Wade & Webb Family History

Harry Elisha Wade1872–1920

Queens builder and Brooklyn Baptist young people's leader. Brooklyn · Maple Grove Cemetery

The second son of a Brooklyn builder, Harry Elisha Wade grew up in the Baptist young people's circles of the city, where he presided over the Young People's Baptist Union in 1897; in 1900 he married Martha H. Lynas, whom the newspapers place at the same church gatherings from 1891. He became a builder in Queens, the trade of his father and his brother, and died at Richmond Hill in 1920, aged 48.

On this page
  1. Family Record
  2. Life
  3. Documents (12)
  4. Places
  5. Timeline
  6. Open questions
  7. Searches made
  8. Notes

Birth

  1. 1872 Brooklyn, Kings, New York

Marriages

  1. Nov 1900 Martha Heaney Lynas, at Kings, New York

Death and burial

  1. 22 Jul 1920 Death: Brooklyn, New York City, New York 1, 21
  2. 24 Jul 1920 Burial: Maple Grove Cemetery, Kew Gardens, Queens, New York 22

Family

Parents
William Henry Wade 1848–1908
Emma May Goodrich 1846–1888
Spouse, Nov 1900
Martha Heaney Lynas 1875–1928

Line of descent Wade line

  1. Harry Elisha Wade
  2. Brother of William Henry Wade Jr
  3. Frank Edward Wade, son
  4. William Albert Webb Wade, son

Granduncle of Webb Wade, from whom this history is traced. Why Webb Wade?

Life

Harry Elisha Wade was born in 1872, a son of William Henry Wade and Emma May Goodrich.1 His birthplace is uncertain: the FamilySearch tree, without a source, gives Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, while his obituary of 1920 says that he "was born in Elizabeth, N. J."; no birth record has been found to settle it.2 His age at death, 48 in July 1920, agrees with a birth in 1871 or 1872.3 His father was a carpenter and builder in Brooklyn, and the census of 1880 lists Harry in his father's household there, with his mother and his elder brother William Henry Jr.; a sister, Nella Augusta, was born that July.4 His mother died at Morristown, New Jersey, in March 1888.5

The Young People's Baptist Union

The Wades were Baptists, and Harry's name runs through the newspaper reports of Brooklyn's Baptist young people in the 1890s.6 An "H. E. Wade" was at a social of the Young People's Baptist Union at the First Baptist Church in March 1891, next to a "W. H. Wade, Jr.", and in November 1891 Harry E. Wade, his father and his brother were among those at a "basket sociable" of the Ocean Hill Baptist Church's Society of Christian Endeavor, where the company also included Martha Lynas.6 In February 1893 he performed at a sociable at the Ocean Hill church, at Rockaway Avenue and Somers Street, and sat on its committee, at the same entertainment at which Miss Martha H. Lynas's rendition of "The Voice of the People" was called "superb."7 The state census of 1892 lists him in Brooklyn's 26th Ward.8

By November 1897 he was president of the Young People's Baptist Union of Brooklyn, and in that office he presided at its annual rally at the Baptist Temple, where "fully 2,100 young people" from thirty-three churches filled the main floor and the galleries; the union's second vice president, Orrin R. Judd, offered the prayer.9 In February 1898 "H. E. Wade of Trinity Church" presided at the union's quarterly meeting at the Marcy Avenue Baptist Church, attended by sixty-three delegates from twenty-three churches.10 Trinity Baptist Church had been founded in 1874 at a meeting of thirteen people, among them his grandmother Eliza Ann Wade.11

Marriage

On the evening of Wednesday 31 October 1900 Harry E. Wade married Martha H. Lynas at her parents' home, 100 Rockaway Avenue, Brooklyn.12 The Rev. Harry E. Pethic, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, officiated, the bride was given away by her father, James G. Lynas, and attended by her sister Josephine, and Orrin R. Judd was best man; the guests included his father, his brother William and his wife, and his sister Nellie.12 The tree and the New York City marriage index date the marriage to November 1900; the newspaper's day and date, which agree with the calendar, are preferred.13 Nine years later his brother William, by then a widower, married Martha's sister Josephine.14

Builder in Queens

The state census of 1905 found Harry and Martha in Brooklyn, and by 1910 they had moved to the fourth ward of Queens, where the federal census indexes him as "Harry C Wade"; the state census of 1915 and the federal census of 1920 again place them in Queens.15 His obituary calls him "a builder of Queens Boro," and the tree, without a source, records his occupation as builder.16 Inference He thus followed the trade of his father and of his brother William, who was building in Queens from the 1890s, though no record names a business of his own.16 He kept his ties with Trinity Baptist Church: a "Harry Wade" chaired the entertainment committee at the church's reception for its new pastor in February 1912, and in December 1914 "Harry Wade, chairman for the night," read the history of the church at its fortieth-anniversary "Old Home Night," at which his grandmother, then 99, was the oldest of the five founding members present.17 Inference The Harry Wade of these reports is identified as Harry E. by his long membership of Trinity and his grandmother's presence, which is probable rather than proven.17 Mr. and Mrs. Harry E. Wade were among the family at his grandmother's 98th and 99th birthday receptions in 1914 and 1915, and he was named among her surviving grandchildren when she died in December 1915.18

Death

Harry E. Wade, of 8525 114th Street, Richmond Hill, died on Thursday 22 July 1920 "after a short illness," aged 48.19 His obituary describes him as a former resident of Brooklyn and "an active member of the Greene Avenue Baptist Church and its Sunday School," whose pastor, the Rev. Dr. Charles F. McKoy, was to conduct the funeral.19 Trinity Baptist was by 1915 "in process of amalgamation with the Greene Avenue Baptist Church."20 Inference The Greene Avenue church of 1920 was therefore probably the merged congregation of the Trinity church to which he had belonged since the 1890s.20 The New York City death index records his death on 22 July 1920; the tree places it in Brooklyn, though the obituary gives only his Richmond Hill address.21

The obituary says the interment would be in Cedar Grove Cemetery, while the tree records his burial on 24 July 1920 in the Maple Grove Cemetery at Kew Gardens, Queens.22 Inference The obituary was written before the funeral and could be wrong, and his widow was buried at Maple Grove in 1928; the cemetery's records would decide it.22 He was survived by his widow, Martha H. Wade, and by "a brother, William H. Wade, a builder of Queens Boro"; no children are named.19 When Martha died in 1928 her estate went to her brother and sisters.23 Inference That, with the silence of his obituary, suggests that the marriage was childless.23

Documents

  1. 20 March 1891 Young People's Union: Pleasant Social Meeting at the First Baptist Church The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  2. 7 November 1891 A Basket Sociable (Ocean Hill Baptist Church) Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  3. 10 February 1893 A Sociable and Entertainment (Ocean Hill Baptist Church) Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  4. 19 November 1897 Baptist Union Rally: Several Thousand Persons Attend the Annual Meeting of the Young People's Organization The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  5. 12 February 1898 Young Baptists Meet The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  6. 5 November 1900 Wade—Lynas Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  7. 29 February 1912 Reception to New Pastor: Rev. Robert E. Hill and Mrs. Hill Welcomed to Trinity Baptist Church The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  8. 3 March 1914 Her 98th Birthday: Mrs. Eliza Ann Wade Has a Party at Her Son's Home The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  9. 6 December 1914 Church Forty Years Old: Trinity Baptist Society Celebrates With "Old Home Night" The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  10. 2 March 1915 Mrs. Wade, 99, Happy With 4 Generations: Her Offspring and Guests, Numbering 100, Extend Love on Birthday The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  11. 16 December 1915 Mrs. Eliza Ann Wade Dies in 100th Year: Born in New York City When All Above Canal Street Was Farming Land; Shook Hands With Lafayette The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping
  12. 23 July 1920 Harry E. Wade Dies; Queens Boro Builder The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) · clipping

Places

  1. 1872–1920Brooklyn
  2. 1900Kings
  3. 1910–1920Queens
  4. 1920Maple Grove Cemetery

Timeline

  1. 1872BirthBrooklyn, Kings, New York
  2. 1880ResidenceBrooklyn, Kings, New York
  3. 1892ResidenceBrooklyn, Ward 26, E.D. 05, Kings, New York
  4. Nov 1900Marriage, Martha Heaney LynasKings, New York
  5. 1905ResidenceBrooklyn, Kings, New York
  6. 1905ResidenceBrooklyn, A.D. 20, E.D. 25, Kings, New York
  7. 1910ResidenceQueens Ward 4, Queens, New York
  8. 1915ResidenceQueens, New York City, New York
  9. 1920Residence: CensusQueens Assembly District 5, Queens, New York
  10. 22 Jul 1920DeathBrooklyn, New York City, New York
  11. 24 Jul 1920BurialMaple Grove Cemetery, Kew Gardens, Queens, New York

Open questions

Birthplace and burial (conflicts)

His obituary (1920-07-23) says born in Elizabeth, N.J. (tree: Brooklyn) and buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery (tree: Maple Grove). Check New Jersey births about 1872 and both cemeteries' records.

Children?

No children are named in his obituary or in his widow Martha's 1928 estate notice, which went to her siblings. Probably none.

Searches made

  1. 2026-11-08Bulk review of Matt's OneDrive genealogy folder (Phase 3): all documents transcribed and compared with the tree12 document(s) name this person; see Documents above. Conflicts and new facts are in each document record and in research/sources/document-review-2026-11-08.md

Notes

  1. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile LVPF-7VL: birth 1872, parents William Henry Wade and Emma May Goodrich "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949", FamilySearch, Harry Elisha Wade, 22 Jul 1920. Record: Harry Elisha Wade, New York City Municipal Deaths, 22 Jul 1920 "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949", FamilySearch, Mary Emma Goodrich in entry for Harry Elisha Wade, 22 Jul 1920. Record: Mary Emma Goodrich, mother, in the death entry for Harry Elisha Wade back to the text
  2. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile LVPF-7VL: birthplace Brooklyn, Kings, New York, no source Harry E. Wade Dies; Queens Boro Builder, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): Mr. Wade was born in Elizabeth, N. J. Research log, searches made: birthplace and burial (conflicts) back to the text
  3. Harry E. Wade Dies; Queens Boro Builder, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): Harry E. Wade, 48 years old back to the text
  4. 1876-07-10-william-h-wade-built-house-for-brother-john-e-wade: Mr. William H. Wade was the architect and builder "United States, Census, 1880", FamilySearch, Harry Wade in entry for William Wade, 1880. Record: Harry Wade in entry for William Wade, 1880 "United States, Census, 1880", FamilySearch, Emma Wade in entry for William Wade, 1880. Record: Emma Wade in the entry for William Wade, 1880 "United States, Census, 1880", FamilySearch, William Wade in entry for William Wade, 1880. Record: William Wade (the son), 1880 "New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909", FamilySearch, Wade, 05 Jul 1880. Record: birth of Nella Augusta Wade, 5 July 1880 back to the text
  5. 1888-03-06-mary-emma-wade-death-return: died 6 March 1888, Clinton St., Morristown back to the text
  6. Young People's Union: Pleasant Social Meeting at the First Baptist Church, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): W. H. Wade, Jr., H. E. Wade; identification by initials only A Basket Sociable (Ocean Hill Baptist Church), Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York): Martha Lynas ... William H. Wade, Sr., William H. Wade, Jr. ... and Harry E. Wade back to the text
  7. A Sociable and Entertainment (Ocean Hill Baptist Church), Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York): Ocean Hill Baptist Church, Rockaway avenue and Somers street; The rendition of The Voice of the People, by Miss Martha H. Lynas, was superb; The committee were Harry E. Wade ... back to the text
  8. "New York, State Census, 1892", FamilySearch, Harry Wade, 1892. Record: Harry Wade, New York State Census, 1892 FamilySearch Family Tree, profile LVPF-7VL: residence 1892, Brooklyn, Ward 26, E.D. 05 back to the text
  9. Baptist Union Rally: Several Thousand Persons Attend the Annual Meeting of the Young People's Organization, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): President Harry E. Wade presided; fully 2,100 young people present; thirty-three churches and two missions; prayer offered by Orrin R. Judd, second vice president back to the text
  10. Young Baptists Meet, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): H. E. Wade of Trinity Church presided; sixty-three delegates present representing twenty-three churches back to the text
  11. Church Forty Years Old: Trinity Baptist Society Celebrates With "Old Home Night", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): first meeting of the church, at the home of David Hathaway, 25 Dodworth street, on October 31, 1874, when thirteen persons were present; of these, five were present last night, the oldest being Mrs. E. A. Wade back to the text
  12. Wade—Lynas, Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York): at the home of the bride's parents, 100 Rockaway avenue, Brooklyn, on Wednesday evening, October 31; Rev. Harry E. Pethic, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church; given away by her father, James G. Lynas; attended by her sister, Miss Josephine Lynas; best man Orrin R. Judd; among those present William H. Wade, sr., Miss Nellie Wade, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Wade back to the text
  13. FamilySearch Family Tree, profile LVPF-7VL: marriage Nov 1900, Kings, New York "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938", FamilySearch, Harry E Wade and Martha Heaney Lynas, November 1900. Record: Harry E Wade and Martha Heaney Lynas, New York City Marriage Records, November 1900 Wade—Lynas, Brooklyn Times Union (Brooklyn, New York): notes: 31 October 1900 was a Wednesday back to the text
  14. 1909-08-06-william-h-wade-josephine-lynas-marriage-license: William H. Wade, 40, of Richmond Hill, and Josephine Lynas, 31, of 100 Rockaway avenue 1906-07-18-ellen-m-wade-obit: Ellen M. Wade died at Liberty, July 1906, leaves William H. Wade, jr. back to the text
  15. "New York, State Census, 1905", FamilySearch, Harry E Wade, 1905. Record: Harry E Wade, 1905 state census "United States, Census, 1910", FamilySearch, Harry C Wade, 1910. Record: Harry C Wade, 1910 census "New York, State Census, 1915", FamilySearch, Harry E Wade, 1915. Record: Harry E Wade, 1915 state census "United States, Census, 1920", FamilySearch, Harry E Wade, 1920. Record: Harry E Wade, 1920 census FamilySearch Family Tree, profile LVPF-7VL: residences 1905 Brooklyn, A.D. 20, E.D. 25; 1910 Queens Ward 4; 1915 Queens; 1920 Queens Assembly District 5 back to the text
  16. Harry E. Wade Dies; Queens Boro Builder, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): a builder of Queens Boro FamilySearch Family Tree, profile LVPF-7VL: occupation builder, no source 1945-11-05-william-henry-wade-jr-obit-2: entering the building construction business, he developed large areas of Richmond Hill 1876-07-10-william-h-wade-built-house-for-brother-john-e-wade back to the text
  17. Reception to New Pastor: Rev. Robert E. Hill and Mrs. Hill Welcomed to Trinity Baptist Church, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): The entertainment committee, of which Harry Wade was chairman Church Forty Years Old: Trinity Baptist Society Celebrates With "Old Home Night", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): Harry Wade, chairman for the night, read William T. Patterson's history of the church; Mrs. E. A. Wade, who is 99 years old back to the text
  18. Her 98th Birthday: Mrs. Eliza Ann Wade Has a Party at Her Son's Home, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): Mr. and Mrs. Harry E. Wade Mrs. Wade, 99, Happy With 4 Generations: Her Offspring and Guests, Numbering 100, Extend Love on Birthday, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): Harry E. Wade, grandchildren; Mr. and Mrs. Harry E. Wade Mrs. Eliza Ann Wade Dies in 100th Year: Born in New York City When All Above Canal Street Was Farming Land; Shook Hands With Lafayette, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): survived ... by several grandchildren, including ... Harry E. Wade back to the text
  19. Harry E. Wade Dies; Queens Boro Builder, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): Harry E. Wade, 48 years old, of 8525 114th st., Richmond Hill, a builder of Queens Boro, died on Thursday after a short illness; formerly lived in Brooklyn and was an active member of the Greene Avenue Baptist Church and its Sunday School; the Rev. Dr. Charles F. McKoy; survived by his widow, Mrs. Martha H. Wade, and a brother, William H. Wade back to the text
  20. Mrs. Eliza Ann Wade Dies in 100th Year: Born in New York City When All Above Canal Street Was Farming Land; Shook Hands With Lafayette, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): Trinity Baptist Church, Greene and Patchen avenues, which is now in process of amalgamation with the Greene Avenue Baptist Church Young Baptists Meet, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): H. E. Wade of Trinity Church back to the text
  21. "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949", FamilySearch, Harry Elisha Wade, 22 Jul 1920. Record: Harry Elisha Wade, 22 Jul 1920 FamilySearch Family Tree, profile LVPF-7VL: death 22 Jul 1920, Brooklyn, New York City back to the text
  22. Harry E. Wade Dies; Queens Boro Builder, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York): the interment will be in Cedar Grove Cemetery FamilySearch Family Tree, profile LVPF-7VL: burial 24 Jul 1920, Maple Grove Cemetery, Kew Gardens, Queens "Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch, Harry Elisha Wade. Record: Harry Elisha Wade, Find a Grave Index FamilySearch Family Tree, profile GS8B-MGF (their page): burial 4 Jun 1928, Maple Grove Cemetery, Kew Gardens back to the text
  23. 1928-07-17-martha-wade-estate-settlement: Estate, more than $10,000. To four sisters and a brother Research log, searches made: Children? No children are named in his obituary or in his widow Martha's 1928 estate notice. Probably none. back to the text
Every FamilySearch record attached to Harry Elisha Wade (9)
  1. 1880Harry Wade, "United States, Census, 1880"
  2. 1892Harry Wade, "New York, State Census, 1892"
  3. November 1900Harry E Wade, "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938"
  4. 1905Harry E Wade, "New York, State Census, 1905"
  5. 1910Harry C Wade, "United States, Census, 1910"
  6. 1915Harry E Wade, "New York, State Census, 1915"
  7. 1920Harry E Wade, "United States, Census, 1920"
  8. 22 Jul 1920Harry Elisha Wade, "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949"
  9. Harry Elisha Wade, "Find a Grave Index"