Recollections by Jean Cook

Sophie Bartel Eustace

Sophie Bartel Eustace married her first husband Charles Eustace.   Sophie and her first husband had 5 sons together. (1900 NYC census says 7 children, 3 living).  Her first husband (Charles Eustace) died of appendicitis.  She remarried Gabe Collins.  He was born in Ireland and was 10 years younger than her.  (Confirmed by census info). 

She was a tiny little lady. She had a candy store in “Hell’s Kitchen” on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  It was called “Hell’s Kitchen” because this was during the time period when the gangsters and mobsters were in that area.  The mobsters would all come into her store to buy their newspapers.  Sophie buried two husbands as well as her five sons  all her children.  Her son Charles Eustace Jr. was the last to die when he was 65 and she was in her 80s. 

When she was elderly, she lived in the Bronx with her son Charles Eustace Jr. and his wife Johanna Eustace until Charles died in 1949.  After the funeral, Sophie climbed up the 5 stories to the apartment.  Then, she went to live with one of her other sons.  Finally, she went to Snake Hill senior home in Jersey City, NJ.  Her date of death is unknown.

Charles Eustace Sr.

Charles Eustace Sr. was supposed to be a big man.  Although was described as being English, we assumed that he was of Irish descent since Eustace is a common Irish name.  (Census indicated that he was German).  He died from appendicitis.  As the emergency squad was carrying him on the stretcher, they dropped him and his appendix burst.