Mets Genealogy (split from Jay Kleven)

[Benjamin Grimm]

Can anyone find out where he died? I tried Google News and couldn't find a single report of his passing.

[Valadius]

My guess would be San Lorenzo. Right?

[Benjamin Grimm]

It's a good guess, but it's just a guess.

[Valadius]

You know what... I wonder... let me see if my genealogical powers may be of service.

Wow. This is pretty cool. Using my Ancestry.com account, I have found a bunch of records from Jay Kleven's life and career, including old newspaper articles.

I've found Jay Allen Kleven in the California Birth Index. He was born on December 2, 1949, in Alameda County, California. For some reason, UMDB has his date of birth as October 2, 1949.

I also found his address circa 1993 in San Leandro, California.

Now THIS is pretty cool. I have found old newspaper articles from Jay Kleven's minor league career, including an appearance against Dennis Eckersley in Eck's professional debut on June 27, 1972 - the Reno Silver Sox versus the Visalia Mets.

Grimm, if you want to give me assignments of sorts to dig up records for this sort of thing, I'd be happy to oblige.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Thanks! I'll have to take a look at that birth date for Jay Kleven.

There are a few birth and death dates (and places) missing for a lot of the non-playing Mets. I'll have to compile a list for you.

I assume you're only going to be able to find information on people who are dead at the present time? Or does Ancestry.com also list info for living people?

[Valadius]

Wow. It seems I may be able to help you track down old transactions through my Ancestry.com account.

NEW YORK METS sent outfielder Leon Brown and catcher Jay Kleven to their Tidewater farm club in the International League.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I don't keep track of the ups and downs from the farm system; only transactions where a player leaves or joins the organization.

Can you find a birth place for Bob Murphy? Speculation is that it's Broken Arrow, OK (which is where Warren Spahn died) but I don't believe it's been verified.

[Valadius]

Thanks! I'll have to take a look at that birth date for Jay Kleven.

There are a few birth and death dates (and places) missing for a lot of the non-playing Mets. I'll have to compile a list for you.

I assume you're only going to be able to find information on people who are dead at the present time? Or does Ancestry.com also list info for living people?[/quote:2v0288de]

Ancestry also lists info for living people. However, when it comes to birth info, it's generally hit or miss. The states of California, Texas, and Minnesota have all of their birth data uploaded onto Ancestry, but most other states do not at this point in time (though that will change). Social Security death records are there for everyone, or at least everyone post-1970-something, with the early 70's being rather spotty. This will tell you where a person died, as well as when. In Kleven's case, the death is still too recent for the record to have made its way into the online database. For living people, generally I'm able to find where they were living in 1993, among a great many other things. Ask and I'll see if I can find it.

[Valadius]

I don't keep track of the ups and downs from the farm system; only transactions where a player leaves or joins the organization.

Can you find a birth place for Bob Murphy? Speculation is that it's Broken Arrow, OK (which is where Warren Spahn died) but I don't believe it's been verified.[/quote:2kd5d5uw]

I'll look. I've already found him in the Social Security Death Index (Robert A. Murphy, born September 19, 1924 in Oklahoma, died August 3, 2004 in West Palm Beach). Now, if I had some kind of clue as to his family - parents' names, siblings' names, etc. I would be able to definitely find him, because as someone born before 1930, he would be in the 1930 census.

[Benjamin Grimm]

It just says "Oklahoma" for the birth place? I wonder if it's possible that he wasn't born in any town at all. There may have been parts of Oklahoma in 1924 that were so rural that they didn't belong to any jurisdiction below that of a county.

[Frayed Knot]

... Now, if I had some kind of clue as to his family - parents' names, siblings' names, etc. I would be able to definitely find him

Well, we know he had a brother named Jack - maybe it was actually John, but not necessarily.

[Valadius]

I think I just stumbled onto a high school yearbook picture of him, but I can't be certain. It's from Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1941. I'm trying to figure out to get the image off the website, but it looks almost exactly like a younger version of him here:



You know what, PM me with your e-mail and I'll see if I can send it to you.

[Valadius]

... Now, if I had some kind of clue as to his family - parents' names, siblings' names, etc. I would be able to definitely find him

Well, we know he had a brother named Jack - maybe it was actually John, but not necessarily.

[Benjamin Grimm]

You can send it to me through the UMDB mailbox.

Thanks!

[metirish]

Val , if you would be so kind , cold you do a trace for me . I believe I have a relative that came to the US from Tipperary in year 1851.... I'll PM you his details as I know them if you give the OK.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Here's a look at what kind of information is missing. Most of it is birth dates and places for living people. There are three dead people for whom I don't have a place of death.

And, without looking it up, I have no idea who Bob Goldsholl is.

+--------------+-----------------+------------------------+------------+------------+------------------------+
| first name   | last name       | birth city             | birthdate  | deathdate  | deathcity              |
+--------------+-----------------+------------------------+------------+------------+------------------------+
| Jay          | Kleven          | Oakland                | 1949-10-02 | 2009-06-30 |                        |
| Bob          | Murphy          |                        | 1924-09-19 | 2004-08-03 | Palm Beach Gardens     |
| Steve        | Albert          |                        |            |            |                        |
| Bob          | Goldsholl       |                        |            |            |                        |
| Steve        | LaMar           |                        |            |            |                        |
| Lorn         | Brown           |                        |            |            |                        |
| Gary         | Thorne          |                        |            |            |                        |
| Gary         | Cohen           |                        | 1958-04-29 |            |                        |
| Todd         | Kalas           |                        |            |            |                        |
| Howie        | Rose            |                        |            |            |                        |
| Ed           | Coleman         |                        |            |            |                        |
| Matt         | Loughlin        |                        |            |            |                        |
| Ted          | Robinson        |                        |            |            |                        |
| Omar         | Minaya          |                        |            |            |                        |
| Jim          | Duquette        |                        |            |            |                        |
| Steve        | Phillips        |                        | 1963-05-18 |            |                        |
| Frank        | Cashen          |                        |            |            |                        |
| Dave         | O'Brien         |                        |            |            |                        |
| Al           | Harazin         |                        |            |            |                        |
| Joe          | McDonald        |                        |            |            |                        |
| M. Donald    | Grant           |                        |            | 1998-11-28 | Hobe Sound             |
| Joan         | Payson          |                        | 1903-02-05 | 1975-10-04 | New York               |
| Lorinda      | de Roulet       |                        |            |            |                        |
| Nelson       | Doubleday       |                        |            |            |                        |
| Fred         | Wilpon          |                        |            |            |                        |
| Jeff         | Wilpon          |                        |            |            |                        |
| Tom          | McCarthy        |                        |            |            |                        |
| Wayne        | Hagin           |                        |            |            |                        |
| Bill         | Shea            | New York               | 1907-06-21 | 1991-10-02 |                        |
| Jane         | Jarvis          | Vincennes              |            |            |                        |
| Lou          | Niss            |                        |            | 1987-04-30 |                        |
+--------------+-----------------+------------------------+------------+------------+------------------------+

[Valadius]

Val , if you would be so kind , cold you do a trace for me . I believe I have a relative that came to the US from Tipperary in year 1851.... I'll PM you his details as I know them if you give the OK.[/quote:1xr9ceb1]

I'll be more than happy to help you out. Send away.

[Valadius]

William A. Shea - died in New York, New York.
Fred Wilpon - born in November 1936.
Jeffrey Scott Wilpon - born in December 1961.
Todd Harry Kalas - born December 31, 1965, in Harris County, Texas.

[Valadius]

Nelson P. Doubleday - born July 20, 1933.

[G-Fafif]

And, without looking it up, I have no idea who Bob Goldsholl is.[/quote:1rih6nck]

Bob Goldsholl did sports on Channel 11, weekends mostly. An early SportsChannel voice.

Perhaps you already looked it up, but felt compelled to stick up for his memorableness.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I didn't look it up, so thanks. I also don't know who Dave O'Brien is/was. Probably another TV guy who was on between the time I left New York and was able to get SNY many years later.

Anyway, here's the Bob Murphy high school photo that Valadius found:

[RealityChuck]

Joan Whitney Payson was born in NYC.
M. Donald Grant was born in Montreal.
Omar Minaya -- born November 10, 1958 in the Dominican Republic

[Valadius]

I also found a picture of Bob Murphy on his high school wrestling team. I just sent it to Grimm.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I also found a picture of Bob Murphy on his high school wrestling team. I just sent it to Grimm.

[Valadius]

I found the birth listing for Jane Jarvis - she was born Luella Jane Nossett in Vincennes, Indiana on October 31, 1915.

[Valadius]

Gary Cohen's middle name is Hugh.

[Valadius]

Gary F. Thorne - born June 9, 1948 in Bangor, Maine.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I also found a picture of Bob Murphy on his high school wrestling team. I just sent it to Grimm.

[G-Fafif]

I didn't look it up, so thanks. I also don't know who Dave O'Brien is/was. Probably another TV guy who was on between the time I left New York and was able to get SNY many years later.[/quote:qmx41yz8]

Bingo. Channel 11, 2003-2005, with Seaver. He was offered the SNY gig and turned it down, paving the way for Gary Cohen to become a rock star (hallelujah).

[Guest Edgy DC]

[/quote:25odemhe]
In the heart of the depression, at least one Oklahama high school didn't cut funding to the merengue club.