~ Poughkeepsie ~

     I can't find Teresa in Brooklyn (1940 census) so I'll leave her alone for now and revisit Poughkeepsie,NY.
     I found 77 year old Flora Davis, my maternal 22nd great-grandmother (my maternal grandmother's father's  side) in the 1940 census living in the same house on South Cherry Street where she had been living for decades.  Her son-in-law, John Kyte is listed as head of household, followed by his wife Fannie.  Flora is the third person listed, as mother-in-law, with the word 'deafmute' next to her name.  John and Fannie's two daughters follow their grandmother on the list of residents for this address.
     In 1930, Flora's husband, Daniel is head of household and 'owner'.  The Kyte family is shown to be 'renting'.  At first I thought that this might be a large house and Daniel's son-in-law was paying to live their.  Then when I looked at the 1940 census, I saw that John Kyte who was renting 10 years earlier at this address is now owner and another family is renting.  I guess this is a two-family home?  This particular census also had an 'x' in a circle next to the person who provided the information.  Flora's daughter, Fannie gave all the information.
     In 1940, was John actually the owner? or was he listed as head of household since his father-in-law died three years earlier?  Was John Kyte now the man of the house?  Was the deed to the house transferred to John?
     The Davis family had a strawberry farm as well as the house in town.  I'll save the land/house records for another day.  That post should be interesting because supposedly the farm was either bought or sold for a dollar.  I'll have to double check with my mother.  We heard the story about the quitclaim deed from Flora's granddaughter-in-law.  The woman didn't elaborate though.  I'll have to research this.  A farm for a dollar?