Jennifer Higgins- Heritage Project

Dad’s Side of the Family:
*My Grandma-
Family Last Name: Nitzel
Originally From: Germany
How They Came to America: Ellis Island (late 1800s)
Who: My Grandma’s Grandparents (my Great, Great Grandparents)
Settled: New York/New Jersey
Other Info: My grandma’s grandparents were the first to come to America. When they came to America they settled in the New York area. Her grandparents on her father’s side past away when she was a baby, and she doesn’t really know anything about them. But, she knows that her grandmother on her mother’s side of the family owned a restaurant in Hoboken, New Jersey.
My Grandma’s Parents:
Father- delivered milk
Mother- housewife
Lived- Bogota, NJ

*My Grandpa-
Family Last Name: Higgins
Originally From: England, Ireland, Scotland
How They Came to America: Ellis Island (late 1800s)
Who: My Grandpa’s Grandparents (my Great, Great Grandparents)
Settled: Maine
Other Info: My grandpa’s grandparents were the first to come to America. When they came to America they settled in Maine and worked on boats. After living in Maine for a few years they moved to New Jersey and continued to work on boats. Then, my grandpa’s grandfather on his father’s side opened up a grocery store in Hoboken, New Jersey. My grandpa’s father followed in his father’s footsteps and opened up a grocery store in Bogota, New Jersey.
My Grandpa’s Parents:
Father- owned grocery store
Mother- helped with grocery stores
Lived- Bogota, NJ

Mom’s Side of the Family:
*My Grandma-
Family Last Name: Celano
Originally From: Italy specifically… Salerno and Sorrento (100% Italian)
How They Came to America: Ellis Island (late 1800s/early 1900s)
Who: My Grandma’s Grandparents (my Great, Great Grandparents)
Settled: New York in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn
Other Info: My grandma’s grandparents were the first to come to America. When they came to America they settled in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York. My great, great grandpa was a tailor and made custom men's suits in NYC. It was rumored that some of his clients were relatives of the Carnegie family and J.P. Morgan's family. They had 4 children: Theresa, Nicholas, Jeanette, and Madeline. Jeanette was my Grandma Carolyn's mother. She grew up and married Emil Massa and had five daughters. They were: Marie, Annette, Veronica, Carolyn, and Joan. They started to raise their family in Brooklyn, but decided to move to Teaneck, New Jersey (the suburbs) to raise their daughters. My grandma’s father Emil's family settled in the Bronx when they came from Italy. They started in the produce business and owned a small market which developed into a grocery store. As the years went on they opened a second store in lower Manhattan, as well. Great, great Grandpa Massa and great, great Grandma Massa had three children: Emil (Carolyn's father), Louise, and Augie (known as Babe because he was the youngest). Emil went to college which was a big deal at the time. I think he went to NYU and became an accountant. Louise was a homemaker, and Babe was the first blind man to graduate Columbia University Law School. Babe was blinded as a young teenager while playing with fireworks. The blew up in his face by accident.
My Grandma’s Parents:
Father- accountant
Mother- housewife
Lived- Brooklyn then Teaneck, NJ

*My Grandpa-
Family Last Name: Zeitvogel
Originally From: Germany
How They Came to America: Ellis Island (late 1800s/early 1900s)
Who: My Grandpa’s Grandparents (my Great, Great Grandparents)
Settled: New Jersey in Hoboken and Weehawken
Other Info: My grandpa’s grandparents were the first to come to America. When they came to America they settled in New Jersey. Great, great Grandpa Zeitvogel and great, great grandma Zeitvogel were the parents of my great grandfather William Joseph Zeitvogel. I don't know if he had any siblings but I do know that the family business was leather tanning. I was told that they had a business that made the leather accessories for horses and horse drawn carriages. Like saddles, straps, etc. They went out of business when the car was invented and became more wide spread, because people didn't need the horse set up as much anymore. My Grandpa Bill's mother was from a family named Eutenauer. They had 13 children, six or seven of them died from all kinds of illnesses. My Grandpa Bill's mother was the oldest. Her name was Rose and she helped her mother care for all of her younger siblings. She loved to decorate family's home but never had formal training in interior decorating. She was supposed to have been pretty creative and I know she was a good German cook, because my mother remembers eating her potato dumplings and Sauerbraten as a child. I don't know what her family did as a business. Great Grandpa William and Great Grandma Rose had three children: Joan, William, Jr. (my grandpa), and Rosemarie. Joan and Rosemarie both went to college and became nurses. And, my Grandpa Bill started college (St. John's) but quit and went to fight the Korean War. When he came back he worked for Sears, Roebuck and Company for many years, working his way up to Regional Sales Manager of the Northeast. When Sears wanted to transfer him to Chicago he said no and he and Grandma Carolyn bought a house in Bergenfield. He became a sales manager for an air conditioning and heating company and had 4 children (one my mom).
My Grandpa’s Parents:
Father- leather tanning other various jobs
Mother- housewife
Lived- New Jersey