Query Number: 1302-4 February 2013
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Requested Information:
Elizabeth Seeley Bruen is SGS# 3407 who was born in 1810 in Chatham, Morris County NJ. She married Charles Torrey, had several children and died in 1844. She was the only child of Eleanor (Nelly) Seeley and her 2nd husband Dr David Bruen who died in 1849. Only three of the Torrey children survived to adulthood and only one married: Elizabeth Jane born in 1841.
Helen Ann researches the history and families of old houses in Chatham NJ. She is currently working on the David Bruen house. She hopes to find descendants of Elizabeth Jane Torrey as she was the only child who married. Perhaps such descendants may have further information on the Bruen home or David Bruen’s ancestry.
Requester: Ann Rosenfeld | ha27@optonline.net
Initial Response Information:
We don’t have any information on David Bruen except that he was the son of El. and E. Burrill Bruen. I was able to trace one line of descent…
1880 census Mont Clair, Essex, NJ
• Harris, Fred H age 50 b. NJ, father b. NY, mother b. NJ, sec. ins. co.
• Harris, Lizzie J age 38 b. PA, PA, NJ
• Harris, Nellie T age 14, Bessie T age 10, Jennie H age 8, Anna M age 6 mos., all b. NJ, NJ, PA
• Eliason, Anna age 19 b. SWE, SWE, SWE, servant
1900 census Montclair, Essex, NJ
• Harris, Elizabeth J b. Nov 1841 PA, PA, NJ, widow, md 34 yr, 5 ch., 4 living
• Harris, Elizabeth T b. Jul 1870; Jane H b. Jul 1872, physician; Anna M b. Nov 1879, all b. NJ, NJ, PA
• Torrey, Ellen L, sister b. Sept 1836 PA, PA, NJ
• Jordan, Mary Lucy, servant b. Aug 1880 NC, NC, NC
1900 census Montclair, Essex, NJ
• Dutcher, Charles Mason b. Feb 1862 NY. MA, NY, banker, md 8 yr to
• Dutcher, Helen b. Sep 1866 NJ, NJ, PA, 2 ch., 1 living
• Dutcher, Frederick H b. Dec 1892 NY, NY, NJ
1910 census Montclair, Essex, NJ
• Dutcher, Charles M age 48 b. NY, MA, NY, bank treasurer, md 19 yr to
• Dutcher, Helen age 33 b. NJ, Nj, PA
• Dutcher, Frederick age 17 b. NY, NY, NJ
• Harris, Elizabeth J age 67, mother in law, widow b. PA, PA, PA
• Stuck, Ruth age 30, waitress, Jessie age 21, cook, both black, b. WV, WV, WV
In 1910 daughter Jane H Harris age 38 b. NJ, NJ, PA is in the Isabel, Isabella, Puerto Rico census, occupation “medica.”
In 1930 in Montclair Charles Dutcher is still with wife Helen. He is now bank president.
Further down the same page Elizabeth J Harris age 87, head with dau. Anna M age 50, single with a boarder Una M Miles age 66, artist and servant Anna Carey age 65.
About Frederick Dutcher, grandson of Elizabeth Torrey Harris and g-g-grandson of Eleanor (Nelly) Seeley:
1930 census Montclair, Essex, NJ
• Dutcher, Frederick H age 37 b. NY, NY, NJ, instructor and consulting engineer at a university md 13 yr to
• Dutcher, Thea S age 33 b. NY, GERMANY, NY
• Dutcher, Thea age 10, Helen age 8, both b. NJ, NY, NY
In 1940 the family has moved to Mountain Lakes, Morris, N.J.
According to the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Frederick Dutcher of Wilton, Fairfield, CT b. 5 Dec 1892 died in Sept. 1973. I found an obituary in the Hartford Courant of 2 June 2009 for Thea Dutcher Coburn, daughter of Frederick and Thea Schaefer Dutcher which named various nieces and nephews.
We would still be happy to receive information on the ancestry of Dr David Bruen of Chatham.
Also note that in the 7th Generation Volume of the Descendants of Obadiah Seely , under SGS# 3407, we have an error in the names of Ellen Bruen’s children. Her older daughter is not Elizabeth Ludlow Torrey – her first name is Ellen.
Responder: Query Editor
