Name |
Peter Farmer Wanser |
Birth |
24 Jan 1849 |
North Brunswick Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey [1] |
- son of William H Wanser and Catherine Sarah Buckalew
|
Gender |
Male |
Occupation |
Between 2 May 1892 and 2 May 1897 |
Jersey City, New Jersey |
was the 25th Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from May 2, 1892 to May 2, 1897 |
Memo |
30 Jun 1893 |
New York City, New York [2] |
- Mayor Wanser, of Jersey City, is not the confirmed bachelor some of his friends imagined. He is a husband and has been for a t least one year, if not for four or five.
When the story of the surgical operation on the Mayor was printed it was stated his wife had been notified the operation was successful and her husband was doing nicely. Many persons who knew the Mayor insisted he was a bachelor. In this way the matter was brought to the attention of the public. There was so much talk that it was decided the secret should be told.
The date of the wedding was not stated. According to one story it was during; the early spring of last year, just before the successful campaign when the Mayor routed the ring's candidate.
The bride was Miss Abbie Mabie, of Milton, N. Y.. who is about thirty-four years old. a few years her husband's junior. Her mother is dead and she has been the housekeeper for her aged father. Duty to her parent impelled her to remain at home, and it was agreed that she should stop at Milton, where the Mayor visited her every Sunday.
When he went to St. Luke's Hospital to submit to the knife his wife came to this city to be near
him.
Dr. Bants said yesterday the Mayor may leave the hospital in a fortnight if he continues to improve
as rapidly as heretofore. The Mayor will rest at his father-in-law's home for a few weeks before resuming his official duties.
Mayor Wanser suffered severely yesterday. No visitors were admitted. He had been restless during Wednesday night and slept but little. The doctors decided to administer an opiate, under the influence of which he slept soundly from five o'clock until far in the night.
Mrs. Wanser, who had been constantly at his bedside, was not there yesterday. It was said she had gone to her home to recuperate.
John J. Nevin, Mayor Wanser's private secretary, in reply to inquiries which I made said:
"I do not believe Mayor Wanser knows I have made public a statement in reference to his marriage. I was impelled to do this for several reasons, the primary one of which was to place matters in their proper light. The Mayor shrinks from publicity. He dreads an interview. When he married, fearing the event might be signalized by a public demonstration or 'hurrah" he chose to have the ceremony performed privately. The fact of his marriage was known to some of his intimate friends, and would have become public property later."
Mrs. Wanser was Miss Abbie L. Mabie, of Milton, Ulster county. She is one of two daughters of Louis Mabie, a fruit farmer, who has a small farm overlooking the Hudson. Mr. Mabie is seventy four years old. When I asked him about his daughter's marriage he said:
"I don't know much about it. They were married five or six years ago in Jersey City, I think. I don't know the name of the minister or the date. Abbie never told me."
The old gentleman was somewhat reticent and referred me to his daughter Sarah, who is about thirty years old.
"My sister Abbie and Colonel Wanser," she said in substance. "were married several years ago. I was not at home at the time and the ceremony was not performed in Milton. I do not know where, nor the name of the minister. I could not tell the date of the marriage or in what city or town it
was performed.
"Yes. my sister has been married before. Her first husband's name was Rickard and they lived
in New York."
When I asked Miss Mabie as to whether Mr. Rickard was dead she declined to say. She also refused to say whether there had been a divorce.
Then she continued:—"Abbie simply told me when I came home that she was married to Mr.
Wanser."
Miss Mabie told me her sister had two children by her first marriage—George Rickard, eighteen
years old, and a daughter somewhat younger.
Miss Mabie declined to say where her sister was stopping in New York.
The Mabie family is well thought of in Milton. The townsfolk know little about Mr. Rickard. Some thought he died some years before Mrs. Rickard was married to Mayor Wanser, other believed there had been a divorce.
Mrs. Wanser has had no children by her second marriage.
|
Census |
9 Jun 1900 |
136 Mercer Street, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey [3] |
- Peter P. Wanser, Head, W, M, Aug 1847, 52, M, 14, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, Postmaster, owns house free of mortgage
Abigail Wanser, Wife, W, F, Feb 1862, 38, M, 14, bore no children, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey
Sarah Mabie, Sister-in-law, W, F, Dec 1863, 36, S, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey
Katie Mahon, Servant, W, F, Nov 1876, 23, S, New Jersey, New Jersey, New Jersey, Servant
|
Reference Number |
33104 |
Death |
5 Jan 1918 |
Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey [1, 4] |
Person ID |
I32867 |
Maybee Society |
Last Modified |
7 Apr 2024 |