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.
William Abbey was born on June 9, 1896, in Baltinglass, County Wicklow, Ireland, to Mary (Johnson) and Patrick Abbey, a general laborer. Mary and Patrick had at least ten children, eight of whom were still alive in 1911. Among their children were: Mary Ellen, Brigid, John, Edward, Patrick, James, and Robert Aiden. William’s sister, Mary Ellen, was a teacher; his brother, John, was a domestic servant, a gardener. William’s trade was baking and at age 14 he was a baker’s apprentice. Baking became his life-long occupation.
In 1914, William immigrated to the United States, sailing from Queensland, Ireland, on the Cunard Line’s RMS Franconia. He arrived in Boston on July 1. In 1915, he lived at 10 Brewster Street in South Boston. Two years later he had moved to Dorchester and resided at 426 Seaver Street.
William enlisted in the Army at Fort Slocum in New Rochelle, New York. He joined up on March 30, 1917, before the United States declared war on Germany that April. Three days before enlisting he had begun the citizenship process, filing a declaration of intention. He was initially assigned to Company D of the 23rd Infantry. On June 1, he began serving as a cook. Five days later, he was part of a draft of men transferred to the 50th Infantry, which had just been organized in Syracuse, New York. William served in Company D. On March 4, 1918, he was made a private. About a week later, he was transferred to the 50th Infantry’s Headquarters Company. In June 1918, he was again a cook; then in September, he was again a private.
He was naturalized as an American citizen in 1918, according to the 1925 New York state census. On March 15, 1919, he was discharged from the Army.
After the war, William remained in Syracuse. On June 28, 1922, he married Margaret M. Leamy, also from Ireland. They had six children: William born in 1923; Elizabeth, known as Betty Jane, in 1924; James in 1926; Margaret in 1927; John in 1929; and Patricia 1931. By 1925, they lived at 359 Valley Drive in Syracuse. That year, William’s brother Robert lived with them. By 1935, they had moved a block away to 107 Maurice Avenue. In 1940, William was making $2,160 a year. Two year later he reported on his World War II draft registration that he worked for the T. B. Kelley Baking Company of 507 Rich Street, Syracuse, a wholesale bakery which produced bread and desserts for sale around Onondaga County. A fellow baker lodged with the family in 1940: John O’Grady, born in Ireland and most recently of Amarillo, Texas. During the Second World War, sons William junior and James served in the Navy; John served in the Navy during the Korean War. At the end of their lives William and Margaret lived at 149 Maxwell Avenue, Syracuse.
Not much is documented about William’s life after 1940. His wife, Margaret,died on December 1, 1974. William died in Syracuse on September 14, 1978.
Sources
Celtic Catholic Registers. Ireland, Select Catholic Birth and Baptism Registers, 1763-1917. Dublin, Ireland: E-Celtic, Limited; Ancestry.com
Family Tree; Ancestry.com
Boston, MA and Syracuse, NY, directories, various years; Ancestry.com
1901, 1911 Census of Ireland, The National Archives of Ireland; census.nationalarchives.ie
Declaration, Naturalization Records. National Archives at Boston, Waltham, Massachusetts; Ancestry.com
Military, Compiled Service Records. World War I. Carded Records. Records of the Military Division of the Adjutant General’s Office, Massachusetts National Guard.
“50th Infantry Regiment (United States),” Wikipedia.org. Last updated 28 April 2020.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)>
New York State Marriage Index, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY; Ancestry.com
New York State population census schedules, 1925. Albany, NY: New York State Archives; Ancestry.com
1930, 1940 United States Federal Census; Ancestry.com
“T.B. Kelley & Sons” [advertisement], Fayetteville Bulletin (Fayetteville, NY), 1 September 1927: 17; NYHistoricNewspapers.org
Deaths, Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York) 3 Dec 1974: 42; Newspapers.com
Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ancestry.com