John_Tonnele

John Tonnelé

John Tonnelé

American politician

John Tonnelé Jr. (1807 – November 26, 1852) was an American farmer and politician who was the first Roman Catholic member of the New Jersey Legislature.[1]

Quick Facts Member of the New Jersey Senate for Hudson County, Preceded by ...

Early life

Tonnelé was born in New York City in 1807. He was the son of Rebecca (née Waterbury) Tonnelé (d. 1858) and John Tonnelé Sr. (d. 1846),[2] a French born merchant and senior partner with the New York wool firm of Tonnele & Hall, which was considered "the most extensive Wool dealers in the country" in 1842.[3] His sister, Susan (née Tonnelé) Hall, was married to Valentine Gill Hall, an Irish immigrant, and they were the parents of Valentine Hall Jr. who married Mary Livingston Ludlow[4] in a marriage that "... united a member of a prominent New York merchantile family with Hudson River gentry".[5]

His maternal grandfather was Revolutionary War General David How Waterbury, Jr. of Stamford, Connecticut.[6]

Career

In 1835, Tonnelé relocated to New Jersey and purchased a large tract of land near Hudson City.[7]

He served three terms on the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1844, 1846 and 1847.[8] Tonnele represented Hudson County in the New Jersey Senate for one term from 1848 to 1849.[9]

Personal life

Tonnelé, who was married to Cecile, was the father of eight children, including:[10]

  • John Laurent Tonnelé (d. 1901), a Union Army officer in the Civil War with the 2nd New Jersey Militia.[2]
  • Julie Emelie Tonnelé (d. 1880), who married Francis G. Wetmore.[2]
  • Cecile Josephine Tonnelé (d. 1874), who also married a Wetmore.[2]
  • Laurencine Salles Tonnelé (d. 1881), who married a Deegan, a Gedney and a McDonald.[2]
  • Adelaide Jane Tonnelé (d. 1922), who married Francis William Mitchell.[2][11]
  • Margaret Tonnelé (d. 1907), who married Joseph Longinotto in 1864.[12] After his death, she remarried to a Ginocchio.[2]
  • Eloise Tonnelé (d. 1883), who married Albert Gedney.[2]
  • Isabella Zedina Tonnelé (d. 1874), who did not marry.[2]

Tonnelé died on November 26, 1852, and his widow died in January 1868.[10] His will stipulated that the children of his son should have the income from the property he left and that the grandchildren should have the property on their death, however, it was broken by his daughter, and her position was eventually upheld by the Court of Appeals.[13] Through his only son, he was the grandfather of Laurent J. Tonnelé (d. 1933).[13]

Legacy

He is recalled in the namesake Tonnele Avenue and Tonnele Circle.[14]

References

  1. [1]
    Shalhoub, Patrick (1995). Images of America: Jersey City. Arcadia Publishing. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-7524-0255-0.
  2. [2]
    New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division-First Department: Rachel M. Erwin, Barbara Erwin, Rachel Erwin and Charles Ward, as Trustees Under the Last Will and Testament of Charles R. Erwin, Deceased, Plaintiffs-Respondents, Against George Matthew Adams, Defendant-Appellant. 1930. p. 38. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  3. [3]
    Beach, Moses Yale (1842). Wealth and Pedigree of the Wealthy Citizens of New York City: Comprising an Alphabetical Arrangement of Persons Estimated to be Worth $100,000 and Upwards, with the Sums Appended to Each Name : Being Useful to Banks, Merchants and Others. Sun Office. p. 14. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  4. [4]
    "Mrs. Valentine G. Hall". The New York Times. August 16, 1919. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  5. [5]
    White, Mason (March 1988). "Elliott, the Tragic Roosevelt" (PDF). The Hudson Valley Regional Review. 5 (I): 17–29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  6. [6]
    Owen, Samuel (1847). The New-York Legal Observer. Samuel Owen. p. 264. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  7. [7]
    "Obituary Notes" (PDF). The New York Times. June 10, 1901. p. 7. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
  8. [8]
    Winfield, Charles (1874). History of the County of Hudson, New Jersey: from its earliest settlement to the present time. Kennard & Hay Stationery M'fg and Print. Co. pp. 344–345.
  9. [9]
    Journal of the Senate of the State of New Jersey. New Jersey State Legislature. 1849. p. 248. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  10. [10]
    New Jersey Court of Chancery (1894). New Jersey Equity Reports. E. Sanderson. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  11. [11]
    Leonard, John William; Mohr, William Frederick; Knox, Herman Warren; Holmes, Frank R.; Downs, Frank R. (1918). Who's Who in New York (city and State). Who's Who publications, Incorporated. p. 764. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  12. [12]
    "MARRIED" (PDF). The New York Times. September 23, 1864. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  13. [13]
    "LAURENT J. TONNELE, RADIO OFFICIAL, DIES; One-Time President of North Jersey District Water Board -- Figure in $2,000,000 Suit" (PDF). The New York Times. November 5, 1933. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  14. [14]
    Miller, Jonathon (July 18, 2004). "ROAD AND RAIL; Lipstick On a Pig". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article John_Tonnele, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.