Ray O’Laughlin—Reforming My View of Our Family History

Today is the 115th anniversary of Raymond O’Laughlin’s birth. Ray was my great-uncle, and he was a nice guy.

By the time of my earliest recollection, Uncle Ray was in his seventies. He was my maternal grandmother’s brother. He lived with his two older sisters, “Mabe” and “Marge.” They shared one flat of their large house behind their South Buffalo corner store—at the intersection of South Park Avenue and Marilla Street. They were from a family of nine children; and, following the World War I death of his brother Frank, Ray was the only male.

What I remember most about Ray was that he liked horse racing. In that regard, he differed from his two roommate-sisters, who religiously played bingo (and his younger sisters who augmented their bingo with regularly scheduled poker games). In contrasting his hobby with that of his elder sisters, Ray was the source of my early economics and statistics education—communicating to me, in no uncertain terms, that playing the ponies was much more predictable and lucrative than bingo.

He was a nice old man, with good economic sense.

After his passing, at age 85, I started to understand that there was more to Uncle Ray.

At Ray’s funeral, the priest, referred to the departed as “James.” That seemed like an odd mistake, particularly from our pastor, who was not prone to such embarrassing slips. After the service, I mentioned the error to a family member, and it was explained to me that Father Stanton was probably technically correct because Ray may have changed is legal name from Raymond O’Laughlin to James Loughlin. This was because of some “trouble” he had gotten into as a youth, or was necessary when his brother-in-law helped him get a job on the railroad, or some combination of the two. An intriguing fact, but I did not expect to hear more details.

Two decades later, I started to research our family history. I stumbled across twenty-two year-old Ray’s WWI draft registration card. It was stamped EASTERN NEW YORK REFORMATORY. On the line for occupation, it listed “inmate Eastern New York Reformatory.” That was interesting. But, again, I did not expect to ever hear more details.

As additional context, I note that Ray’s mother, Mary Ann Calden, died when Ray was fourteen. A year later, the 1910 census identified Ray as a rivet heater in an oil refinery. By today’s middle class standards, extremely tough work for a fifteen year-old!

While searching old newspapers, I found an article mentioning Ray and my great-grandfather Patrick O’Laughlin. On 27 December 1911, the Buffalo Express ran the below notice titled “Court Lectures Youth.”

On request of the boy's father, Judge Maul in city court yesterday lectured forcefully to Raymond O’Laughlin, seventeen years old, of No. 98 Walter street….
Since October 29th, when he was arrested on his mother's complaint, he has been in the penitentiary. Yesterday his father, Patrick O'Laughlin, said he would sign a $1,000 bond if the judge would give the boy a severe lecture. Judge Maul agreed and Raymond was brought before him.

The complainant would have been Ray’s stepmother. It sounds like an unpleasant domestic scene, and apparently Ray spent his 17th birthday and Christmas behind bars. Ouch. (I wish I knew what my grandmother, who turned twelve during this interval, thought about this situation.)

The early life story emerging from these historical documents appears to contrast with the quiet, nice, great-uncle I knew. Is this dragging up irrelevant ancient history and harming the memory of Ray? No, I do not think so.

To me, this reinforces (on a magnified basis) that old cliché that no one is perfect, and, more importantly, that people change. It is good to forgive, but there is no lesson if we completely forget.

Ray turned out just fine. He lived a long, productive, life. His lifetime accomplishments certainly outweigh his youthful indiscretions. I am glad that I knew him. His life reminds me that we can all turn out fine, despite our hardships, failings, and poor choices. I will try to remember that lesson as my children grow and need forgiveness for their misdeeds. Or, when I need to forgive my own misdemeanors. I hope that I learn to be a nice old man.

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

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.