Searching for grave sites & obituaries of Great Grandparents

Dear Ms. Smalley,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched on Find A Grave and Ancestry but were unable to locate the grave sites or obituaries for Arthur or Mary Sargeant Lusch.

FamilySearch has a webpage on New Jersey genealogy that may be useful. We also suggest contacting the New Jersey State Archives, which has microfilm copies of 1848-1955 death records available in their Archives Search Room. The New Jersey State Archives is located in Trenton and their email address is Feedback@sos.nj.gov.

We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck on your family research!

Hello Katherine-

I hope this note finds you well.  I, too, am looking for more information about Arthur Lusch and Mary Sargeant Lusch.  We may be related and I am interested in sharing family information.  Recently I sent a message to Dolores Gralley as her name connected with mine through the 23&Me website.  My maiden name is Brenda Lee Snyder and I live in Washington State.  I have deep roots in New Jersey and especially Phillipsburg.  Look forward to hearing from you!

If you know their religious affiliation, you might look for church cemeteries in the area for their burial.  In an attempt to find an obituary for either of them, that might have stated a burial location, I was not successful; but did find the following interesting article from the 20 Nov 1910 Philadelphia Inquirer.

Hi Katherine,

Welcome to History Hub,

I did not find their obituary or gravesite but I did find their daughter's gravesite on .findagrave.

along with her biography

Ann Lusch Page (1914-2010) - Find A Grave Memorial

Ann Page (nee Lusch) 96, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 23, 2010.

Ann was born in Phillipsburg, New Jersey on January 4, 1914 to Arthur and Mary Lusch (nee Sargeant). She and her brother Richard Lusch came to live with their second family, Olive and Edward English on English's Dairy farm in Lower Penns Neck in 1926 after the death of her parents. She graduated from Bridgeton High School in 1931 and married Harold E. Page on March 27, 1932.

Ann was an award winning painter and artisan. She was well known for her historical artwork used in various commemorative pieces distributed by the Pennsville Historical Society. Ann was very proud of her many awards and ribbons for her landscape oil paintings which she produced as a member of the original Fenwick Sketchers. She was also an avid antique collector and restorer. She was well known for her elaborate cakes at various family and public functions.

An active resident of Pennsville Township for 75 years, she belonged to the Pennsville and Salem County Historical Society, Pennsville Woman's Club, Sew and So club, Pennsville School District PTA and Trinity Methodist Church. In the 1940's she helped start the "Little Woman's Club" for young girls in Pennsville Township and was a plane spotter during WWII atop the Pennsville Elementary School now the Pennsville District building. She worked for the Pennsville Visiting Nurses Association for almost 20 years as their Secretary. Mrs. Page was very active in many other organizations in Pennsville Township and Salem County.

She was predeceased by her husband of 42 years, Harold E. Page, her brothers Richard Lusch, Kenneth English and her parents Arthur and Mary Lusch (nee Sargeant).

Ann is survived by a brother Wilfred English, her daughter, Dolores Gralley (nee Page), grandchildren and spouses Ken & Debbie (nee Snyder) Gralley, Kathy (nee Gralley) & George Smalley and Glenn & Tracey (nee Disbrow) Gralley. She is also survived by 6 great grandchildren Erin & Kelly Gralley, Bonnie Smalley & her husband Will Morgan, Colleen & Katie Smalley and Michael Gralley.

Funeral services will be held at the LAUGHREY FUNERAL HOME, Pennsville where friends may call prior to the service. Burial will follow at East View Cemetery in Salem, NJ.

Published in Today's Sunbeam on October 26, 2010

Alice Lane

Research Volunteer

I thought that if I could find where Arthur's parents were buried, it might help locate Arthur's grave.  His parents died in Paterson NJ in 1905 and 1909, but like for him I could find no obits or death records on-line.  They were members of Ward Presbyterian Church (German language church) in Paterson.

Hello Katherine,

I have experienced similar difficulty researching my ancestors from the late 1800's & early 1900's. I have found one of the issues to be that obituaries were often not printed in area newspapers, especially if the area was rural. There may be church records if you have knowledge of where or if they attended. Hope this helps.

Ancestry.com has city directories for Easton, New Jersey, which includes Phillipsburg.  They have a wonderful section I have never seen before—a list of people who died and their death dates. 

The 1916 city directory death list shows Arthur Lush died in Phillipsburg on 21 Apr 1916  (p.622, image 319).  The regular listing section shows Mary Lusch, widow Arthur, residing at 243 Washington (p.785, image 374).  This is the same address where the family was found on the 1915 NJ Census and in previous city directories.

The 1918 and 1920 directory did not show Mary, either in the regular listings or the death list. 

If the info given on Ann Lusch Page’s FindAGrave entry is correct (mentioned in a post above), Mary died by 1926.  That gives a death range of 10 years, between 1916-1926 (you may have more information that helps narrow this down).  It is possible she married again in this time, so would have a different last name.  She may have moved out of New Jersey and died there.

Since you know the date and location of Arthur’s death (Phillipsburg, in Warren County), I suggest ordering his death certificate from the New Jersey Department of State.  The cemetery may be listed on the certificate. 

The following is a link to their order form.

https://wwwnet-dos.state.nj.us/DOS_ArchivesDBPortal/index.aspx

You could also have them search a 2-year span for Mary, if you have reason to believe she also died in New Jersey, and can narrow the time frame.   Her name appeared in different records as Mary, Anna Mae, or May, so any one could be on the death certificate.

Happy Hunting!