My uncle and I were recently talking about his grandparents, Clarkson and Olive (Anderson) Hendrickson. He had questions about why he never really saw them much or heard about their siblings. That’s a tough one, but I can attempt to give some background that might shed some light.
It wasn’t the first time I’d heard that the family didn’t visit often. Uncle Paul seemed to think they didn’t want to come by because the family was poor. My father, who was a little older than Paul, expressed similar sentiments. He also thought that his father could be a little hard to get along with, which might have made the household less welcoming to visitors.
He and my uncle grew up on Coyle Street in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, not too far from their grandparents. Distance wasn’t the issue. I don’t know what kind of relationship my grandfather Carlton had with his family. I also don’t know if he tried to visit them or expected them to come to him. Perhaps there was more to the story. To help answer my uncle’s questions, I’ve put together a short sketch about Clarkson’s and Olive’s later life, their siblings, and why the family may not have stayed close.
Clarkson and Olive: A Separation
Although they remained married, Clarkson and Olive were separated from 1942 until at least 1950, and perhaps longer. It’s unknown to me why they separated or if their relationship changed between then and Clarkson’s death in 1964. I also don’t know if their sons or siblings took sides in the matter. There may have been friction that my uncle didn’t know about.
Clarkson lived with his mother at 1662 East 8th Street in Brooklyn in 1942 and also in 1950, where his marital status was listed as separated. 1 His sister Lotta also lived with them in 1950. 2 Olive lived at two locations in Brooklyn during that time, including 3705 Avenue M, and 2116 Ditmas Avenue, Apartment 1B. 3
Telephone directories list Clarkson at 2116 Ditmas Avenue from 1942 until 1952 and from 1953–1967 at 480 East 21st Street. 4 It’s unclear if he and Olive got back together before his death in 1964. During their separation, Olive lived at the Ditmas Avenue address. It’s unknown if she or if both of them were living at the 21st Street address. It’s possible that the phone number was in Clarkson’s name because he paid the bill. Perhaps, they were trying to hide their separation and keep up appearances.
Whether they got back together or not, the phone was in Clarkson’s name for at least three years after his death. Olives last known residence was the 21st Street address. I heard through the grapevine that she lived in a nursing home in Nyack, New York in her later years. 5
Clarkson’s Siblings
Clarkson had two younger sisters, Grace and Lotta. Both were widows by the end of the 1940s.
Grace (Hendrickson) Schultheis and her husband Edward, a produce dealer, lived in Wellsville, New York. 6 Wellsville is located in western New York, and is about a five-and-a-half-hour drive to Brooklyn, where Clarkson and Olive lived. Grace had a daughter, Vera, and two step-children from Edward’s previous marriage. 7 Grace moved to Tacoma, Washington, in 1961 and lived there until she died in 1972. 8
Clarkson’s sister Lotta lived most of her life in Brooklyn. She married Joseph Brown, an accountant, and lived in Cranford, New Jersey, where they had two sons, Joseph and Walton. 9 By 1940, the family lived in Manhattan. 10 After her husband died, Lotta and Walton lived in the Bronx, before moving in with her mother in Brooklyn. 11 The last address I have for Lotta is at 90 Pilling Street in Brooklyn in 1961. 12 It’s unknown where she lived until her death in Poughkeepsie in 1976. 13
Clarkson’s sister Grace probably rarely visited her siblings due to distance. It’s unknown if she ever came back to New York after moving to Tacoma. Although I can’t track his sister Lotta between 1961 and her death in 1976, she was likely not too far away. She probably stayed in touch with her brother until his death. However, it’s uncertain if she kept contact with the rest of the family. We don’t know what Lotta’s relationship was with Olive or with my grandfather Carlton.
Clarkson’s Mother
As far as I know, neither Uncle Paul nor my Dad knew their great-grandmother Mary Ella (Martin) Hendrickson. Perhaps that was due to her advanced age. Although she lived nearby on East 8th Street, Mary Ella was ninety-five years old when she died in 1960. 14 At that age, she likely didn’t get out much, and unless my grandparents made an effort to visit, my uncle may never have really known her. Paul was only ten years old when she died, so even if they did meet, he may not have remembered her.
Olive’s Siblings
Olive was one of ten children, though six of them died before she was a year old. 15 I haven’t been able to trace her brother Francis, but he probably passed away sometime before 1900. Olive’s mother left her father just after she was born and moved the children to Lockport, New York, where they lived in extreme poverty. 16 From what I’ve heard, Olive was famously frugal. It’s hard to imagine she skipped visits to her son’s family just because they were poor.
Olive had two older sisters, Maud and Mary. Maud and her husband, Joseph Degan, lived in Lockport, New York, and had five children together. 17 Lockport is a city between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and is about a seven-hour drive to Brooklyn. Joseph worked on the Erie Canal. 18 Maud died in 1949, a year before Uncle Paul was born. 19
Olive’s sister, Mary (Anderson) Haverland, lived in Brooklyn until sometime before 1935, when she and her husband, Frank, a printer, moved to South Orange, New Jersey. 20 They later moved to Albany, New York. 21 The couple had two children, Dorothy and William. Later in life, Mary and her husband lived in Glens Falls, New York. 21 Mary died on 8 June 1963. 23 I am not sure if she lived there after her husband’s death, but if she did, it was a long way from Brooklyn.
Death and distance were the likely reasons Paul didn’t know Olive’s sisters. However, it doesn’t explain why Olive didn’t talk about them.
What Was Left Unsaid
For whatever reason, the family didn’t see each other often. Family dynamics probably didn’t encourage closeness, which may explain why so little is known about extended family members. Olive lived to the ripe old age of ninety. She and her sons could have shared what they knew—but somehow those details never got passed along. Her son Robert pursued genealogy, and we received a family tree with some names and dates. Any stories or details he may have gathered were not passed along. There was plenty of time to ask Olive and her sons questions, though it’s unclear whether anyone ever asked.
My uncle’s questions may never be fully answered, but I hope what I’ve uncovered about Clarkson, Olive, and their siblings offers some clarity and explains the gaps in family knowledge. Family history isn’t just names and dates—it’s the messy, human connections in between. Many people wish they’d asked their parents or grandparents more, but most don’t think to ask until it’s too late. Start now, ask questions, share what you learn, and don’t forget to tell your own story too.