The Brooklyn Geberts GEORGE GEBERT, was born August 28, 1889d.12 in Bürgel, Offenbach, Germany.d.5 The Taufin Register Indexd.5 shows that there is an entry on page 281 but the microfilm only showed the specific entries up until 1876. Email contact has been made with the Katholische Kirche Bürgel where the family's baptisms were held and specific information should be forthcoming. His son George Jr., believed that his father came to the US as an infant with his brother, Wilhelm.b.3 The passenger manifest for the SS Werkandam shows that George emigrated when he was age 3.i.2 He died at age 69, on May 10, 1958 and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY.d.12 In 1918, his first child was born in Manhattan under the assumed name of Baby boy Burke, in 1919 his second child was born in New Jersey, and the rest of the children were born from Brooklyn to New Jersey to Connecticut. The 1920 census shows the family living under the assumed name of John Coulter [Violet's father's name]. The census shows them at the correct ages, John [George] was 31, Violet was 19 and sons John and George at about 1½ and ½. The actual fractions are not readable. The places of birth were all correct except that John [George] was listed as born in New York. He worked as a laborer in asphalt. George Sr. was a rouster, never holding a job for more than a few months at a time. Sometimes he worked as a doorman in Manhattan. Most of the time he was drinking, gambling, and street fighting. But the wildness was only one side of him. He was always helping someone. His son George described him as a kind, caring, good-natured man who had a special endless patience with children.a.3 His grandchildren adored him. He entertained them when they visited him in the apartment over the store overlooking a park in Brooklyn by rolling a newspaper into a cone and balancing it on his nose.a.4 George Sr.'s drinking and/or gambling problems caused by or led to serious problems in his marriage. His wife threw him out of the house more times than could be remembered but when he became blind from glaucoma during the 1940’s, their children talked her into taking him back one last time. Although she never spoke well of him, her children always seemed to respect him and the grandchildren and other members the family adored him as shown in a typical scene above.a.5 He married VIOLET BEATRICE COULTER on October 20, 1917. Right from the beginning, Violet was continually scratching for work -- doing laundry, cleaning, babysitting -- to feed her kids. During the family's many years of poverty in Brooklyn, Violet and George's children became 'Fresh Air Kids' and spent some of the summers in the country [Daughter Vi thinks Henry J. Gebert helped fund these activities]. By coincidence, George's grandchild, John Jr., many years later lived in Woodstock, Virgina and Violet was visiting him. She told him that it was there in the Shenandoah Valley that Almeta and her mom hosted the Gebert Fresh Air Children on their farm and that over the years, Viola and Almeta became good friends. [See photograph of Almeta and her mother.] John and Nancy helped locate Almeta and brought Violet to the nursing home where Almeta was staying. In fact, every time [at least once a year] Violet visited them, they always brought her to visit her friend who had never married and no other visitors. Viola was awarded the designation of 'Four Star Mother' because four of her children served in the armed forces during WWII. The Four-Star plaque can be seen in the window above son Ulrich's picture further down on this page. Apparently, all of Violet's and George's children survived childhood in Brooklyn and survived WWII unscathed. Click here to read about Violet and the Coulter family. JOHN JOSEPH ‘Papa Jon’ GEBERT, their first child, was born nine months after their marriage as ‘Baby Boy Burke’ on July 15, 1918d.3 in New York, NY and was baptizedd.6 in New Jersey with his proper name in 1922. After WWII, John said that his mother explained the discrepancy on his birth certificate when he needed a copy of it to obtain Veteran's Administartion GI home loan benefits. She told him that his father was avoiding the draft at that time. His baptismal certificate corrected it. He grew up as "Jack" in Brooklyn, NY where he left high school after the ninth grade. During his early teen years he often worked upstate on farms. It was there that Jack completed a correspondence course in animal husbandry. Later in life he enrolled in another correspondence course in small business management. As a young man if Jack saw a two-against-one street fight [This was Brooklyn!!], he would intercede and even the odds. Throughout his life, he was always on the side of the underdog and usually anti-establishment. Just before his funeral, when his daughter Judy drove Jack's brothers George and Drayton to the airport to meet Ritchie, there was the usual massive traffic jam. Drayton said, "You know what Jack'd say here? He'd say, 'Where's the cops? There's always a cop at the head of a traffic jam!'" After many years of working two jobs to support his family, his heart finally gave out and he died on October 12, 1982 in Los Angeles, CA where he’s buried in Riverside National Cemetery alongside other WWII veterans.d.9 Click on the only picture [dated about 1950] extant of the entire John Gebert family below to read about the exciting lives of Jack and his family. GEORGE GEBERT, was born on October 11, 1919 and was baptised at Sacred Heart Church in the City of Harrison, NJ. He attended school in Brooklyn, NY and served in the US Army during WWII. Some of that time he was stationed in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn where he spent a good deal of time with cousins Katherine Strup, Lilly Fisher and Elsie who married Jimmy Biggs. These cousins were 15-20 years older than he.a.3 His recollections have now been substantiated by his Danbuary cousin Pat and records of the family in the 1910 census. George also spent time in Italy according to the notation his brother John made on the back of the picture at left. After the war, George would often go out on Long Island to visit his brother Jack's family and always, ALWAYS, could be counted on to bring a half gallon of ice cream with him. On one of his visits, his neice Judy came home from school and walked right past him. Her mother had to point out that it wasn't her father sitting at the table. Jack and George looked so much alike, even Jack's little daughter got confused. George always had room on his lap for little Judy. The family often talked about how much Jack and George looked alike when they were school boys. Sometimes Jack would cause trouble in school, but George would be the one identified and punished. It was only after Jack's face was realigned by too many boxing punches that it became easier to tell them apart. On the other hand, when George who was a 'scrapper' got into trouble, it was Jack to the rescue. George has always been the rock, the big brother of the family. While Jack was off working on a farm, or boxing, or riding the railways, it was George who stayed at home and helped support the family. In fact, during the depression, he and Ritchie went to Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps.[CCC] camps and had their paychecks sent home, keeping nothing for pocket money. He and Ritchie helped build the ski area in the Wasash[?] Mountains in Utah where the winter Olympics are scheduled to meet in 2002. An example of George's easy-going, caringness is shown in the following story. After the war the Geberts lived on Third Ave. in Brooklyn close to Alma Gebert's brother Jimmy Furlong and his wife Helen. Helen's parents had died and her two younger sisters were placed in an orphanage. As soon as Jimmy and Helen were of age, the state allowed the responsibility for young Peggy and May. George, like Jimmy, never was big on gambling but in those pre-television days, loved a game of cards. He'd visit the Furlongs to play cards and whoever won at the end of the session would give the pennies to the little sisters. George and his family lived in a lovely home in Floral Park on Long Island for a number of years until the Brooklyn Navy York closed. Since he had only a few years left until retirement, he transferred to the Naval Air Station in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania where he ultimately retired from his position as an electrician and is living seasonally in Quakerstown, PA and Atlantic Beach, FL.a.6 George married BRIDGET in Brooklyn, NY about 1955. In fact the picture shown further below of Drayton, George Sr. and Jeanne was taken on the churchsteps after George's wedding. She was born April 25, 1920 and died in Pennsylvania in October 1979c.2. A ‘Scotswoman’, Bridget was a nurse before their marriage.a.4 Bridget and George wanted very much to have a 'bunch' of children but she invariably developed toxemia and became deathly ill many times. WILLIAM "BILLY" GEBERT was born in Floral Park, NY and is now living in Willow Grove, PA. Bill is a computer professional and continually travels all over the country with a team of other professionals handling computer emergencies.a.3 ULRICH "RITCHIE" ALOYSIOUS GEBERT, was born on June 5, 1921 and died in New Jersey on April 21, 1995.c.2 He worked for many years on the barges moving goods throughout New York Harbor. He and Kitty were the last of the Geberts to move from Brooklyn to the suburbs. In the backyard of his railroad-style home there was a garden any Brit would be jealous of and the inside of the home belied its location. After stubbornly staying there for many years, they finally moved to New Jersey when the neighborhood became just too rough.a.4 Ritchie married "KITTY" KATHRYN GEBERT "RANDY" GEBERT SUSAN GEBERT MARY GEBERT was born on October 21, 1922 and died in New Jersey in January of 1978c.2 several years after her divorce.a.5 Mary is honored on a special memorial in Washington, DC featuring a list of women who served in the armed forces during WWII.a.5 She married JOHN CIUCHTAH who was a sergeant in the US Army. He brought his family with him for several tours served in Germany where two of his children were born. To this day they still use the German Oma when referring to their grandmother.a.4 MARY LOU CIUCHTAH was born in Germany when her family was stationed there. There is some family lore that she may now be living in northern New Mexico.a.5 "BARBARA" CIUCHTAH was born in Germany when the family was stationed there.a.5 CHARLES "CHUCKIE" CIUCHTAH their youngest child shown above, is now living in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.a.3 HENRY DRAYTON GEBERT, was probably born in NY on January 15, 1927 and died in Woodhaven, Queens, NY on June 15, 1992c.2 where his family lived for about thirty years. As a youth, he had wavy blond hair like his father had in his youth. Before his death, Drayton worked as a doorman for a prestigeous apartment house in Manhattan. When his grandneice, Patti Picard, was visiting with her mother at Drayton's home one Christmas, there were twenty to thirty people around. Some were excitedly watching football on the television with beers in hand, some around the table in the kitchen also having a good time and yet others coming in and out of the house. Patti was feeling overwhelmed and alone. The next thing she knew, Drayton had pulled out a game of checkers and was asking her if she'd play with him. Turned out she enjoyed that visit and many more. Drayton had his father's infinite patience and love of children. a.4 John Gebert Jr. attended Drayton's funeral. When he arrived there, he discovered that the youngest brother, Dick, was estranged from the family. Dick was sitting in a bar down the corner and wouldn't come up to the house. John and his cousin, Bill [George's son] went to the bar and talked with him. In a while George and Ritchie arrived, too, and they eventually left the bar as family again. Later, after everyone but Jeanne left the funeral home, Dick went in and made up with her. Drayton would've been pleased. Drayton also would've been quite pleased with the genuine Brooklyn Dodgers cap that was placed on his chest by one of his friends. John Jr. thinks it may have been John Laughlin who put it there. After a short-lived teen-age marriage, Drayton married JANE "JEANNE" who was probably born in Brooklyn of a large Irish family. Although Jeanne had many children of her own, and was known to baby sit for another half dozen at any time, her neice Pat recollects one time when Jeanne shook her head at Pat when Pat had brought her three toddlers [a boy and twins born eleven months apart] with her on a visit. Jeanne said, “I don’t know how you do it, Pat.” Pat was puzzled and said, “You had eleven!” “Yeah,” said Jeannie with her Irish wit, “but I had them one at a time!”a.5 As the many children gradually flew the coop, Jeanne devoted many hours to her position on the New York City Mayor's Committee for the Disabled. After Drayton’s death, Jeanne moved to Cedarhurst on Long Island to live with her daughter.a.6 MAUREEN GEBERT MICHAEL GEBERT is a letter carrier. PATRICK GEBERT NORA GEBERT THOMAS GEBERT is a successful real estate attorney in Queens, NY. JOHN GEBERT was born on January 24, 1965 and was killed in a drive-by shooting in front of the family home in Woodhaven on July 12, 1996.a.6 MATTHEW GEBERT KATHLEEN GEBERT MARGARET "PEGGY" GEBERT GEORGE GEBERT BRENDAN GEBERT VIOLET ‘VI’ GEBERT, was probably born in Brooklyn, NY and lived all over the United States and Germany while her husband was an officer in the US Army. They probably lived in Governor’s Island, NY more years than any other station. Because of their constant moving, Vi had a number of positions from a telephone operator to a Personnel Manager for Kmart. She is now an absolutely delighted greatgrandmother.a.2 Her husband, HERBERT ‘ANDY’ ANDERSON is a retired Chief Warrant Officer in the medical arm of the Army. They are currently retired in Atlantic Beach, FL.a.2 DAVID ANDERSON was born in Staten Island, NY where the picture at left was taken. He is now a teacher in Jacksonville, FL and has a son, Carl, and a daughter Kristine who has bestowed him with one grandchild.a.2 RICHARD ‘DICK’ GEBERT, was probably born in Brooklyn, NY and lived many years in Baltimore, MD where he worked for the Social Security Administration. When first married, Dick would call his wife Lee as "his joy". After his divorce from Lee, he was very active in the raising of his two daughters. He currently moves between living with his daughters and grandchildren.d "VICKIE" GEBERT VIOLET GEBERT FLORENCE URSULA GEBERT, was probably born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Jacksonville, FL. As a preschooler, her neice, Patty who was six weeks younger than her couldn't say Florence. It came out as Floppy and the family has called her that ever since. Later, when she was a schoolchild, her mother became severely ill with scleroderma so Floppy was sent to Long Island to live with her big brother Jack's family. Before her mother recovered, Flop participated with her neice and nephew, Patty and Sonny, on a foray out on the roof of the house. Considered a full-fledged member of the family, she too, got womped on the fanny as Alma got them back into the attic. As she grew in Brooklyn, Floppy became respected as the best handball player in the neighborhood. She was also very active in the Girl Scouts with her mother being a Den Mother.a.4,k.6 Flop married JAMES CAVANAGH in Red Bank, NJ in June 1964.a.4 They now live in a motor home preparing to retire to a never-ending motoring vacation. DIANE CAVANAGH Bennethen, now married with three children, was born in Jacksonville, FLa.4 Her children are Jacob, Wesley, and Heather.
The Brooklyn Geberts
His son George Jr., believed that his father came to the US as an infant with his brother, Wilhelm.b.3 The passenger manifest for the SS Werkandam shows that George emigrated when he was age 3.i.2 He died at age 69, on May 10, 1958 and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY.d.12
In 1918, his first child was born in Manhattan under the assumed name of Baby boy Burke, in 1919 his second child was born in New Jersey, and the rest of the children were born from Brooklyn to New Jersey to Connecticut. The 1920 census shows the family living under the assumed name of John Coulter [Violet's father's name]. The census shows them at the correct ages, John [George] was 31, Violet was 19 and sons John and George at about 1½ and ½. The actual fractions are not readable. The places of birth were all correct except that John [George] was listed as born in New York. He worked as a laborer in asphalt.
George Sr. was a rouster, never holding a job for more than a few months at a time. Sometimes he worked as a doorman in Manhattan. Most of the time he was drinking, gambling, and street fighting. But the wildness was only one side of him. He was always helping someone. His son George described him as a kind, caring, good-natured man who had a special endless patience with children.a.3
His grandchildren adored him. He entertained them when they visited him in the apartment over the store overlooking a park in Brooklyn by rolling a newspaper into a cone and balancing it on his nose.a.4
George Sr.'s drinking and/or gambling problems caused by or led to serious problems in his marriage. His wife threw him out of the house more times than could be remembered but when he became blind from glaucoma during the 1940’s, their children talked her into taking him back one last time. Although she never spoke well of him, her children always seemed to respect him and the grandchildren and other members the family adored him as shown in a typical scene above.a.5
Viola was awarded the designation of 'Four Star Mother' because four of her children served in the armed forces during WWII. The Four-Star plaque can be seen in the window above son Ulrich's picture further down on this page. Apparently, all of Violet's and George's children survived childhood in Brooklyn and survived WWII unscathed. Click here to read about Violet and the Coulter family.
He grew up as "Jack" in Brooklyn, NY where he left high school after the ninth grade. During his early teen years he often worked upstate on farms. It was there that Jack completed a correspondence course in animal husbandry. Later in life he enrolled in another correspondence course in small business management. As a young man if Jack saw a two-against-one street fight [This was Brooklyn!!], he would intercede and even the odds. Throughout his life, he was always on the side of the underdog and usually anti-establishment. Just before his funeral, when his daughter Judy drove Jack's brothers George and Drayton to the airport to meet Ritchie, there was the usual massive traffic jam. Drayton said, "You know what Jack'd say here? He'd say, 'Where's the cops? There's always a cop at the head of a traffic jam!'"
After many years of working two jobs to support his family, his heart finally gave out and he died on October 12, 1982 in Los Angeles, CA where he’s buried in Riverside National Cemetery alongside other WWII veterans.d.9 Click on the only picture [dated about 1950] extant of the entire John Gebert family below to read about the exciting lives of Jack and his family.
After the war, George would often go out on Long Island to visit his brother Jack's family and always, ALWAYS, could be counted on to bring a half gallon of ice cream with him. On one of his visits, his neice Judy came home from school and walked right past him. Her mother had to point out that it wasn't her father sitting at the table. Jack and George looked so much alike, even Jack's little daughter got confused. George always had room on his lap for little Judy.
The family often talked about how much Jack and George looked alike when they were school boys. Sometimes Jack would cause trouble in school, but George would be the one identified and punished. It was only after Jack's face was realigned by too many boxing punches that it became easier to tell them apart. On the other hand, when George who was a 'scrapper' got into trouble, it was Jack to the rescue.
George has always been the rock, the big brother of the family. While Jack was off working on a farm, or boxing, or riding the railways, it was George who stayed at home and helped support the family. In fact, during the depression, he and Ritchie went to Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps.[CCC] camps and had their paychecks sent home, keeping nothing for pocket money. He and Ritchie helped build the ski area in the Wasash[?] Mountains in Utah where the winter Olympics are scheduled to meet in 2002. An example of George's easy-going, caringness is shown in the following story.
After the war the Geberts lived on Third Ave. in Brooklyn close to Alma Gebert's brother Jimmy Furlong and his wife Helen. Helen's parents had died and her two younger sisters were placed in an orphanage. As soon as Jimmy and Helen were of age, the state allowed the responsibility for young Peggy and May. George, like Jimmy, never was big on gambling but in those pre-television days, loved a game of cards. He'd visit the Furlongs to play cards and whoever won at the end of the session would give the pennies to the little sisters.
George and his family lived in a lovely home in Floral Park on Long Island for a number of years until the Brooklyn Navy York closed. Since he had only a few years left until retirement, he transferred to the Naval Air Station in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania where he ultimately retired from his position as an electrician and is living seasonally in Quakerstown, PA and Atlantic Beach, FL.a.6
George married BRIDGET in Brooklyn, NY about 1955. In fact the picture shown further below of Drayton, George Sr. and Jeanne was taken on the churchsteps after George's wedding. She was born April 25, 1920 and died in Pennsylvania in October 1979c.2. A ‘Scotswoman’, Bridget was a nurse before their marriage.a.4 Bridget and George wanted very much to have a 'bunch' of children but she invariably developed toxemia and became deathly ill many times.
MARY GEBERT was born on October 21, 1922 and died in New Jersey in January of 1978c.2 several years after her divorce.a.5 Mary is honored on a special memorial in Washington, DC featuring a list of women who served in the armed forces during WWII.a.5 She married JOHN CIUCHTAH who was a sergeant in the US Army. He brought his family with him for several tours served in Germany where two of his children were born. To this day they still use the German Oma when referring to their grandmother.a.4
After a short-lived teen-age marriage, Drayton married JANE "JEANNE" who was probably born in Brooklyn of a large Irish family. Although Jeanne had many children of her own, and was known to baby sit for another half dozen at any time, her neice Pat recollects one time when Jeanne shook her head at Pat when Pat had brought her three toddlers [a boy and twins born eleven months apart] with her on a visit. Jeanne said, “I don’t know how you do it, Pat.” Pat was puzzled and said, “You had eleven!” “Yeah,” said Jeannie with her Irish wit, “but I had them one at a time!”a.5
As the many children gradually flew the coop, Jeanne devoted many hours to her position on the New York City Mayor's Committee for the Disabled. After Drayton’s death, Jeanne moved to Cedarhurst on Long Island to live with her daughter.a.6
Later, when she was a schoolchild, her mother became severely ill with scleroderma so Floppy was sent to Long Island to live with her big brother Jack's family. Before her mother recovered, Flop participated with her neice and nephew, Patty and Sonny, on a foray out on the roof of the house. Considered a full-fledged member of the family, she too, got womped on the fanny as Alma got them back into the attic.
As she grew in Brooklyn, Floppy became respected as the best handball player in the neighborhood. She was also very active in the Girl Scouts with her mother being a Den Mother.a.4,k.6 Flop married JAMES CAVANAGH in Red Bank, NJ in June 1964.a.4 They now live in a motor home preparing to retire to a never-ending motoring vacation.
The Descendants of George Gebert 