TOOZE AGAINST BOOZE - Mrs. Fred J. Tooze

When I was a student at Evanston Township High School one of our assignments was "Interview a Famous Person."  With the wisdom of hindsight I can see how ridiculous this assignment was.  Very few teenagers have access to a famous person, and few famous people have the time (or the inclination) to be interviewed by a teenager.   I wracked my brain to find a solution - and then it came to me:  Mrs. Fred J. Tooze.  If you ask "who was Mrs. Fred J. Tooze?" you obviously did not live in Evanston from the 1950s through the 1970s.

Evanston, Illinois is the home of the Womens Christian Temperance Union (WCTU).  The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emphasize alcohol's negative effects on people's health, personalities and family lives.  Mrs. Fred J. Tooze was the WCTU President from 1959 to 1974.  

Why do I refer to her as "Mrs. Fred J. Tooze" instead of her first name "Ruth?"  She always referred to herself that way and I didn't even know her first name until I started researching her life.  Here is a photo of Mrs. Fred J. Tooze at her desk at the WCTU.  As you can see, her nameplate reads "Mrs. Fred J. Tooze."

Back to my high school assignment.  I decided to try to interview Mrs. Tooze.  It is one of the ironies of life that the head of the WCTU had a last name that rhymed with "booze."  As much as she loved her husband, I bet she wished his last name had been Smith.

I called the WCTU headquarters on Chicago Avenue in Evanston and asked to speak with Mrs. Tooze.  I was connected to her secretary.  I told her why I wished to speak with Mrs. Tooze but her secretary told me that she was away.  But she said she would have Mrs. Tooze call me when she returned.  Frankly I didn't put a lot of faith in the return call.

To my surprise she called me several days later.  She was very nice to me.  I told her my assignment and she said "so you think I'm famous?"  I said "everyone knows who you are, especially in Evanston."  She told me she would send me some literature about her and the WCTU and that should make an interview unnecessary.  Let's face it, she didn't want to be interviewed by some high school kid any more than the high school kid wanted to interview her.  But she did say at the end of our conversation that if I had any questions after I read the literature that I should feel free to call her.  She also said that after reviewing the material if I still felt a face-to-face interview was necessary she would make herself available.  I have to say it again: Mrs. Tooze was very nice to me.    

So this month I am going to tell you her story.            

Ruth Elizabeth Tibbets was born December 21, 1901 in Trumansburg, New York to Rev. John Clark Tibbits (1870-1952) and Julia Henrietta Mische (1868-1927).  At the time Ruth was born, Rev. Tibbits was the pastor of the Baptist church in Trumansburg.  Ruth was the eldest of the three children born to John and Julia Tibbits.  Her siblings are Edgar Albert Tibbets (1903-1991) and Neltje Edith Tibbets/Mrs. Pierre Saucy (1907-1995). 

Ruth's parents had been married in Syracuse, New York on January 30, 1901.  The groom was thirty years old; the bride was thirty-two.

In 1905 the family relocated to Utica, New York for two years, then to Chester, Connecticut for three years as Rev. Tibbits was called to be the pastor of Baptist churches in different parts of the country.

The 1910 US Census shows the Tibbits family living on West Main Street in Chester, Connecticut.  The family consisted of:  J. Clark Tibbits (39 years old), his wife Julia (42) and children Ruth (8), Edgar (7) and Neltje (2).  Tibbits reported that he was a "Clergyman" in the "Baptist Church."  J. Clark and Julia said they had been married for nine years.  They said they lived in a house which they rented and that Ruth and Edgar were attending school.  Julia reported that she had given birth to three children, and all three were still alive in 1910.  

Later in 1910 the family moved to Ipswitch, South Dakota, and in 1912 to Oregon.  In 1918 the family finally settled in Salem, Oregon.    

The Census Taker for the 1920 US Census visited the Tibbets family on January 13, 1920.  They were living at 190 S. 14th Street in Salem, Oregon:

190 S. 14th Street, Salem, Oregon

The family consisted of:  J. Clark Tibbits (49 years old),  Julia M. (51), Ruth (18), Edgar (17), and Neltje (12).   The three children were all Attending School, and the entire family could both read and write.   Julia said that her parents' native tongue was German.  J. Clark reported his occupation as "Clerk for the State Highway Department."

Ruth Tibbits graduated from Salem High School in June of 1920.  In 1921 she moved to Los Angeles, California and enrolled at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles.   

After graduating from the Bible Institute of Los Angeles in 1925 she returned to her family in Salem, Oregon where she, like her father, worked for the Oregon State Highway Commission.

Ruth's mother, Julia Mische Tibbits died in Salem, Oregon on December 30, 1926 from chronic cardio-renal disease with the contributing factor of broncho-pneumonia,  She was fifty-eight years old.  She was cremated at the Portland Crematorium, but I was unable to find any record of where (or if) her cremains were interred.  Here is her obituary from the Salem (OR) Statesman Journal of January 2, 1927:

Ruth's father remarried on November 14, 1928 in Marion, Oregon to Fannie Alice Baxley Brown (1877-1951).  The groom was fifty-eight; the bride was fifty-one.

The 1930 US Census saw Ruth living with her father and step-mother at 1985 Fir Street in Salem, Oregon:

1985 Fir Street, Salem, Oregon

The family consisted of John C. Tibbits (59 years old), Fannie A. (52), and Ruth (28).  The Tibbits family reported that they owned their home and it was worth $7,000.00 ($132,745.00 today) - although the current estimated value of the home is $725,000.00. 

The family owned a radio.  Ruth's father reported he was an Insurance Agent, and Ruth said she was a "Stenographer for the State Highway Commission."  

On September 12, 1931 Ruth Tibbits married Fred John Sherman Tooze, Jr. (1900-1977) in Salem, Oregon.  The groom was thirty-one; the bride was twenty-nine.

This is the announcement of their betrothal from the Salem (OR) Capital Journal of June 20, 1931:

Fred Tooze, Jr. was born January 17, 1900 is Saline, Michigan to Fred J. Tooze, Sr. (1865-1940) and Emma Louise Frey (1871-1942).  Fred Tooze, Sr. was a Teacher and Publisher.  In addition to Fred, Jr. the Toozes also had two daughters, Helen Louise/Mrs. Robert Dial Hutchinson (1905-1933) and Annabell Parkmand/Mrs. Dr. Carl George Ashley (1910-1974).        

At the time of their marriage, Fred Tooze worked for the Oregon Department of Food and Dairy Products as Sanitary Inspector.

The 1940 US Census found Ruth and Fred Tooze living with Fred's parents at 816 Mill Street in Salem, Oregon.  That address no longer exists.  The family consisted of: Fred Tooze, Sr. (74 years old), Emma (68), Fred, Jr. (40), Ruth (38), and grand-children Robert A. Hutchinson (8) and Annabel Hutchinson (6).  The grandchildren's mother Helen Louise Tooze Hutchinson had died in 1933 from acute nephritis and pyelitis.  She was twenty-seven years old.

Fred Tooze Jr. reported his occupation as "bookkeeper for State Department of Agriculture" and Ruth as a "church secretary."  Ruth and Fred said they had been living in the same place in 1935.

I think we can safely say that when Ruth Tibbits became Mrs. Fred J. Tooze she had no idea that she would one day be in the national temperance spotlight as being married to a man whose last name rhymes with "booze."

Ruth Tibbits officially joined the WCTU in 1931 but she related at the time that it had been a part of her family life for years.  Her father was a teetotalling Baptist minister and her mother had been a WCTU organizer.

Once Ruth Tooze became involved with the WCTU she dedicated herself to it 100%.  In 1950 she was elected President of the Oregon WCTU.  

The 1950 US Census finds Ruth and Fred Tooze living on their own at 3603 SE Grant Street in Portland, Oregon:

3603 SE Grant Street, Portland, Oregon

It was just Fred (50 years old) and Ruth (48).  Fred said he was a "Salesman for a Correspondence School" and Ruth was "President of a Women's Organization - the WCTU."

Ruth's dad, John Clark Tibbits died October 7, 1952 in Salem, Oregon.  He was eighty-two years old.  His second wife, Fannie Baxley Brown Tibbits had pre-deceased him in 1951.  Both are buried in Belcrest Memorial Park in Salem, Oregon:

John Clark Tibbits

Fannie Alice Tibbits

Photos courtesy of Find a Grave Volunteer "Ann"

Mrs. Tooze rose steadily through the ranks of the WCTU, culminating in her being elected president of the national WCTU on September 28, 1959 as reported by the Kansas City (MO) Times of September 29, 1959:

Photo Courtesy NWCTU

It became obvious very early in her tenure that Mrs. Fred J. Tooze was not going to be a president who just stayed quietly in her office.  In November of 1959 she openly attacked CBS Television as was recounted in newspapers all around the country.  Here is one from the Mansfield (OH) News-Journal of November 24, 1959:

She would be spinning in her grave if she could see what is shown on prime-time TV these days.

But she didn't stop there.  In 1961 she wrote to President-Elect John F. Kennedy deploring the amount of money spent by the US government each year (almost $1 million per year) for liquor for American embassies and diplomatic functions.  In 1965 she wrote to President Lyndon B. Johnson asking him to reconsider his plan to add a wine cellar in the White House.  It is not know if she ever received a response to either of these letters.

Prohibition had been tried in the USA once before (from 1920-1933) and not only failed but spawned the careers of "bootleggers" like the notorious Al Capone.  Mrs. Tooze thought it was time to give Prohibition another try as reported in 1971:

"Prohibition has got to come back," says Mrs. Tooze, a tall gray-haired woman who has been associated with the temperance movement for 39 years.  "Prohibition," declares Mrs. Tooze, remembering the 18th Amendment and the zenith of her organization's existence, "gave this nation the best years of our life."

"Home purchases went up, bank balances increased, life insurance contracts increased, people had a chance to graduate from high school and go on to college because there was no alcoholism disturbing home life."

I wonder what Mrs. Tooze would think of legalized marijuana?

Mrs. Tooze was president of the WCTU from 1959 to 1974.  She spent her entire tenure tirelessly working for the elimination of "demon rum" by the three-fold approach of the WCTU:  Organization, Education and Legislation.  

How did she describe the success of her efforts?  "It's here a little, there a little,  You just have to keep hammering away at it."  And "I'm not discouraged, though, not at all.  After all, Christianity has been going on for a lot longer than we have and there are still a lot of people against that, too."     

There is a book that was published in 1967, the first book where columnist Mike Royko reprinted some of his favorite columns from his many years in Chicago newspaperdom.  The very first column he featured in the very first book was a column about Mrs. Tooze.  It would be worth your while to check Steve Bartolucci's website describing it:

https://roselandchicago1972.substack.com/p/mike-royko-50-years-ago-today-mike

Scroll down to:

December 4-5, 1971

The Holiday Spirits of Mrs. Tooze

Mrs. Tooze did not limit her work to the national WCTU.  She was elected twice as First Vice President of the World Women's Christian Temperance Union and also was elected the first woman president of the National Temperance and Prohibition Council.  She was also a member of the National Safety Council's Woman's Conference.  

Mrs. Fred J. Tooze hung up her "White Ribbon" and retired from the WCTU in September of 1974.  After her retirement she and her husband stayed in Illinois.  They moved to Hoopeston, a small town in Vermillion County near the Indiana border between Bloomington and Champaign. 

Fred J. Tooze (not Mrs.) died August 28, 1977 in Hoopeston.  He is buried in the Danville National Cemetery in Danville, Illinois.  Here is a photo of him and of his tombstone:

Photo Courtesy of Find a Grave Volunteer Dwaine Desselle

After Fred's death Ruth returned to Oregon.  Both her brother Edgar and her sister Neltje were still alive at that time.  Edgar was in Salem and Neltje was in Mount Angel, Oregon.

Ruth Elizabeth Tibbits Tooze died June 6, 1992 in Silverton, Oregon.  She was ninety years old.  Here is her obituary from the Salem (OR) Statesman Journal of June 8, 1992:

Here is a clipping about her from the Statesman Journal of June 17, 1992:

She is buried in the Belcrest Memorial Park in Salem, Oregon, Section 8, Block 12, Lot 6:

Ruth E. Tooze

Photo Courtesy of Find a Grave Volunteer "Ann"

Surprisingly, her tombstone does not say "Mrs. Fred J. Tooze."

Ruth Tibbits Tooze may be gone, but she is definitely not forgotten.  For example, the online site crosswordsolver.io mentions that a popular crossword puzzle clue is:  "Mrs. Tooze's Org."  to which they are 94% sure the correct answer is "WCTU."

As I said earlier in this article, it is one of life's ironies that the head of the world's largest temperance organization had a last name that rhymes with the slang word for alcoholic beverages.  Over the years Mrs. Tooze was kidded about it numerous times.  Here is her response from the Miami (FL) Herald of September 8, 1962:

Ruth Elizabeth Tibbits (Mrs. Fred J.) Tooze - tireless crusader for the elimination of alcoholic beverages - may she rest in peace.

ANOTHER EVANSTON HERO - Firefighter William Frederick Craig

When I was a little boy, I wanted to be a fireman "when I grew up."  I wanted to live in the firehouse, slide down the pole, and ride in the firetruck as it sped toward the fire.  I did not, however want to charge into a burning building to rescue people trapped inside.  Let's face it, any one of us would gladly run into a burning building to save a member of our family or a good friend.  But firefighters put their lives on the line every day just to save perfect (or not so perfect) strangers.  I had a friend who was a fireman in the part of Chicago that encompassed many run down and abandoned buildings that used to catch fire on a regular basis.  He put his life on the line to save people who quite frankly didn't want to be saved.  Not surprisingly I did not pursue my dream of becoming a fireman.

I recently had the privilege of having lunch with a retired Evanston Firefighter.  I told him about writing the story of an Evanston firefighter who died in the line of duty - Marty Leoni:

https://undereverytombstone.blogspot.com/2012/06/you-is-not-enough-marty-f-leoni-jr.html

Marty was the third Evanston firefighter to die in the line of duty.  The first two made the ultimate sacrifice in 1905 in a fire at Dodge Avenue and Dempster Street in the Clayton Mark Pipe Manufacturing Company.  Their names were William F. Craig and George Stiles.  As far as I have been able to ascertain, I am not related to William Craig, but this month I am going to tell his story.  

William Frederick Craig was born November 25, 1870 in Knox County, Illinois.  Knox County is in the western part of Illinois, out toward Iowa.  William's parents were John W. Craig (1834-1907) and Elizabeth C. Parmenter (1844-1919).  John and Elizabeth were married November 9, 1864 in Knox, Illinois.  John Craig was a gunsmith by trade.  Specifically, he made percussion rifles and pistols labelled "J. W. Craig" or "J. W. Craig Maker."

In addition to William, John and Elizabeth Craig also had a daughter, Mary Emma Craig (1867-1959).

William does not appear in the 1870 US Census because he was born November 25, 1870 and the census for that area is dated June 6, 1870. 

William F. Craig makes his first appearance in the 1880 US Census.  The John Craig family was living in Kirkwood, Illinois.  The family consisted of Jno W. (46 years old), Elizabeth T. (36), Emma (13), and Wm. F. (10).  John Craig listed his occupation as "Gunsmith", Elizabeth was "Keeping House" and Emma and William were "at Home."  They also told the census taker that Emma and William were attending school.

The 1890 US Census for this area is of course, lost.  In about 1890, twenty-year-old William Craig took his first job, which was that of a brakeman with the Burlington Railroad.  

In 1895 Craig moved for the first time to Evanston where he shortly after joined the fire department.  Coworkers from that period remarked on Craig's "courage and bravery."   

The 1900 US Census shows that William Craig is living at 807 Grove in Evanston.  The Rotary International complex occupies that spot today.  He is twenty-eight years old, "Single," and lived alone.  He was renting his house which was not a farm.  His occupation was "Fireman" for a "Fire Department," and he could both read, write and speak English.  He also said that he had been employed for all twelve of the previous twelve months.

In 1901 William moved, but remained in Evanston.  His new address according to the 1901 Evanston City Directory was 1624 Central Street.  Modern condominiums occupy that space today.

The 1902 Evanston City Directory shows that Craig had moved again - this time to 2014 Pratt Court in Evanston:

2014 Pratt Court, Evanston

But it was not all fighting fires (or moving) for William Craig.  On May 15, 1902 he married Clara Amelia Steen (1878-1970) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The groom was thirty-one years old; the bride was twenty-four.

Clara Amelia Steen was born in Necedah, Wisconsin on March 5, 1878 to Andrew Steen (1842-1888) and Nella Braun (1852-1888).  Clara had one sister and three brothers.  They are:  Josephine/Mrs. Jonas Steen (1872-1959), Oscar (1873-1921), Adolph (1875-1963), and Theron (1880-1972).  Andrew Steen was a blacksmith by trade.

The 1903 Evanston Directory shows William and Clara Craig have moved to 1823 Ashland Avenue in Evanston:

1823 Ashland Avenue, Evanston

William and Clara Craig had one son, John William "Jack" Craig (1903-1990) who was born in Evanston, Illinois on April 30, 1903. 

In late 1903 William Craig left the Evanston Fire department and returned to the railroad - but this time it was the Omaha Railroad and he was a Dining Car Conductor.     

In August of 1905 he rejoined the Evanston Fire Department.  The Craig Family was then living at 1924 Jackson Avenue in Evanston

1924 Jackson Avenue, Evanston

That brings us to the terrible day William Craig gave his life for the City of Evanston.  Here is an in-depth account from the Evanston Index of December 15, 1905:

Some sources said that at the time of his death William and Clara Craig had two children.  I was only able to find evidence of their son, Jack. 

The Craig Family said that William Craig's body would have its final resting place in the family plot at the Knoxville Cemetery in Knoxville, Illinois.  However, since many Evanstonians wanted to pay their respects, Craig's body was placed in state for a time at his home in Evanston.  Members of both the Evanston Police Department and the Evanston Fire Department gathered to take a final view of their colleague and friend.  

On December 16, 1905, there was a procession from Craig's home to the train station where pieces of equipment draped in black and white were present from all three (at that time) of Evanston's fire stations.  The hearse was preceded by an escort of eight Evanston Policemen in full uniform, under the charge of Sergeant Shaffer, while the members of Engine Company No. 1, Craig's Company, acted as pall bearers.  All Evanston flags were ordered to be flown at half-staff as a sign of respect.  

Here is William Craig's grave with a zinc tombstone, in Knoxville:

As mentioned in the article above, George Stiles, the other victim, had been a member of the Firemans Benevolent Association, so his heirs would be receiving the benefit of a $1,000 life insurance policy provided by the Association.  William Craig was not a member of the Firemans Benevolent Association so his family was not entitled to the death benefit.   

Newspapers of the time however, reported that both the Craig and Stiles family received benefits from the Evanston Businessmens' Benevolent Association.

May God protect our firefighters and may William Craig, George Stiles and Marty Leoni rest in peace.

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

The rest of the story:

William Craig's widow, Clara Steen Craig remarried on November 6, 1920 to Edward St. John Brown (1856-1937).  The groom was sixty-four years old; the bride was forty-two. Edward Brown died in 1937, but Clara remained in Evanston where she died on July 14, 1970.  She was ninety-two years old.  She is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie.

William and Clara Craig's son Jack went to to become an "Office Clerk" for the Public Service Company, predecessor to Northern Illinois Gas and Commonwealth Edison.  My father started his career with Public Service in 1926.  When Public Service was split by the US Government in 1937 Jack Craig became an employee of Northern Illinois Gas whereas my father went with Commonwealth Edison. In the 1950 US Census Jack reported his job as "Arranging Window Displays" for the Gas Company."  On August 8, 1959 Jack married Constance Adele Stikkers (1940- ????).  The groom was fifty-six; the bride was nineteen.

Jack Craig died in Evanston on March 1, 1990.  He is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie.

I am pleased to report that Evanston has not forgotten her fallen firefighters. In 1993, the city of Evanston created a park called "Firemen's Park" at the corner of Simpson Street and Maple Avenue.  The park honors all three firefighters killed in the line of duty in the Evanston Fire Department’s then 135 years of existence: William Craig and George Stiles in 1905 and Marty Leoni in 1985. 

This Monument

Is Dedicated

On July 23, 1993

For All Evanston Firefighters

Who Put Their Lives on the Line

And Those Firefighters Who Have

Made the Ultimate Sacrifice So

Others Could Live

Fallen Evanston Fire Fighters

FF George Stiles  Age 32

December 13, 1905

Eng. Co. No 1   1900 Dempster

FF William Craig  Age 33

December 13, 1905

Eng. Co. No 1   1900 Dempster

FF FM Marty F. Leoni, Jr.  Age 27

July 22, 1985

TR Co. 21     1927 Jackson

                                                                                           Designed by Gail Leoni

In 2019 William Craig and George Stiles were further remembered with a memorial boulder containing a commemorative plaque on the approximate spot where they made the ultimate sacrifice.  The boulder rests in the parking lot of the Evanston Plaza Shopping Center on the south-west corner of Dodge Avenue and Dempster Street, the former site of the Clayton Mark Foundry:

Near This Spot Evanston Firefighters

George B. Stiles

and 

William F. Craig

Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

During the Clayton Mark Foundry Fire

December 13, 1905

Job Well Done Brothers.  Rest in Peace

The plaque includes facsimiles of the firefighters' badges with their respective badge numbers.

Special thanks again goes to Mike Kelly who provided the photo of William and Clara Craig from the Chicago Chronicle Newspaper and for the photos of the memorial boulder at Dodge and Dempster.

WHAT IF YOU WERE KILLED, AND NOBODY NOTICED? - Harry Shultz Leamaster

People become involved with the website Findagrave.com for many different reasons.  Some to look at the gravesite of a famous actor or actress.  Others to try to find the interment sites of relatives or friends who lived and died far away.  As a historian I create Find a Grave Memorial pages as a way to remember departed friends and relatives.  After a memorial page is created, the person who created it can keep it, or transfer it to the Find a Grave administrators.  The pages transferred to the administrators then become available to be "adopted" by any Find a Grave member who might be interested in managing the memorial.  That is why my latest statistics show that I have created 21,848 memorial pages, but I manage 28,380 pages.  This means that I manage 6,532 pages that were created by someone else.

After I take over management of a page I did not create, I check all the information to make sure it is correct.  I recently took over management of 198 memorial pages for people interred at the Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. Everyone has heard of Dr. Hubert Eaton's Forest Lawn Memorial Parks but few have ever heard of Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery.  Angelus-Rosedale is actually one of Los Angeles' oldest and largest cemeteries and one of the first cemeteries willing to inter anyone regardless of color, religion or ethnic background.  Originally named Rosedale Cemetery, it became Angelus-Rosedale when it was purchased in 1993 by the Angelus Funeral Home.  For the remainder of this article I will refer to the cemetery as "Rosedale."  If you have read any of my stories about Angeles Abbey Memorial Park in Compton, you will know how much I am interested in the cemeteries of Southern California.  

Unlike Angeles Abbey which I have never visited, I have been to Rosedale.  I went there one morning years ago to photograph the grave of Chinese-American star Anna May Wong for a friend:

Anna May Wong

The grave of Anna May Wong, her mother and her sister

Among the pages I "adopted" from Rosedale was one for a man named Harry Shultz Lemasters who was born May 28, 1892 and died October 18, 1916.  Other than that, the page originally created by Find a Grave member Richard Mayo did not contain any additional information.  So I started doing my own research using the websites I described in last month's blog article.  I first went to the Family Search site created and managed by the Mormon Church.  Due to the generosity of the current ownership of Rosedale, the LDS Church was able to scan and record all of the Ownership Records and Interment Records of Rosedale Cemetery going all the way back to its founding in 1884.  

From the Family Search website I was able to get a copy of Harry Lemasters' Death Certificate:

The Death Certificate shows that he died in El Paso, Texas from what appears to be  "Crushed Vertebra from Rail Road Cars Accident" on October 18, 1916.  A lucky break for me, I thought, (though not so lucky for Harry).  I was sure there would be an abundance of information about the train accident.  I used my newspapers.com subscription to access the El Paso, Texas Herald from October 18, 1916.  I presumed that the train wreck would be big news on Page One - but I was incorrect.  In fact, the only mention of the train accident at all was a small article way back on Page 16:

Note the Headline "Unknown Men Meet Death..." and the fact that only one of the men was identified, that being P. G. Burns.  Harry Lemasters was described with the statement "One of the men killed evidently was a Mason, it was said."  Not much of an epitaph.

The Death Certificate said that the body would be taken back to "Los Angeles" for burial.  That was it - I couldn't find anything else in any of the other newspapers about the train wreck.

Before we try to uncover more information about the untimely death of Harry Lemaster, let's see what else we can "dig up" about him.

Harry Shultz Lemaster was born May 28, 1892 in Topeka, Kansas.  His last name was sometimes spelled as "Leamaster," "Leamasters," "Lemasters," or even "LeMaster."  His birthplace has been listed as Topeka, Kansas, but in other places as Bakersfield, California.  His parents were Elmer G. Lemaster (1864-1917) and Laura C. Shultz (1867-1961).

Harry's father, Elmer Grant Lemaster was born May 18, 1865 in Ohio.  His mother Laura C. Shultz was born May 26, 1867 in Pennsylvania.  They married in 1888 in Pennsylvania.  Elmer Lemaster was a Teamster by trade.

Elmer and Laura were blessed with three children: Frank Roland (or Rolland) (1889-1969), Harry Shultz (1892-1916), and Mildred Violet/Mrs. Frank M. Massa (1897-1965).

Harry makes his first appearance in the 1895 Kansas State Census.  The Lemaster family was living in Ward 2 of Topeka, Kansas.  The family consisted of  E.G. (30 years old), Laura (27), Frank (5), and Harry (3).  Elmer reported his occupation as "Laborer."

Young Harry is mentioned in this blurb from the Abilene (KS) Weekly Chronicle and the Dickson County News dated October 12, 1900:

Harry's next appearance is in the 1900 US Census.  The family is living at 460 Reno Avenue in Topeka, Kansas.  That address no longer exists, nor does Reno Avenue in Topeka.  The family consisted of:  Elmer G. (36 years old), Laura (33), Frank R. (10), Harry (8), and Mildred V. (2).  Elmer and Laura said they had been married for twelve years, and Laura reported she had given birth to three children - all of whom were still alive in 1900.  Elmer said he was a Teamster, that they rented their home, and that it was a house, not a farm.  Frank and Harry were listed as "In School" and both Elmer and Laura could read, write, and speak English.

The 1910 US Census shows that the family has relocated to 169 Umatilla Street in Denver, Colorado.  That number no longer exists on Umatilla Street.  They are now calling themselves the "Le Master" family.  The family consisted of: Elmer G. (45 years old), Laura C. (42), Harry S. (17), Mildred V. (12), Minnie E. Shultz, a sister-in-law (38), and Lodger Joseph J. Duffy (49).  Elmer listed his occupation as "Check Clerk at the Union Depot."  Elmer and Laura said they had been married twenty-two years, and Laura again reported having given birth to three children, all of whom were still living in 1910.

Harry S. Lemaster married Marylu Lightfoot (1897-1975) on September 16, 1915 in Santa Ana, California.  The groom was twenty-three; the bride was eighteen.

Marylu Lightfoot was born April 1, 1897 in Pittsburg, Missouri to William Alexander Lightfoot (1853-1928) and Alice Caroline Lawrence (1858-1928).  Marylu's father was also a Teamster like Harry's father. Marylu was one of five children born to William and Alice Lightfoot.

By 1916 the Lemaster clan had relocated again - this time to sunny Southern California.  Here is an entry for them in the 1916 Los Angeles City Directory:

I don't know why Harry's mother is not listed.  She's still alive - she didn't die until 1961.  Elmer is now a Foreman for the Salt Lake and Los Angeles Railroad.  

The family is living at 3615 Stephenson Avenue which is now called 3615 Whittier Boulevard:

3615 Whittier Boulevard, LA

Harry and his parents registered to vote in 1916, but none of them would declare a Party affiliation:

The occupation for Harry was listed as "crpt lyr,"  I originally thought that stood for "corporate lawyer," but there was never any indication that Harry Lemaster was an attorney.  Looking at it again, I figured it must stand for "carpet layer," a more appropriate occupation for Harry.    

This brings us to the date of the train accident that took Harry's life, October 18, 1916.  I am shocked that I was not able to find any additional information about a train accident that wrecked fourteen train cars and took the lives of two people.   Other than the short article from the El Paso Herald I was unable to find any additional information about what happened.  There are numerous sites on the internet concerning train accidents - from Wikipedia "List of American Railroad Accidents" to the US government site "Railroad Accident Reports" from the National Archives.  Even in the one account of the accident that I was able to uncover, poor Harry Lemaster's name is not even mentioned.      

His Death Certificate said he died at the "Hotel Dieu" in El Paso.  I was curious as to why his injured (or possibly dead already) body was taken to a hotel.  Actually that is a bit of a misnomer.  The full name of the "Hotel Dieu" was the "Hotel Dieu Hospital" which was run by the Daughters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary:   

In 1892 nuns bought the site and with $60,000 borrowed from the Motherhouse, and three Daughters of Charity started building Hotel Dieu in 1893. It was the first general hospital in El Paso. There was no electricity and lighting was done by gas. Heat was provided by wood fires. In need for more trained personnel, the sisters also started a nursing school connected with the Hotel Dieu in 1898.  The hotel/hospital served the residents of El Paso until 1987 when it was sold and ultimately razed. 

The Death Certificate further indicates that Harry's body would be shipped to "Los Angeles, Calif." for burial or removal. As I mentioned at the start of this article I took over management of almost 200 Find a Grave memorial pages for graves in the Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles.  Among these was a Memorial Page for "Harry Shultz Leamasters."  I started checking the information that the page creator Richard Mayo added to the page when he created it.  I was unable to review any of the information with Richard Mayo because he had passed away in 2018.  Primarily I would have liked to have asked him where he got the information that Harry Leamasters was interred at Rosedale Cemetery.  In checking the Ownership Books and Interment Books for Rosedale, neither the name of "Harry Leamasters" nor any of its alternate spellings shows up.

After doing further research I found that Harry S. Lemaster is actually buried in the Los Angeles Odd Fellows Cemetery at 3640 Whittier Boulevard which turns out to be right across the street from the Lemaster home at 3615 Whittier Boulevard.

Photo courtesy of Find a Grave Volunteer saltmarsh

Despite the many trips I have made to Southern California cemeteries, I have never been to the Los Angeles Odd Fellows Cemetery.  I was wondering about it, so I asked two "cemetery friends" and here's what they said:

"Re Odd Fellows, I didn't even really know it existed before I started doing Find a Grave 3 years ago, it's tucked away in an inconspicuous area of the city. It's peaceful and they're still doing interments so it has some life and there are always decorations around. It's probably overlooked a lot because the much larger Catholic and Jewish cemeteries are just down the street. I like it because it has some of the oldest burials, along with Rosedale and Evergreen, and is better kept up than either of those."

And the other person I asked:  "One of L.A.'s worst."

Well, you can't please everyone.  I'll have to check it out for myself the next time I am in LA.

Poor Harry Lemaster - a man who lived for twenty-four years, had a job, married, loved and was loved, disappears almost without a trace.  As I have stated many times in this blog, it exists so that these people will not be forgotten.  Harry S. Lemaster, you are not forgotten.

May he rest in peace.

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The rest of the story:

Harry's widow, Marylu Lightfoot Lemaster remarried on July 13, 1923 to Doran Henry Cox.  He died in 1957, she died in 1975.  they are both interred at Forest Lawn Glendale.   

Photo courtesy of Find a Grave Volunteer Jane Hatch

Photo courtesy of Find a Grave Volunteer Jane Hatch

Harry's father, Elmer G. Lemaster died on April 1, 1917 at the age of fifty-one.  His Death Certificate listed his Cause of Death as "Operated on Nov 27 for gastric ulcer.  Later developed pulmonary tuberculosis, from which he died."

Elmer Lemaster is buried beside his son Harry in the LA Odd Fellows Cemetery:

Photo courtesy of Find a Grave Volunteer saltmarsh 

 

Harry's mother Laura Shultz Lemaster remarried on November 26, 1920 to F. Morris Gordon.  She died February 20, 1961 in Los Angeles at the age of ninety-three.  I was unable to find her Cause of Death or where/if she was interred.  

See you next month.