Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: William Francis O’Brien
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: William Francis O’Brien.
Written by Camille Arbogast.
William Francis O’Brien was born on May 27, 1900, at 154 West Third Street in South Boston. His father, John, was a teamster, who immigrated from Ireland in 1865; his mother, Elizabeth, was born in Boston. His parents had been married 11 years. He had five older siblings: John, Frederick, Annie, Matthew, and Mary.
By 1910, William’s father had died and the family moved to 40 Langdon Street, Roxbury. His mother was a hotel chambermaid. His older brothers were working, too: John as a street concrete worker and Frederick as a shoe-cutter in a factory.
At age 18, in August 1918, William enlisted in the Navy. His family now lived at 11 Fairmount Street in the Codman Hill area of Dorchester. He enlisted at the Naval Recruiting Station in Boston and was sent to the Naval Training Station in Newport, Rhode Island. On September 11, he was stationed on a Boston receiving ship; a ship in harbor that received new sailors before they were assigned to a crew. William was still on the receiving ship when the Armistice was declared on November 11, 1918. He had achieved a rank of Seaman Second Class. He was discharged by special orders under honorable conditions in March 1919, and was demobilized at the District Detail Office in Boston.
After his time in the service, he returned to the family home at 11 Fairmount Street and worked in as a shipbuilder in a shipyard. His mother was no longer working outside the home. His brother Frederick was still living with the family and still employed as a shoe-cutter. His sister Anna was a telephone operator.
William Francis O’Brien was a relatively common name in Boston and, once he left his family home, it is difficult to pinpoint him in the historic record. However, through extensive genealogical research, we believe he was the William F. O’Brien listed in the 1940 census living in Medfield. He had married in 1935, to Catherine Grady, an Irish immigrant. They were married in the Chestnut Hill area of Newton. By 1940, they had three young daughters: Mary, Anna, and Katherine. Later William Junior, Paul, and Eleanor would be added to the family. William was a fireman and watchman in a ginger ale factory, possibly the nearby Clicquot Club factory in Millis. He earned $1,560 a year. The couple owned their house at 39 Granite Street in Medfield.
The family eventually returned to Dorchester, living at 27 Juliette Street and then at 80 Carruth Street. William was a member of the Ensign J. J. O’Connell Post 85 of the American Legion. He died on May 23, 1953. His funeral was held at Morrissey Brothers Funeral Home on Stoughton Street in Uphams Corner and a High Mass of Requiem was celebrated for him at St. Brendan’s Church.
Sources
Birth Certificate, Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts; Ancestry.com
Census Records, Federal, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1940; Ancestry.com
Service Record; The Adjutant General Office, Archives-Museum Branch, Concord, MA
Family Trees; Ancestry.com
“Death Notices, Boston Globe, 24 April 1991; 31
“Death Notices” Boston Globe, 25 May 1953