Ralph Van Buren was listed as a resident in
Wilhelm Von Buren II and
Anna "Margaret" Van Buren's household in the census report in 1900 in 137 North Railroad Avenue (now 137 MacQuesten Parkway North), Mount Vernon, Westchester County, New York.
1 Ralph Van Buren appeared on the census of 1905 in the household of Wilhelm Von Buren II and Anna "Margaret" Van Buren in Mount Vernon, Westchester County, New York,
Household Members:
Name Age
William Van Buren 47
Margerita Van Buren 45
William Van Buren 22
Adelaide Van Buren 16
Ralph Van Buren 14.
11 In 1909, Ralph Van Buren had worked for three years as a secretary for the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad. At that time, he lived with his parents, William and Margaret Van Buren, Sr., at 137 North Railroad Avenue, Mt. Vernon, New York.
We have a 13 August 1909 letter from Ralph Van Buren to his cousin Ervin Paul Van Buren in Wahpeton, North Dakota:
My dear young cousin:
Your letter received, and although it was addressed to father [William Van Buren, Sr.], I take the liberty of answering it, as father writes very few letters, leaving most of his correspondence to me.
Both mother and father were very glad to hear from you, although they were very much surprised to learn that father's nephew [Ervin Paul Van Buren] was twelve years old, and even more so, that he had a brother [Philip Martin Van Buren] thirteen years old.
We ofter wondered how Uncle Emil's [Adam Emile Van Buren] wife [Anna Paulson Van Buren] and children were, and a good many times we would have written had we known your address. Father wrote your mother (or rather my auntie) shortly after Uncle's death [five years ago, in 1904], but not receiving any reply, considered she had not received it. Since then, that address has been lost, and we could not, therefore, try another letter. However, we are very pleased to know that we can now get into correspondence with father's sister-in-law and his nephews and niece [Sada Van Buren], all of whom we hope are in excellent health and enjoying life.
It might be well to mention a few things of ourselves. I have just passed my nineteenth year and am (and have been for the past three years) employed by the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad Company as a secretary to one of its officials.
My brother William is married (and has been for the past six years) and is in the automobile business. He is going onto his twenty-seventh year.
My sister Adelaide is also married (although only twenty-one years old) and has a little son about two years old. That leaves me the only one home with the folks. Mother and father are both in very good health (neither being yet fifty years old), although father goes to business very little account of the marble dust affecting his lungs, he being in the marble business.
I travel a good deal in my business and have already been as far as Chicago. I now have hopes of getting out to Los Angeles, California, to see Uncle Theodore in the fall. Should I do so, I shall certainly stop off in North Dakota and try to locate my aunt and her children as I have taken a great interest in my Uncle's family since receipt of your letter. Even though I do not get out this fall, I shall be very glad to keep in correspondence with you. It would be some time any way and in the meantime we can each write a couple of letters.
I assume that you are in correspondence with Uncle Theodore [Van Buren], but if you are not and should desire to get in correspondence with him I shall give you his address in my next letter.
We all send you our love and best regards to Auntie, your brother (or rather cousin Phillip) and cousin Sadie [Sada] and yourself, and I shall look for a letter in the very near future.
Your loving cousin,
Ralph Van Buren
137 North Railroad Avenue, Mt. Vernon, New York. Ralph Van Buren was listed as a resident in Wilhelm Von Buren II and Anna "Margaret" Van Buren's household in the census report in 1910 in 137 North Railroad Avenue (now 137 MacQuesten Parkway North), Mount Vernon, Westchester County, New York.
12 Ralph Van Buren was a stenograph in a railroad office in 1910.
12 He was a secretary to the Director of the American Academy and the Assistant to the Military Attache in the American Embassy between September 1912 and 18 June 1918 in Rome, Italy.
13 An article in the Mount Vernon [NY] Daily Argus,Aug. 5, 1914, (available at www.fultonhistory.com) states that Mr. and Mrs. William Van Buren of Railroad Street were very concerned about the whereabouts of their son Ralph. He had informed them that he was about to take a 3 months vacation in Switzerland, where he expected to meet with relatives. They had received a letter postmarked Berne several weeks earlier but had not heard from him since. Ralph had been in Europe for several years, working for the American Embassy in Rome.
Note: If the mysterious Augusta Van Buren sailed for NY a couple of months after this and she is connected to our family, it could be that Ralph arranged for her travel to his parents' home in Mount Vernon.
Ralph Van Buren arrived at New York on 9 August 1915 on the ship Duca d'Aosta from from Naples, Italy, having sailed from there on 28 July 1915. .
14 He registered for the draft for World War I in 1917, while living at Rome, Italy, reporting he was employed by secretary to the Military Attache, at the American Embassy. His permnent address was 137 North Railroad Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY.
15 He was a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army in Rome, Italy, in World War I between 22 May 1918 and 23 July 1919.
13 The following letter was included in Ralph Van Buren's Passport Application date 6 September 1919. Ralph gave his occupation as broker's agent:
Hotel Shoreham
Washington, D.C.
Sept. 4, 1919
Chief, Bureau of Passport Control
State Department
Washington, D.C.
Sir:
I, Ralph Van Buren, a native born citizen of the United States, hereby certifiy as follows:
1. That I have been occupied in the Country of Italy for a period of five years and nine months [from September 1912] up to June 18, 1918, first in the capacity of Secretary of the American Academy in Rome and, later, as Assistant to the Military Attache, American Embasys, Rome, Italy.
2. That I received my appointment as Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, while in Rome, Italy, and was on duty in that City from May 22, 1918, to June 14, 1919, on which date I proceeded from Rome to Washington, D.C. for discharge, and that I was discharged from the U.S. Army in Wahington, D.C, on July 23, 1919.
3. That I have personal effects, books, clothing, etc., in Rome, Italy.
4. That I have previously possessed passports of the United States, the last being No. 52176, issued by the Department of State, Washington, D.C., on May 17, 1917, which passport expired while I was on duty for the U.S. Army in Rome.
I now desire to return to Italy, and also to visit France and Belgium, for the purpose of establishing business relations in the countries mentioned and arranging for the disposition of my personal effects in Rome.
Respectfully submitted,
Ralph Van Buren.
13 He was listed as a resident in Wilhelm Von Buren II and Anna "Margaret" Van Buren's household in the census report in 1920 in 137 North Railroad Avenue (now 137 MacQuesten Parkway North), Mount Vernon, Westchester County, New York. Ralph Van Buren was a foreign representative in 1920.
16 Ralph Van Buren and
Christine Van Buren appeared on the census of 1925 in Bronx County, New York.
17 He and Christine Van Buren appeared on the census of 1930 in 2294 Washington Avenue, Bronx, Bronx County, New York, which lists Ralph Van Buren, 40, born in New York (married at age 32), his father born in Switzerland and his mother born in New York; and his wife Christine, 41, born in New York (married at age 33), her father born in New York and her mother born in Germany. They were apparently renting an apartment at 2294 Washington Avenue.
6 He was an office manager for an advertising agency in 1930.
6 Ralph Van Buren and Christine Van Buren arrived at New York on 10 July 1933 on the ship ship SD Gatun on a round trip from New York, NY. .
18 On 4 February 1935 Ralph Van Buren, traveling by himself, arrived in New York from Hamilton, Bermuda on the SS Queen of Bermuda.
19 He and Christine Van Buren lived in 1937 in 137 North MacQuesten Parkway, Mount Vernon, Westchester County, New York.
20 Ralph Van Buren and Christine Van Buren appeared on the census of 1940 in 669 North Terrace Avenue, Mount Vernon, Westchester County, New York, which lists Ralph Van Buren, 51, born in New York; and his wife Christine, 50, also born in New York.
21 He was an advertising executive who earned $5,000 in 1939 in 1940.
22 In 1942, when he supplied the information for his late brother William Van Buren, Jr.'s death certificate, Ralph Van Buren apparently lived at 5 Midland Garden, Bronxville, New York. Ralph Van Buren became the guardian of his nephew William Van Buren III after William Van Buren, Jr.'s death. William III went to live with Ralph and Sarah Van Buren in Scarsdale, New York, while he attended private schools. Ralph was an advertising vice president at Ruth, Roth & Ryan in New York City. Ralph and Sarah Van Buren also had a summer home in Lake Placid, New York. [15 June 1999 letter from William Van Buren III]
Ralph Van Buren apparently later became financially troubled and lived with his sister Adelaide Van Buren Kane in Mount Vernon, New York, in a house that their father had built on Railroad Avenue, now known as McQuesten Parkway. [15 November 1999 telephone call from William Van Buren III].
He lived in 1942 in 137 North MacQuesten Parkway (formerly 137 North Railroad Avenue), Mount Vernon, Westchester County, New York.
23 His wife,
Sarah, died in 1960 at age ~56, leaving him a widower. Her date of death is from her urn inscripton. [16 December 1999 letter from Ferncliff Cemetery Association.] [A 15 November 1999 telephone call from William Van Buren III gave her date of death as around 1958.].
10 Ralph and Sarah Van Buren did not have any children, thus ending this line of the Van Burens.