Birth

Joseph, born January 22, 1896, the son of Law Land, carpenter, age 38, born in England, and Elizabeth Sykes, age 39, born in England, the eighth of eighth living children, address 14th Street, Hoboken. I can't read the house number because the ink is faded. (New Jersey birth registration).

Marriage

Joseph Land married Mary Elizabeth Lorah. (Information from Michael Tyrkala) They were married circa 1922 per 1930 census.

I did not find a listing for the marriage of Joseph Land in the New York State indexes. They may have married in Pennsylvania, Mary's home state.

Children

Joe and Mary had:

1. Libby (Elizabeth) Land circa 1923.

   On the girl's hockey team Smithtown High School, 1939 (High School Year book)

   Libby married O. H. Faircloth. (Correction from Michael Tyrkala, April 2004. Helen Land had listed him as D. H. Fairchild)

   Children:

   1. Mary Ann E. Faircloth, 1945-1946 buried Hauppauge Cemetery in the Land plot.

2. Joseph Land Jr circa 1926.

   Military Service: Joseph A Land Jr Birth Year: 1925, Race: White, citizen Nativity State or Country: New York, State: New York County or City: Suffolk, Enlistment Date: 18 Jun 1943 Enlistment State: New York Enlistment City: New York City Branch: No branch assignment Branch Code: No branch assignment Grade: Private Grade Code: Private Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law Component: Selectees (Enlisted Men) Source: Civil Life, Education: 1 year of college Civil Occupation: Student Codes 0x, 2x, 4x and 6x as pertain to students will be converted, for machine records purposes, to the code number 992. Marital Status: Single, without dependents Height: 48 Weight: 456

   Death: Joseph A Land captured at the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944-January 1945) was originally taken to Stalag IX-B near Frankfurt. Joe Land was among 350 American GIs transferred to Berga Work Camp in February 1945 where they were treated as slave labor. Berga had one of the highest death rates of any Prisoner of War camp in Europe. Joseph Land was one of the 73 prisoners who died as a result of overwork and starvation. Just as the war was ending the Germans marched the Berga prisoners south. On the way many prisoners died. They arrived in Zedtwitz about 50 miles south of Berga on April 8, 1945. Sometime in the following five days Joe Land was one of 11 GI who died. The war ended May 8, 1945.

   Information from Soldiers and Slaves by Roger Cohen, 2005 Joseph A Land Jr PFC service #32971677 was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Fort Myer, Virginia.

3. Margaret Carleton Land unknown, after 1930.

   Marriage: Margaret married John Edward Tyrkala.

   Children: They had 2 sons and 2 daughters. (Information from Michael Tyrkala, April 2004)

   Death of John E Tyrkala: JOHN E TYRKALA, 20 Nov 1929, 28 Jan 2004 (V), 33870 (Sebring, Highlands, FL), (none specified), 149-22-2120, New Jersey

1900 and 1910 Censuses

With parents.

World War I and WWII Draft Registrations

Not listed.

Passport Application

Joseph A. Land born Hoboken, New Jersey 2 January 1897 to Law Land born England living Hauppauge Long Island immigrated from Liverpool about 1884 and has been in the US for 34 years, naturalized citizen, court unknown January 1902. Joseph stated his occupation as bookkeeper. He had never been abroad before. Desired a passport to go to France to do Red Cross work. Intending to leave US from New York about March 1918. Stamped March 26, 1918.

1920 Census

Not listed

1925 State Census

Listed as confectionary salesman.

See Lands in the Censuses

1930 Census

Hawkins Avenue, Smithtown Branch

• Joseph Land, head own, $5,500, age 33, married 25, born NJ, realtor
• Mary Land, age 41, married 33, born Pa
• Elizabeth A. Land, age 7
• Joseph Land Jr., 4 years and 11 months

Children born NY

Mary L Land Oct 1958 Dade   White Female

Death of Joseph A Land

Joseph A Land, Death Date: Nov 1962, County of Death: Dade, State of Death: Florida, Race: White, Gender: Male (Florida Death Index)

Information from Michael Tyrkala, April 7, 2002

On April 7, 2002, Michael Tyrkala, a grandson of Joseph Land, emailed the following information.

"Joseph Land Sr's wife, Mary Elizabeth Lorah is from the Mendenhall family who today has a family association, mendenahall.org . Many people were doing the same research and combined resources. I have been working with them and got one branch of the tree back to the 16th century."

• Joseph married Mary Sarah who was buried in Miami Florida.
• Joseph died and was buried in 1962 in Miami Florida.
• Joseph's daughter, Margaret married, had lots of kids and lived in Florida.
• "Uncle Joe had polio as a child not a leg injury causing him to limp".

Information from Bud Land

• Joseph joined the Army in WWI, drove an ambulance in Germany and was badly wounded in the leg, which caused him to limb for the rest of his live.
• Joe, Jr. was captured in the battle of the Bulge, suffered in POW camps, and died of malnutrition in Germany at a time when his parents owned a restaurant in Smithtown.
• Joe, Sr. had many businesses, real estate, wholesale candy, and once was receiver of taxes in Smithtown.
• After WWII Joe and Mary ran a hotel in Lyme, New Hampshire near Dartmouth College.
• Both Elizabeth and Margaret married and bought farms in Vermont.

Information from Julia Land

• Joe served as a medic in WWI.
• Joseph, Jr. the only son of Joseph and Mary was killed in WWII.
  • David Weidenkeller remembers he starved to death in a POW camp.
  • Ted Weidenkeller remembers he was killed at the Battle of the Bulge.
  • Both remember that Mary was never the same. Her health failed from despair.
• In later years the whole family moved to Florida.

Pictures

Picture of the children of Law and Elizabeth

Alden Tavern, Lyme, New Hampshire

After WWII, Joseph Land and his family moved to Lyme, N.H. where they owned a hotel called the Alden Tavern

39. Grant's Hotel, (14 Market Street), c. 1809, Contributing building.

Known over the years as Grant's Hotel and Alden's Tavern, the Lyme Inn is a 3-1/2 story frame and clapboarded structure located between Dorchester Road and Market Street facing the Common to the west. Measuring five bays wide and four bays deep, the structure is set above a stone block foundation and capped by an asphalt gable roof punctuated by four tall interior corbel cap brick chimneys, A single-story flat roofed enclosed porch with continuous windows spans the facade. "Colonial Revival" in style, it is sheathed in wide clapboards with double glass doors surrounded by sidelights, transoms and capped by a rectangular keystone. Sheltered by the porch, the original entrance survives within, containing a seven-panel wooden door flanked by half sidelights with an outer surround of pilasters decorated by a meander motif. Centered on the central bay of the front facade is a central deeply pitched pediment supported by four large posts enclosing a steel fire escape. Underneath the porch on the second floor is an additional doorway flanked by transoms and pilasters displaying a meander motif like that seen on the front door. Windows on the building contain doublehung 6/6 sash with simple surrounds, blinds and exterior storm windows. At the corners of the building, double corner pilasters span between a plain wide water table and the two-part frieze which surrounds the building beneath projecting eaves. Extending behind tho building is a two-story ell set above a mortared rubble foundation. Small 6/6 windows are located on the second floor above 8/8 windows. A single-story addition spans much of the south side with a deck/loading dock extending from the east side.

Constructed by Salmon Washburn in 1809, who also drew the plans for the Congregational Church. Erastus Grant enlarged the hotel and operated it as Grants Hotel from about 1822 to 1870. The building was a center of community activity, the site of dances in the 19th century as well as the location of Grange meetings from 1875 to 1877 and again from 1886 to 1889. It was used as an apartment building rather than an inn for a number of years until 1918.(45) The porches were added in 1923.(46) The porte cochere, of pressure treated lumber, was added in 1987.

Lyme Common Historic District, National Register of Historic Places New Hampshire