Edward Burton Ceruti Sr. (1847 - 1923)

Born 2 Sep 1847 in Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas

Ancestors

Husband of Flora Anne Elizabeth (Lightbourne) Ceruti — married 23 Oct 1868 in Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas

Husband of Lilian Constance (Wark) Ceruti — married 28 Jan 1875 in Key West, Monroe, Florida, United States

Descendants

Died 19 Mar 1923 at age 75 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Marion Ceruti [send private message], Ann Carmel [send private message], and Candy Ceruti [send private message]

Biography

Edward Ceruti Sr. is part of a Bahamian family.

Edward Ceruti Sr. has English ancestors.

Edward Was a Freemason in the United Grand Lodge of England Freemasons, Royal Victoria Lodge, Nassau, West Indies

Edward Ceruti Sr. was a Floridian.

Edward Ceruti Sr. was a South Carolinian.

Edward B Ceruti, Sr. was the son of Theodore Ceruti and Catherine Matilda Necks Ceruti. He was born in the Bahamas in Sep. 1847.

Edward Ceruti, Sr. had a son, Edward Burton Ceruti II, by a relationship he had with Eliza Jane Anderson. At that time Edward was a carpenter.^[1] Edward Burton Ceruti II became a prominent lawyer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and held other leadership positions in the United States African-American community.

Edward Ceruti Sr. subsequently married Lilian Constance Wark on 28 Jan. 1875 in the State of Florida, USA. According to a family legend, Edward and Lilian passed notes to each other during a church service in Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas. Edward wrote to Lilian "Will you marry me?" and Lilian wrote back "Yes." Edward was aware that Lilian's family did not approve of him. Therefore, they eloped in a 25-foot sailboat and sailed to Key West, Florida, United States. This family legend is consistent with the data on their marriage certificate in the State of Florida. The reason for the family's disapproval was rumored to have been prejudice against Italians. However, maybe Lilian's family knew or believed something about Edward, Sr. or his family that he did not want to discuss when his children asked about his father, Theodore. The "family legend" was related verbally to Marion Grace Ceruti (Ceruti-7) by her mother, Lucille Dawson Ceruti, in the presence of her father, William T. Ceruti, Edward's youngest son born 1903.

The story about Edward (Edward, Sr.) and Lillian eloping has been confirmed by Edward, Sr.'s great grandson, Edward Burton Ceruti IV (Cousin Burt). Additional details are as follows. Edward Sr. and Lillian went back to The Bahamas for the birth of their first child, Evelyn Ella Ceruti (Kirkland). Rebecca Abascal Wark, Lillian's mother, was so angry (presumably about the elopment and marriage) that she said that she would never say or write the name "Edward Burton Ceruti" again. This prediction most likely came true, as Edward Sr. never again returned to The Bahamas, but Lillian returned for many visits. Evidently, Edward Sr. had become persona non grata for some reason that was not likely to have been based only on prejudice against Italians.

According to the 1920 Federal Census, Edward and Lillian's immigration year was 1877. Edward's father's birthplace was listed as "Italy." However, neither of these assertions was exactly correct. Their marriage year was 1875 and Italy did not exist as a unified nation during the time in which Edward's father, Theodore, was born.

The Ceruti family moved to Beaufort, South Carolina shortly after their marriage and began to raise a large family. Edward's naturalization papers also were finalized at Beaufort. E.B. Rodgers was the Clerk of the Court in Dec. 1944. His father, S.B. Rodgers witnessed to Edward's character during the naturalization process when Edward was about 43 years old. The papers were administered Nov. 15 1890 in Beaufort, South Carolina.

According to the 1900 United States Federal Census, Edward Burton Ceruti Sr. was a ship carpenter who immigrated to the United States in 1876 with his wife, Lillian. According to a one of Edward's daughters, Edward and Lilian arrived in the US at Charleston, South Carolina, in September, 1876 and stayed there for two years. Then they moved to Coosaw, South Carolina, for 20 years.

In 1900, the family lived in Beaufort, South Carolina, USA (some say for 20 years). Edward was the superintendent of the old Coosaw mines. According to the US Census in 1900, ten children were listed on the Census report. However, this does not include the children who died prior to 1900, nor the children born after 1900. The couple is know to have had at least 16 children. One of these children was Edward Burton Ceruti III, born 1890. By 1910 Edward and Lilian were living near Pensacola, Florida, where they lived for 15 months until they moved to Columbia to make their home with their oldest daughter, Mrs. Evelyn B. B. Kirkland. While in Columbia, Edward was a member of the Christian Church of Columbia.

By the time of the 1920 Federal Census, Edward and his wife, Lillian were living in Pensacola, ED 34, Escambia, Florida, United States with their son, Alexander Ceruti age 40 born in South Carolina, their daughter May Ceruti age 28 born in South Carolina, and thier youngest child, Dorothy Ceruti age 11 born in Florida.

From Edward's obituary, found in The State 20 March 1923: "Mrs. B. B. Kirkland received a telegram announcing the death of her father, E. B. Ceruti, early yesterday morning at Johns Hopkins hospital, where he had gone two weeks ago for treatment." Thus Edward Sr. died at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.^[2]

The fact that Edward was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital does not prove that he had a disease that was at that time, incurable, but Johns Hopkins is known to be a research hospital where experimental treatments would have been possible.^[3] One can surmise that if his admission to Johns Hopkins Hospital were for an injury, the obituary would have been written differently. A discovery of his death certificate should shed more light on his cause of death.

His remains were buried at Elmwood Memorial Gardens, Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina.^[4]

Research Notes

The 1900 U.S. Federal Census yielded the following data about Edward and his family.

Name: Edward B Ceruti , Age: 52

Birth Date: Sep 1847, Birthplace: West Indies [South Carolina, USA]

Home in 1900: Beaufort, Beaufort, South Carolina

House Number: 6, Sheet Number: 21

Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation: 536, Family Number: 577

Race: White

Spouse's Name: Lilian Ceruti, Marriage Year: 1875

Father's Birthplace: Sicily, Mother's Birthplace: West Indies

Immigration Year: 1876, Years in US: 23, Naturalization: Naturalized

Occupation: Ship Carpenter, Months Not Employed: 0

Can Read, Write, Speak English: Yes, House Rented

Household Members, Age, Relationship

Edward B Ceruti, 52, Head

Lilian Ceruti, 42, Wife

Alexander Ceruti ,21, Son

Wilbur W Ceruti ,19, Son

Maud M Ceruti, 16, Daughter

Catharine Ceruti, 14, Daughter

Phoebe R Ceruti ,11, Daughter

Edward B Ceruti,10, Son

May L Ceruti, 9, Daughter

Ruth Ceruti, 6, Daughter

James W Ceruti, 4, Son

Frederick Ceruti, 2 ,Son

Edward's father's birthplace was listed in the 1900 Census as Sicily. However, Theodore's and Matilda's marriage record indicates that Theodore came from Sardinia. Theodore and Matilda were married on Ragged Island, The Bahamas. Edward's mother was born in the West Indies. Theodore and Matilda had three sons, of whom Edward B Ceruti, Sr., was the youngest. His oldest brother, Fredrick Lin Ceruti, Sr., was a prominent lay leader, "honorary catechist," in the Anglican Church, among other distinctions, on Ragged Island. Both Edward, Sr. and Fredrick were Episcopalians and Masons, as were some of their descendants.

The immigration date of 1876, cited above, may be wrong because it contradicts the marriage certificate data. If Edward, Sr. and Lilian were married on 28 Jan. 1875 in Florida, their immigration date must have been before their marriage, and not in 1876.

Cousin Burt confirmed other facts about Edward Sr.'s family that were deduced by circumstantial evidence. For example, the date of the family group photo is indeed 1906. Moreover, Lillian's maternal grandmother's name was Mary Barnett.

The myth that Edward Burton Ceruti, Sr. descended from the famous Cremona violin makers, Giovanni Batista Ceruti, Giuseppe Ceruti, and Enrico Ceruti has been shown to be false. This myth has been "exploded" by DNA evidence, by circumstantial evidence researched by Marion Grace Ceruti (Ceruti-7) via the internet, and by visiting the Archivio di Stato in Cremona, Italy.

More specifically, the preponderance of circumstantial evidence indicates that a significant fact about Edward Sr., or his family history, has been covered up. Most likely, Rebecca Abascal Wark hated Edward, Sr. for more personal reasons other than general animosity toward Italians. This hatred predates Edward Sr.'s marriage to Lillian, so it had nothing to do with their married life. What did Rebecca know that we don't know? If anyone can explain this mystery, please enlighten us. We have theories but insufficient facts. Inquiring minds want to know.

According to his obituary posted on Find-a-Grave, he is survived by eight of his children. However, in the obituary text, nine names are listed, including two who did not attend the funeral. The most mysterious person listed is "W. F. Ceruti of California." This could not possibly have been Wilbur Wark Ceruti who died in 1906. So who was W. F. Ceruti? Mistakes are common in newspapers and in transcriptions, so maybe this is just one of them.

Can you add any information on E. Ceruti? Please help grow his WikiTree profile. Everything you see here is a collaborative work-in-progress.

Edward was born in 1847. He passed away in 1923.

Sources

1. ↑ Bahamas Births, 1850-1891. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013. Name: Ceruti. Gender: Male. Birth Date: 14 Aug 1873. Birth Place: St. Matthew, Bahamas. Father: E. B. Ceruti. Mother: Eliza Anderson, father: E. B. Ceruti FHL Film Number: 222941. Reference ID: p 76. entered 16 December 2019, [1] (Image 544 of 618 in film number 005188241. Birth date confirmed 14 Aug 1873 upon examination of image data.)
2. ↑ Edward Burton Ceruti, Find A Grave Memorial# 109530544. [2]
3. ↑ Johns Hopkins Hospital [3]
4. ↑ Edward Burton Ceruti, Find A Grave Memorial# 109530544. [4]

• "Florida Marriages, 1837-1974", database, FamilySearch [5] entered 11 January 2020, Edward B. Ceruti, 1875.
• "1900 United States Federal Census," Edward B Ceruti, Census Place: Beaufort, Beaufort, South Carolina; Page: 21; Enumeration District: 0003; FHL microfilm: 1241518, 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls. [6]
• "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch [7] Entered 1 February 2021, Edward B Ceruti, Sr, 1920.
• 1920 U.S. Federal Census, on Ancestry.com, [8] "Edward B Cruti Sr.," Source Citation Year: 1920; Census Place: Pensacola, Escambia, Florida; Roll: T625_220; Page: 22A; Enumeration District: 0034; Description: Pensacola City, Precinct 27 bounded by City limits, Bayou Texas, Gadsden, 9th Ave. Source Information Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: NARA. Note: Enumeration Districts 819-839 are on roll 323 (Chicago City).
• US, Register of Civil, Military, and Naval Service, 1863-1959
• U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989
• "Florida, County Marriages, 1830-1957," database with images, FamilySearch [9] entered 29 November 2018, Edward B Ceruti and Lilian C Mark, 28 Jan 1875; citing Marriage, Monroe, Florida, United States, Florida State Archives and various county clerks of courts; FHL microfilm.
• The J.H. Turner Family Tree, Ancestry.com [10]
• Edward Burton Ceruti, Find A Grave Memorial# 109530544. [11]
• "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch [12] entered 1 August 2020, Edward Burton Ceruti, ; Burial, Columbia, Richland, South Carolina, United States of America, Elmwood Memorial Gardens; citing record ID 109530544, Find a Grave, [13].
• "Project Canterbury In the Bahamas" by Addington Robert Peel Venables, Right Rev. The Bishop of Nassau, Part V. "Visitation of the Out Islands," from Mission Life periodical, Vol III, 1872, pp. 355-361.
• Columbia, South Carolina Obituary, "'E. B. Ceruti Dies at John Hopkins," dated 1 April 1923.
• Marriage registration document of Theodore Ceruti and Matilda Necks, showing that they were married in The Bahamas, supplied by Cousin Frank Ceruti, a descendant of Fredrick Lin Ceruti, Sr. and John Wilson Rae Ceruti.
• Email message from Edward Burton Ceruti IV (Cousin Burt) to Marion Ceruti (Ceruti -7) dated 21 July 2004.
• Letter to William Tracy Ceruti from one of his sisters, most likely Ruth or Evelyn from Zone 1 Columbia, South Carolina, dated 2 Dec. 1944. The signature is illegible, but the word, "Sister" is legible. Moreover, the context of the letter indicates that it was about their father, whom she called "Pappa." Evidence that may help identify the sender: A mention of "Wilbur" and "Martha" perhaps her children. Wilbur is femail in this context, as her husband's name is S/Sgt. Robert W. Hays stationed in Paris.
• Personal stories from family members, such as William Tracy Ceruti.
• Family History document written by Mary Maud Wark Millard (Wark-83) with contributions from Alberta Maud Millard (Millard-573) and Florence French Albury (French-2567). The document was sent to Marion Ceruti from Dorothy Joan Heller. Subject matter includes descendant of Barnetts and Warks via Don Abascal, father of Rebecca Angelina Abascal Wark. A copy of this document is now in the archive of Marion Ceruti, and other Wark descendants.
• Letter written from Mary Amanda Millard (Millard-2750), daughter of Charles David Millard (Millard-574) to her second cousin, Mary Ruth Mercier Turner (Mercier-1731). The letter is estimated to have been written not later than 1990 in McAlpin, Florida, USA. A copy of the letter was sent from Edward Burton Ceruti IV, son of Mark Ceruti (Ceruti-33) to Marion Ceruti (Ceruti-7) on 4 Feb. 2006.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Ann Carmel for creating Ceruti-2 on 10 Sep 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Ann and others.

• United States Federal Census and Bahamas Birth records