Derby, Helen M

1905 - 1940  (34 years)

• Name	Derby, Helen M  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17]
  Birth	2 Oct 1905	Manhattan, New York, New York, USA   [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 17]
  Gender	Female
  LifeSketch	MEREDITH - Helen Derby, at her home, 24 Washington Square North, New York City, on Saturday, April 13, 1940, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry L. Derby of Montclair, N.J. Private services will be held at the Home for Services, 56 Park St., at Claremont Ave., Montclair, on Monday. Kindly omit flowers. [From The New York Times, Deaths section, 14 Apr 1940]
  FSID	L5LJ-FK7
  Name	Helen Derby  [18]
  Residence	Between 1910 and 1915	Passaic, Passaic, New Jersey, USA
  Residence	1930	Glen Ridge, Essex, New Jersey, USA
  Residence	13 Apr 1940	New York State, USA
  Death	13 Apr 1940	Manhattan, New York, New York, USA   [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 16]
  	20260104GHLn- JH Jim Hall originally shared this article on 14 Jun 2018 from Newspapers.com Helen (Derby) Meredith Suicide 13 Apr 1940 Middletown, New York Linked to Helen Derby Image TranscriptBeta ACTOR'S EX-WIFE TAKES OWN LIFE Mrs. Meredith Writes Will Before Inhaling Gas NEW YORK- Helen Derby Meredith, former wife of the actor Burgess Meredith, was found dead in her home yesterday, apparently a suicide by gas. Mrs. Meredith wrote a will on a kitchen memo pad before opening the jets of the stove. As she died the only words present were "I feel fine except for the future." The tragedy was discovered by the governor for Mrs. Meredith's twelve-year-old daughter by her first husband, Stephen Beeman, a former junior amateur golf champion. The child was spending the week-end with Mrs. Meredith's father, Harry L. Derby, former president of the American Cynad and national golf champion. Mrs. Meredith was depressed last night after she got a letter from Kenneth Frank. The letter said, police reported, that since Mrs. Meredith held social Reass that she too loved it would be best if she and Frank ended their friendship. age 34. suicide. she took her life by gas nearly five years after their divorce. Mrs. Meredith was depressed last night after she got a letter from Kenneth Frank. The letter said, police reported, that since Mrs. Meredith held social Reass that she too loved it would be best if she and Frank ended their married ship.
  Burial	15 Apr 1940	Montclair, Essex, New Jersey, USA   [16, 19]
  	20260103GHLn- MEREDITH - Helen Derby, at her home, 24 Washington Square North, New York City, on Saturday, April 13, 1940, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry L. Derby of Montclair, N.J. Private services will be held at the Home for Services, 56 Park St., at Claremont Ave., Montclair, on Monday. Kindly omit flowers. [From The New York Times, Deaths section, 14 Apr 1940]
  Person ID	I113185	WETZEL-SPRING

  
  

  Father	Derby, Harry Leigh
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Fisher, Alice Maude
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F63763	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Meredith, Oliver 'Burgess',   b. 16 Nov 1907, Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, USA d. 9 Sep 1997, Malibu, Los Angeles, California, USA (Age 89 years)
  Marriage	1933	New Jersey, USA
  Divorce	20 Aug 1935
  Children	1. Berrien, L.
  Family ID	F63755	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Berrien, Stephen,   b. 30 Jan 1903, Montclair, Essex, New Jersey, USA d. 1 Mar 1982, Rutherford, Bergen, New Jersey, USA (Age 79 years)
  Marriage	20 Mar 1926	Moore, Northampton, Pennsylvania, USA
  residence jt	1930	Glen Ridge, Essex, New Jersey, USA
  	1930 census
  Children	1. Berrien, L.
  Family ID	F63764	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 2 Oct 1905 - Manhattan, New York, New York, USA Residence - Between 1910 and 1915 - Passaic, Passaic, New Jersey, USA Marriage - 20 Mar 1926 - Moore, Northampton, Pennsylvania, USA Residence - 1930 - Glen Ridge, Essex, New Jersey, USA residence jt - 1930 census - 1930 - Glen Ridge, Essex, New Jersey, USA Residence - 13 Apr 1940 - New York State, USA Death - 13 Apr 1940 - Manhattan, New York, New York, USA Burial - 15 Apr 1940 - Montclair, Essex, New Jersey, USA  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Photos		Derby Meredith, Helen anc_ 20260104GHLn- DB Dawn B originally shared this article on 31 May 2023 from FindAGrave.com Photo added to findagrave by FS001 Helen Derby 13 Apr 1940 Montclair, Essex County, New Jersey, USA Linked to Helen Derby
  		Derby Meredith, Helen death notice anc_ 20260104GHLn- JH Jim Hall originally shared this article on 14 Jun 2018 from Newspapers.com Helen (Derby) Meredith Suicide 13 Apr 1940 Middletown, New York Linked to Helen Derby Image TranscriptBeta ACTOR'S EX-WIFE TAKES OWN LIFE Mrs. Meredith Writes Will Before Inhaling Gas NEW YORK- Helen Derby Meredith, former wife of the actor Burgess…

  
  

• Sources

  [S3270] FamilySearch.org, United States, Selected GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014, "United States, Selected GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CSCL-816Z : Wed Jan 22 04:24:08 UTC 2025), Entry for Burgess Meredith and Famous Playwright Maxwell Anderson. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CSCL-DM2M [S3075] FamilySearch.org, United States, Census, 1930, "United States, Census, 1930", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4D6-ZR3 : Sat Jan 18 15:10:19 UTC 2025), Entry for Stephen Berrien and Helen M Berrien, 1930. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4D6-ZRQ [S2608] FamilySearch.org, Find A Grave Index, "Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4K7Z-1WT2 : Tue Apr 01 22:22:19 UTC 2025), Entry for Helen Maude Derby. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4K7Z-1WT2 [S3096] FamilySearch.org, United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2013, "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2013", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q5SY-CZ3K : Thu Mar 14 19:27:09 UTC 2024), Entry for Helen Derby and Burgess Meredith, 14 Apr 1940. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q5SY-CZ3K [S3096] FamilySearch.org, United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2013, "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2013", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q59B-BDFM : Thu Mar 14 22:38:08 UTC 2024), Entry for Helen Derby and Burgess Meredith, 14 Apr 1940. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q59B-BDFM [S3096] FamilySearch.org, United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2013, "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2013", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q57C-GXXN : Thu Mar 14 21:59:08 UTC 2024), Entry for Helen Derby and Burgess Meredith, 13 Apr 1940. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q57C-GXXN [S3096] FamilySearch.org, United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2013, "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2013", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q5QH-NH1R : Fri Mar 15 01:23:16 UTC 2024), Entry for Helen Derby and Burgess Meredith, 14 Apr 1940. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q5QH-NH1R [S3085] FamilySearch.org, United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages, 1980-2015, "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages, 1980-2015", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKWR-1MRT : Mon Jul 08 18:13:19 UTC 2024), Entry for Burgess Meredith and Sylvester Stallone, 11 Sep 1997. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKWR-1MTM [S3085] FamilySearch.org, United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages, 1980-2015, "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages, 1980-2015", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK4W-D1SD : Tue Jul 16 09:14:27 UTC 2024), Entry for Burgess Meredith and Jonathan, 10 Sep 1997. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK4W-D1SF [S3085] FamilySearch.org, United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages, 1980-2015, "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages, 1980-2015", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKW9-8BMD : Fri Jul 19 22:42:59 UTC 2024), Entry for Mr Burgess Meredith and Mr Sylvester Stallone, 11 Sep 1997. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKW9-8BMY [S3085] FamilySearch.org, United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages, 1980-2015, "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages, 1980-2015", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVRY-95N7 : Fri Jul 05 22:04:47 UTC 2024), Entry for Burgess Meredith and Sylvester Stallone, 11 Sep 1997. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVRY-95NV [S3085] FamilySearch.org, United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages, 1980-2015, "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages, 1980-2015", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKW3-MGY7 : Tue Jul 16 20:58:32 UTC 2024), Entry for Burgess Meredith and Maxwell Anderson, 11 Sep 1997. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKW3-MGYF [S3085] FamilySearch.org, United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages, 1980-2015, "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages, 1980-2015", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV5G-53CM : Sat Jan 18 20:09:38 UTC 2025), Entry for Burgess Meredith and Jonathan, 11 Sep 1997. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV5G-53CC [S3268] FamilySearch.org, New Jersey, State Census, 1915, "New Jersey, State Census, 1915", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV97-RXJ7 : Mon Jan 20 17:22:22 UTC 2025), Entry for Harry L Derby and Allice M Derby, 1915. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV97-RXJ4 [S3269] FamilySearch.org, New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909, "New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W4T-XGV : Wed Mar 12 01:47:50 UTC 2025), Entry for Derby and Harry Leigh Derby, 02 Oct 1905. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W4T-XGV [S3230] FamilySearch.org, New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949, "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WRW-74Z : Thu Mar 27 03:23:58 UTC 2025), Entry for Helen Derby Meredith and Harry L. Derby, 13 Apr 1940. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WRW-74Z [S3076] FamilySearch.org, United States, Census, 1910, "United States, Census, 1910", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKBK-81R : Wed Aug 13 16:40:17 UTC 2025), Entry for Harrie L Derby and Allice M Derby, 1910. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKBK-81Y [S2282] Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1940-1955, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2019;), Asbury Park Press; Publication Date: 11 Sep 1997; Publication Place: Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/144353651/?article=b938082b-f129-4ac9-a370-b372eb87d072&focus=0.021182418,0.03378705,0.34662318,0.5171814&xid=3355. Record for Burgess Meredith (12) facts 20260103GHLn- 20260103GHLn- Burgess Meredith, 89 Crusty Old Pug, Los Angeles Asbury Park Press Asbury Park, New Jersey • Thu, Sep 11, 1997 p4 CLIPPED BY wetzupdoc • 03 January 2026 • Burgess Meredith and Margo are seen in this 1936 file photo from the first of his many films, "Winterset." The actor died Tuesday at age 89 from melanoma and Alzheimer's disease. Burgess Meredith, 89 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES - Burgess Meredith, who played a crusty old pug in "Rocky" and d waddled with aristocratic elan as the Penguin on TV's "Batman," died Tuesday at 89 in his home in Malibu. He had melanoma and Alzheimer's disease. "Rocky," in which Meredith played Sylvester Stallone's scowling, gravelly-voiced manager, was the actor's first smash hit in a 60-year film career filled with memorable roles. He was guardian of the dimwitted giant in "Of Mice and Men," Ginger Rogers' suitor in "Tom, Dick and Harry," war correspondent Ernie Pyle in "The Story of G.I. Joe," James Madison in "Magnificent Doll." Although twice nominated for Oscars, for supporting actor in "Day of the Locust" in 1975 and "Rocky" in 1976, he didn't win either. During the 1960s, he was best known as Batman's foe the Penguin, a role he played in tuxedo with top hat, cigarette holder and pince-nez. "I waddled like a penguin, which seemed rather obvious to do," he once said. "The touch I liked was that peculiar penguinlike quack I used in my lines.' Mr. Meredith won a supportingactor Emmy in 1977 for the drama special "Tail Gunner Joe," as attorney Joseph Welch in the story of Sen. Joseph McCarthy. A compact person with unruly, sandy hair, Mr. Meredith had a quirky, warm voice that was often heard on commercials for United Air Lines and Skippy peanut butter. He sometimes wrote, directed or produced his films. In later years the stage-trained actor often took roles that seemed beneath his status as one of America's distinguished performers. "If I spent all my time in Shakespearean companies and only did art movies like Olivier, my position would be more dignified and more serious," he said in 1967. "I might even be a better actor. But this is America, and I'm a man moved by the rhythms of his time, so I'll just take amusement at being a paradox." Born in Cleveland, his son said he was 89 when he died, making the year of his birth 1907. Other references say he was born on Nov. 16, 1908, or 1909. He was educated at Amherst College in Massachusetts before beginning his stage career in 1933 with Eva Le Gallienne's company in New York. Maxwell Anderson's "Winterset" provided his star-making stage role as the tragic hero Mio. He repeated the role in the 1936 film version and thereafter divided his time between Broadway and Hollywood. Mr. Meredith was married four times: to Helen Derby, actresses Margaret Perry and Paulette Goddard, and dancer Kaja Sundsten. He is survived by his wife, Ms. Sundsten, his son, Jonathan, and his daughter, Tala.. Meredith, Burgess obit News_Asbury Park Press19970911_ 20260103GHLn- Burgess Meredith, 89 Crusty Old Pug, Los Angeles Asbury Park Press Asbury Park, New Jersey • Thu, Sep 11, 1997 p4 CLIPPED BY wetzupdoc • 03 January 2026 • Burgess Meredith and Margo are seen in this 1936 file photo from the first of his many films, "Winterset." The actor died Tuesday at age 89 from melanoma and Alzheimer's… [S2608] FamilySearch.org, Find A Grave Index, "Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4K7Z-1WT2 : Tue Apr 01 22:22:19 UTC 2025), Entry for Helen Maude Derby. 20260103GHLn- MEREDITH - Helen Derby, at her home, 24 Washington Square North, New York City, on Saturday, April 13, 1940, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry L. Derby of Montclair, N.J. Private services will be held at the Home for Services, 56 Park St., at Claremont Ave., Montclair, on Monday. Kindly omit flowers. [From The New York Times, Deaths section, 14 Apr 1940]

  
  

TEST MARKER

TNG ID: I113185

FSID: L5LJ-FK7