Alvin Paulus: WWII

Alvin Paulus
Born: September 17, 1915, Morris County, New Jersey
Died: October 6, 1995, Succasunna, Morris County, New Jersey
Relation to Author: Grand Uncle
Brother of Elizabeth Charlotte Paulus (married name Cheney)

On this date (July 20) 70 years ago Alvin Paulus enlisted in World War II. He enlisted in Newark, NJ, at the age of 27 (enlisting for the duration of the war plus six months). His enlistment came in the middle of America's involvement in the war - a year and a half after the attack on Pearl Harbor and America's declaration of war on Japan (December of 1941), but one year before D-Day (June 4, 1944) and two years before Japan surrendered (September 2, 1945).

In July of 1943, the course of the war was favoring the Allies in the Pacific - with the battles of Midway and Guadalcanal behind them. However progress was difficult and slow.

Alvin served through January 18, 1946. He served on the Pacific front as a journal clerk and later duty sergeant, working for the Chief of Section. He received the Bronze Star Medal - the fourth highest combat award of the US Armed Services - on August 6, 1945 for, "performing his duties in an outstanding manner," in support of the Chief of Section.

His Bronze Star document says, "During the period Technician Fourth Grade Paulus developed from a state of complete ignorance of army and office procedure to become a thoroughly competent and responsible non-commissioned officer in the 24th Division Intelligence Section." He apparently had no office training (his enlistment form says his civil occupation was in, "Semiskilled occupations in production of industrial chemicals") but seemed to pick things up very quickly and help out the last two years on the Pacific front.

He served at the following operations: Hollandia; Dutch New Guinea; Leyte; and Mindanao, Philippine Islands. He would later serve in Japan during the occupation. He achieved the rank of duty sergeant / staff sergeant - a non-commissioner officer (NCO). 

I have a copy of a history of the 24th Division. The history tells a lot about the military campaigns, particularly Leyte. However, I don't think it is particularly relevant and worth publishing any of here because I don't think Alvin saw any action and instead was doing office work. That's not to diminish his role, as the Bronze Star shows how important it was, but a book about combat history wouldn't show how a non-combatant spent time.

Remembering PopPop (Bruce Cheney)

Bruce Judson Cheney
Born: October 28, 1917, Morris County, New Jersey
Died: July 16, 2012, Morris County, New Jersey
Relation to Author: Grandfather

Here are the remarks from Bruce's funeral - one year ago - given by his son Barry.

Bruce Judson Cheney was born October 28 1917 at the Cooper family home at 8 Lawrence Street. His father, William Judson Cheney, was a Semi-Pro Baseball Player who had come to Dover in 1906 to play, and was also a Post Office Clerk. His mother, Leila Horton Cooper, was a homemaker.

Bruce was an only child so he got lots of attention, especially from his Mother. He grew up on Ann Street. He was focused on sports in his youth and young adult years. In high school they did not have interscholastic basketball or baseball so he had to settle for intramurals winning championships for the Southside teams. He received his only Varsity letter for tennis. After high school and while working at Picatinny he played hardball and then softball usually as shortstop.

He was a passionate fan of the NY baseball Giants and could recount in vivid detail exactly where he was (work at Picatinny) and how he reacted when Bobby Thompson hit the “Shot heard around the World” in 1951 to win the NL pennant defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1992 I played a trick on him and enticed him to come with his grandson Brendan and I to a baseball card show. He didn't know that the show was attended by Bobby Thompson. At the card show, he got to sit and talk baseball with Bobby Thompson. He left walking on air in disbelief.

He met Betty at Picatinny in 1941. She was a typist and he was in Stores which included making routine deliveries to her building. It got to the point where he was hanging around so much talking to her that it was interfering with her work and she was afraid of getting in trouble. At some point he got the nerve to ask her out. Since he didn’t drive he had to take the trolley to Kenvil to pick her up for a date. There wasn't much to do in Kenvil, so they would usually take the trolley back to Dover.

They married May 23, 1943. Their first child was born with a congenital heart defect and lived only months. I arrived next followed by my brother Brian

Dad was never one to go far from home. After marrying they lived in Mine Hill for a short time, moved to Kenvil and in 1956 had the house built in Mt. Fern - always staying close to family.

Everything revolved around the family. It seemed that almost every Sunday was dinner with the Nanas and often times a “Sunday drive”. 

Dad’s five cousins were for the most part distant from Dover but he kept up letter correspondence throughout the years. His cousin Joyce and her family were in Pequannock and visits with them were enjoyed.

He adored his grandchildren and tried to spend as much time as possible in Warwick attending Church children’s choir, pageants and picnics, and their baseball and soccer games. He followed them closely thru college, writing occasional letters in the days of email. He would urge them to marry and have children so he could have great-grandchildren. He finally got his wish and although we don’t think he knew they were his he never forgot how to hold a baby and was happy and relaxed when they were in his arms.

He was a gentle, caring man who in addition to baseball loved to garden, vegetables and roses, and invariably carried with him a big welcoming smile. He kept that smile throughout his dementia years whenever he went out or received a visitor.

He was my coach, encourager, provider and friend.

His dementia over the last 2.5 years required continuous care. I am grateful that my brother Brian was willing to be the caregiver on a 24/7 basis over that time. I thank you for your dedication and compassion. It provided Dad with a familiar setting in which he was able to be comfortable. [Editor's note: Barry was in Dover almost every weekend to help with the care.]

Gettysburg: Judson Far Away

Judson Cheney
Born: May 11, 1838, Hopkinton, St. Lawrence County, New York
Died: September 29, 1864, Chaffin Farm, Virginia
Relation to Author: 2nd Great Grand Uncle

On this date 150 years ago - and the succeeding two days (July 1-3) - the Battle of Gettysburg was fought in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It is considered the turning point of the Civil War, marking the "high water mark of the rebellion" and ending Robert E. Lee's second invasion of the north. There were an astounding 51,000 casualties.

Fortunately for Judson, at least for the time being, he was far away from the fighting. On this date, he was still in Beaufort, North Carolina. Although this is a turning point, the war will drag on for almost two more years. So there are many more very bloody battles to come, and Judson and his regiment will play their part.

Arrival: Christian Paulus

Christian Paulus
Born: June 28, 1851, Germany
Died: January 12, 1937
Relation to Author: 2nd Great Grandfather

Christian Paulus arrived in America from Germany on this date 133 years ago (June 18, 1880). The ship "Main" left from Bremen, Germany and landed in New York, New York. He did not go through Ellis Island because it did not open until 1892.

Two years after arriving, Christian married Charlotte Poelger (?) and two years after that their first child was born (Wilhelmina Paulus; 1884-?). Next came my great grandfather Friedrich Paulus (1886-1934), then William (1889), Louisa (1892), and Emilie (1894). By 1892 they were living in Scranton, PA, though they were probably there all along, since Friedrich's birth location in census records is listed as Pennsylvania.

For some context, when Christian arrived, Rutherford B. Hayes was finishing his presidency. James Garfield then won the 1880 presidential election (nominated by the Republicans over Ulysses S. Grant who was seeking a 3rd non-consecutive term) and is sworn in in 1881. Garfield was assassinated in 1881 and was succeeded by his vice president Chester A. Arthur. Then came Grover Cleveland followed by Benjamin Harrison, then Grover Cleveland again ... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

All kidding aside, Christian was arriving at a time where we don't remember much about the presidents or the politics (a big debate over the gold standard or free silver), but it was a stable time in America. The Civil War is 15 years behind us and we know now that the first World War is almost 30 years away.

In fact, the 1880s were one of the best times to come to America. Notice in the chart above that immigration in the 1880s (bar in orange) was the highest it had yet been and the third highest between 1820 and 1924. Not only was there no war, but the economy was stable, at least compared to the depressions of the 1890s.

In Immigration studies, people talk about push and pull. What conditions in the home country encouraged immigration (push) and what countries in the new host country encourage emmigration (pull). The relative stability in America during this time was an attractive pull.

We'll look at conditions in Germany in another post and see if there was any push.

Joseph Eisenberg and the Cossacks

Joseph Eisenberg
Born: 1875, Mizheric, near Vilna, Eastern Europe (Lithuania or Ukraine?)
Died: January 23, 1941, Brooklyn, NY
Relation to Author: Great Grandfather-in-Law

The NY Times had an article a little while ago about the return of the Cossacks. To me the interesting part of the story isn’t the scary ultra-nationalism hiding behind a thin vale of pride in their heritage. Instead, I was more interested in the history of the Cossacks as described in the article - especially because it is a much more helpful history than I had found on Wikipedia.

The history of the Cossacks is important to our genealogy research because the oral history of the Eisenberg family says Joseph was in a Cossack army. This new article could help us with our mystery about where Joseph and his family were from. In the article, it looks like the Cossacks were mostly in Southern Russia. This would put them, and therefore maybe Joseph, closer to Ukraine. So this puts doubt into the Lituania thesis.

This whole discussion though about Joseph Eisenberg's origins brings up two interesting points. First, it sheds some light on the reliability of oral histories. Any oral or written history should be taken with a grain of salt, especially third person (here Meyer is writing about his father's experiences). However, sometimes these oral histories are the only information we have.

The second point this discussion highlights is the existence of mysteries in genealogical research. To be sure, I am quite the novice when it comes to actual genealogical research. So hopefully with time and experience, I can figure this out. I might find out that the assumption everyone has been holding all along is true - that Joseph is in fact from Ukraine. Although hopefully I'll be able to put a thumbtack on a map with an actual location - which has been my goal all along. But I might not. This might remain a bit of a mystery.

The Vassarion!

Katharine Place (married name Adams)
Born: October 3, 1893, New York, New York
Died: July 3, 1983, Albany, New York
Relation to Author: Great Grandmother In-Law
Mother of Jean Place Adams

I love doing genealogy research and writing. But I will admit, so far I am mostly using information that my uncles and my grandfather in-law have already found. Every once in a while though I find something that no one else seems to have found. And those are my favorite things to share.

So behold Katharine Place's Vassar yearbook: The Vassarion.

The yearbook is from 1916 and her address is listed as 268 West 77th Street in New York City (a mere 35 blocks from where I sit right now). I gather this is where she was living with her parents, Ira Place and Katherine Burritt Gauntlett (married name Place).

The most curious thing about the yearbook though is the text that accompanies the photos. Katharine's says: "K is the pink of perfection when it comes to neatness - but what will she do with the dirt of Pittsburgh and vicinity?"

I haven't the slightest idea what that means. Maybe she had plans to go to Pittsburgh after Vassar? If so, I have no evidence (yet) that she ever went there. She was born and raised in New York City. She want to Vassar in Poughkeepsie, New York. She married James Fairchild Adams in the fall of 1916 in New York City. And by 1920, she is settled in Albany with James.

My real question though is who wrote these strange little lines? The next person's doesn't seem very nice ("How to avoid academic work is an art with Babs"), which suggests the students were writing them for each other.

Anyway, it's a fun find, especially since it includes a picture. Enjoy!

The Big Painting

Ella Eudocia Flynt (married name Dewey)
Born: July 7, 1861, Monson, Massachusetts
Died: June 10, 1919
Relation to Author: 2nd Great Grandmother In-Law

The large oil painting pictured above hangs in the dining room in the house my wife grew up in. The oil painting is from 1909 and is of Ella Eudocia Flynt. I have had trouble remembering her name, maybe because it is often a name without context. So here is some context.

Ella Eudocia Flynt is my wife's 2nd great grandmother and the maternal grandmother of John Ballard Blake. Her parents were William Norcross Flynt (1818-1895) and Eudocia Carter Converse (married name Flynt, 1822-1906).

She was born in Monson, Massachusetts in 1861 - the year the American Civil War began. This means that she was 48 when she sat for the painting. And she died in 1919, just as World War I was ending, at the relatively young age of 57.

The 1880 census has her as a student in Northampton, Massachusetts (30ish miles northwest of Monson). My first guess was that she was attending Smith College.  This was confirmed by a quick Google search,  which turned up an Annual Register of the Alumni Association of Smith College with Ella's name listed. She attended Smith nine years after it was chartered and five years after it opened its doors. The census record has 56 people listed, four or five of which are likely teachers. Wikipedia says that when Smith opened in 1875 there were 14 students and six faculty.

Ella married William Child Dewey on October 3, 1883 (age 22) in Monson, Massachusetts. The alumni association book from 1917 says she was living at 236 Union Street in Springfield, Massachusetts (the 1910 census has the family at 240 Union Street in Springfield).

I don't know where Ella died. In 1910 and 1917 she was living in Springfield, Massachusetts. But in 1920, her widower William Dewey was living in Manhattan (at 105 East 15th Street). It is unclear whether they had both moved to Manhattan or whether he went there alone after her death.

I also don't know where she sat for the painting. I cannot find her or William Dewey in the 1900 census. We might guess that she was in Springfield in 1909 as she was in 1910 and 1917, but I don't want to assume that.