Rudolph Berrian

I have yet to identify the exact date and place of Rudolph Berrian's birth or parents but the US Census records indicate he was born in the US. At the time of the 1870 Census (8/8/1870), Rudolph was 24 years old and living with Lawrence (55) and Jane (32) Fowler and their 7 children in West Farm Village, Westchester County, NY. He worked as a clerk in a grocery store and Lawrence Fowler was employed as a grocer of a store. I assume that they both worked at the same store. I have no information of Rudolph's relation to the Fowler family and assume he was staying with them because he worked in the same store. However, it is interesting to note that Rudolph's son was given the middle name of Fowler. West Farm was a located in Westchester County, until it was annexed to New York City in 1873. In 1898 it was incorporated into Bronx County. West Farm was generally rural farm land in the 1860s -'70s and was located between what today occupies the land between the Bronx Zoological Gardens and Crotona Park.

At the 1880 Census (6/7/1880) Rudolph(34) was married to Mary Berrian (35) and lived in the Village of Olinville (which also was made part of the Bronx - now adjacent to Williamsbridge area near 211th E & 219th E Street.) Rudolph's occupation was still listed as a clerk in a grocery store. At that time, they had a son named George Fowler, age 6 who was attending school. At the time of the 1900 Census (6/1/1900) , Rudolph and Mary were living at 1489 Hoe Avenue, Bronx NY along with their son George M. and his wife Marie (Blot) Berrian. The following year George and Marie had a son named George Maurice, born February 7, 1901. Sadly, Marie died on February 22, 1901 from complications from the child birth. For reason unknown, Rudolph and Mary raised their grandson after the death of his mother. It is unclear why the child was not raised by his father George Fowler.

At the time of the 1910 Census, Rudolph and Mary were renting at 704 Morris Park Avenue in the Bronx. His was 63 and Mary was 66 and they had been married for 38 years. Their grandson, George Maurice, age 9, was living with them. Rudolph was a watchman for a private police company at that time. At the time of the 1920 Census Rudolph was a librarian with the 3rd Avenue Railroad and their grandson George was almost 19 and was still living with his grandparents. George was a switchman with the same railroad.

(Bob Blot 3/17/09)