Tag Archives: Lancelot

Gertrude Rothschild Lancellotti: When and Where Did She Die? Mystery Solved!

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Today I will turn to Moses and Mathilde Rothschild’s fourth child Gertrude Rothschild Lancellotti/Lancelot and her family and their lives from 1930 onward. I have records for most of the vital information, except that I cannot find a death record or obituary or any other information about the death of Gertrude herself. If anyone can help, please let me know!

In 1930 Gertrude was living with her husband Charles Lancelot (sometimes it was shortened this way from Lancellotti, which was also sometimes spelled Lancelotti) in the Bronx, and Charles continued to work as an artist. Neither of their two children, Milton and Estelle, was living with them, and I couldn’t find either of them elsewhere on the 1930 census. Milton would have been 22, and Estelle would have been 19. Was this just a mistaken omission? Or were Milton and Estelle living elsewhere? I don’t know.1

I did find a marriage license record for their daughter Estelle and a man named George Hodges taken out on September 1, 1926, when Estelle was only fifteen,2 but that marriage appears to have been over fairly soon as there was a divorce action by Estelle against George Hodges on August 11, 1927. Because Estelle was a minor, her father Charles acted as her representative and guardian in the divorce action. Where Estelle was living in 1930 after that divorce is still unknown.

Estelle Lancelotti divorce action, Year or Volume: Volume L 1914 – 1938, Ancestry.com. Bronx County, New York, U.S., Divorce and Civil Case Records, 1914

Estelle remarried in 1936 when she was 25. She married Dante V. Somma that year in New Jersey.3 Dante was born on February 21, 1904, in New York to Giovanni/John Somma and Eugenia Mortola. He had been previously married to Josephine Blake Clark, but that marriage had not lasted.4 Prior to marrying Estelle, Dante had been working as a furniture salesman and living in the Bronx.5 Dante and Estelle would have have two children.

Estelle’s brother Milton Lancelot also reappeared in 1936 when he married Dolores De Villasante on September 17, 1936, in Manhattan.6 Dolores was born in Bilbao, Spain, on April 13, 1916, and had immigrated to the US in 1930 from Mexico. Her parents were Alberto De Villasante and Maria Luisa Vidal.7 [Thank you to Eilene Lyons for pointing out that Dolores’ mother was living with Milton and Dolores in 1940, leading me to find the names of Dolores’ parents.] Perhaps Milton had been in Mexico in 1930 when the US census was taken and had met Dolores there? Milton and Dolores would have two children.

In 1940, Gertrude and Charles were still living in the Bronx at 1501 Undercliff Avenue, and Charles was still working as an artist.8 Charles’ 1942 World War II draft registration reports that his employer was Standard-Koppel Engraving Company.

Charles Lancelotti, World War II draft registration, The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942

Milton and Dolores were living in Manhattan in 1940 with Dolores’ mother and sister. Milton was a salesman for a lithography company.9 His 1940 World War II draft registration revealed that his employer was Robert Teller Sons & Dorner.

Milton Lancelot, World War II draft registration, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York City, 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947

Estelle and Dante were living in the Bronx in 1940, on the same street (1630 Undercliff Avenue) as Estelle’s parents. Dante was a salesman for a decorating business;10 his 1942 World War II draft registration reveals two things: he and Estelle were now living at the same address on Undercliff Avenue (1501) as Gertrude and Charles, and he was working for The Nahon Company.

Dante Somma, World War II draft registration, National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York City, 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947

Gertrude and Charles were still living at 1501 Undercliff Avenue in the Bronx in 1950. Charles was still a commercial artist. Their daughter Estelle and her husband Dante were also living at that address with their children, and Dante was working as a wholesale furniture salesman.11

Milton, however, had moved by 1950 with his family to the suburbs—to New Rochelle, New York.12 A June 17, 1948, article in the New Rochelle Standard-Star reported that he had purchased a home in that town.13 Milton was still selling lithography. In 1960, Milton legally changed his name from Lancellotti to Lancelot,14 although he had been using that abbreviated version of his surname for many years at that point.

Estelle Lancellotti Somma died on December 26, 1952, at the age of only 41.15 I could not find an obituary or any other document that provided a cause of death. She was survived by her parents Gertrude and Charles, her husband Dante, who died on May 30, 1986,15 and her two children.

Her father Charles Lancellotti died August 31, 1967, in New York; he was 84.16 I could not find any record at all for what happened to Charles’ wife and my cousin Gertrude Rothschild Lancellotti—no death record, no obituary. If anyone knows what happened to Gertrude, I hope they will find me and fill me in.

UPDATE!! Thanks to two researchers, Kaye Prince Hollenberg on Tracing the Tribe and John Schroedel, I now know when Gertrude died! She died on January 1, 1971, in New Rochelle, New York, where her son Milton was then living. John found the document below on FamilySearch, and Kaye found her in the New York State Death Index.

New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G99R-NNYM?cc=1920234&wc=Q75G-DPF%3A213305501%2C235998202 : 28 May 2014), Westchester > Wills and letters index 1813-1983 Labate, Luigi-Lawson, Marie G. > image 934 of 3213; county courthouses, New York.

As for Charles and Gertrude’s son Milton, he died on January 4, 1994, in Stamford, Connecticut, at the age of 85.17 According to his obituary, Milton was “an award-winning book designer and author of several books on sports, naval history, and the development of aerial combat” as well as “an avid historian and theater-goer.”18  By googling his name I was able to find several books that are still in print that were authored or co-authored by Milton. Milton was survived by his wife Dolores and their children. Although I could find no death record for Dolores, a brief obituary for her states that she died on July 13, 2018, in New Smyrna, Georgia. (Thank you to Aaron Knappstein for reminding me that I had this obituary!)

This brings me to the last child of Moses Rothschild, his son Aron.

  1. Charles and Gertrude Lancelot, 1930 US census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Bronx, Bronx, New York; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 0162; FHL microfilm: 2341203, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  2. Estelle T Lancelot, Gender Female, Marriage License Date 1 Sep 1926, Marriage License Place Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, Spouse George M Hodges
    License Number 24473, New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Manhattan; Volume Number: 10, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018 ↩
  3. Estelle Lancelot, Maiden Name Lancelot, Gender Female, Marriage Date 1936
    Marriage Place New Jersey, USA, Spouse Dante Somma, New Jersey State Archives; Trenton, New Jersey; Marriage Indexes; Index Type: Bride; Year Range: 1936; Surname Range: A – Z; Reel Number: 34, Ancestry.com. New Jersey, U.S., Marriage Index, 1901-2016 ↩
  4. Dante Summa, Birth Date 21 Feb 1904, Birth Place Manhattan, New York, USA
    Certificate Number 9980, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Extracted Birth Index, 1878-1909; “New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24W8-SK9 : Mon Mar 11 20:54:31 UTC 2024), Entry for Dante V. Somma and Josephine B. Clark, 14 August 1927. ↩
  5. Dante Somma, 1930 US census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Bronx, Bronx, New York; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0595; FHL microfilm: 2341221, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census ↩
  6. Milton Lancelot, Gender Male, Marriage Date 17 Sep 1936, Marriage Place Manhattan, New York, USA, Spouse Dolores DeVilladante, Certificate Number 23730, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Extracted Marriage Index, 1866-1937 ↩
  7. Dolores Lancelot, Race Spanish, Record Type Naturalization Petition, Birth Date 13 Apr 1916, Birth Place Bilbao, Spain, Departure Place Veracruz, Mexico, Arrival Date 21 Oct 1930, Arrival Place New York, New York, Petition Place New York, USA, Spouse
    Milton, Petition Number 301464, The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC; NAI Title: Index to Petitions For Naturalizations Filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts in New York City, 1792-1906; NAI Number: 5700802; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: Rg 21, Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1794-1943. Alberto MA. De Villasante, [Alberto Maria De Villasante] Gender Hombre (Male)
    Marriage Age 22 Event Type Marriage Birth Date 1887 Marriage Date 15 feb 1909
    Marriage Place San Cosme y San Damián (San Cosme), Distrito Federal, México
    Spouse Maria de la Paz Vicente Vidal,  Film Number 004023378, Ancestry.com. Mexico, Select Church Records, 1537-1966. ↩
  8. Charles and Gertrude Lancelot, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, Bronx, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02498; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 3-1473,
    Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  9. Milton Lancelot and family, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, New York, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02675; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 31-2066,
    Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  10. Dante Somma and family, 1940 US census, Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, Bronx, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02498; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 3-1476A, Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census ↩
  11. Charles Lancelot and family, 1950 US census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: New York, Bronx, New York; Roll: 4107; Page: 82; Enumeration District: 3-305, Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census; Dante Somma and family, 1950 US census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: New York, Bronx, New York; Roll: 4107; Page: 30; Enumeration District: 3-305, Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census ↩
  12. Milton Lancelot and family, 1950 US census, National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: New Rochelle, Westchester, New York; Roll: 2089; Page: 10; Enumeration District: 67-24, Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census ↩
  13. “13 Homes Sold, Broker Reports,” The New Rochelle (NY) Standard Star, June 17, 1948, p. 10. ↩
  14. Estelle Somma, Age 42, Birth Date abt 1910, Death Date 26 Dec 1952
    Death Place Manhattan, New York, New York, USA, Certificate Number 27685, Ancestry.com. New York, New York, U.S., Death Index, 1949-1965 ↩
  15. Dante Somma, Age 82, Birth Date 8 Feb 1904, Death Date 30 May 1986
    Death Place Orange City, Essex, New Jersey, USA, New Jersey State Archives; Trenton, New Jersey; New Jersey, Death Indexes, 1904-2000, Ancestry.com. New Jersey, U.S., Death Index, 1848-1878, 1901-2017 ↩ ↩
  16. Charles G Lancellotti, Gender Male, Age 84, Birth Date abt 1883, Residence Place New Rochelle, Westchester, New York, USA, Death Date 31 Aug 1967, Death Place New York, USA, Certificate Number 64838, New York State Department of Health; Albany, NY, USA; New York State Death Index; URL: https://www.health.ny.gov/vital_records, Ancestry.com. New York State, U.S., Death Index, 1957-1972 ↩
  17. Milton L Lancelot, Gender Male, Birth Date 23 Nov 1908, Death Date 14 Jan 1994
    Claim Date 14 Aug 1973, SSN 090051155, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 ↩
  18. “Milton L. Lancelot, Author,” The Portchester (NY) Daily Item, January 16, 1994, p. 26. ↩