My aunt recalled 57 Clinton Avenue from the beginning, She and Uncle Eugene described the same building, My aunt recalled a two laned two-way street with large trees, and her father parking the care in the shade of a large tree. 90 Orange St. has no such features. Lucille Thurston, the babysitter and upstairs neighbor

discovered Aunt Rosetta’s body. So, we went searching for her in the 1950 Census and the house number is illegible. Albany Memories forum Admin on FB looked up the 1957 City directory and showed Lucille and Clarence Thurston at 578 Clinton Avenue.

I only have access to 1954 and 55 Albany City Directories and in 54 they are at 88 Orange St. But in 1955 are on 578 Clinton Ave. Could be the detective or reporters used an old city directory to find their address and used the older Orange St. address? And the current building at 578 Clinton Avenue was remembered by my aunt as 57 Clinton Ave. What likely happened was that they said a body was found by Lucille Thurston, maybe reporters or police referred to the city directory to find the address, but they looked up their residence in 1954, not 1955. Therefore finding 88 Orange St. and Not their current address of 578 Clinton Avenue.

My Aunt, being 9 remembered 57 Clinton Avenue. So this all lines up. I don’t have a 1957 City Directory. Although the building at 578 is very different today, it could have been remodeled, so i would need floor plans from Code Enforcement or a similar department or photos from the day.

Update: Oct. 11, 2024

Working with the Albany Memories forum and some kind Citizen Investigators to see if we can get to the bottom of the address discrepancy.

We tracked down a Clarence Thurston, who did in fact live with a Lucillle Reid during the 1950 Census. She is listed as a “Roomer” but one wonders if that was a propriety decision. Did they marry before 1957? We are also seeing 2A does that mean Aunt Rosetta’s house number was 2B in 1957?

Media reports have Lucille’s address as 99 Orange, the city directory has Clarence there, the 1950 Census has Lucille Reid there. But the question remains, which Thurstons were living at 578 Clinton Ave, and for that matter anywhere on Clinton Ave in 1957. 99 Orange St. doesn’t fit any family memories, and while I know memories are notoriously unreliable, I’m confident the description of her apartment building and the 4 lanes and major thoroughfare on which that apartment was located couldn’t be a memory fluke. Something is off, I just can’t my finger on it.

Second Update of the day:
Adrian, a Citizen Investigator on the FB forum Albany Memories is helping us, he uncovered the 1957 Street City Directory, in blue below. But there is a problem.

I wrote today: I’m stunned. STUNNED. How would my Aunt have known that 57? anything? That Clarence and Lucille lived there in 1954, three years before the murder? She was 9 in 1957, only went to Aunt Pie’s house one time, and the way she and Uncle Gene describes that street and apartment layout fits Clinton Ave architecture, not Orange St. I guess this will be one mystery that will remain until I can see building plans or historical photographs. But the evidence seems to suggest it was in fact 99 Orange St. My gut tells me it was 578 Clinton Ave, but that building doesn’t match either. But my aunt with every fiber of her being says the lived on Clinton Ave. I’m also going to have a 3D model of the building based on their recollections. Just have to find the right talent. Thank you, Adrian. Gotta love Citizen Investigators! The people are always the last line of defense in this world. 

Terry, another kind soul confirms Lucille Thurston’s obituary and that her husband Clarence died a few years after her death. 

There are 2 other things that arise from this sub-investigation. 1))It seems Lucille Thurston’s maiden name was Swift on one Census I found, but Reid on a directory? I think on the 1950 census her Mother’s name was Dora Swift and Lucille had siblings with that surname, all from Virginia. My ears perked up because my mother’s first husband was from the south and knew our family there…and one wonders if Obediah Swift was a relative. Many families migrated together during the Great Migration, working farms. Lastly 3)It is possible that the family owned 2 properties, as they rented rooms and units. 4)It is also possible that neither of these properties look as they did in 1957, but I’m inclined to believe my Aunt and Uncles recollections, I know memories are unreliable, but nobody is going to just “know” 57* Clarence Avenue and the Thurstons are there, and nobody is gonna confuse 99 Orange St. with Clinton Ave. My take…until further evidence is found.