Sunday's Obituary ~ Henry Eric Purchase (1894-1961)

Here's another obituary from Nana's scrapbook. This one marks the passage of Henry Eric Purchase, the husband of my 1st cousin 3x removed, Lila Mae MacKay. Lila and my great grandmother were paternal 1st cousins.

Henry Eric Purchase (He was known as Eric as far as I can tell) was born on August 8, 1894, in Smethwick, Staffordshire, England, the only child of Henry Archer Purchase and Emily Hatton Cookson.  He first appears in the 1911 Census of Canada as a 17 year old lodger in Halifax.

He fought in World War I, first with the 193rd Battalion, and later as part of the "Fighting 25th" Battalion, Nova Scotia Regiment, of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces.*

He came to the States in time to be enumerated in the 1930 U.S. Census as a single 35 year old roomer, living in Chicago, Illinois. By the 1940 Census, he had married Lila Mae MacKay, daughter of John William MacKay and Emma Jane Deyarmond from Upper Stewiacke, and together they had two children, Jean aged 6, and Ian aged 4.

He also registered for the World War II draft.

For most of his post wartime life, he was a switchman on the railroad.

I don't know whether he and Lila returned to Canada in their later years. Even if they did not, it would not be unlikely that they wished to be buried down east.

Eric Purchase passed away in Otter Brook, Upper Stewiacke, and is buried in Riverside Cemetery, in Upper Stewiacke, Nova Scotia.

* For more on "The Fighting 25th," read:

Merry Hell: The Story of the 25th Battalion (Nova Scotia Regiment), Canadian Expeditionary Forces 1914-1919.

Sources:

1911 Census of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Halifax County, Henry E. Purchase, transcribed digital image, Automated Genealogy (http://automatedgenealogy.com/census11/View.jsp?id=7612&highlight=25&desc=1911+Census+of+Canada+page+containing+Henry+E.+Purchase) : accessed 1 March 2014).

1930 U.S. Census; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 440; Page: 16B; Image: 813.0, Henry E. Purchase.

1940; U.S. Census; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T627_948; Page: 14B, Henry E. Purchase.

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

"Public Member Trees," database, Ancestry.com, "Whatley Family Tree," for Henry Eric Purchase (b. 8 Aug 1894), with linked image.

“Stories of the Stewiacke Valley,” spiral-bound, published for the Stewiacke Valley Bicentennial, 1980

Honor Roll Project ~ The U.S. Marine Corps Memorial in Cincinnati, Ohio

As part of Heather Wilkinson Rojo's Honor Roll Project, I am, this year, again representing Ohio.  Each Veteran's Day, we try to find Honor Roll monuments and plaques around the country, some prominent and famous, others unknown or obscure. We transcribe the names in a blog post, thereby making the names searchable by most internet search engines.

In so doing, we provide a hint for genealogists and famiy historians searching for ancestors on the internet, and give them a glimpse into the military heritage of their family.

Stop by Heather's blog, Nutfield Genealogy, on Veteran's Day, November 11th, to see all the participants' posts so far, or visit our Military Honor Rolls board on Pinterest.

The U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, located in Lytle Park, in Cincinnati, Ohio, was built and dedicated on July 4, 1921.  It consists of a 500-pound bronze reproduction of the traditional Marine emblem, the globe, anchor, and eagle, sculpted by Sarah Ayers Kruthap, resting on a rough block of Beverly (Mass.) granite.

The inscription on the memorial states that the memorial was given to the City of Cincinnati by Dr. Benjamin Ricketts, in memory of all the Hamilton County marines who died in action during the World War, including his own son. It lists the names of 35 marines who died during World War I.

"In honor of the United States Marine Corps & the Marines of Hamilton County who made the supreme sacrifice in the World War"

The portrait depicts 

Corporal Merrill Laws Ricketts

XVIII Co., V. Reg., U. S. Marines

"FILIO PATER"

Defensive Sector * Aisne-Marne * St Michiel * Meuse-Argonne

In left and right columns, here are the names:

Walter S. Austin

Otmer O. Anderson

Walter H. Berger

Russell P. Blackham

Charles H. Boettcher

George W. Budde

Lovette L. Channell

James W. Costigan

Edward T. Danford

Robert B. Decatur

Henry E. Denham

James F. Duncan

James W. Easter

Ford E. Erdmann

Raymond Erhardt

Albert C. Gahr

Guy Gaynor

Edward C. Gehlert

Harry J. Gorth

Lyle C. Houchins

Elmer H. Hughes

Wilber H. Jeffries

Robert D. Johnson

Lyle B. Jones

Edward A. Koehne

Julius J. Latscha

William F. Lindsey

Raymond D. Lindsey

Leo P. Linneman

Albert R. Marshall

Joseph E. Miemann

Nicholas W. Miller

Charles A. Naegelen

James A. O'Brien

Neal O'Leary

Philip E. Patton

Earl L. Parrott

James F. Reynolds

John Roos

Henry Schmidt

Max E. Seal

Albert Silverston

Russell A. Stephens

Ulysess W. Upton

Albert C. Veid

Willard J. Wagner

Robert A. Waters

Henry Watson

William F. Welch

Leo Weschke

Charles M. Wintering

Eli Wittstein

The memorial also included a Marine drinking water fountain on the back side, when in its original park location, but after the memorial was relocated, it no longer works.

This memorial is now located on the southern tip of Lytle Park, overlooking the I-71 Expressway and Anna Louise Inn.  It is #8 on the map.

Additional info:

Dr. Benjamin Merrill Ricketts was a world-renowned surgeon, who founded Ricketts Hospital in Cincinnati. His son, Merrill Laws Ricketts, born in Cincinnati September 24, 1893, was killed in France on October 4, 1918, six weeks before the end of the war, 25 years old.

Merrill Laws Ricketts' military service records show his name as Langdon Laws Ricketts (His name was changed by his mother after his parents' divorce.). He is buried at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, but has a cenotaph in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati.*

* Find A Grave. Find A Grave Memorial # 26205779.  http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=RICK&GSpartial=1&GSbyrel=all&GSst=37&GScntry=4&GSsr=1761&GRid=26205779& Grave of Corp Langdon Laws Ricketts (1893-1918).

Maritime Monday ~ Lawrence Olsen, Merchant Marine Navigation Student

Pasted to the front cover of a scrapbook once belonging to my grandmother, Mattie Leighton Seavey (1906-1987) was this undated clipping from the Portland (Me.) newspaper, depicting a navigation class for would-be officers in the Merchant Marines.

According to the U.S. Merchant Marine website, this World War I training program began in June 1917, with headquarters in Boston. Within months, there were 43 schools in seaports from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon.

A 6-week program trained 1,500 deck officers during the first 10 months. However, as depicted in this newspaper item, a land-based, 4 -week course was offered to train engineering officers.  A total of 14,000 men received officer training between June 1917 and October 1920. 

Among the students pictured in this photo is Lawrence Olsen (spelled Oleson in the caption), in the foreground on the left, my great grandmother and Mattie's mother, Alice Lovell Olsen's second husband.

I haven't found any evidence that Lawrence ever served in the Merchant Marine. The 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses all list his occupation as "house painter."

From left to right, the men pictured are:

Augustus A. Scofier

John A. Peterson

Morris Kent

Frank W. Johnson

William H. Mason

Charles A. Gilmore

Capt. Frank A. Wilson, Instructor

Lawrence Oleson (sp?)

William A. McLean

Horace D. Griffin

Cincinnati, OH ~ World War I Honor Roll for Memorial Day 2013

I usually fill this space with stories about my New England and Maritime Canada ancestors. And, last summer, I wrote about the World War I monument in Bridgton, Maine, which lists my grandfather, Howard Seavey.

That story, and quite a few others, are part of an ongoing series started by Heather Wilkinson Rojo of Nutfield Genealogy, where genealogy bloggers are transcribing the names on Honor Roll monuments and plaques around the country, listing them in blog posts, thereby making the names searchable by various search engines on the web. This will enable genealogists and family historians to find their ancestors and build their family trees.

Since I work in Cincinnati, Ohio, I've decided to share the names on a World War I Honor Roll plaque located in the lobby of the federal courthouse, which used to house the United States Post Office. This post will be included on Heather's blog, under the tab Honor Roll Project.

This plaque is located on the right-hand wall just inside the east door of the

 Potter Stewart United States Courthouse in Cincinnati, Ohio.

WORLD WAR HONOR ROLL

1917     1918

George M. Ake

John L. Anthony, Jr.

Alfred G. Bach

Edward P. Bradstreet

Paul F. Bauer

Herbert G. Brunner

Raymond T. Bryson

Julius Block

Bernard Bryan

Edward L. Ball

Carl A. Barnhardt

Albert W. Beckman

Fred H. Busch

Wm. L. Dougherty

Edward Esterkamp

Edward E. Evans

Spencer G. Essell

Bernard H. Ebker

Thomas Flanagan

Ben A. Fangman

John J. Glenn

George H. Gravius

B.H. Goertemoeller

Herbert P. Herier

John G. Halpin

Jos. F. Hellmann, Jr.

Robert E. Hoffman

John E. Hendrixson

Jacob L. Haft

Percy H. Hawkins

Jos. J. Heltman

Hannibal Hull

Stanley J. Hill

Ernest G. Ingram

Daniel J. Joy

Mervon Jackson

Marion B. Kohlhepp

Fred H. Kipf

Wm. L. Kottmyer

Erwin J. Knecht

Cornelius J. Keating, Jr.

John T. Knoll

Harry W. Knight, Jr.

Alex. C. Piket, Jr.

Wm. G. Keck

Edwin H. Kinney

George F. Lindeman

Fred Linciman

Earl W. Lichtendahl

Wm. J. Morrissey

Joesph Moeller

Walter H. Moebus

Edward E. Mutschler

George J. North

Joseph A. O'Neil

Clarence G. Ruoff

Samuel F. Ridings

John Rath

Fred G. Rost

Charles Riesenberger

John F. Reinke

Edgar J. Roof

Emmett A. Stephenson

Joseph A. Sattler

Joseph A. See

Louis C. E. Schnelle

Wm. E. Sheppard

Edward F. Springmeier

Edwin W. Schneider

Harry W. Schweninger

Carlisle H. Snell

Edward Schulz

Rudolph G. Schmidt

Clifford C. Scheidt

H.L. Shoemaker

Edwin L. Turner

David F. Tippenhauer

Frank H. Trickler, Jr.

Emeran B. Tillan

James P. Timon

Frederick J. Vosseler

Fred J. Vance

Edwin W. Wright

Amos J. Woeber

Charles R. Welti

Geo. Weidmann, Jr.

Albert H. Westerkamp

Clarence W. Wagner

IN A RIGHTEOUS CAUSE THEY HAVE WON IMMORTAL GLORY AND HAVE NOBLY SERVED THEIR NATION IN SERVING MANKIND  1918

Woodrow Wilson 1917

ERECTED A.D. 1919 BY OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES OF THE CINCINNATI POST OFFICE

E.C. Shaw & Co. Cinti.,O.

An Interesting Footnote

A triumphal arch was constructed for the returning soldiers at the end of World War I. It was set up on the south side of 5th Street, across from the Post Office, now the courthouse, where this plaque hangs. In the photo below, the soldiers, marching east, are passing under the arch inscribed "Honor For Duty Nobly Done."

-- Photo copyright Don Prout of Cincinnativiews.net and used with permission

Bridgton, ME ~ World War I Honor Roll - Amanuensis Monday

This World War I monument stands at the northeast corner of the Portland Road and Main Street in Bridgton, Maine, on Rt. 302.

Bridgton World War Soldiers

Killed in Action

Allen, Leroy A.

Lopeman, Edward

Died in Service

Cross, Robert S.

Davis, W. Wallace

Reynolds, Earl

Stevens, John F.

Survivors

Abbott, George

Allen, Albion L.

Adams, H. Truman

Banks, Lawrence

Barker, Clarence

Bennett, Lester L.

Berry, Robert S.

Berry, Leroy

Berry, Donald

Blake, John H.

Burnell, Elmer E.

Burnell, Everett

Burnham, Harold N.

Chadbourne, George E.

Chadbourne, Delmar A.

Chadbourne, Clarence A.

Chandler, Perley G.

Cole, Alan R.

Cole, Philip P.

Cole, F. Owen

Childs, Elmer

Clark, Winton A.

Cockburn, David H.

Cockburn, John S.

Corson, Ben B.

Crosby, Leon

Davis, Arthur O.

Drowns, Philip

Douglass, Walter W.

Easton, Harold O.

Edwards, Charles C.

Emerson, Clifton A.

Emery, Charles

Evans, Herbert

Field, Robert L.

Flint, Lawrence

Fitton, Thomas

Fogg, Walter S.

Frisbie, Edward

Gallinari, Lazzaro

Gray, J. Frank

Gray, Robert

Gray, Homer

Gray, Luther S.

Gray, Lee G.

Greene, Melville W.

Haley, Aubrey

Halkett, Thomas

Heath, Maurice E.

Haggett, Russell B.

Hamblen, Maurice W.

Hamlin, James B.

Hamlin, William R.

Hayes, Harry H.

Hilton, Delos

Hill, Walter S.

Howard, Carroll P.

Ingalls, Everett P.

Ingalls, Ralph

Jensen, Christian M.

Kenniston, Frank

Kimball, George E.

Kimball, Ernest

Kimball, John

Knight, Charles F.

Knight, George

Knight, Robert R.

Knight, Samuel S.

Livingston, William T.

Larrabee, Raymond

Lombard, Herbert

Lopeman, Francis J.

Mabry, Irving E.

March, Ralph

Mayberry, Charles H.

Mayberry, Clarence

Mayberry, Ernest

Mead, Franklin

Merrill, Everett

Merrill, Gardner

Murphy, John

Moynihan, C. Leroy

Norton, Albert

Niceros, James T.

Oakley, Harry

Pembroke, William E.

Plunkett, Leo P.

Powers, Owen J.

Powers, James A.

Reynolds, Eugene

Richardson, Roland M.

Richardson, Rupert F.

Ridlon, Clifford L.

Riley, Rayburn

Robinson, Fred R.

Sargent, Roy

Sargent, Albert

Sargent, Edward

Sanborn, Willard C.

Sawyer, Roger

Seavey, Howard*

Smith, Glenn

Smith, Harry I.

Staley, Roy C., Jr.

Steadman, Donald

Stevens, Charles

Stevens, Ernest N.

Stevens, Victor R.

Stevens, Vivian

Stiles, Clifford

Thomes, Lawrence A.

Walker, Ernest

Weeks, Harold M.

Weymouth, Clarence

Weymouth, Charles H.

Weeman, William H.

Young, Oliver

Students Army Training Corps

Abbott, Harold K.

Chadbourne, Lyman H.

Clark, Merlin

Corson, Merton

Dunn, Gerald

Lester, Orlando

Walker, Carleton A.

*My grandfather