Local Families: Schenck, Ten Eyck, and Ronson

My wife had a chat this week with Grace McGuire of South Atlantic Street in Aberdeen. At 101 years old, Grace is one of the oldest residents of our town. Born Alice Grace Schenck, she was the daughter of William (July 1869) and Mary (Sherns) Schenck (Oct 1874) of Matawan Township. Her father was a foreman at the water works in the 1920 Federal Census. She had sisters Catherine (Oct 1895), Sarah (Dec 1898), Madista (abt 1900), Algie (abt 1904), and Lena (abt 1906) and a brother Henry (abt 1902). Grace says her brother Henry was swimming in Matawan Creek the day the shark attacked in 1916.

In the 1930s, Grace worked for Harry Teneyck Ronson and his wife Doris, who ran a Matawan appliance store at 283 Main Street for many years. The 1930 Federal Census shows Ten Eyck (22 yrs old) living with his parents, Harry (62) and Ella (56) Ronson, in Madison, Middlesex Co, NJ. The 1920 Federal Census also shows Ten Eyck (12) living with parents Harry (50) and Ella (45) Ronson, in Madison. The earlier census shows Ten Eyck's father as a truck farmer in Matawan. Harry's parents were from England. Harry, Ella, and Ten Eyck were all born in NJ.

Teneyck' s wife, Doris, chaired the Business and Professional Women's Club of Matawan in 1959.

I visited Rose Hill Cemetery and found the Ronson family graves together along the last left turn before the lily pond:

HARRY TENEYCK RONSON (1907 - 1997)
DORIS POOLE RONSON (1914 - 1970)

THOMAS HARRY RONSON (1867 - 1956)
ELLA TEN EYCK RONSON (1872 - 1969)

Ella was the daughter of Jacob and Annie Ten Eyck, all of whom appear in the 1880 Federal Census in Madison, NJ. I found Ella's parents' family stone in the same graveyard. (Instead of turning left before the pond,you'd turn right and follow the low path along the woods. The graves are along the road to the right)

front
JACOB I TEN EYCK
NOV 29 1819 - JUL 6 1894

HIS WIFE
ANNE MARIA GORDON
MAY 22 1834 - FEB 7 1914

right
PETER T TEN EYCK
JUL 23 1817 - MAR 6 1905

back
TUNIS I TEN EYCK
DIED NOV 15 1843 AGED 57 YEARS

REBECCA
WIFE OF TUNIS I TEN EYCK
DIED JUN 25 1867 AGED

CATHARINE B HUMMER
DIED FEB 2 1872 AGED 64 YEARS

Below the Tunis Ten Eyck side of the stone was a long, flat grave belonging to Jennie E T Kipp, 1876 - 1916. She could be Jacob's daughter Jane Ten Eyck, who was age 3 in the 1880 Federal Census.