of hits due to a quote that is wrongly attributed to him: "Everything that can be invented has been invented). On April 1, 1901 he returned to New York City and established the law firm of Duell, Megrath, & Warfield. He was married Nov. 20, 1879 to Harriet M. Sackett. She was a daughter of the late Judge William A. Sackett of Saratoga Springs and a great granddaughter of Major John Buttrick, who led the Continental farmers at the battle of Concord Bridge. They had four children: Holland Sackett., William Sackett, Mary L., and Charles H., Jr.
Charles Holland Duell's son Holland Sackett we don't have as much info on, but in the New York Times issue for July 24, 1922, a Holland Sackett Duell was rated as best Senator, in review of New York State Associates. (Maybe this is a reference to his son with the same name.) He was born on January 29, 1881 and married Mabel Halliwell on September 29, 1904. They had five children, Charles Halliwell, Helen, Holland Sackett Duell Jr., Harriet Ann, and Halliwell Ledyard Duell.
It is his son, Charles Halliwell that gave us great excitement. Not only was he in the book publishing business, but he was born in New Rochelle, N.Y., the same town my aunt remembers my grandfather spoke of having an uncle living! Charles Halliwell Duell was born July 20, 1905 in New Rochelle, N.Y.; died July 10, 1970, in Sherman, Conn. In the mid 1920's he was involved in a scandalous divorce involving the silent screen actress Lillian Gish. He worked at Doubleday Doran & Co. and as vice president of William Morrow & Co. before forming Duell, Sloan & Pearce in 1939. When that company was purchased by Meredith Publishing in 1961, Duell became executive director of the book division of Meredith Press. He retired from Meredith in 1966 to publish Cook Digest Magazine. Incidentally, there is a movie out which revolves around the stories of Joe Gould, a bohemian homeless man and Joseph Mitchell, a writer. In real life, these men had dealings with the company, Duell, Sloan and Pearce. According to a biography of Joe Gould, they only had dealings with Pearce, Charles Duell’s business partner. In the movie, however, they deal with Charles H. Duell! Steve Martin plays Charles in the movie!
On checking the city directories for New Rochelle, we were able to determine the following:
1905 Holland Sacket Duell moves to 145 Meadow Lane in New Rochelle New York
1906 Charles Holland Duell Jr., Holland Sacket's brother moves in with him at 145 Meadow Lane in New Rochelle.
Charles H. Duell Sr. moves with his daughter Mary L. to 31 Poplar St. in New Rochelle.
1907 Holland Sacket moves to Thomas Pl in New Rochelle.
1908 Holland Sacket still at Thomas Pl in New Rochelle.
1909 Holland Sacket still at Thomas Pl in New Rochelle.
In New Yotk Times we learn that in 1920 Charles Holland Duell dies in Yonkers.
It was only this past summer that Cindy proved the New Rochelle connection. The only problem is, we can't find any way to fit our grandfathers in with this family. We thought perhaps our g-g-grandfather Henry Deuel, who was born in 1811, might be a brother to Rodolphus Holland Duell. That would have made my grandfather referring to a great uncle. I paid the Herkimer County Historical Society to look at this angle. They could find no evidence of this. There is a brother named Charles Duel born in 1810 and Ebenezer Duell born in 1812. Both Rodophus and his son Charles Holland have all of their children well documented. All sorts of crazy thoughts have come to us. Maybe Charles Holland Duell had a child out of wedlock and was sent to live with a relative name Henry. We just can't make this fit any way we look at it. Yet, I am constantly reminded of what my aunt has told us. My grandfather had an uncle who was judge/lawyer and a close relative (possibly another uncle) who was in the publishing business. This family seems to be a perfect fit, yet it doesn't fit the big picture. How is my g-grandfather John J. Deuel, who was born in in 1855/6, connect as a brother to one of these judges? Also, how is it that my grandfather was talking about this family in the late 1930's early 1940's (when my aunt would have been old enough to remember), when from what I have found, it doesn't seem as if the lawyer line was living there any longer. One explanation, which seems to fit is that they were still living in Yonkers, which is right next door to New Rochelle. I don't have proof of this, but I do know Charles Holland Duell dies there in 1920.
One strange fact we found is a Chas Deuel (usually an abbreviation for Charles) living at the Passaic, NJ Deuel home: 1927 Chas Deuel, chauffer, Garfield Paper Box Co, 445 Harrison. We have no clue who this would have been.
All of this I think points at the truth, just not sure where to look anymore. One other interesting fact is that Rodolphus Holland's brother Nelson settles his family in Illinois. Nelson Duel names one of his sons Holland Rodolphus Duel, which you seem to have encountered as a son of Rhoda Howland. Rhoda would not be Nelson's wife,her name was Phebe Mosher, but there is a Phebe Howland Potter who is the wife of Nelson's father Joseph Devol IV.
One last thought, there is another New York judge whose name is Joseph Merritt Deuel. He also seems promising. It is only in the last month that I discovered he had a great uncle named Henry. Unfortunately, I was sent this line and it is not a match. I will post about him at another time.
I will send you via email all that I know about this lawyer line discussed herein.
As you can see I had a bit more energy today. Was a bit depressed as of recent, Cindy's birthday was on Friday.
Thanks for all the help you have been giving me.
Richard
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