Died:
1954, Morris County, New Jersey
Burial: Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey
Occupations: Laborer, Merchant Marine Cook
Public Service: Rockaway Fireman (1930)
Parents:
Michael Cresta & Mrs. Cresta
Siblings:
Nicholas "Nick" Cresta,
Marie Cresta
Marriage:
1916, Morris County, New Jersey
Wife: Florence Snyder
Born: About 1893, Virginia
Died: 1942, Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey
Burial: Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey
Parents: Cornelius M. Snyder & Emma Morris? Snyder
Sibling: Juanita Snyder Guest
Children:
Daughter Cresta
Born: around 1917
Died: before 1920, Dover, Morris County, New Jersey
Hazel Cresta
Born: around 1918, Dover, Morris County, New Jersey
Died: after 1920, Dover, Morris County, New Jersey
ABOUT LEWIS MICHAEL CRESTA
Lewis and his brother Nicholas were orphaned at a very young age in Boston, and eventually grew up in a wirj farn in New Jersey. His wife, Florence Snyder, was the daughter of Cornelius M. Snyder, a laborer from New York state. Lewis and Florence had two daughters who died while toddlers prior to Harold's birth. Below is the 1920 census, taken six months before Harold's birth on Jan. 1, 1920. In the 1930 census, Lewis and his family were living in Rockaway Township, Morris County, New Jersey. Lewis is listed as living with his wife Florence, and his son Harold, age 9, and daughter Dorothy, age 7. Lewis' occupation is listed as a fireman. Lewis & Florence separated when Harold and Dorothy were children.
Lewis and his brother Nicholas were born in the Boston area in the 1890's, the sons of Michael Cresta (more than likely Miguel Cresta given the common practice of anglicizing foreign names by immigration officials). Except for a photograph, little is known about Michael Cresta, except that he came to Boston, Massachusetts from Cresta-Run, Italy in the late 1880s with his wife and approximatly seven children. Lewis and Nicholas,along with a sister Marie were the youngest, the only Cresta children born in the United States. After Nicholas' birth, one or both parents died, and the children divided to various orphanages and work farms, as was common practice at the time. Lewis and Nicholas were kept together, however, and eventually grew up on a work farm run by the Catholic church. As an adult, Lewis moved to northern New Jersey, where he apparently found work as a laborer and a cook aboard a merchant marine ship. He also put his younger brother Nicholas through college at Stamford University. In the 1910 census, Lewis was still living in Massachusetts, moving to New Jersey sometime between then and 1916, which is the approximate time he met and married Florence Snyder, who was living in New Jersey as early as 1910. They married around 1915-16. and had two daughters who died as infants. A son, Harold was born in 1920, and a daughter, Dorothy, was born in 1922. Sometime between 1930 and 1940, Lewis and Florence divorced, with Lewis raising the children on his own. Lewis later worked as a fireman, but it is unknown for what town, although he was living in Rockaway at the time.
Florence Snyder is listed in the 1910 United States census as age 17, and living with her father, Cornelius M. Snyder, a trolley car machinist, and mother Emma or Anna Snyder, and an Aunt, presumably Emma's sister, a telephone operator, last name Morris. In the 1910, 1920, and 1930 census, she is listed as having been born in Virginia, with her parents in 1910 are listed as coming from New York, 1920 census from New Jersey, and from the 1930 census tfrom West Virginia. The 1910 census would be more accurate, since her father, Cornelius would have furnished the census information. Cornelius and Emma came from upstate New York, and at one point were in Virginia, where Florence was born. It was unknown if Florence's siblings were born there, but it was known that Florence had a sister named Juanita, who died around 1980. Florence died from complications of diabetes around 1941.
In a strange case of it's a small world after all, a cousin of mine, George Trowbridge, nephew of my grandfather Robert Trowbridge (through his brother Ellwood and also orphaned at a young age) knew the Crestas back in the 1930's. His foster parents rented a house out to Lewis Cresta, and George use to help do repairs on the home while in his teens. Besides this, there had been no contact between the Cresta and Trowbridge families prior to the 1960s.
1920 CENSUS 4WD, DOVER, NJ SERIES T625 ROLL 1060 PAGE 23
| Surname | Name | Given Age | Sex | Race | Birthplace | State | County | Location | Occupation | Year | Relationship |
| CRESTA | LEWIS | 29 | M | W | MA | NJ | MORRIS | 4-WD, DOVER | LABORER | 1920 | HEAD |
| FLORENCE | 26 | F | W | VA | NJ | MORRIS | 4-WD, DOVER | K.H. | 1920 | WIFE | |
| HAZEL | 1 | F | W | NJ | NJ | MORRIS | 4-WD, DOVER | 1920 | DAUGHTER |