E.G.’s Father, Jacques Ernest, the Little Frenchman

 E.G.’s father, Jacques Ernest (known as Ernest), was a little Frenchman who spoke only French (even though on the 1900 US Census he states that he can read, write, and speak English).   He was a gardener by trade who enjoyed his wine.  Perhaps it was the wine that contributed to his purported deserting of his children when his children were young and his wife had died in 1892. 

A few year later in 1896, Jacques Ernest, however, married an Irish lady by the name of Catherine, who was 22 years his junior!!  Perhaps that is why his age and date of birth on the 1900 US Census is off by 10 years (but his age is correct on the 1880 US Census).  Could he have decided to deceive her and tell her that he was only 12 years older than she was?? He also moved to North Hempstead, NY, from New York City.  Perhaps no one in North Hempstead knew his real age!! 

Anyway, we know that "Monsieur Alberque, gardinier” some time moved back into E.G.’s household in Ridgefield Park, with his second or third wife.  The story goes that this wife “lost her mind” during menopause and supposedly came after Antoinette with a carving knife.  She was put away in the asylum, “Snake Hill” in Secaucus, NJ.  Antoinette said, “She was given the black bottle", whatever that meant. During this time, E.G. would encourage his neighbors to “hire” his father to work around their yards but they were not to pay him for fear that he would simply spend the money on more wine. 

And to tempt the poor man further, E.G. had a wine cellar in his basement where his father would spend time.  It is said that Antoinette would have to carry the little Frenchman back upstairs to his bedroom to sleep it off.  It is also said that this little Frenchman would “relieve himself” out the bedroom window.  Antoinette would be furious because of the children playing in the yard below. 

 At the same time, Antoinette’s father also lived with them.  Now he was a sturdy German.  He and his in-law, the Frenchman, did not get along and would fight all the time.  The little Frenchman, the gardener, grew garlic among other things.  He would feed his grandsons (George and Paul) garlic sandwiches and then send them upstairs to kiss their German grandfather.

So if you think you have an fondness for wine and garlic, you can blame it all on the little Frenchman, Jacques Ernest!

 [NOTE: contributions of anecdotes are quite welcome, from any and all sources. Kathy.  detrano@prodigy.net