American Legion Francis O'Laughlin post No. 614 (Part 2)

My March 21st blog entry was about the possibility that an American Legion post was named in honor of my great-uncle, Frank O’Laughlin. At the time, all I had was a single 1919 Buffalo Express article, which indicated that a charter for a new Legion post had been presented. My immediate research plan was to contact Buffalo Fire Historical Society and the Legion's NY Historian. No response was received from the Buffalo Fire Historical Society. The Legion’s Historian did reply though.

In April, RJ Blevins—Historian, The American Legion, Department of New York—wrote. Unfortunately, Mr. Blevins informed me that Post No. 614 was in another part of New York, and bore a different name. Sadly, he wrote that he "cannot explain the newspaper article or the fact given of the charter being delivered.” Mr. Blevins was very nice, and polite, and provided me with names of current and past officials within the Erie County American Legion, who he felt, might be able to help me.

Despite Mr. Blevins’ kindly encouragement, I felt the Express article was a red herring, and most likely a dead-end.

Then…last week I received another letter from RJ Blevins! He had uncovered additional information. He discovered that, although post numbers are no longer reused, in the early years some numbers (such as this post’s) were reused. He wrote:

"The Francis A. O’Laughlin Post, No. 614 in Buffalo was chartered in 1919. The post was active about four or five years, then turned in their charter, around late 1923. The membership was low and the then officers, could not increase the said membership to keep the post active."

Well, maybe it is not a dead-end. So, I guess I will contact the individuals Mr. Blevins suggested at the Erie County Legion.







Note: Photograph courtesy of Lynn Dziak

A veteran’s birthday

Today would have been my father’s eighty-fifth birthday.

All my earlier blog entries have been about historical facts, or speculations, that I discovered through family research. Today is a bit different. I feel like writing about my father; and I cannot think of any facts that my family history research has revealed about “Doc.”

Dad’s name was Eugene Watts. He signed his name as “Eugene J. Watts,” but Joseph was not a middle name given at birth. It was his Catholic Confirmation name, which he bore with the pride that I am sure would have please the Bishop. When he was alive I did not know this, but Dad was not the first “Eugene” in the family. He had a granduncle with the same name; but I do not know if Doc knew that, or if Dad was named in honor of that gentleman. (So, I guess my family history research did give me some new fact about Doc—or at least his name.)

My father was a relatively quiet man, who very effectively and efficiently lived his life based on a few core principles. He was not loud or gregarious. He possessed a knack for economy of words, which is a trait that he did not pass along to his offspring. Although he did, surprisingly, leave us one poem, I have never seen a letter, diary, or story written by him. Never more than a crisp, factual, two or three sentence note. However, one day he felt compelled to leave a summary of his Army experience. This being Doc’s birthday, and with Veteran’s day having just past, I thought that I would share Dad’s characteristically concise chronology of his war experience.

Like many men of his age, and slightly older, Dad served in World War II. Moreover, like many of that number, his life was irreversibly changed by that service. In Doc’s case, there was a physical change, which the Veteran’s Administration categorized as a 40% disability—and a scar on this leg that was still pretty darn impressive three decades later. Although I have no real evidence as to how the experience changed him emotionally and spiritually, I have no doubt that it did—and that it therefore shapes me.


Anyway, the below words are my father’s. Hats off to him, and those he mentions, including my uncle Ralph “Juni” Watts, and Dad’s buddy Don Corrigan. We miss ya all.

--------------------------

Eugene Watts
USA #32929808
March 1943 – October 1945

Inducted March 30th, 1943
Fort Niagara—April 1st, 1943
Sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for basic training (75th Division)
First furlough—October 1943
Home of 5 day pass Christmas 1943
Maneuvers in Louisiana, January 1943
Start of journey “overseas”—to Camp Polk, La.
Then to Camp Mead, Md.
Next to Camp Shanks, NY
Left Port of New York 3:30AM March 23rd, on a “liberty ship.”
Landed Belfast, Ireland, April 4th
Based in Coleraine, Northern Ireland
Shipped to Bristol, England May 1944 (Westminster)
Left from South Hampton, England, and landed on Omaha Beach June 13th.
Assigned Company L—115th regiment, 29th Division.
In battles at St. Lo, Percy, St. Germain, Vire, and Brest, France.
Wounded at Brest, Sept. 12th, 1944, right leg broken by shrapnel.
(Sometime between St. Lo and Brest, had a visit from Ralph, whom I had not seen in almost two years.)
Sent to evacuation hospital in France, placed in a “body cast.”
Returned to England via L.S.T (Navy landing craft)
Move to Army hospital at Southampton, England.
Shrapnel removed from right thigh after infection developed.
Left Southampton Sept. 21st, 1944 and moved to 74the General Hospital at Bristol, England.
Traction applied.
While there had a visit from Don who was stationed in England with the Air Force.
Taken out of traction and again placed in body cast for shipment home.
Moved to 110th General Hospital for P.O.E. (point of embarkation)
(met Miss O’Mara here, she was an Army nurse from Buffalo—Mariemont St.)
Left the 110th on Dec. 6th 1944 Army hospital ship.
Hospital ship landed Charleston, S.C. Dec. 25th AM (Christmas)
Sent to Stark General Hospital. Called home from there Christmas morning.
Then sent to Battey General Hospital at Rome, Georgia.
Leg brace applied Feb. 1st, 1945
Home on furlough shortly after leg brace applied (Feb.)
Sent to Camp Edwards, Mass. For rehabilitation.
Home on furlough again in August.
Discharged from Army Oct. 30th 1945.
Again met Ralph, both coming home, discharged. His train from N.Y. made connections with mine from Mass., at Albany, N.Y.
(A strange coincidence to end this short story.)

John Potts — Cooper, Commissioner, Democrat...

Trolling through old Buffalo, New York, newspapers (on line), I see many references to John Potts as Water Commissioner.

Most likely, this is my mother’s father’s maternal grandfather. Unfortunately, I have not found any references to his home address, or any other fact that could confirm that this is my great-great-grandfather. However, one of my cousins assures me that there were no other known Potts families in the Black Rock section of Buffalo, so I am reasonably confident that this is my guy.

By trade, this second great-grandfather was a cooper—a maker of casks, barrels, and the like. He owned a business on Tonawanda Street, in Buffalo, NY. Apparently, he was very active in neighborhood politics.

First, a bit of history of the Water Works….

According to an 1860 Gazetteer of the State of New York, published by R.P. Smith:
“Lower Black Rock is supplied by the Jubilee Water Works with water obtained from the Jubilee Springs. It is conducted through wooden pipes, of which there are more than two miles laid…. The Jubilee Water Works Company was organized in 1827, with a capital of $20,000. At one time the company had 16 ml. of wooden pipe laid, fully supplying Black Rock and a part of Buffalo: but, while the increase of population created a greater demand for water, the supply from the springs diminished, and in 1845 the citizens of Lower Black Rock purchased the works and confined the supply to their own village.”

The above water district geography is consistent with John Potts’ Tonawanda Street home.

A bit more info was available from "A New Look at an Old Neighborhood: Historic Homes of Buffalo’s Linwood Avenue Preservation District 1820-1982” (excerpted on the Internet at http://www.buffaloah.com/h/buffalo/pollack.html)

“The Jubilee Water Works was the first Company to successfully supply water to the Village and later, the City….
Pump logs were laid from the spring to Black Rock, and later, along Main Street to the Canal basin….
Water was supplied to the families of Black Rock at the rate of seven dollars annually. Stores and offices were charged five dollars….
Another water supply supplemented the Cold Springs and the Jubilee Logs in the 1840's and 1850's….
Sentiment did not deter city officials from covering the springs when road paving was planned. The Cold Springs were thought destroyed in 1890, during construction of the Bird Avenue sewer. But recent excavations for the rapid transit system have revealed that a large quantity of cool, clear water is still running beneath the surface of Main and Ferry Streets. And the mouth of the Jubilee Springs is still visible in Forest Lawn Cemetery, marked with a plaque near the Main Street entrance….
At the turn of the twentieth century, Buffalonians were still drinking water from a branch of the original Jubilee Springs, which emptied into Jubilee Lake in Forest Lawn Cemetery.”

Probably more that anyone wanted to know about the history of Buffalo’s water supply. Surprisingly, there is more detail available on the internet! Anyway….

Searching newspapers, from April 1865 though January 1867, I found reference to John Pott(s) as Water Commissioner of the Jubilee Water Works. The name was usually spelled “Potts,” but occasionally “Pott.” All the Water Commissioner references were within Buffalo’s Common Council proceedings. A January 1866 item was the Annual Report of the Jubilee Water Fund, from Jubilee Water Commissioner John Pott to the Common Council of Buffalo. Several news articles reported John’s $50.00 quarterly salary.

So, apparently John Potts was politically active.

Along more partisan political lines, I found articles—from September 1866 and October 1867—mentioning John Potts as an officer of the Twelfth Ward Democratic Club. That is the ward where my Potts ancestors lived in the 1860’s. John Potts was also listed as being appointed to the 1863 Democratic “Vigilance Committee,” to watch the polls. I guess this branch of the family tree was not filled with Abraham Lincoln supporters. {Oh well, at least we kept the two party system alive.}

Moving away from politics, to business, I did find one other interesting lead. On 10 Sep 1885, the Buffalo Courier reported “The articles of Incorporation of the North Buffalo Permanent Savings and Loan association were files for record yesterday. The officers are: President, J. M. Simon; vice-president, Adam Thiel; treasurer, John Potts; secretary, Gottlieb Bealer; attorney, Henry Guenther.” I could not find any other references to the North Buffalo Permanent Savings and Loan association, but it may prove to be another interesting clue to our family history. Maybe.

The Case of the Missing Plumber

Here is an intriguing family history item…

I saw an interesting article about Frank Potts, a distant uncle from my mother’s side of the family. He was brother to my great-grandmother, Mary Ann Potts. Expressing it the long way, Frank was my mother’s father’s mother’s brother.


I do not know much about Frank. He was apparently my great-grandmother’s only brother (in a family of eight children). Professionally, he was plumber. He married Louisa Forness, who was from a prominent Black Rock (Buffalo) family. In 1879, they had a child. Unfortunately, Louisa died only two years later, at age 24.

Anyway, this article stunned me. On Sunday, May 17, 1896, the Illustrated Buffalo Express reported the following:

FRANK POTTS MISSING.

HE DISAPPEARED AFTER EATING HIS DINNER ON APRIL 30TH AND HAS NOT BEEN HEARD FROM SINCE.

Frank Potts, a master plumber, who has a shop on Niagara Street, near Hamilton Street, has disappeared. He has been missing from his home. No. 327 Amherst Street, since April 30th. At noon on that day be came home to dinner, took a short nap, then went away. He has not been seen or heard of since by his relatives. Potts Is 48 years old. He is a widower and has a daughter 16 years old. He lived with his mother, while his daughter lived with another relative. The police have been notified, and suggestions of foul play have been made. His home life is said to have been happy, his business good, his circumstances comfortable.

I do not know what happened, but I know that Frank was alive several years later. Therefore, apparently, the story has a relatively happy ending. Still, I would love to a subsequent newspaper article (or perhaps a police report).

Interesting, eh?

Civil War Frontiers: Niagara to Haiti

Joseph and Peter J. Watts were brothers to my second great-grandfather, John.

Joseph and Peter were the first WATTS (or should I say VAUTHRIN) family members born in the USA. Professionally, they were both brass finishers / machinists. Moreover, they both served in the US Civil War—which is what I will explore, a bit, today.

Peter J Watts was born in May 1838. By the outbreak of the civil war, he was a brass finisher, and Buffalo volunteer fireman.

In June of 1863, Peter was mobilized as a private in the New York State Militia’s 74th Regiment, Company G. This was a 30-day deployment. He participated in what is now known as the Gettysburg Campaign. He saw duty at Mt. Union, PA; and on 10 July was involved in a skirmish near Clear Springs, MD. On 14 July, the Regiment was ordered to New York City, to help suppress the draft riots. The Regiment mustered out on 3 August, but was then immediately reactivated and ordered to preserve the peace during Buffalo’s draft. The unit was relieved on August 22nd.

In November 1863, the 74th was remobilized for another thirty days, stationed in Buffalo, for “protection of the frontiers of the State.”

Older brother, Joseph Watts, was born in 1836. Before the war, he was a finisher for Colligon Brothers Eagle Brass Foundry. (It appears that owner, Frank Colligon, lived only a few doors away from the Watts family Ellicott Street home. Joseph’s and Peter’s brother-in-law was Frank COLLIGNON, and I wonder if this is the same family. However, that hypothesis can wait for another day.)

Joseph was in the Union Navy. On 9 July 1863, he began his commission as Acting Third Assistant Engineer. I do not know how he spent his initial months of service, but by spring 1864 Joseph was part of the North Atlantic Blocking Squadron, on board the steamer USS Southfield.

On 19 April of that year, on the Roanoke, near New Berne, NC, the Southfield was rammed by the Confederate ironclad CSS Albemarle. The Albemarle “tore a hole clear through to the boiler” of the Southfield—a result that could have been fatal to an Engineer! Luckily, Joseph survived the battle, and was picked-up by the USS Ceres.

On 21 October 1864, Joseph Watts was promoted to Acting Second Assistant Engineer. By January 1865, Joseph was serving on board U. S. Steamer Galatea, protecting merchant ships in the West India Squadron. He was based at Cap-Haitien, Haiti. (Given that Joseph’s parents were French, I assume he spoke French, which would be quite useful in Haiti.)

Joseph resigned his commission on 12 May 1865. He returned to Buffalo, but in 1870, Joseph moved to San Francisco. Around that same time, he married. Later he and wife, Margaret, had two children: Mary, and Joseph Adolphus. It appears that Joseph died in the 1920s.

Peter Watts married Catherine Blair, in 1866. They had three children: Joseph J.; Elizabeth; and Harry P. Watts. He appears to have been very active with the Buffalo Volunteer Fire Department and with politics in general. Peter died in 1901.

Monsieur Vauthrin?

The US Census records are consistent on the fact that my second great-grandparents were born in France. I am one-eighth French—12%.

I know that early Buffalo (my hometown) had French Churches. Due to a significant representation of Franco-Americans, the Buffalo volunteer fire department’s Engine 8 was know as “French 8.” There is a French and German Cemetery in nearby Cheektowaga. All this caused me to wonder about the community of French immigrants. Perhaps understanding more about their community, I could get some additional insights regarding my ancestors.

I posted a message on RootsWeb.com’s Erie County New York message board, mentioning some of my ancestors’ names, and indicating that I would be grateful for any insights about French immigrant society in mid-1800's Buffalo, NY.

Someone responded!

He provided some information about the small French community, and inquired about my ancestors’ religion. He also pointed out (the common reaction) that WATTS does not "look French." He wondered, “could it have been changed from something else?”

It turns out, that responder is professional genealogist, in Buffalo, specializing in Catholic families. His name is Glenn R. P. Atwell—and you would be amazed at the data he has compiled from Buffalo’s Catholic churches and cemeteries. Luckily, for me, Frenchmen with such an apparently non-French surname intrigued Mr. Atwell. I engaged Mr. Atwell for some brief but extremely insightful research, which proved a great investment.

It turns out that our family name was VAUTHRIN. How that became WATTS is still a mystery.

In later posts, I go into some details.

Passing of "Clarence" Siener

Clarence F. Siener, 42, assistant accountant in the Station Accounting bureau of the Auditor of Revenues department at Cleveland, died in hospital there on July 14. He was born at Buffalo and joined the Erie July 7, 1914 as messenger at Black Rock, NY. He was employed at Buffalo until Feb. 1, 1933, when he was transferred to Cleveland. He was a member of the Erie Railroad Veterans Association and lived at 1858 Allendale Avenue, East Cleveland.

Thanks to Google Books, I discovered the above notice, which appeared in a 1942 issue of Erie Railroad Magazine. The above photograph is Clarence (circa 1937) holding his son Richard, with wife Harriet in the background.

Clarence was my maternal grandfather. Officially, his name was Francis Xavier Siener, but I am told that his sisters (for reasons that are lost to time) nicknamed him “Clarence,” and it stuck.

He was born in December of 1899, which means he was fourteen years old when he joined the railroad.

Update on Calden surname

On March 9th, I wrote about my second great-grandfather “John Callinan, otherwise known as John Calden and John Callanan.”

Still a bit confused by the name variants, I was poking around the Web and stumbled upon the below comment.

“People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person’s name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than on person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Calden that are preserved in archival documents are Callan, Callanan, Caillan, Calan, Calanan, Callen, Callin, Callon, Callinan, Callinon and many more.” (www.Houseofnames.com)

So, I guess Calden, Callanan, and Callinan were not “aliases,” in the clandestine sense.

Yes, spelling variations make sense, but…to me that implies that the pronunciations of the variations would be similar, and the above list seems like a stretch. Of course, the written records would be based on one person speaking the name and another person hearing, interpreting, and spelling the name, so I guess a lot of interpretation is involved—which does not make my research any easier. Interesting though.

American Legion Francis O'Laughlin post No. 614 (Part 1)

On February 17th, I wrote about my maternal grandmother’s eldest brother—Frank O’Laughlin, who died while serving in World War I. He was a Private, in Company D, 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division.

Recently, through the Fulton Post Cards web site, I came across a fascinating news article. The following was in the Buffalo Express, Saturday morning, November 8th, 1919:

FIREMEN’S LEGION POST
~
War veterans of department form a branch of organization.
~
Members of the Buffalo fire department who served during the war have formed the Francis A. O'Laughlin post No. 614 of the American Legion. The post is named after the only member of the fire department who lost his life in battle. Francis O'Laughlin was attached to engine No. 10. The charter of post No. 614 was delivered yesterday afternoon by Acting Vice Commander Edward J. Lenahan of hook and ladder No. 8. A committee has been appointed to attend a meeting to be held this evening at the 65th regiment armory.
It is also planned to hold a local meeting of the Francis O'Laughlin post very soon, when it is expected that a big campaign will finally get all the service man of the department in this branch of the legion.

A Legion post named after my great-uncle?!? Fascinating! Odd that I had never heard this via the family grapevine though.

I scoured the Internet for more information; but I found nothing. I suppose the plans may have fallen through. Still, I am surprised that I could not find anything. My curiosity piqued, I have reached out to the Buffalo Fire Historical Society and the Legion's NY Historian.

Stay tuned for further details…

By any other name

I had difficulty finding much information on my second great-grandfather John CALDEN.

I suspected it would be difficult because I was not confident in how to spell his surname. Was it “Calden,” or “Caldon?” What other variations are possible? Moreover, I did not have neighborhood or occupation information to corroborate.

In addition to approximate surname spelling, what I did have was:

• John had a daughter named Mary (my great-grandmother);
• Mary’s married name was O’LAUGHLIN; and,
• they eventually lived in Buffalo.

As mentioned, John fathered Mary. In turn, Mary’s daughter Harriet O’LAUGHLIN gave birth to my mother. So, as I said, John Calden is one of my second great-grandfathers.

For Buffalo, the 1880 Census included John CALDON, living at 370 Catherine [sic] Street, with four children—including a daughter named Mary (age 18) , who would be about the right age to be my great-grandmother. The other children were: Jeremiah (22), Henry (16), and James (14). Currently, I do not believe that 370 Catherine Street is a Buffalo address, but 370 Katherine Street is only about one mile from the home of my great-grandfather Patrick O’LAUGHLIN, Mary’s future husband. So, this neighborhood would make sense! This John CALDON is a fifty-one year-old widower, born in Ireland. John reported his occupation as dock laborer.

Working backwards from this lead, in 1870, I found John CALDEN in Buffalo’s First Ward. That last vowel had changed, but the children’s names (James, John, and Jeremiah) indicated this might be my man. He is forty years old, and born in Ireland. Margaret CALDEN is reported as John’s wife. A decade earlier, the 1860 Census had a similar entry for John, Margaret, James, John, and Jeremiah CALDON. [The only oddity across these Census records is the son James. It appears that there may have been two James—one born about 1854, and another born around 1865. For the moment, I am inferring that the older James passed away in the early 1860s, and the next son became his namesake.]

Buffalo City directories also had several apparent relevant entries. In both 1881 and 1897, John CALDON is listed at 370 Katherine. An earlier, 1874, entry has the same name at 129 Catherine [sic] Street. Under the CALDEN spelling, there is a John at 140 Elk St., and 242 Elk St., in 1867 and 1869, respectively. Unfortunately, in each case, the occupation is stated as laborer, which is not very unique, and no family information is available. Although there is not sufficient evident to prove that these entries are all for my ancestor, these Elk and Katherine street addresses certainly could fit the pattern of a family moving through the first ward.

All together, the above is not a poor research showing, but some of the data is inconclusive, and the trail went cold.

One day I was pursuing the Fulton Post Cards web site, and entered the CALDEN name. I got a hit! Unfortunately, the PDF was difficult to read, but my mother [thanks, Mom!] acquired a clear copy from the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. On page 11 of The Buffalo Express, Thursday morning, June, 22, 1905, we found:

Citation for Judicial Settlement

The people of the state of New York, to Catherine Callinan, Mary O’Loughlin, Margaret Callinan, Anna Callinan, John Callinan, William Callinan, Mary Wallace Callinan, James Callinan, if he be living, and if dead his widow, heirs-at-law and next of kin, executors, administrators, assignees, devisees and grantees, if any there be, all of whose names, ages and places of residence are unknown and cannot after due diligence be ascertained, and all persons claiming to be such persons or corporations interested in the estate of John Callinan, otherwise known as John Calden and John Callanan, late of the City of Buffalo in the county of Erie, state of New York, deceased, as creditors, legatees, next of kin, widow.
You, and each of you, are herby cited, notified, and required to be and appear before the Surrogate of said County of Erie, at the Surrogate’s office, on the 31st day of July, 1905, at ten o’clock in the forenoon of that day, then and there to attend the judicial settlement of the account of John Major as executor of the will of said deceased. And that if any of the above named persons are infants, that they then and there show cause why a Special Guardian should not be appointed to appear, represent and act for them in the proceeding for such judicial settlement.
In testimony whereof, we have caused the seal of our Surrogates Court to be hereunto affixed.
(L.S.)
Witness Hon. Louis W. Marcus, Surrogate of our said County of Erie, at Buffalo,
N.Y. this 9th day of June, 1905 LOUIS B. HART
Clerk of the Surrogate Court
The account to which this proceeding relates is now on file in the office of the Surrogate and may be examined by any person or corporation interested.

John Callinan, otherwise known as John Calden and John Callanan? This might be the missing link.

The Mary O’Loughlin [sic] mentioned could well be my great-grandmother. As noted earlier, Mary defiantly had bothers named John and James.

In 1860 and 1870, we saw that John wife was named Margaret. Could that be the Margaret mentioned in the notice? From the 1880 Census, I was sure that Margaret, the wife, died before 1880, but perhaps John remarried. However, if this is my man, why was Jeremiah not listed?

The names Catherine, Anna, William are new to me though. Given that hers was the first name listed, my guess was that Catherine might have been John's second wife. Just a guess though.

Armed with these aliases, I took another pass at some of my sources. John CALLANAN was there!

The 1890 Buffalo City Directory shows John CALLANAN residing at 370 Katherine Street, and employed at the King Iron Works. Additionally, the 1900 Census lists John and Katherine CALLANAN at the same Katherine street address. (Apparently reinforcing my earlier guess regarding the “Catherine” mentioned in the above legal notice.) Katherine’s birth date appears to be July 1854; compared to John’s June 1827. The Census records that the couple has been married for sixteen years, which implies they were married around 1884. It appears consistent with a second marriage

The 1900 CALLANAN records also give new insights regarding immigration. John’s entry indicates he arrived in the USA in 1848 (at approximately age 21), and Katherine arrived in 1867.

I still do not know: what became of Katherine/Catherine, Jeremiah, James, or John’s namesake son. Nor have I identified Anna, William or Mary Wallace Callanan. The above legal noticed helped fill in some of the blanks. Still, I am not sure why a judicial settlement would be required. From what I can tell, John was a laborer, who could not read or write, and rented his home. Why would it be difficult to settle his estate? Moreover, the biggest question—why the aliases?

Very interesting, I think.

Black Rock to LA with Great-Uncle John Siener

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my mother’s, mother’s brother. Today, I introduce my mother’s, father’s brother—John George SIENER.

Similar to the previously mentioned great-uncle, John was an eldest son, who died far from his childhood home, without any offspring. Uncle John’s story, though, is very different from Uncle Frank.

John Siener was born 3 Jun 1884—the first born of George A. SIENER and Mary Ann POTTS.

My great-grandfather George was a Carpenter and Builder. John followed in the family business. The 1900 US Census lists sixteen year-old John G. Siener as “architect apprentice.” Ten years later, the Census describes John as a house architect, working on his own accord. At his 1918 draft registration, Uncle John reports himself employed by the Siener Building Company, of 76 Thompson St. Buffalo, NY.

An interesting artifact of John’s professional history is the above Buffalo Morning Express advertisement. Through the Old Fulton Post Cards cite, I found these ads in several Express 1905 and 1906 issues.

Upon seeing the above advert, my own brother posed an interesting question. Noting the telephone number, he questioned the prevalence of telephones in 1905. Was this common? Is it a sign of prosperity?

The 1918 draft card indicated that John was not married. However, by January 1920, the Census shows that thirty-five year-old John has wed. That same document lists Ida M. Seiner [sic] as John’s wife.

The 1920 Census indicates that Ida was born in New York; as was her mother. Her father was born in Germany. The California Death Index, indicates that Ida Seiner [sic] was born Ida Kaiser, on 29 July 1881. (The 1920 Census indicates that Ida was six years younger than John, but in fact it appears that she was actually three years older than John.) The California Death index also reveals her mother's maiden name—Miller.

The 1920 Census indicated another change too—John had left the Buffalo’s Black Rock neighborhood, and moved “Downtown.” Ida and John were boarders at 1200 Main Street, Buffalo. Although only a few miles from Black Rock, I am convinced that this was a significant move.

Well, I do not know what caused the migration, but (implied by the above California Death Index citation) the move downtown was only the first, minor step. By 1928, John and Ida had moved across the country, to Los Angeles, California.

Interestingly, after moving to California, John does not indicate his profession as “architect.” In the 1930 Census, John is recorded as a contractor. Over the years, in the California voter registration publications, he is variously listed as: contractor; builder; and carpenter. The 1930 Census indicates that John and Ida owned their home, so I guess they were doing OK.

John died 6 May, 1941. Ida passed away 16 March, 1946.

I cannot help but be curious though; I wonder what enticed them to go west.

Lake Erie ship carpenter

As mentioned, in passing, in my inaugural blog post, John B. WATTS was one of my great-great-grandfathers.

John was born in France, in 1822. I do not know precisely when the family emigrated, but John’s younger brother, Joseph, was born in the USA in 1836. By the 1840 US Census, the family settled in Buffalo, NY.

John's wife was Louisa. She was also from France. I do not, yet, know Louisa’s maiden name. Their children and birth years were:
George, 1846;
Mary, 1848;
Emily, 1848;
Eugene, 1851;
Joseph C., 1854;
Louisa, 1857;
John W., 1859; and
Julia, 1864.

As he is my great-grandfather, their eighth child, “John W.,” is of particular interest to me. It is also interesting to see the name “Eugene Watts,” as my father was apparently the namesake of this great-uncle.

Professionally, John B. Watts was a carpenter—-over the years, variously documented in census records and city directories as ‘joiner,’ ‘carpenter,’ and ‘ship carpenter.’ No success yet, but I hope to discover for whom he worked.

Apparently, great-great-granddad was also a volunteer fireman. Thanks to HeritageQuest Online, via my local library, I discovered Matt Endres History of the Volunteer Fire Department of Buffalo, NY (published 1906). Endres lists John Watts as member of Rescue Hook and Ladder No. 2—located at Washington and Huron. The company’s motto was “where danger lurks, there you will find us.” Buffalo's volunteers had a colorful history. The plot becomes complicated. A subsequent blog will address some details about Watts family involvement with the Buffalo Volunteer Fire Department.

Ellicott Street and then Hickory Street were the principle neighborhoods of John B. Watts’ Buffalo years. [Map on sidebar of this blog.]

John B. passed, at a relatively early age, in 1878.

Frank O'Laughlin--switchman, firefighter, doughboy, uncle

Frank O’LAUGHLIN is not one of my direct ancestors. To me, Frank is a great-uncle. He was my mother’s, mother’s brother. Regrettably, we never met.

Officially named Francis O’LAUGHLIN, he was born 26 December 1890. Frank was the second child, and first son, to Patrick O’LAUGHLIN and Mary Ann CALDEN. In 1890, according to the Buffalo City Directory, the O’LAUGHLINs lived at 129 Selkirk Street, and Patrick, Frank’s father (and my great-grandfather) was a Lehigh Valley Railroad fireman.

By 1910, the twenty-year-old Frank was apparently following his father’s footsteps—the census listed Frank as a railroad switchman. However, by 1917, a career change had occurred. Frank’s draft registration card (dated 5 June 1917) shows that he had become a City of Buffalo firefighter. He was attached to Engine 18, on Fillmore Avenue.

{On a side note, Engine 18 was disbanded in 2002. The facility, now know as “Annex 18,” lives on, though. It is currently used by the Buffalo Fire Department Training Bureau.}

Completing the above-mentioned Draft Card was a turning point. Frank was drafted, and became a Private, in Company D, 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division. The unit’s WWI history is chronicled in From Upton To The Meuse With The Three Hundred And Seventh Infantry A Brief History Of Its Life And Of The Part It Played In The Great War, by W. Kerr Rainsford.

Sadly, on page 288, Rainsford lists “O'Loughlin, Frank” [sic] among the “2,692 major casualties—or deaths from wounds, and wounds judged to be more or less permanently incapacitating for service.”

Page 576 of History of Buffalo and Erie County, 1914-1919 (which I found on Ancestry.com), lists Private Francis S. O’Laughlin was wounded in action (“WA”) on 6 September 1918. Under the heading of “Our Heroic Dead,” an entry on page 503 indicated that Private Francis S. O'loughlin [sic] of Company D., 307th Infantry, died of wounds, in France, 21 October 1918. I cannot explain the variation in surname spelling, but I assume both entries refer to my great-uncle, Frank O’LAUGHLIN.

I have not seen it, but if you are ever in New York City, you can find a Central Park grove dedicated to the 307th Infantry. The Memorial Grove was dedicated in 1921, to the WWI veterans of the 307th Infantry who perished in France. Off Fifth Avenue, near 67th Street, is a two-acre site with a stone monument and fourteen tree-based monuments. There, you should find a plaque for Company D, memorializing Frank O’LAUGHLIN, and his regimental brethren.

France to USA -- Havier and Catherine GUERRE

It seems reasonable to devote my first blog entry to my oldest, currently identified, ancestors. They are Havier and Catherine GUERRE—two of my fourth great-grandparents.

Specifically, though verbosely, Catherine and Havier were my father’s, father’s, father’s, father’s, mother’s parents. The Guerres had, at least, a daughter—Frances (b:1798). She married Joseph WATTS (b:1796), and one of Frances and Joseph’s sons was John B. WATTS (b:1822). I do not know what towns, or regions, but all of the above-mentioned folks were born in France. In the early-to-mid 1830’s, Joseph, Frances, and John WATTS moved to the United States, and settled in Buffalo, NY. John B.’s children included, John W. WATTS, (b:1859) who, in turn, fathered Ralph WATTS (b:1896). Ralph’s second son, Eugene (b: 1923), was my father.

But, getting back to the Guerre family…as mentioned Catherine and Havier were French. Unfortunately, I know nothing about their lives in France. I do not even know Catherine’s maiden name.

What I do know is that, following their daughter’s example, Havier and Catherine emigrated to the USA in 1844. Apparently, they traveled on the S.S. Iowa, arriving in New York City on 26 September 1844.

That means that at ages seventy-seven (72) and sixty-six (66), Havier and Catherine traveled, and eventually settled, over 3,500 miles from home.

I believe that the transatlantic voyage would have taken roughly one month—just to arrive in NYC. Then they were on their way upstate. It is hard to imagine now, but in the 1840’s Western New York was largely “frontier.” If they were wealthy, Havier and Catherine could have taken a train. Just a year earlier, in 1843, Wells-Fargo Express began operating—the first express railroad service between Albany and Buffalo. As an express, it only took twenty-five (25) hours. Of course, the $11.50 fare may have been a bit steep. Perhaps Catherine and Havier traveled via the Eire Canal. Instead of twenty-five hours, barge would have been six days from Albany to Buffalo—most likely a total of nine days travel from NYC to Buffalo. So, the Guerres apparently left France in late summer, and arrived at their daughters’ home in mid-October. They arrived just in time for winter in Buffalo.

The 1848 Commercial Advertiser Directory for the City of Buffalo shows “Xavier” GUERRE living at 144 Ellicott Street (the same address as Joseph WATTS). Interestingly, the then seventy-six year old Havier/Xavier is listed as a “laborer.” At 148 Ellicott St., twenty-six year old carpenter, John WATTS lives next door to his grandparents and parents.

At the age of eighty-one, Havier passed away on 10 September 1853. He was buried at St. Joseph’s cemetery, and later reburied in United German and French R.C. Cemetery.

Catherine thrived another dozen years. She lived long enough to see, among many other things, a grandson and great-grandson return from the US Civil War. At age eighty-eight, Catherine died 12 April 1866.

As you can see above, I do not know much about my great-great-great-great-grandparents. I know they came from a place foreign to me, and at advanced age moved to a land foreign to them.