Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Russell Gilbert Munroe
At the Dorchester Historical Society, we are in the process of a year-long project to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I. Using a collection of photographs we have of WWI Dorchester residents, we will be featuring servicemen in a number of short biographies throughout the year. At the culmination of the project, we hope to produce an online exhibit that highlights these men and their service to our country.
Our next biography features: Russell Gilbert Munroe.
Written by Camille Arbogast.
Russell Gilbert Munroe was born on December 28, 1895, in North Pepperell, Massachusetts. He was the first child of Gilbert and Minnie (Russell) Munroe, who married in Dorchester earlier that year. Gilbert was from Nova Scotia and was farming in Pepperell. Minnie was from Milton. Russell eventually had nine siblings, born over twenty years.
In 1900, the family lived on Blue Hill Avenue in Milton. Gilbert worked as a farm laborer. Ten years later the Munroes had made their home at 15 Miller’s Lane in Lower Mills and Gilbert was a teamster working for a hay and grain company.
On May 17, 1917, Russell enlisted in the National Guard. He mustered as a Private on August 10, serving in Company A of the 5th Infantry, which later became Company A of the 101st Infantry. He shipped overseas on September 13, sailing from Hoboken, New Jersey. In October, he made Private 1st Class. He returned from Europe in April 1919, sailing from Brest on the USS America, and was discharged from Camp Devens on April 28, 1919.
After the war, Russell returned to live with his family, then residing at 66 Temple Street in Lower Mills. Russell’s occupation on the 1920 census was listed as “traveler” working on his own account in the confectionery industry. Boston directories beginning in 1920, list him as a gardener. Gardener was also the occupation reported for him on 1930 and 1940 censuses. On his World War II draft registration he named G.G. Whitney, 75 Highland Street, Milton as his employer. This was probably Geoffrey G. Whitney, a stockbroker who owned parcels along Highland and Canton Avenues. Russell’s father and a younger brother worked as gardeners, as well.
In 1922, the family moved to 985 Adams Street in the Cedar Grove neighborhood. By 1930, they had purchased 117 Richmond Street. Russell was not the only sibling still living with their parents; the 1920 and 1930 censuses show all of his brothers and sisters at 117 Richmond. Jessie Marion, born in 1897, was a teacher before taking on the family housekeeping. Ethel, born in 1899, was a bookkeeper at a wax brush business, then a stenographer in a bank. Charlotte, born in 1901, was a clerk at Youth’s Companion, before becoming a bookkeeper at a wholesale lumber company. Donald, born in 1904, was a grain company chauffeur. Lawrence, born in 1907, was an exchange clerk at the Edison Light office. Robert, born in 1909, worked in a bank, progressing from teller to credit manager. Ralph, born in 1914, was a wholesale liquor salesman. Howard, born in 1916, was a gardener. Ruth, born in 1918, was another bookkeeper, working in an insurance office. By 1940, only Ethel, Donald and Lawrence had moved out of their parents’ home at 117 Richmond Street.
In the late 1940s, directories show Russell working as shipper at Fellowcrafters, Inc. Located at 64 Stanhope Street in Boston, the company sold supplies for hobbyists. In the mid-1950s, he is listed as a stock clerk. In the early 1960s, he moved to 1138 Adams Street and was again working as a gardener.
Sometime before his death, Russell moved to Cambridge, MA. There, he died on June 21, 1966. His obituary does not list a wife, but rather all of his siblings.
Sources
Birth Certificate, Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts; Ancestry.com
Family Tree; Ancestry.com
Census Records, Federal, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940; Ancestry.com
Service Record; The Adjutant General Office, Archives-Museum Branch, Concord, MA
Lists of Incoming Passengers, 1917-1938, Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774-1985, The National Archives at College Park, Maryland; Ancestry.com
World War II Selective Service Registration Cards, National Archives and Records Administration, Ancestry.com
Boston Directories, various years, Ancestry.com
Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration.
“Munroe.” The Boston Globe, June 22, 1966, p. 46.