THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN - Edward Rose

I was in Rosehill Cemetery this past Saturday working on a Find a Grave photo request looking for the grave of a woman with the infamous name of Frankenstein.  It was a beautiful Fall day in Chicago and Rosehill is filled with trees that are changing color and shedding their leaves.  I never was able to locate the grave of Miss Frankenstein but I did come across a grave that was marked in an unusual way. Stuck into the ground next to the grave of  Edward Rose, 1838-1921 was a marker that said "Confederate Veteran CSA".    

If you travel through the southern part of the United States you will see a lot of monuments to the Confederacy and to those who gave their lives for its cause, but it is very unusual to come across any mention of the Confederacy in Chicago.  In fact, in all my grave hunting in Chicago I have only come across one other mention on a tombstone of the CSA and that is Simon Fleishman's monument in Mt. Maariv (now Zion Gardens) Jewish Cemetery:

Back to Edward Rose.  He was born February 22, 1838 in Blieskastel, Germany, the son of William Ralph Rose and Babette nee Constadt. Edward was the grandson of Rabbi Leopold Isaak Rose of Gruenstadt, Germany.  Edward came to the United States on October 25, 1853 aboard the SS City of Manchester, from Liverpool, England.  He did not become a naturalized citizen until May 2, 1901, and there is no evidence that he participated in the 1860 Census.  In 1861 he was living in Troup County, Georgia, and because his sympathies lay with the Confederacy, on April 26, 1861 he enlisted as a Private in Company B, 4th Infantry Regiment, Georgia. Edward Rose's participation in the war was short-lived because he received a disability discharge on October 5, 1862.

 The 4th Infantry Regiment, Georgia, of the Confederate States of America was mustered in at Augusta, then proceeded to a rendezvous at Richmond, Va., and to elect officers.  On the 13th of June 1862 this regiment was on picket duty on the Williamsburg Turnpike about six miles from Richmond, and was attacked by a scouting party of the Federal Army. A brisk skirmish ensued on the left of this regiment in which the Federals lost seven killed, thirteen wounded and one captured. The Confederate loss was none. On the 25th of June while on picket duty, the 4th Infantry Regiment was attacked by the Federals early in the morning. Considerable skirmishing ensued, which kept up all day and in the evening became general along the line, when the 4th charged the Federals, driving them back with great slaughter. The losses in the 4th Regiment were seven killed, five missing, and forty wounded. On the 27th of June 1862, the regiment left camp, advanced and marched in pursuit of the Federals and on the 30th was present, but did not engage in the action at Frazier's Farm, Virginia.

From the time Edward Rose enlisted in April of 1861 until he was discharged in 1862, in addition to the actions listed above, the 4th Infantry Regiment was involved in the following battles:

Seven Pines (skirmish) - June 15, 1862

Seven Days Battles - June 25 - July 1, 1862

Beaver Dam Creek - June 26, 1862

Gaines' Mill - June 27, 1862

Malvern Hill - July 1, 1862

South Mountain - September 14, 1862

Antietam - September 17, 1862

In all likelihood, Edward Rose was injured at the Battle of Antietam. When I was in school they led us through all the battles of the Civil War, but here is a little refresher on the Battle of Antietam (called the bloodiest battle of the Civil War):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Antietam

Although the war ended for Edward Rose in October of 1862, it did not "officially" end until 1865.  After Rose's discharge, he returned to New York and on May 6, 1866 he married Kunigunde Kirshberger.  

The 1870 census shows the Rose family living in New York City:  32 year old Edward, 26 year old Kunigunde,  4 year old Isobella, 2 year old Amanda and one year old Lidia, however this was soon to change.

The Great Chicago Fire (October 8-10, 1871) had barely been extinguished, when Edward packed up his little family and moved to Chicago.  The 1880 Census shows the Rose family living at 3241 Wabash Avenue.  In addition to Edward, Kunegunde, and daughters Isobella, Amanda and Lidia, there is now 8 year old Willie, 4 year old Alice and 3 year old Matilda.  The Rose family must have been doing well, because they also had three live-in servants.  Edward listed his occupation as "Bookkeeper".

As I mentioned above, Edward did not become a naturalized citizen until May 2, 1901, but that did not prevent him from acting like one.  In 1880 he attached his name to a petition asking the Republican Party not to nominate Ulysses S. Grant for the presidency.  You can take the Rebel out of the South, but...    

In 1889, Mr and Mrs. Edward Rose were mentioned as attending the opening of the new clubhouse for the Standard Club.  In 1890 Edward Rose is listed as one of the officers of the upcoming 1892-1893 Worlds' Fair in Chicago, and on August 7, 1890 Edward Rose is mentioned as the newest member of the Chicago Board of Education.  

A scandal rocked the Rose family as reported in a Special to the Chicago Daily Tribune of September 15, 1890:

JEW AND GENTILE WED

William Rose Elopes From Chicago with Miss Nora Clowde.

An Angry Father Avoided.

The Young Couple Succeeded in Evading Their Pursuers.

Married by a German Minister.

Interview Between the Runaways and the Groom's Parents.

The Boy's Father a Millionaire.

Milwaukee, Wis., Sept. 14.-[Special.]-An elopement which will create a sensation in Jewish circles in Chicago terminated in a marriage here Friday afternoon, the particulars of which leaked out tonight, although every effort was made to keep the affair a secret.  It is the marriage of a Jew and a Gentile.  The groom is William R. Rose, the only son of a prominent Jewish family of Chicago, his father being Edward Rose, of the firm of Strauss, Goodman, Yondorf & Co., wholesale clothiers at No. 105 Monroe street, while the bride, a Christian, is Miss Nora L. Clowde, the daughter of a humble boarding-house keeper at No. 771 West Van Buren street, Chicago.  An effort will probably be made to have the marriage annulled, as neither of the young people is of age, as recognized by the matrimonial laws of Wisconsin, Rose being but 18 years and his wife 20.

The young couple, who were lovers for some time, left Chicago Friday morning for this city.  Their trail was discovered in some way by Mr. Rose Sr., who arrived here on the next Chicago train, accompanied by a Pinkerton detective.  But young Rose suspected that he might be followed and registered with Miss Clowde at the Republican House under assumed names, as brother and sister, from Louisville.  Their stay at the hotel was short, but almost long enough to spoil their plans, for hardly had they left the hotel to have the nuptial not tied when the father of the young man recognized in the fictitious names on the register the handwriting of his son.

While the father and the detective were endeavoring to trace the young couple from the hotel, the Rev. J. J. Siewert, a German Lutheran minister was pronouncing the words which made William R. Rose and Nora L. Clowde man and wife.  The marriage ceremony took place in the parlor of the minister's parsonage at No. 2510 Center street.  Failing to find any further clew to his erring son, Mr. Rose and the detective returned to the Republican House Friday evening expecting that the young couple would return there.

Successfully Evading Pursuit.

But in this they were disappointed,for instead of returning to the Republican House young Rose took his wife to the Kirby House, the same hostelry where young Aubrey and his wife spent their honeymoon.  Here again Rose, in order to avoid detection, registered under an assumed name, but this time as man and wife.  After hours of waiting at the Republican House Mr. Rose Sr. and the detective concluded that the young couple might have returned to Chicago on an evening train, and at midnight they retired for the night, leaving orders with the hotel clerk to be called promptly should the young couple come in.  Thus only a few blocks apart the father and son spent the night, each believing the other to be in Chicago.  As Saturday morning developed no new clew at the Republican House Mr. Rose Sr.returned to Chicago expecting to find his son there, but the Pinkerton man was left here to await advices from Chicago.

Saturday afternoon word came by wire from Chicago that the runaway couple had not returned, and the Pinkerton man resumed his search with local detectives.

Last night the young couple were located at the Plankinton House,where they were registered as E. Roth and wife.  Late in the evening they had changed from the Kirby House and by request were assigned the bridal chamber at the Plankinton.  They were left undisturbed for the night.  A message sent to Chicago brought the elder Mr. Rose back from Chicago this afternoon.

The Couple Arrested.

The irate father had the young couple summoned before him at the Central Police Station, and the meeting between the father and son is aid to have been anything but pleasant.  The father told his son that he had made the biggest mistake of his life,and then followed a long talk between the father, son, wife, Pinkerton man, and Chief Janssen.  Just what transpired the police refused to divulge, in fact they are reticent about the entire proceeding.  It is said, though, that an attempt was made to compromise between Mr. Rose Sr. and his new daughter-in-law.  But it was apparently without result, for the son and his wife returned to the hotel accompanied by the Pinkerton man, while the father  remained at the station,where he met his business partner from Chicago, who arrived tonight to give consolation to the nearly brokenhearted father.

The parting at the station between the father and son is said to have been with the understanding that all should return to Chicago on the 3 o'clock train in the morning.  That there might be no further maneuvering on the part of the son among the Milwaukee hotels the Pinkerton man was detailed at the hotel to watch him.  Young Rose is a tall, dark-complexioned young fellow and might easily be mistaken for at least 21 years instead of 18 that he is.  His wife is a pronounced blonde,plump in figure and with a pretty face.  She has lived but a short time in Chicago, her former home being in Ada, O.  Being deserted by her husband her mother removed to Chicago and opened a boarding-house at No. 771 West Van Buren street, where she was assisted by her daughter.

The Rev. J. J. Siewert, who performed the marriage ceremony, said that the young couple drove up to his house in a carriage about 5 o'clock Friday afternoon and asked to be married.  They represented themselves to be of age, and said they had met here while visiting in this city.  Rose gave his residence as Evanston, while Miss Clowde represented her home as Ada, O.  He had not noticed, he said, that there was the contrast of Jew and Gentile in the young people, and as he believed they were telling the truth, he did not question them closer. William Helm, a neighbor, and the minister's wife witnessed the ceremony.

It gets worse:

THE FATHER WILL NOT RELENT

Young Rose and His Bride Must Buffet with the World Alone.

It looks as though the regulation lecture and final forgiveness that usually follow on the parents' part when young people have got married without saying "by your leave" to the old folks were not to be meted to young William R. Rose and his bride.  Mrs. Rose Sr., like most mothers on the stage and in real life, too,  for  that matter, will probably be in a molting mood in a few days and be glad to get her erring son back into the family fold, even with the annex of a Gentile daughter-in-­law; but Father Rose appears to have set his face against his son. 

“The boy will have to look out for himself now," said Mr. Rose  yesterday, "He  blazed his path, and that trail he must follow.  My son thought that he was old enough to select a wife without consultation with his parents, and if he were of sufficient age to do that he must know what the responsibilities are of marriage and how to shoulder them.

“He was employed by a firm of which I am a member and I won’t say positively that he cannot return to work, but the chances are that he must go elsewhere.  I  went  to  Milwaukee to try  to prevent the boy from acting like a fool,  but I failed to  succeed.  I shall do nothing towards trying to annul the marriage, but shall simply let  the young people alone.  They have returned from Milwaukee, I believe, but of their whereabouts I know nothing."

The mother of the bride, Mrs. Minnie Cloud lives in an upper flat at No. 772  West Van Buren street, and is a dressmaker. She expressed herself  yesterday as much surprised at her daughter's marriage, but did not appear  to feel particularly worried about it.

Mrs. Cloud said that her daughter was employed at a Building and Loan Association office at No. 194 La Salle street, and had been boarding on Wabash avenue at no great distance from the Rose homestead.

"Now that they have married,” she continued, “I hope they will be happy.”

A call was made at the residence of Mr. Rose last night for the purpose of obtaining a clew to the whereabouts of the young couple but no amount of dallying with  the door-bell could induce the inmates of  the  house to respond.

MILWAUKEE, Wis., Sept. 15.-[Special.]­

William  Rose, the young Chicagoan who eloped to Milwaukee and was married, returned to Chicago this morning with his bride, his father, and the Pinkerton detective who located the young couple in this city.  Mrs. Rose was rather displeased at her young husband for giving up their marriage certificate to his father, as she thought it rightfully belonged to her.  She thought she saw in this movement on the part of the senior Mr. Rose in an attempt to force her to a compromise so as to allow her husband to return to his parental home without her.  Young Rose, in relating his experience at the hotel, told of how he had called on nine different ministers before getting one to perform the marriage ceremony.

Chicago Daily Tribune - September 16, 1890

Despite his family problems, Edward Rose's business was thriving. Here is an announcement from the Chicago Daily Tribune of December 31, 1890:

Again, as a taxpayer, although not yet a voter, on November 10, 1894, Edward Rose added his name to a list of local merchants who thought that the United States Senator from Illinois should live in Chicago.

On a happier note, on September 3, 1897, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Rose announced the engagement of their daughter Miss Mattie Rose to Mr. Charles B. Stafford of this City.  It was not noted whether Mattie's brother William would be attending the wedding...

In 1899 Edward Rose joined many other prominent Jews of Chicago in persuading Dr. Emil G. Hirsch to remain as rabbi of The Chicago Sinai Congregation for life.  Rabbi Hirsch had already been at Sinai for nineteen years.

The Chicago Daily Tribune of February 19, 1908 announced sad news for the Rose family:

MRS. KUNIGUNDE KIRCHBERGER ROSE, wife of Edward Rose, 4710 Grand boulevard, died at Pass Christian, Mississippi, yesterday of pneumonia.  She was 64 years old and left five children - Mrs. C. D'Ancona, Mrs. C.B. Stafford, Mrs. H.L. Swarts, Miss Alice Rose and W.R. Rose, all of Chicago.  Funeral services will be held in Furth's chapel, Thirty-fifth street and Grand boulevard, tomorrow at 9:30 and will be followed by the interment at Rosehill.

After the death of Mrs. Rose, the Chicago Daily Tribune on August 26, 1908 announced that "Edward Rose, 4710 Grand Boulevard, and his daughter Miss Alice Rose are in Europe and plan making an extended visit to various places of interest before their return."

In the years following the death of his wife, Edward seems to have given up most of his outside activities.  The 1910 census shows him living alone at the Chicago Beach Hotel, 51st Street at Lake Michigan.  

Postcard courtesy http://chuckmanchicagonostalgia.wordpress.com

By the 1920 Census, 81 year old Edward Rose was living at the North Shore Hotel in Evanston.

Postcard courtesy http://chuckmanchicagonostalgia.wordpress.com

The story of Edward Rose ends March 16, 1921.  From the Chicago Daily Tribune of March 17, 1921:

Edward Rose, immigrant, soldier, merchant, good citizen, husband and father - may he rest in peace.

And what of William Rose, who ran away and married Nora Clowde? We'll let William's obituary from December 31, 1913 tell the story:

ROSE - William R. Rose, Dec. 29, 1913, beloved husband of Nora L. Rose, father of Irene, Lydia, and Edward.  Funeral private, Wednesday, December 31, at 10 a.m. from late residence, 5014 Blackstone-av. Burial Rosehill. 

Sometimes love does conquer all.

THE TWO LIVES OF AN EVANSTON BUILDER - Ward Hansen Hanford

Many people dream about starting over.  Often when they look at where life has brought them, they wish they could begin anew - in a different place, and even with a different spouse.  This is the story of someone who did just that, but took it a step further - he even changed his name!

Ward Daniel Hansen was born March 26, 1892 in Evanston, Illinois to 25 year old John M. Hansen and his 22 year old wife Sadie (nee Janneson).  John Hansen was a carpenter and both John and Sadie had been born in Wisconsin - John in Scandanavia, and Sadie in Ogdensberg.  

Ward was the second child born to the Hansens - he joined his brother Bly B. Hansen who was born in 1890.  The 1892 Evanston City Directory shows that the Hansens lived at 156 Asbury Avenue.  156 Asbury is now the site of an apartment building built in the 1960s.

By 1900 The Hansens had moved to 43 N. Pine Street in Chicago.  

43 N. Pine Street, Chicago

The 1910 Census showed that the Hansens had moved again - this time to 6315 N. Hermitage in Chicago.  6315 N. Hermitage was a single family home in 1910 - today there is an apartment building on the spot.

On October 7, 1916, twenty-three year old Ward Hansen was married to eighteen year old Theresa Berg by Rev. Clarence Haugen, a "Minister of the Gospel" in Chicago, Illinois.  On June 2, 1917 Ward Hansen registered for the draft.   He listed his address as 6315 N. Hermitage - the newlyweds must have moved in with Ward's parents. Interestingly he listed his occupation as "Farmer" and said that he worked in Crandon, Wisconsin.

By the 1920 Census 28 year old Ward Hansen listed his address as 3833 N. Southport, 

3833 N. Southport, Chicago

but he appears to be living alone.  There is no wife or children listed for Ward, although he did tell the census taker that he was married.  He gave his occupation as "Carpenter" and the industry as "Outside Work".  

Ward must have gotten back with his wife Theresa at some point because their son, Richard Warren Hansen was born September 30, 1922 and their daughter Shirley was born April 8, 1926.

It is about this time that Ward Hansen decided to take part in the building boom of the 1920s - especially the housing boom in South Evanston.  

In 1923 the Chicago Rapid Transit Company announced that it would be constructing an extension of its  service from the Howard Street Terminal to downtown Skokie (or Niles Center as it was known then). In the Evanston News Index article that announced the start of construction (April 18th, 1924) they noted, “The route of the new railroad is an almost straight line about midway between Howard and Oakton streets”.  This extension was projected to cost $3,000,000 and would in fact be below grade throughout most of Evanston, as a condition of the permission of the Evanston City Council. The plan was to have stations at Ridge, Asbury, and Dodge in Evanston and ornamental concrete bridges would span the railroad right-of-way at Clark, Custer, Ridge and Asbury Avenues, while at Dodge Avenue the railroad would be elevated, the roadway running through beneath it.  The aim they announced was to “avoid grade crossings as much as possible”.

Construction started the first week of May, 1924 after a blue ribbon “first shovel” ceremony at Ridge Avenue and Case Street.  Attendees included Evanston Mayor Harry B. Parsons, Mayor John E. Brown of Niles Center, and R. Floyd Clinch of the Chicago Rapid Transit Company.  Local newspapers noted that “Extension Sets Off a Boom In South Evanston” (Evanston News Index April 22, 1924) and further mentioned that “At the southern extremity of Ridge Avenue, Howard Street and Asbury Avenue (there are) more than a dozen real estate offices, some with banners placed at intervals…(that) blaze forth the possibilities that lie before those who buy now”.  “In anticipation of the development of better transportation facilities for Southern Evanston, many new homes with spacious lawns have been erected in the last year (1923) east and west of Ridge Avenue in the south.  Applications for the erection of sewer and water connection in that section of the city are coming in at a rapid rate.” And finally “Howard District ten years ago was a prairie of waving flowers – today it is throbbing with business.”  In fact, a full page ad taken out by Krenn & Dato – Exclusive Agents for Mrs. Rockefeller-McCormick Properties went so far as to say “You can get rich here”.

Three new elevated stations were built in South Evanston with the completion of the new Niles Center elevated extension.  As mentioned above, they were built at Ridge, Asbury and Dodge Avenues.  “The stations will be the last word in architectural beauty and stability”, officials of the railroad announced, and a staff of architects headed by Arthur U. Gerber was hired to design the stations and also the bridges over the depressed tracks.  Every aspect of this project was to be “first-class”.  The railroad announced that “the bridges will also be architecturally beautiful as well as strong enough to handle the rapidly increasing traffic of the North Shore.  The bridges will be of concrete, with concrete paneled railings, sidewalks on either side of the street and street lamps along the walks.”  Even the right-of-way was to be improved with fences, hedges and grass banks so as to constitute an asset to the neighborhood and present a pleasing appearance both from the train windows and from the street above.

In fact, as had been predicted, there was a direct correlation between the increased settlements and increased property values near the new rail line.  Samuel Insull, chairman of the board of the Chicago Rapid Transit Company and of the gas and electric light companies said in late 1924 that “when the right-of-way was acquired land in that vicinity was about $1,000 an acre; when definite announcement of the line was made the price doubled; when construction began there were transfers at $6,000 and $7,000 an acre.” And in November of 1924 a sale of 15 acres along the extension route in Evanston went for the unheard of sum of $8,000 per acre.  Furthermore, D.H. Howard, the engineer in charge of constructing the new lines announced in early 1925 that he planned to take up permanent residence in Evanston – at 142 Ridge Avenue.  He stated that “he had considerable trouble in the past in finding suitable living quarters for his family in Chicago, and was happy to have found in Evanston a place where he could live comfortably”.  

After people like D.H. Howard announced that he would move his family to South Evanston, Ward Hansen decided this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. After all "you can get rich here."  In 1926 he bought a plot of land bounded on the north by Mulford Street, on the south by the alley between Mulford and Harvard Terrace, on the east by Barton Place and on the west by the alley behind the old Didier farm house and barn (built 1883). 

Ward Hansen's Plot of Land in Yellow

No sooner was his purchase closed than he announced his intention to build a total of four de-luxe single family homes with detached garages on the site.  Construction started on two homes in 1927; 

1204 Mulford

1208 Mulford

as soon as those were completed and sold he started construction on one more.  

1210 Mulford

In fact, he liked the house at 1210 Mulford so much he kept it for himself and moved his family into in in 1929.  By 1931, however he had sold the house at 1210 Mulford to build his finest ever: 1200 Mulford, on the southwest corner lot at Mulford and Barton.  

1200 Mulford

Upon completion he moved his family into 1200, but the family's stay there was short-lived.  Maybe he needed the money or maybe it was just time to move on, but by 1933 he had sold 1200 Mulford as well.  In fact, the 1933 Evanston City Directory does not show Ward Hansen as a resident of Evanston at all.  

Here's where the story gets complicated.  By the 1940 Census, Ward D. Hansen is divorced, has moved to Los Angeles, California and has changed his name to Ward D. Hanford.  

At this point the paper trail thins out.  We do know that when he registered for the draft on April 25, 1942 that he lived at 129 S. Kenwood in Glendale, California.  He listed his occupation as "self-employed."  For the question "Name and address of a person who will always know your address" he listed "Mr. Allen" from the Bank of America in South Pasadena - not his son or daughter.

Sometime after 1942 he married a woman named "Hedy" changed from Hedwig, last name unknown.  We do know that Hedy became a naturalized American citizen on November 12, 1948. 

Ward D. Hanford died August 9, 1969 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 77.  He is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale on the Mausoleum Slope, Map #B17, Lot #198, Space #1

His wife Hedy Hanford died December 11, 1999 in Glendale at the age of 95 and is buried next to Ward at Forest Lawn

Thanks to Find a Grave member Kathy Salazar who took the Hanford grave photos for me.

This is where the facts end - now the speculation.  When I relate these stories I try as much as possible to stick to the facts.  But being a good genealogist sometimes means that you have to be a good detective - and many successful detectives rely on their hunches as they do their job.  So, that being said, the following is just speculation and not based on fact, so take it for what it's worth.

What made Ward Hansen leave Chicago where he had lived all his life for southern California?  Hansen built the homes on Mulford during the boom times of the 1920s.  I used to work for a bank, and all the home builders I knew were always one step ahead of the debt collector. Their resources are stretched thin and they need the profits from the sale of one house to be able to buy the materials and hire the labor to build another house.  Ward Hansen was probably caught in the real estate slump of the early 1930s leading into the Great Depression.  He moved out of 1200 Mulford in 1932.  We don't know whether he sold the house or lost it to the bank.  But even if he sold the house, after he paid his creditors he may have had little, if any money left - and no one was building or selling houses in the depths of the Depression.  Sometime after 1930 his marriage fell apart.  It appears that Ward and Theresa were separated in 1920 but they got back together by 1922 when their son Richard was born.  Perhaps the stress and pressure of his financial woes were too much and the marriage finally fell apart in the 1930s.  

Ward Hansen may have decided to get as far away from Chicago and all his troubles here as he could - and where better than Los Angeles, a big city with potential jobs for a carpenter and builder when the economy recovered?  And the best part - no Chicago winters to deal with.  A builder could work twelve months a year in southern California. Then Ward Daniel Hansen took the final and most dramatic step to sever his ties with the past - he changed his name to Ward Daniel Hanford

And so, Ward Hanford, in a new state with a new name got a new wife - Hedy.  He lived out the remainder of his life in Glendale, happy from all appearances, and died at the ripe old age of 77.  Let's hope that Ward was able to find the happiness in Los Angeles that had eluded him in Chicago.

May the man who was born Ward Daniel Hansen, and who died Ward Daniel Hanford rest in peace.

THE GERMANS DIDN'T GET HIM BUT THE GERMS DID - Lieut. Norman C. Ernst

I recently watched the movie "War of the Worlds" again.  I'm sure most of you are familiar with the story of an invasion of the earth by hostile aliens from another planet.  As the invasion continues they spread death and destruction all across the world.  The mightiest armies and deadliest weapons are useless to stop them, until they are finally vanquished by an unseen weapon - a microscopic germ.  It seems that the invaders did not have the immunity to certain diseases that man has acquired over the ages, and within a short time of being exposed to these disease bacteria they became ill and died.

One of the points of the story is that although mankind may take comfort from our large arsenals of deadly weapons, there may be a deadlier enemy that can't even be seen by the naked eye.

That brings us to this week's story of a decorated combat veteran of World War I.  This soldier evaded capture and death at the hands of the German army only to be brought down by a deadlier enemy that he couldn't see - the Spanish influenza virus.

This is the story of that soldier:  Lieutenant Norman C. Ernst.

Few people are aware that Unit A ("The Old Section") of the Rosehill Mausoleum has a second floor.  It is reached by climbing a white marble staircase just off the entry court.  The staircase leads to a large open room surrounded by private family rooms.  It is a dark and forgotten part of the mausoleum and few visitors venture up there.

 

If you go all the way to the back of this room, you will see the east wall, covered with niches for cremated remains.  There are large torches around the room and several along this wall.  If the torches are not lit it is too dark to see much, but if they are lit, they cast a warm glow over the wall of niches.

Standing in front of this wall and looking at the names and dates, one niche caught my eye.  It simply said "Lieutenant Norman C. Ernst, 1894-1918".   

I assumed that these were the remains of a soldier who had died in combat.  Perhaps he died after a fierce battle in the trenches.  Maybe he was a World War I flying ace, and died as his plane went down in a blaze of glory.  None of these scenarios are what killed Lieutenant Ernst.  The Chicago Daily Tribune from October 9, 1918 tells the story:

PNEUMONIA KILLS CHICAGO AVIATOR AT WRIGHT FIELD

Twelve Local Boys in the Official Casualty List for the Day.

Twelve Chicagoans were named in the official casualties yesterday, eight in the day list, and four in the night list, apportioned as follows:  Killed in action, two; died of disease, two; wounded severely, eight.

Among unofficial casualties reported in The Tribune was that of Lieut. Norman C. Ernst of the United States aviation corps, who died on Monday of pneumonia at Wilbur Wright Field, Dayton, O., where he was an instructor in the advanced course in aviation known as circus or trick flying.  He was 24 years old and a son of Leo and Louise Ernst of 2340 Lincoln Park West.  

2340 Lincoln Park West, Chicago

There are two brothers in the service, Lieut. Hilmar F. Ernst, also of the aviation corps, and Quartermaster L. Wainwright Ernst, U.S. Navy.

Was "Prep" Football Player.

Lieut. Ernst  was a member of the 1912 football team of the Chicago Latin school, every member of which is now in military service.  He is the third aviator alumnus of the school to meet death.  The others were Dinsmore Ely and Harry Velle.  Funeral services will be held this afternoon at 4:30 o'clock at Graceland chapel. 

Lieutenant Ernst was not the only casualty of the flu at Wright Field. The Dayton Daily News of October 4, 1918 reported in Dayton what was being reported by others all across the country: 

INFLUENZA CASES TAX POST HOSPITAL

Reports from the hospital at Wilbur Wright Field are to the effect that there are 250 men stationed at the post now confined and suffering from attacks of influenza.  The hospitals are taxed to their capacity to handle the cases, and other buildings near the hospital are being used as wards during the epidemic.

Things had worsened by the 7th:

EPIDEMIC’S TOLL IS INCREASED BY SIX MORE DEATHS

New Cases of Influenza at Wilbur Wright Field Continue to Reach Hospital.  Eight Have Died.

Two more soldiers of Wilbur Wright Field were added to the toll of the influenza epidemic Monday with the deaths of Privates Fred Peters, of Wavington, Minn., and Wm. L. Alexander, Washington.  With four deaths Sunday from the dread disease, the total number of men claimed thus far at the post is eight.  The four men who succumbed Sunday were Sergeant James MacCombie, Oswedgo, N.Y.; Corporal Wm. J. Blansett, Jasper, Tenn.; Private Bernard O. Jones, Brownville, Me.; and Private John C. Dennar, St. Joseph, Mo.

Major A. G. Farmer, chief medical officer at the field, said Monday that there were several patients in the post hospital whose conditions are precarious and doubts are entertained for their recovery.  The sick call Monday morning brought 16 new cases to the hospital, the lowest number which has been reported since the breaking out of the epidemic.  On Sunday 27 cases were reported.

Major Farmer and his staff of assistants are making the fight against the epidemic at the field without outside assistance, except for the 16 nurses who have been furnished by the Dayton and Springfield Red Cross.

While Major Farmer would not say Monday that the epidemic was now under control, he expressed the belief that the malady among the soldiers was gradually abating.  The coming of colder and somewhat damp weather Monday is not conducive to getting the epidemic under control.

The total number of cases now at the field is 430.

One death occurred Sunday from among the forces of workmen employed on the flood prevention projects in and near this city.  It was that of Steve Miker, 48, who had been employed at Osborn.  His death occurred at the Miami Valley hospital where he had been taken for treatment.  Pneumonia followed an attack of influenza or grip.  The body was turned over to Undertaker Luthman and is being held pending an effort to locate relatives of the dead man.

The officials and physicians of the Miami conservancy district are taking every possible precaution against the spread of the influenza among its 1600 workmen.  There have been several cases of colds and grip but the patient in every instance has been isolated and separately treated.  The results have been excellent, according to the reports submitted to E. M. Kuhn.

The 8th reported the death of Lieutenant Ernst:

4 MORE DEATHS AT W.W. FIELD 14 NEW CASES

Although the toll of the influenza epidemic at Wilbur Wright Field was increased by four deaths Tuesday morning, Major A. G. Farmer, chief medical officer of the post, expressed the belief that the epidemic was abating.  He based his hopes upon the fact that but 14 new cases were received at the field hospital Tuesday morning, as against 45 cases Monday.  There were 435 cases in all under treatment at the post hospital at noon Tuesday.

In addition to the four deaths of Tuesday, two more deaths occurred Monday night, bringing the total number of deaths since the outbreak of the epidemic to 14.

The Tuesday victims of the disease were Private Martin Anderson, Bridgeport, Conn.; Private Herald Schilling, South Bergerstown, Pa.; Private Benjamin Goldstein, New York City, and Private Henry J. Cling, Canton, Ohio.  Private Cling had been assisting the medical staff at the hospital since the outbreak of the epidemic and had given noble service in the fight against the disease which finally brought him down and ended in his death.  Major Farmer spoke highly of Cling and of the work which he had done to relive suffering among his comrades before he was stricken.  Cling had intended entering medical school at the end of his military service.

The two deaths Monday night were those of Lieutenant Norman Ernst of Chicago and Private Frank Wyss of Fort Wayne, Ind.

Lieutenant Ernst’s death was the first of a commissioned officer since the epidemic began at the post.

Major Farmer’s staff was augmented Tuesday by the arrival of a medical officer.

The nurses furnished by the Dayton and Springfield chapters of the Red Cross are giving valiant service in the fight against the epidemic.

In all of the deaths thus far at the field, the end of the sufferer has been brought about by the cases of influenza or grip, developing pneumonia.

By the end of October, 1918  it was thought that the epidemic had burned itself out in Dayton, Ohio, leaving 572 dead.  In reality it was only the calm before the second wave as colder weather caused people to congregate indoors.

The epidemic in Dayton finally seemed to be over by the end of January, 1919.  There were a total of 639 deaths from the Spanish influenza.  Approximate estimates by officials of the division of health placed the total number of cases in the city from the epidemic at between 40,000 and 50,000 out of a total population of 152,559 meaning that one out of every three Daytonians got some form of the Spanish influenza.

And remember - there is still no cure for the Spanish influenza - it just burned itself out.

Lieutenant Norman C. Ernst, World War I flying ace - he escaped death at the hands of the Germans only to be brought down by the Spanish influenza.

May he rest in peace.

ANOTHER TREE TOMBSTONE - AN ANNIVERSARY - AND A MILESTONE

This week we have a guest contributor to the blog.  In my post about the tree tombstone of Frank Fremont Campbell I suggested that we all take a closer look at any tree tombstones we encounter to see if we can find symbols of the person's life or work carved into the monument.

A few days ago I received an email from the nice folks at True News (truenewsblog@yahoo.com).  Here's what they said:  "I saw your posting about the the "tree grave marker" and I thought you would enjoy these photos.  This is the grave of a Chicago cop. If you look at the tree marker you can see his uniform cap hanging off one branch stub and his nightstick hanging off a branch stub on the opposite side.

He is buried at Chicago's Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery on the city's far south side (Mt. Greenwood area)."

Here are the photos of the tree tombstone of Officer Patrick J. Gaffney who died on November 23, 1902:

You will notice his last name "Gaffney" spelled out in small tree branches, his policeman's star #1277, his cap, and his nightstick.  And luckily his tombstone also contains a photo of Officer Gaffney:

I could not uncover too much information about Officer Gaffney except that he and his family lived on South Ashland Avenue in Chicago and that he does not seem to have died in the line of duty.  Again - thank you to the folks at True News for letting us know about another fantastic tree tombstone.

AN ANNIVERSARY AND A MILESTONE:  I started this blog one year ago today.  When I started the blog I wondered just how many people would be interested in these stories of departed souls.  Like the blogger in "Julie and Julia" I sometimes wondered "Is there anybody out there?" Then, slowly but surely I started seeing more and more hits.  It took until May 10 of this year to reach 1,000 views but just this week we reached the 10,000 view mark!

We have had visitors from all over the world:  the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, France, Ukraine, India, Australia and the Philippines.  I have "met" many wonderful people - even the relatives of some of the departed whose stories I told.  The response has been overwhelmingly positive with only one negative comment to date.

I have had a lot of fun researching and telling these stories over the past year.  The object of this blog is to tell these stories so that the people featured will not be forgotten.  Some of the stories have been happy, most have been sad, some tragic - just like life itself.

So as we reach the one year mark and the 10,000 view milestone THANK YOU to all who have emailed, commented or contributed and most of all thank you to my loyal readers, some of whom have been with me from the start. Thank you also to those wonderful people at The Association of Graveyard Rabbits and GeneaBloggers.  Much of my success has come through those sites.  I have many more interesting stories in the queue and I am "digging up" new ones all the time so I hope you'll Stay Tuned! 

AT REST - P.F.C. Larry L. Kauffman

I came across the following story by accident and thought long and hard before I decided to post it.  Further research showed that all members of the immediate family had passed away, so I decided to go ahead.  It is a very sad story that leaves many unanswered questions.

One Sunday taking grave photos at Jewish Waldheim I found myself at Gate 226 - Congregation Atereth Zion.  I have mentioned before that I usually photograph the graves of members of the military who died in service so when I saw the gravestone of P.F.C. Larry L. Kauffman I took a picture of it:

I could see from the tombstone that he died at the age of 24, but I couldn't think of any armed conflict that happened in 1958 - it was after Korea and before Vietnam.  Unfortunately as I uncovered the facts surrounding his life and death there were more questions unanswered than answered.  But first a little background:

Larry Lawrence Kauffman was born in Chicago January 31, 1934, the first child of  Dr. Charles Kauffman, DDS and Jane Z. Kauffman nee Bellow.  The 1940 census shows the Kauffman family living at 5042 Glenwood Avenue.

You may remember this as the same building where Morey Lasky and his family were living when he passed away in 1939 (see previous post).

Charles J. Kauffman was born in Russia on August 28, 1904 and Jane Zelda Bellow Kauffman was also born in Russia on August 25, 1907.  In 1940 both of the Kauffmans reported that they were naturalized citizens of the United States.  On June 28, 1944 their second son Robert Irwin Kauffman was born.  As with most families, the Kauffmans' names did not show up in the newspapers.  They were neither famous nor infamous - just a typical American family.

In March of 1957, Larry Kauffman enlisted in the United States Army.  In about August of 1957 he was assigned to the Presidio Military Base in San Francisco, California, one of the most beautiful spots in the United States - in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge.  

We don't know what led up to it, but we do know that at 7:50 PM on the evening of August 22, 1958 Lawrence Kauffman was found hanging by his neck in the stockade at the Presidio Army base.

Stockade at the Presidio

The official cause of death was asphyxiation from strangulation - suicide from hanging in the post stockade "not while at work". 

  

That last sentence may mean that Lawrence Kauffman worked at the stockade rather than having been a prisoner at the stockade - we don't know.

The embalmed body of P.F.C. Lawrence Kauffman was flown back to Chicago on August 25, 1958 for burial, by Flying Tiger Airlines at a cost of $152.50 (!!!) to ship a container that weighed 475 lbs (the body, the casket and a sealed shipping container).

Dr. Charles J. Kauffman died on November 17, 1974 at the age of 70.

Sadly, tragedy would visit the Kauffman family yet again.  The Chicago Daily Tribune from December 17, 1988 carried the following obituary:

KAUFFMAN

Robert Irwin Kauffman, 44, died Thursday, Dec. 15 in Miami, Fl., he was the beloved son of Jane, nee Bellow, and the late Dr. Charles; beloved brother of the late Lawrence.  He is mourned by many friends and relatives in Miami, FL. and Chicago, IL. where he was born and grew up.  He was a graduate of the University of Illinois and a Realtor in Florida.  Service Sunday December 18, 9:30 a.m. at Cong. Bet Breira, 9400 S.W. 87th Ave., Miami, FL.  Interment Monday, December 19, 10:30 a.m. at Atereth Zion Cemetery, Jewish Waldheim, 18th and Harlem.  Info. Furth Funeral Direction. 784-4360.

Jane Zelda Bellow Kauffman died on May 9, 2003 just short of her 96th birthday, in a nursing home in Mason, Ohio where she had gone to live with extended family.

In this blog I have occasionally told the stories of other people who chose to end their own life.  It is very easy to judge without knowing all the facts or seeing into the mind of the departed.  As with Paulina Klein who took her own life and that of her infant daughter, Lawrence Kauffman felt that his only option on August 22, 1958 was to end his own life - a tragedy, to be sure.

P.F.C. Larry Lawrence Kauffman - may he rest in peace.

SHE LOVED EVANSTON - Viola Arabella Crouch Reeling

I am a lifelong resident of Evanston, Illinois.  My mother's family came to Evanston from the Hudson River Valley in New York about 1905 and there has been at least one member of our family who has lived here ever since.  My mother was born here, in St. Francis Hospital, and she died in that same hospital in 2003.  My father came to Evanston from Lacon, Illinois in 1936.  I have a great love for this city, and as I like to say "Our roots are deep here."  From a young age I was interested in the history of Evanston.  Maybe it's because my mother used to tell stories about her father Jacob Kramer the landscaper who provided landscaping for Evanston's grandest homes:  For industrialist George Dryden, for James A. Patten the "Wheat King" for Edward Hines, the "Lumber King" and for Charles Gates Dawes, Vice President of the United States.

In the days before the internet, collecting information was not easy - we had to find our information in books.  Once upon a time many years ago I went to our school library and asked for a history of Evanston.  The librarian went to the shelves and drew out a compact volume bound in blue cloth.  "This is the best history of Evanston there is", she said. The book was "Evanston, It's Land and Its People" by Viola Crouch Reeling.

It had been published by The Fort Dearborn Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  I took the book home and devoured it from cover to cover.  It not only told the history of Evanston, it had photos! 

After reading it I had to have my own copy - so I scoured all the used book stores on the North Shore until I found one.  It's the first history of Evanston I ever owned and to this day remains my favorite.  I decided to see what I could find out about Viola Crouch Reeling, a woman who shared my love for Evanston.  Thanks to the internet I was not only able to find out Viola's story, I was also able to find a connection she had with my own family!

Viola Arabella Crouch was born February 20, 1872 in Newark, Licking County, Ohio to Notley Hayes Crouch and his wife Sarah Louisa Wiseman Crouch.  Viola was the youngest of four children:  Joseph (b. 1856), Franklin (b. 1857), and Lula (b. 1869).  Viola's father was a harness-maker, and through him Viola had the right to join the Daughters of the American Revolution.  Notley Crouch was a direct descendant of John Manley, a corporal who fought in Captain John Randolph's Company (light cavalry) in "Lee's Legion" and was with George Washington at Valley Forge.  Viola's blood was as blue as the cover of her book.

I don't know how Viola happened to come to Chicago, but I do know that she was married to George Joseph Reeling on April 26, 1899 at St. Vincent's Catholic Church.

George Joseph Reeling was born August 10, 1873 in Chicago, the son of Joseph E. Reeling and Hibernia Catherine Forrestall.  Joseph Reeling was a house painter by trade and had given a disability discharge from the US Army after he was wounded in the Civil War.

Viola and George Reeling set up house at 2069 N. Robey Street in Chicago.  George found a job as a clerk with the Illinois Malleable Iron Company.

George J. Reeling

Their first child, George Hays Reeling was born September 19, 1900. Their second child, Kenneth, came along April 13, 1902.  

By 1910 the young Reeling family took up residence in Evanston - at 822 Michigan Avenue where they would remain for the next 40+ years. By now George was the Assistant Superintendent of the iron works.  He would ultimately work his way up to Superintendent and then part owner of the Illinois Malleable Iron Company.  

822 Michigan Avenue, Evanston

In 1914 the Reelings rounded out their family by welcoming their daughter Catherine L. Reeling.  

The Fort Dearborn Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution has a rich history.  On June 6, 1894, a quiet gathering took place at "Anchorfast", the Evanston home of Miss Cornelia Gray Lunt, daughter of Evanston founder Orrington Lunt (and a future writeup on this blog). After a spirited discussion, the name Fort Dearborn was chosen in memory of "the old fort that gave protection to the gallant garrison and early settlers of Chicago." Cornelia Lunt was elected the first regent. In 1895, Frances Willard, prominent social reformer and the first woman dean at Northwestern University, was elected to an honorary life membership. 

By September 1925, the chapter reached a size not easily accommodated in a private home and meetings moved to the Evanston Woman's Club. By 1929, membership reached 276. In 1964, 431 members were recorded making Fort Dearborn the largest chapter in Illinois. 

Since its inception, the Fort Dearborn Chapter of the DAR wanted to lend its name and resources to a comprehensive history of its home city - Evanston, Illinois.  In 1923 they were approached by the Evanston Public Library who reiterated the need for a comprehensive Evanston history.  According to the library they were being asked for a history on almost a daily basis and had nowhere else to turn.  After much discussion the assignment was taken by Viola Crouch Reeling on the condition that she could do all her own research.  Her comprehensive research and first person interviews, as well as the gathering of over 100 photographs went into the finished product:  "Evanston, Its Land and Its People".  The book was an immediate success and Mrs. Reeling's schedule soon became full with speaking requests, which she proudly fulfilled until her death.

George and Viola Reeling

Once the "author bug" had bitten Viola Reeling she decided to try her hand at writing a different kind of book and in 1939 the Bruce Humphreys Publishing Co. of Boston published her children's book "Funny Fanny and Her Friends."  It is not recorded whether she was ever asked to lecture on this book.

George Joseph Reeling died on Christmas Eve 1947 and Viola followed him on April 18, 1958.  Viola's obituary from the Chicago Daily Tribune of April 20, 1958 is a simple one:

REELING - Viola C. Reeling of Evanston, April 18, 1958, wife of the late George J. Reeling; mother of George Hays and Kenneth Reeling and Mrs. Marshall Smith, all of Evanston.  Resting at chapel, 1567 Maple avenue, Evanston, where services will be held Monday at 2:30 p.m. Interment Memorial Park Cemetery.

As the obituary says, George and Viola Reeling are buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie, Illinois.

My Contact With the Reelings

As I have mentioned before, my father started working for The Public Service Company of Northern Illinois in 1926.  He was transferred by Public Service in 1936 to Evanston where he met and courted my mother. Eventually Public Service was merged into The Commonwealth Edison Company.  When I was a little boy, Commonwealth Edison had a store on Sherman Avenue in Evanston. In the front of the store they sold electric appliances and in the back you could pay your light bill and get light bulbs.  The front of the store was staffed with salesmen, but the back was staffed with management personnel from Commonwealth Edison.  Whenever my mother and I were in downtown Evanston we always stopped in to say hello to my Dad.  My Dad was the assistant to the General Superintendent of Commonweath Edison for the Northern Division of Illinois who was ~~~ Kenneth Reeling ~~~ the son of George and Viola Reeling.  My dad worked for Ken Reeling for many years and my parents and the Reelings were good friends.  Over the years I myself was in the Reelings home on Ewing in Evanston but never made the connection between Kenneth Reeling and Viola Crouch Reeling. Sadly, Kenneth Reeling died in 1988.  He and his wife Muriel are buried next to George and Viola Reeling at Memorial Park Cemetery.

I would have loved to have met Viola Crouch Reeling and hear her stories about the Evanston of days gone by.  So many of the pioneers of Evanston who were alive in the 1920s to be interviewed by her were gone within one generation.  I never met Viola Reeling but I can tip my hat to her today and thank her for the wonderful legacy she left us:  "Evanston, Its Land and Its People".

Through the magic of the internet you can read "Evanston, Its Land and Its People" free of charge. Go to this link:

http://www.archive.org/details/3889364

and you can read it, or download a copy to keep.

Viola Crouch Reeling was not born in Evanston, Illinois, but she was a long-time resident and came to love this city and its rich history. Frances Williard was another transplanted citizen who came to love Evanston as home.  The words of Frances Willard would make a good epitaph for Viola Crouch Reeling:

"When I die, I want to register as from Evanston." 

Viola Crouch Reeling - wife, mother, patriot, author, historian - May she rest in peace.