Constant and Eugenie may have left together, but records have a way of disappearing into the ether. After losing his first wife, this Frenchman started over between 1879 and 1881 with a lovely younger Frenchwoman. At this point in history, Héricourt, Haute Saône, was tense after the Franco-Prussian War, which was particularly notable in Eugenie’s records — was she a Smith or a Schmidt by birth? Her maiden name would have been a clue as to her true ethnicity, but the remaining records contain conflicting information. Perhaps the allure of new opportunities abroad as lifestyles changed at home encouraged Constant to start over.
This couple spent their lives in Manhattan raising a family six, having lost one infant in 1893 as well, ending with Blanche. Now Blanche, she was a wild card in my tree. Being the youngest of both Constand and Eugenie’s children, she lost her mother at 11 and her father at 15. Life in her teens must have been difficult. I also have questions about the whereabouts of her second husband who disappeared from records between the 1925 and 1930 census data. In those days, a variety of scenarios seem plausible, but only one thing seems certain to me: Harry did not survive whatever unfortunate event occurred. Life in New York City wasn’t always glamorous like I’ve said. Likely, my father’s namesake faired much better!
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