Dorchester Historical Society

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: William Lawrie Reid

Posted on December 4, 2019 by earltaylor

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: William Lawrie Reid

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 Lawreie Reid.

Written by Donna Albino.

William Lawrie Reid was born on May 31, 1896, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His parents, Thomas Reid and Janet (Lawrie) Reid, were both born in Scotland and came to the United States in 1891. They had two children, Agnes and Robert, while they still lived in Scotland, and three more children, Thomas, James and Marion, in the United States before William was born. William’s father Thomas was an iron moulder.

In the next few years, the family moved to South Boston. The 1900 census revealed they lived in a rented house at 9 Swallow Street. William’s oldest sister, Agnes, was working as a button coverer, but the other children were too young to be in the workforce yet. By then, there was a seventh child in the family, a daughter, Wilhelmina, who was one year old.

In 1910, the family had moved to 105 Mercer Street in South Boston. William’s father had passed away in 1907, and his mother was now the head of the household, with two more children, Helen, age 9 and George, age 7. Several of William’s siblings were old enough to work outside the home and help with expenses. William’s brother Robert was an iron worker in a foundry, his sister, Marion, was a box maker in a factory, and his brother, James, only 15 years old, was a telegraph messenger.

On June 17, 1917, when he was 21 years old, William registered for the war draft. He was a tall man with a medium build, brown hair and brown eyes. He worked as a clerk for Western Union, and already had served in the military as a private in the 8th regiment. The 8th Infantry Regiment of the United States, also known as the “Fighting Eagles,” is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. The 8th Infantry Regiment served in the Moro Rebellion in the Philippines in 1913, but it was unlikely that William was active then because of his age.

Little is known about William’s wartime assignments. According to his service card, he served with Troop E 11th Cavalry in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Fort Oglethorpe served as a war-time induction and processing center, and also housed German prisoners of war. The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, also known as the “Blackhorse Regiment,” was also a unit of the United States Army. Just before William enlisted in the draft, the regiment participated in the 1916 Pancho Villa Expedition, fighting unsuccessfully in Mexico. When the United States declared war on Germany in April, 1917, the regiment was in Fort Bliss, Texas. Concerned that Mexico might urge Japan to join Germany in the war effort, the 11th sent several detachments to California to protect the border, and the remainder of the regiment went to Fort Oglethorpe. The next two years saw various elements of the 11th Cavalry scattered throughout the South and West.

There were several newspaper accounts however, that linked William with Company A of the 104th Infantry Regiment. On April 5, 1919, The Boston Globe listed William with the regiment returning to Massachusetts. On April 25, 1931, the Fitchburg Sentinel printed an index of Company A 104th, and William again was listed. The 104th Infantry Regiment was formed from National Guard units from New England, and fought in France in six major campaigns. However, William’s name was not found on any roster of the company traveling by ship to France before these campaigns, so it is unclear where William was actually stationed during the war.

By 1920, William was living with his mother and some of his siblings in South Boston at 17 Vale Street. His brother, Robert, was a cord maker, his sisters, Wilhelmina and Helen, were bundle girls in a department store, and his brother, George, was an errand boy in a broker office. William’s occupation was listed as an office clerk; perhaps he was still working for Western Union, as he had been before the war. AcINAL

cording to city directories, William worked as a machinist in 1921 and 1922. In 1924, William married Mary Roche, but they were not listed in the city directories again until 1930. In the 1930 census, William, still married, was living alone at 8 Vale Street in South Boston. He was not listed in the 1940 census.

In 1942, William registered for the WWII draft. He was living at 18 Vassar Street in Dorchester and working for Hunt Spiller on Dorchester Avenue in South Boston. His card indicated he was married.

William’s wife Mary died on Nov 30, 1984. She had lived in North Quincy, Chelmsford, and Billerica, and was cremated at Linwood Crematory in Haverhill. William passed away on August 3, 1990 in Lowell. At the time of his death, he lived in Chelmsford, and his obituary mentioned that he had lived in Quincy and Dorchester. William is buried in St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Chelmsford.

Sources:

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Birth Records, 1840-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Marriage Index, 1901-1955 and 1966-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Death Index, 1970-2003 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

Year: 1900; Census Place: Boston Ward 14, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Page: 4; Enumeration District: 1364; FHL microfilm: 1240682

Year: 1910; Census Place: Boston Ward 15, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_619; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 1479; FHL microfilm: 1374632

Year: 1920; Census Place: Boston Ward 11, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T625_734; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 294

Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Wikipedia, 8th Infantry Regiment (United States)

Wikipedia, Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia

Wikipedia, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment

Blackhorse Association, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment History

Wikipedia, 104th Infantry Regiment (United States)

The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 05 Apr 1919, Sat Page 6

Fitchburg Sentinel (Fitchburg, Massachusetts) 25 Apr 1931, Sat Page 7

The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 02 Dec 1984, Sun Page 87

The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 05 Aug 1990, Sun Page 75

Ancestry.com, McCarn-MacDonald Tree by Marilyn Stanley

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dorchester, Uncategorized, Vassar Street, William Lawrie Reid, World War 1 | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: William Francis O’Brien

Posted on December 4, 2019 by earltaylor

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: William Francis O’Brien

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dorchester, Fairmouint Street, Uncategorized, William Francis O'Brien, World War 1 | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Francis Edgerton Murdoch

Posted on December 4, 2019 by earltaylor

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Francis Edgerton Murdoch

Our next biography features: Francis Edgerton Murdoch.

Written by Julie Wolf.

Frank (Francis) Edgerton Murdoch was born in Dorchester, MA, on January 11, 1892, to William A. Murdoch, a fireman, and Louisa C. Erhard Murdoch of 2187 Dorchester Avenue. An only child, Frank was 3 when his father became a patrolman for the Boston Police Department, attached to Station 11 at Fields Corner. Over his decades-long career, William was considered “one of the most popular officers in Dorchester.”

At 25, Frank registered for the World War I draft. Unmarried, he was employed as a “commercial salesman” for the Camden, New Jersey–based Joseph Campbell Company (Campbell’s Soup). He was still living with his parents, so the precise location or nature of his work is unclear. From his enlistment in the U.S. Army on October 5, 1917, until November 9 of that year, Frank, a corporal, served with Company G of the 301st Infantry; he was soon promoted to sergeant and served with Company C of the 161st Infantry until November 29 and then with the 39th Depot Service Company No. 39 Army Service Corps. On July 6, 1918, he sailed to Europe aboard the USS Cedric with Company F of the 301st and served for a year in France, departing from Brest and arriving on U.S. soil aboard the Dutch ship Rijndam on August 4, 1919. Sgt. Frank Murdoch was honorably discharged upon demobilization at Fort Devens on August 15, 1919.

Five days after his 32nd birthday, on January 16, 1924, Frank married Ethel Boyd Sweeney of Stockton Street in Dorchester. Their wedding announcement describes Frank as being “in the shoe business.” The Boston city directories for 1923 through 1926 corroborate this, identifying him as vice president of the Shawmut Shoe Company at 170 Summer Street.

For at least part of 1924, Frank’s address was still his parents’. In 1925, however, he and Ethel moved next door, to 2185 Dorchester Ave, a “frame house with 9720 square feet of land” near Richmond Street that Frank’s father had purchased in 1906. They lived here until at least 1943; by 1946, if not earlier, Frank and Ethel moved to Milton with their three children.

For the twenty or so years that Frank lived at 2185 Dorchester Avenue, he held various sales positions. In 1929, he worked at the “Textile Building,” 99 Chauncy Street in Boston, located in the heart of what was then Boston’s textile industry. The 1930 census describes Frank as a “salesman, commercial,” while the 1940 census specifies “salesman, neckwear.” According to his 1942 World War II draft registration card, Frank’s employer was Lewis Steiger & Company, a men’s clothing manufacturer located in the Empire State Building. In the 1940 census, company owner Steiger also described his industry as “neckwear.” As with Campbell’s in New Jersey, we cannot pinpoint exactly where Frank worked; it is possible he was a local company representative.

The Murdochs, it seems, were members of the fashionable set, no strangers to the society page. In March 1942, the family, still in Dorchester, was essentially the opening act for a skating performance: “Setting the pattern for the revue,” the article states, “will be the opening scene imitating a Currier and Ives print of 1865. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Murdoch and their children, Lois, Carol and William, will all take part.” In 1946, Frank and Ethel were among a select few couples invited to luncheon at Maine’s exclusive Poland Spring House. Frank, as a young man a member of Dorchester Lower Mills Council, the Knights of Columbus, and Quincy Lodge of Elks, joined the Milton Yacht Club and the Wollaston Golf Club. Ethel served as president of the Milton Catholic Women’s Club, a position previously held by Catherine O’Hearn Fitzgerald, the daughter-in-law of Boston mayor John “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald and niece by marriage of Rose Kennedy. Their daughter, Carol, drew notices for social appearances and for her fashion sense, described as “a breath of Spring chic” in 1953’s Boston Easter parade.

Frank lived to see the birth of several grandchildren, including his namesake, Lois’s son, Francis Murdoch Wallace, born in 1954. Ethel died in 1956. Frank died “suddenly” on May 4, 1962. Funeral services were held at his and Ethel’s home, 18 Longwood Road in Milton, with High Mass of Requiem afterward at the Church of St. Mary of the Hills.

SOURCES:

“A fourth child….” Boston Globe: July 1, 1954: 11.

Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2004.

Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006.

Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2002.

Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com, Operations, Inc., 2016.

Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2005.

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Marriage Records, 1840-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

FamilySearch.org. Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915.

“Ex-Patrolman Murdoch to Be Buried Tomorrow.” Boston Globe, February 5, 1935: 12.

“Made Regular Patrolmen.” Boston Globe, October 12, 1895: 5.

“Miss Sweeney Weds Francis E. Murdock.” Boston Globe, January 17, 1924: 10.

“Murdoch.” Boston Globe, May 5, 1962: 22.

“News of Women’s Clubs.” Boston Globe, January 29, 1950: 100.

“News of Women’s Clubs.” Boston Globe, October 19, 1952: 49.

“Real Estate: West Roxbury-Dorchester.” Boston Globe, September 18, 1906: 2.

“Today in Society” column. Boston Globe, August 27, 1946: 32.

“Today in Society” column. Boston Globe, March 3, 1942: 19.

“What Several Bostonians Will Wear in Easter Parade,” Boston Globe, April 5, 1953: 63.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dorchester, Francis Edgerton Murdoch, Frank Murdoch, Lower Mills, Uncategorized, World War 1 | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Russell Gilbert Munroe

Posted on December 4, 2019 by earltaylor

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Russell Gilbert Munroe

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.

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Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Richard Henry Moore

Posted on December 4, 2019 by earltaylor

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Richard Henry Moore

Our next biography features: Richard Henry Moore.

Written by Camille Arbogast.

Richard Henry Moore was born May 9, 1895, at 34 Fuller Street in the Ashmont section of Dorchester. His mother, Sarah Dowling, immigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1884. His father, Richard F. Moore, arrived in 1887 and worked as a laborer for the city of Boston. They married in 1891 and had seven other children: Owen born in 1891, John in 1893, Anne in 1897, Mary in 1899, Francis in 1901, Alice in 1903, and Thomas in 1907.

By 1900, the family owned 22 Bailey Street, only one street over from where Richard was born five years before. Richard’s older brothers had gone to work: Owen, 18, was a streetcar conductor; John, 16, was a plumber’s apprentice. Richard was still in school; he attended four years of high school.

In 1917, Richard was employed as a billing clerk for the Boston and Albany Railroad, working in their office at 187 Kneeland Street in Boston. On his draft registration that he filled out that spring, he was described as being tall, with blue eyes and dark hair. On December 6, 1917, he was drafted and inducted into the National Army at Local Board 21, Dorchester’s draft board. He was sent to the 151st Depot Brigade based at Camp Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts. At the time, the 76th Division was training at Camp Devens and was largely comprised of draftees from New England. On February 6, 1918, Richard was transferred to the Medical Department of the 302nd Infantry. On May 25, he was attached to the Medical Department of the 301st Infantry. He was promoted to Private First Class and began serving in Sanitary Squad #50 in June. On July 6, Richard departed for France, sailing from New York on the USS Cedric. On January 21, 1919, he was promoted to Corporal. In February, he began serving with Evacuation Hospital 27. Richard was promoted to Sergeant on May 29, and Sergeant First Class on April 16. On August 30, he sailed from Brest, France, on the USS Kroonland, arriving in Hoboken, New Jersey, on September 10. He was demobilized on September 16, 1919.

After the war Richard returned to 22 Bailey Street and to his job with the Boston and Albany Railroad. In 1922, he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and only two years later, when he was 29, he married Maybelle Meeker, born in Butler County, Ohio, and a longtime resident of Muncie, Indiana. The couple settled in Chicago and by 1928, they were renting 2911 Shakespeare Avenue; they were still living there in 1930. By 1935, they owned 6652 North Rockwell Street. In the late 1950s, they lived at 6129 North Winchester Avenue. By 1930, Richard was a public accountant with his own accounting business.

On June 5, 1957, Richard died after a brief illness. He was buried in New London Cemetery, Shandon, Butler County, Ohio. He was survived by his wife, Maybelle, and four of his siblings.

Sources

Birth Certificate, Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts; Ancestry.com

1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940 Federal Census; Ancestry.com

Service Card, Military, Compiled Service Records. World War I. Carded Records. Records of the Military Division of the Adjutant General’s Office, Massachusetts National Guard.

Boston Directory, Boston, MA: Sampson & Murdock, 1922; 1233

Selective Service Registration Card, World War II: Fourth Registration. Records of the Selective Service System, National Archives and Records Administration; Ancestry.com

“Dies in Chicago,” Muncie Evening Press, 6 June 1957: 25; Newspapers.com

“Death Notice,” Chicago Tribune, 7 June 1957: 66; Newspapers.com

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bailey Street, Dorchester, Richard Henry Moore, Uncategorized, World War 1 | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Caleb Edward Moffitt

Posted on December 4, 2019 by earltaylor

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Caleb Edward Moffitt

Our next biography features: Caleb Edward Moffitt.

Written by Donna Albino.

Caleb Edward Moffitt was born on December 2, 1898 to Carl Moffitt and Frances (Walters) Moffitt. Caleb’s parents were living at 19 Rosedale Street in Dorchester when he was born. His father was born in Rockland, Maine and was a physician; his mother was an immigrant from England.

The Moffitts remained at 19 Rosedale Street through the 1900 and 1910 census years. Caleb’s first and middle names were swapped between the two censuses; in 1900, he was referred to as Caleb, but in 1910 he was Edward, and continued to be known as Edward Reginald Caleb Moffitt for the rest of his life.

Edward married Jane Searing of South Boston on February 9, 1918 in Portsmouth, NH. Their marriage certificate listed their ages as 18 and 22, but in reality, Jane was 15 and Edward was 19 when they married. Edward was working as an electrician at the time of their marriage.

Edward enlisted in the war effort on May 6, 1918 and served in the Navy until September 30, 1921, thus missing the 1920 census. But according to the Boston city directory, he returned to his parents’ home at 19 Rosedale Street in Dorchester after his discharge from the Navy, and was employed as a clerk.

Edward divorced Jane Searing Moffitt on December 2, 1927, and married Lillian Bourke in Nashua, NH, on June 9, 1928. In the 1930 census, Edward and Lillian were living with Edward’s parents in his childhood home at 19 Rosedale Street in Dorchester. Edward was working as a timekeeper for a steamship at the time. Edward’s parents had also taken in two elderly family members: his father’s aunt Angie Moffitt, and cousin Ella Cushing, both in their 70s.

Lillian and Edward moved to Rockland, Maine around 1935, and moved in with Edward’s father Carl, who had returned to his hometown in retirement. Their address was 171 Broadway St. Edward divorced Lillian Bourke Moffit in 1938, and married Gertrude Blackington on June 15, 1938. In the 1940 census, Edward and Gertrude were living in their own home at 141 Broadway St in Rockland, Maine and their son Edward was six months old.

Edward lived a quiet life until his death in 1982, as we were not able to find any documentary evidence about his life after the 1940 census. Edward passed away on October 4, 1982 in Rockland, Maine; his wife, Gertrude, passed away a few years later in 1990.

Sources:

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Birth Records, 1840-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

New England Historical Genealogical Society; New Hampshire Bureau of Vital Records, Concord, New Hampshire

Ancestry.com. New Hampshire, Marriage Records Index, 1637-1947 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Ancestry.com. Maine, Marriage Index, 1892-1996 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003.

Ancestry.com. Maine, Death Index, 1960-1997 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.

Year: 1900; Census Place: Boston Ward 20, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Page: 4; Enumeration District: 1466; FHL microfilm: 1240686

Year: 1910; Census Place: Boston Ward 20, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_622; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 1934; FHL microfilm: 1374635

Year: 1930; Census Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 0459; FHL microfilm: 2340689

Year: 1940; Census Place: Rockland, Knox, Maine; Roll: m-t0627-01482; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 7-22

Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Ancestry.com, Jacobs Family Tree compiled by NancyMoffitt37

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Caleb Edward Moffitt, Dorchester, Rosedale Street, Uncategorized, World War 1 | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biographies: Lorenzo Ripley, Joseph Ripley and Herman Ripley

Posted on December 4, 2019 by earltaylor

Herman Ripley

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biographies: Lorenzo Ripley, Joseph Ripley and Herman Ripley

Our next biography features: Lorenzo Ripley, Joseph Ripley and Herman Ripley.

Written by Camille Arbogast.

Lorenzo, Joseph, and Herman Ripley were the three sons of Joseph Senior and Annie Ripley. Joseph Senior and Annie (Eger) were both born in Dorchester of German ancestry. Joseph Senior was a cabinet maker, building piano cases at a piano factory. Oldest son Lorenzo Fidel was born January 11, 1891, followed by Joseph Phillip Junior on April 6, 1894. At the time of the two oldest sons’ births, the family was living at 44 Sanford Street in Mattapan. By 1896, they purchased a home at nearby 49 Idaho Street, where Herman was born on April 7, 1896. The family was completed with the birth of a sister, Esther, in 1899. In 1902, Joseph Senior began working as an inspector in the Sanitary Department for the City of Boston, where he continued for the rest of his life.

Lorenzo initially went to work as a cabinetmaker. By 1910, he was a wholesale dry goods clerk. In 1917, Lorenzo was in the leather business, employed at Harrison & Co., of 90 South Street, Boston. On November 5, Lorenzo enrolled in the Navy at the Boston Navy Yard in Charlestown. Two weeks later, he was stationed on a receiving ship in Boston; in December he was transferred to a receiving ship in Philadelphia. He sailed for France on December 17 and was stationed at the Naval Air Station in Pauillac, where he remained until the Armistice. Back in the United States, at the Naval Training Station at Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, he was placed on inactive duty on February 25, 1919. He was honorably discharged on March 30, 1921, having attained a rank of Carpenter’s Mate, 3rd Class.

Joseph was a clerk at the Roxbury Carpet Company when he registered for the first draft in June, 1917. He noted his “weak eyes” as reason for possible exemption. In his notecard for Joseph Ripley, Dr. Perkins noted Joseph was “selected,” probably meaning drafted, entering the National Army on April 25, 1917. He served with H Company of the 302nd Infantry Regiment. On July 5, 1918, he sailed for France on the RMS Aquitania. During the war he achieved a rank of Corporal. He returned to the United States along with men from the Hospital Center Kerhuon, near Brest, France, who were classified as “walking cases requiring no dressing.” They sailed on the USS Leviathan, arriving in Hoboken, New Jersey, on April 25, 1919.

Herman was a chocolate maker for the Walter Baker Chocolate Company in 1917. He registered for the draft on June 5. On his notecard for Herman Ripley, Dr. Perkins noted Herman enrolled in the Navy on June 28 and was called to report for duty on September 1. Herman was stationed on the collier USS Proteus for one year and two months. He was then transferred to the USS Luella. His first trip was to South America, followed by voyages to Scotland, Ireland, and Canada. He served as a Fireman.

After the war, the brothers returned to 49 Idaho Street. In 1920, Joseph Junior was a bookkeeper at a marble business, Lorenzo returned to the leather business, and Herman to Walter Baker Chocolate. Their father died in 1923, and in 1930, Joseph and Herman still lived at 49 Idaho Street with their mother. Joseph continued as a bookkeeper at the marble company and Herman was a laborer working for the state. Their mother died in 1936.

Lorenzo had married Alice V. Davye in 1920. They lived with her parents at 11 Huntoon Street in Lower Mills. Lorenzo continued in the leather business, working in a number of positions, such as a sorter, a shipper, and a salesman. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, he and Alice moved to 9 Huntoon Street, then to 44 Old Morton Street. By 1940, they had returned to 11 Huntoon Street and were living with Alice’s widowed father. Lorenzo was unemployed; he had worked only 14 weeks in 1939. In 1942, he was employed by Bethlehem Steel at the Fore River Plant in Quincy. He was hired by the Metropolitan District Commission as a laborer in 1946. In the mid-1950s, Lorenzo and Alice moved to 87 Maple Street in Hyde Park. Lorenzo died of a stroke on November 27, 1957, and was buried in the Milton cemetery. He had been active with a number of charitable and social organizations, including: St. Gregory’s Total Abstinence and Mutual Relief Society; Knights of Columbus Council #180; St. Gregory’s Holy Name Society; St. Gregory’s Court #24 of the Massachusetts Catholic Order of Foresters; and Old Dorchester Post #65 of the American Legion.

Herman married Dorothy C. Kernell in 1938 and when they were first married,they lived with Joseph at 49 Idaho Street. In 1940, Herman was a chauffeur for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 1942, he worked for the Metropolitan District Commission at Blue Hills Station. In 1944, directories list him as a clerk; in the 1950s, he appears as a laborer. He retired in the early 1960s. During the 1950s and 1960s, Herman and Dorothy lived at 331 Ashmont Street. By the end of Herman’s life, they moved to 68 Butler Street. He died in Dorchester on February 15, 1967. He was a member of Old Dorchester Post #65 of the American Legion, as well as the Lower Mills Memorial Post #8699 of the Veterans of a Foreign War.

Joseph married Pauline Isobel Sullivan in 1940. At the time, he was working for the National Youth Administration (NYA), a New Deal program. The couple moved to 25 Adanac Road in Milton. When the NYA ceased to exist in 1943, Joseph began working as an inspector for the U.S. Department of Labor. In 1945, the Milton Directory lists him as an expeditor. In the late 1940s, Joseph and Pauline moved to Weymouth. They had two children, Regina and Paul. Joseph died in Brockton on February 26, 1978.

Sources

Birth Records Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts; Ancestry.com

Family Tree; Ancestry.com

Boston City Directories, Various Years; Ancestry.com

Officials and Employees of the City of Boston and County of Suffolk, with Their Residence, Compensation, Etc, 1909. Boston: Printing Department, 1909; pg 174; Archive.org

Census Records, Federal, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940; Ancestry.com

World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, National Archive and Records Administration; Ancestry.com

Lorenzo Ripley, Service Record; The Adjutant General Office, Archives-Museum Branch, Concord, MA

Joseph Ripley Transport Records, Lists of Incoming Passengers, 1917-1938 & List of Outgoing Passengers, 1917-1938. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774-1985, The National Archives at College Park, Maryland; Ancestry.com

Metropolitan District Commission Minutes, Volume 16, [1946], pg 157; Ancestry.com

“Deaths,” Boston Globe, 29 November 1956; 50

“Deaths,” Boston Globe, 15 February 1967: 26; Newspapers.com

“Deaths,” Boston Globe, 27 February 1978: 34

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dorchester, Herman Ripley, Joseph Ripley, Lorenzo Ripley, Mattapan, Sanford Street, Uncategorized, World War 1 | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Dorothy Veronica Ryan

Posted on December 4, 2019 by earltaylor

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Dorothy Veronica Ryan

Our next biography features: Dorothy Veronica Ryan.

Written by Camille Arbogast.

Dorothy Veronica Ryan was born on September 6, 1899, at 43 Milton Avenue in the Cedar Grove section of Dorchester. Her father, Edward Augustine Ryan, born in Boston, was a city police officer. Her mother, Anna M. (Mahoney), known as Annie, was born in Dorchester, baptized at Saint Gregory’s Church in Lower Mills, and grew up on Washington Street. Edward and Annie were married in 1896 in Boston. They also had three sons: Edward, Jr. born in 1897, Charles in 1902, and Henry in 1906.

In 1900, Edward was promoted from reserve officer to Patrolman in Division 5, based at 21 East Dedham Street in the South End, making $1,200 a year. He became a sergeant in 1912. By 1907, the family had moved to 14 Thetford Avenue. Dorothy attended the Roger Wolcott School at the corner of Norfolk and Morton Streets. In 1917, she graduated from Dorchester High School, in what was then the school’s largest graduating class. A family photo shows Dorothy in a Red Cross nurse uniform; it is possible that she was in the Red Cross around this time.

During the First World War, Dorothy served in the United States Naval Reserve Force as a Yeoman (F) First Class. Called “Yeomanettes,” female Yeomen were officially enlisted in the Navy and received the same rate of pay as men. The Naval Act of 1916 included a line permitting the enlistment of “all persons who may be capable of performing special useful service for coastal defense.” The non-gendered language was interpreted to include women and they were recruited beginning in March 1917. By the end of the war there were over 11,000 female Yeomen. They most often served in clerical roles, though some held specialized positions.

Dorothy enrolled in the Navy on July 30, 1918. Female Yeomen joined for a four-year-term. On his notecard for Dorothy V. Ryan, Dr. Perkins noted that Dorothy served in the Charlestown Navy Yard and was a “clerk for a time in office.” She probably lived at home during her service, as the Navy did not have female barracks and women had to make their own living arrangements. Generally, they were assigned work in their home communities.

There was also no official female uniform, so Dorothy probably made or purchased the outfit she wears in the Perkins collections photo. The Navy specified women wear a white or blue single breasted jacket, a skirt with a hem four inches above the ankle, and a brimmed hat. The female Yeoman was responsible for acquiring these items herself.

The female Yeomen were placed on inactive duty in July 1919. Dorothy still worked as a stenographer in the Navy Yard in 1920, according to the census; many female Yeomen were temporarily appointed to Civil Service jobs in their previous workplaces while on inactive status. Dorothy was discharged on July 19, 1920.

On July 18, 1923, she married 32-year-old Alfred Alonzo Shea, a public accountant with Wolper, Shea, and Company. Born in Boston and raised in Milton, he was a graduate of Boston University, where he studied in the College of Business Administration. During the war, he, too, served in the Navy. Initially, he was a Chief Yeoman in the coast inspection service, stationed in Bath, Maine. In October 1917, he received a commission as an Assistant Paymaster, with a rank of Ensign, and was transferred to the Charlestown Navy Yard. Alfred had also been Dorothy’s neighbor; in 1918, he lived at 27 Thetford Avenue. Dorothy and Alfred were married by Reverend Stephen P. Moran of Saint Matthew’s Church on Stanton Street. Directly following their marriage, they embarked on a honeymoon to Alberta, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Diego. When they returned they lived in the Back Bay, at 19 Queensbury Street.

After her marriage, Dorothy was a homemaker. She and Alfred had two children, Dorothy Anna born in 1924 and Joseph Alfred in 1932. In 1930, the family lived at 105 Russet Road in West Roxbury. They moved to East Side Parkway in Newtonville in 1933. In 1937, they purchased 57 Melrose Avenue in Needham.

Alfred died in 1951. The Melrose Avenue house was sold in 1968. By the early 1970s, both of Dorothy’s children lived in California and it is possible she moved there, as well. Dorothy died in Upland, California, on March 10, 1971. She was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery in West Roxbury.

Sources

Birth Record, Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts; Ancestry.com

Family Tree, including family photos; Ancestry.com

Officials and Employees of the City of Boston and County of Suffolk with Their Residences, Compensation, Etc. Boston, 1907: 82; Archive.org

Seventh Annual report of the Police Commissioner for the City of Boston, Year Ending November 30 1912. Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co, State Printers, 1913; Archive.org

US Federal Census, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940; Ancestry.com

“Oliver Wendell Holmes School the Leader in Numbers,” Boston Globe, 19 June 1913: 7; Newspapers.com

“Dorchester High School Graduates Record Class,” Boston Globe, 22 June 1917; 8

“United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940,” Military Service, NARA microfilm publication 76193916 St. Louis: National Archives and Records Administration, 1985; FamilySearch.org

“World War I era Yeomen (F),” Naval History and Heritage Command,

<https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/people—special-topics/women-in-the-navy/world-war-i-era-yeomen–f–.htm>l

Patch, Nathaniel. “The Story of the Female Yeomen during the First World War,” Prologue Magazine, Fall 2006, Vol. 38, No. 3, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration,

<https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2006/fall/yeoman-f.html>

“Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915,” Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States, State Archives, Boston; FamilySearch.org

“Dorchester District,” Boston Globe, 19 July 1923: 8; Newspapers.com

“Alfred A. Shea Made an Assistant Paymaster,” Boston Globe, 16 October 1917: 5; Newspapers.com

Boston directories, various years; Ancestry.com

Deed, Book 2142, page487, dated 5 May 1937, Norfolk County Registry of Deeds; NorfolkResearch.org

Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Ancestry.com

State of California. California Death Index, 1940-1997. Sacramento, CA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics; Ancestry.com

“Deaths,” Boston Globe, 13 March 1971: 22; Newspapers.com

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dorchester, Dorothy Veronica Ryan, Uncategorized, World War 1 | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Lynwood Waldron Storer

Posted on December 4, 2019 by earltaylor

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Lynwood Waldron Storer

Our next biography features: Lynwood Waldron Storer.

Written by Donna Albino.

Lynwood Waldron Storer was born on July 31, 1887, in New Sharon, Maine to parents Charles and Lizzie Storer, both born in Maine. Lynwood was still living in his hometown as late as 1910, according to the US Census. But shortly after the census was assembled, Lynwood must have headed for Massachusetts; he graduated from Massachusetts College of Optometry in Boston in 1916, and married Hazel Etta Appleby, an immigrant from New Brunswick, Canada, in 1917 in Waltham. Perhaps inspired by his father’s military service during the Civil War, Lynwood served as a sergeant in the medical department of the 33rd Engineers during WWI. His WWI service card lists the only Dorchester address he had during his life: 1120 Washington Street. By 1920, Lynwood and his wife Hazel were living in Roslindale, according to the US Census.

During the 1920s, the family grew by two: their son Edward Lynwood Storer was born in 1920, and their son Philip Whittemore Storer was born in 1922. For a brief time, the family lived in Belmont, but for most of the rest of their lives, the Storer family lived in Allston-Brighton and Newton.

Lynwood spent his career as an optometrist. He was a member of the Massachusetts and American Societies of Optometrists, and a trustee at his alma mater, Massachusetts College of Optometry. He was also very active in his community, serving as an officer for many years for the Allston-Brighton Kiwanis. The Boston Globe ran many articles describing events that he helped organize and facilitate for the Kiwanis in the 1930s and 1940s. Lynwood also served as a member of Ebenezer Fuller Masonic Lodge in Newtonville, and the American Legion. He was the vice president of Brighton Cooperative Bank, and deacon of Allston Congregational Church.

Lynwood’s wife Hazel passed away on April 15, 1969. They had been married for over 50 years. Seven months later, Lynwood joined her; he passed away on November 16, 1969. They are buried together in Newton Cemetery. At the time of their death, their son Edward was a doctor living in Needham, and their son Philip lived in Mt. Pocono, Pennsylvania, and they had six grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Sources:

Maine Birth Records, 1715-1922. Augusta, Maine: Maine State Archives. Maine Birth Records, 1715-1922, Maine State Archives, Augusta, Maine.

Department of Public Health, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. Massachusetts Vital Records Index to Marriages [1916–1970]. Volumes 76–166, 192– 207. Facsimile edition. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.

Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration.

Year: 1900; Census Place: New Sharon, Franklin, Maine; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0097; FHL microfilm: 1240592

Year: 1910; Census Place: New Sharon, Franklin, Maine; Roll: T624_540; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0132; FHL microfilm: 1374553

Year: 1920; Census Place: Boston Ward 23, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T625_740; Page: 36B; Enumeration District: 548

Year: 1930; Census Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0266; FHL microfilm: 2340694

Year: 1940; Census Place: Newton, Middlesex, Massachusetts; Roll: m-t0627-01614; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 9-409

US Army Transport Service, passenger list, 30 June 1918 on Calamares

The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) * 17 Nov 1969, Mon * Page 30 (obituary)

FindAGrave memorial, Linwood Storer (1887-1969), Newton, Mass.

Massachusetts Grand Lodge of Masons Membership Cards 1733-1990. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.

Storer-Grant-Gould-Warren family tree, by PhilipStorer59, Ancestry.com

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dorchester, Lynwood Waldron Storer, Uncategorized, World War 1 | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biographies: Upham Brothers and Cousin

Posted on December 4, 2019 by earltaylor

Albert Lewis Upham

Roy Davis Upham

Sumner Bruce Upham

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biographies: Upham Brothers and Cousin

Our next biography features: Upham Brothers.

Written by Camille Arbogast.

In 1916, as the United States entered the First World War, 96 Temple Street in Mattapan was home to three men who would serve in the conflict: Albert Lewis Upham, his younger brother, Sumner Bruce Upham, and their cousin, Roy Davis Upham. The Uphams were descended from an early settler of Weymouth, John Upham, who had been admitted as a freeman in the town in 1635. Their great-great grandfather, Richard Upham, a trader based in Salem, eventually helped to settle Onslow, Nova Scotia. A family history described this branch of the Upham family as “gentle in their manners, intelligent and given to the acquisition of knowledge.” In the late 19th century, members of the family immigrated from Canada back to the United States, including the fathers of Albert, Sumner, and Roy.

Albert and Sumner were born in Dorchester; Albert on January 19, 1888, and Sumner on December 22, 1895. Their parents, Annie Jane Plummer of Dorchester and Robert Upham, married in February, 1887. The couple also had a daughter, Marion Davis, born in 1889, as well as two children who died in infancy: Harold born in 1893 and Jessie born in 1905.

By 1900, Robert Upham owned 96 Temple Street. He was a foreman in a chocolate factory, probably Walter Baker Chocolate. Albert and Sumner attended the Gilbert Stuart School on Richmond Street. As a teenager, Albert competed in cross country and track races for the North Dorchester Athletic Association. By 1910, he had begun working as a surveyor for a steam railroad. In 1912, he moved for a time to Chicago, where he was a civil engineer on a viaduct project for the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad.

Roy was the son of James Monroe Upham, Robert’s brother, and Mary Belle Grant, also from Nova Scotia. They married in 1889 and settled in Springfield, Massachusetts, where James worked at the Springfield Foundry Company. Roy was born in Springfield on March 2, 1895. He had two older sisters, Irene born in 1891 and Grace born in 1893.

In May 1899, James died in Springfield of perihepatitis, a liver disease. In 1900, Mary moved the family to Dorchester, to 2209 Dorchester Avenue. In March 1902, Mary died at the Cullis Consumptives Home in Grove Hall of pulmonary phthisis, or tuberculosis. Orphaned, Roy became a pupil at the Farm and Trades School on Thompson Island in Boston Harbor. The school, founded in 1833, was known earlier as the Boston Asylum and Farm School for Indigent Boys; students lived on the island which was accessible only by boat. By the time Roy attended, in addition to farming, students were prepared for trades including woodworking and printing. He graduated from the school in 1912, reading his essay “The Geology of Our Island” during the graduation ceremony. He was also a runner, competing in the 100-meter dash for the school.

In 1916, Roy was living with his cousins at 96 Temple Street, working as a helper at a business at 168 Purchase Street in Boston. A year later, when he registered for the draft in June 1917, he was still living at 96 Temple, but was now an ink mixer for the Geo. H. Morrill Company, which made printing and lithographic inks. Also still living at 96 Temple Street, Albert was an inspector of construction for the United States Government, Naval Department, in Hingham, Massachusetts. Sumner had recently moved to St. Clair, Michigan and was a stenographer for the city’s major industry, the Diamond Crystal Salt Company.

Sumner’s draft registration serial number was pulled during the draft lottery on July 20, 1917, making him one of the initial “Ten Million Young Men Called to Uncle Sam’s Aid by Lot.” At his physical he was found “physically fit and claims no exemption.” He was inducted into the Army on November 17, 1917, and trained at Camp Custer outside of Battle Creek, Michigan. On July 22, 1918, he sailed from New York on the RMS Carmania. In France, he served with the Headquarters Company of the 102 Infantry, 26th Division, and the Headquarters Detachment of the 85th Division, attaining a rank of Regimental Sergeant Major. On March 31, 1919, he sailed from Brest, France on the USS Agamemnon, arriving in Boston on April 7. He was discharged on April 22, 1919.

Roy was drafted and inducted into the Army in Mattapan on October 5, 1917. He served with F Company, 301st Infantry until March 19, 1918, when he was transferred to Headquarters Company, 301st Infantry. On April 1, he was promoted to Private First Class. He sailed for France from New York on July 8, 1918 on the RMS Cedric. He returned to the United States on April 18, 1919, sailing from Saint-Nazaire, France, with the St Nazaire Special Casual Company 658 on the USS Kroonland. He was demobilized and discharged on May 2, 1919.

Albert enlisted in the National Army at Camp Meade, Maryland on December 3, 1917, and was assigned to G Company, 23rd Engineers. He sailed for France on March 30, 1918, leaving from Hoboken, New Jersey on the USS George Washington shortly after making Private First Class. His engagements were at St-Mihiel and in the Defensive Sector. At the end of April 1919, he was transferred to C Company, Headquarters Battalion Army Service Corp. He returned to the United States with the Headquarters Detachment of the 23rd Engineers/Le Mans Casual Company, sailing from Le Mans, France on July 8, on the SS La Savoie. He was discharged on July 19, 1919.

After the war, Sumner returned to St. Clair and the Diamond Salt Company. On September 2, 1922, he married Frances Ellen Thompson, in what was “one of the prominent weddings of early fall.” A Michigan native, Frances had spent time in Massachusetts attending Pine Manor, then located in Wellesley, and Simmons School in Boston. After a honeymoon in Muskoka Lakes, Ontario, the couple lived in Nashville, Tennessee, where Sumner worked for the Ohio Salt Company. Later, he was a statistician with the Upjohn Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan, known for their easily digestible “friable pills.” Sumner and Frances purchased a home at 1444 Maple Street in Kalamazoo. They had two sons, Thompson Albert Edward born in 1928, and Jeremiah J. born in 1931.

Sumner became ill in November 1931, suffering for two months from “malignant endocarditis (sub acute), streptococcus viridans,” or an infection of the inner lining of the heart chamber and valves. He died on January 11, 1932, at New Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was buried in St. Clair’s Hillside Cemetery.

Roy married during the war. On June 7, 1918, about a month before he sailed for France, he wed Alice Constance Gordon of North Cambridge. Alice was a Red Cross worker and ambulance driver. After the war, they lived in Cambridge, where their son, Roy H., was born in 1920. They later lived with Alice’s family in the Allerton section of Hull. Alice died in August 1923, following an illness of three weeks.

After his wife’s death, Roy and his son continued to live with his in-laws in Hull. In the 1920s and 1930s, directories show Roy employed as a clerk and stenographer; on the 1930 census his occupation was reported as wool salesman. On September 9, 1936, he and his son were on the steamer New York when it collided with the steamer Romance, sinking it in outer Boston Harbor, near Graves Light.

In 1940, Roy married Mildred Leary McGrory, a widow with four children. Roy and Mildred lived at her home, 56 Chauncy Street in South Weymouth. On his World War II draft registration, Roy reported that he worked for the Norfolk Paint and Varnish Company of Norfolk Downs, North Quincy. Roy died suddenly on May 3, 1949. He was buried in St. Francis Xavier cemetery in South Weymouth.

In 1920, Albert moved to Hartford, Connecticut, then relocated to San Diego, California, where he worked as a civil engineer in the petroleum industry. In the early 1920s, he married Mary, originally from Washington, D.C., and in San Diego working for the Navy. During the war she had been a Yeoman (F) 3rd Class in the United States Naval Reserve Force. Called “Yeomanettes,” female Yeomen were enlisted in the Navy and received the same rate of pay as men. They generally served in clerical roles, though some held specialized positions.

Albert and Mary had three children: Robert, Alice, and Marjorie. In 1933, Albert and his family moved to San Anselmo, California. During this time, he was in charge of the Works Progress Administration program in Marin County. By 1943, Albert was working for Captain J.B. Lowell, United States Navy, Inspector of Naval Material in San Francisco. The Uphams moved to San Francisco in 1952.

After a long illness, Albert died in May 1969 in Fairfax, California. Some sources list his death as May 15, others as May 20. He was buried in Mount Tamalpais Cemetery in San Rafael, California.

Sources

Upham, F.K. Upham Genealogy: The Descendants of John Upham of Massachusetts: Who Came from England in 1635. Albany, NY: John Munsell’s Sons Publishers, 1892; Archive.org

Birth Records, Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts; Ancestry.com

Census Records, Federal, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930; Ancestry.com

“Happy Pupils,” Boston Globe, 26 June 1902: 3; “6028 Graduates in Boston Elementary Schools,” Boston Globe, 24 June 1904:4; Newspapers.com

Boston, Springfield Directories, various years; Ancestry.com

Death Records, “Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911,” New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston; Ancestry.com

“Maloney Lands East Boston Run,” Boston Globe, 20 April 1911: 9; “John Cook Captures Ten-Mile Race” Boston Globe. 2 July 1911: 14; “Nationals Beat M.A.A.A,” Boston Globe, 1 December 1911: 10; Newspapers.com

The Sportsman, “Live Tips and Topics,” The Boston Globe, 18 July 1912: 6; Newspapers.com

“Thompson Island Collection,” Digital Collections, Joseph P. Healy Library, UMass Boston, <https://openarchives.umb.edu/digital/collection/p15774coll3>

“Graduation Exercises Held on Lawn,” Boston Globe, 7/15/12: 2; “Water & Field Sorts,” Boston Globe, 7/5/12: 11; Newspapers.com

World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, National Archive and Records Administration; Ancestry.com

Service Record; The Adjutant General Office, Archives-Museum Branch, Concord, MA

Lists of Outgoing & Incoming Passengers, 1917-1938. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774-1985, The National Archives at College Park, Maryland; Ancestry.com

“Army Draft Is Now in Progress,” Times Herald (Port Huron MI), 20 July 1917:1;”Men Examined Today in District #2,” Times Herald (Port Huron, MI), 8 August 1917: 4; “St Clair,” The Times Herald (Port Huron, MI), 17 Nov 1917: 6; Newspapers.com

Applications for Headstones for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1941, Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985, Record Group 92. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C; Ancestry.com

Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867–1952. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Ancestry.com

“Matrimonial, Upham-Thompson,” The Times Herald (Port Huron, MI), 4 September 1922; 2; Newspapers.com

“Subacute Bacterial Endocarditis,” Wikipedia, 16 February 2019, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subacute_bacterial_endocarditis>

Death Records. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Lansing, Michigan, Ancestry.com

“Upham Services This Afternoon,” The Times Herald (Port Huron, MI), 13 January 1932; 14; Newspapers.com

Mrs. Alice G. Upham Dies in Allerton. Boston Globe. 20 August 1923: 3; Newspapers.com

“Hull,” Boston Globe, 21 September 1936: 12; Newspapers.com

“Romance (1936)” Graves Light Station <http://graveslightstation.com/shipwrecks-graves-light/romance-1936/>

Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration. Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group Number 147. National Archives and Records Administration; Ancestry.com

“Deaths,” Boston Globe, 5 May 1949: 29; Newspapers.com

“Obituaries” Daily Independent Journal (San Rafael, CA), 24 September 1970; 4; Newspapers.com

“Yeoman (F)” Wikipedia, 13 June 2018, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeoman_(F)>

“Deaths,” The San Francisco Examiner, 22 May 1969: 53; Newspapers.com

California Death Index, 1940-1997. Sacramento, CA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics; U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014; Ancestry.com

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Albert Lewis Upham, Dorchester, Roy Davis Upham, Sumner Bruce Upham, Temple Street, Uncategorized, World War 1 | Comments Off

Dorchester Historical Society

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: William Lawrie Reid

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: William Francis O’Brien

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Francis Edgerton Murdoch

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Russell Gilbert Munroe

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Richard Henry Moore

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Caleb Edward Moffitt

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biographies: Lorenzo Ripley, Joseph Ripley and Herman Ripley

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Dorothy Veronica Ryan

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biography: Lynwood Waldron Storer

Dorchester Illustration World War One Service Member biographies: Upham Brothers and Cousin

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