8/11/09

Photos: Edward Francis Nolan and family


























▲ This photo of four generations is from August, 1941, and shows Edward Francis Nolan, aka Francis Edward Nolan, age 61, holding his great grandson, Patrick William Dunn, age 8 months. In the middle is Ed's daughter, Hazel Nolan Dunn, age 42, and on the left is her son and Pat's father, William Edward (Bill) Dunn, age 23.













▲ This picture is an expansion from the one above, and provides a portrait of what Ed Nolan looked like in 1941.



















▲ This photo is Ed Nolan with his daughter, the nun Sister Jane Patricia Nolan. It's undated, but appears to be circa 1941, since his appearance is similar to the 1941 photo above.



























▲ In this picture he appears to be somewhat younger than the ones above, and I suspect it's circa the 1930s
. It's not clear who the ladies in the background are, but they may also be family members.



















▲ This photo of Ed Nolan and some of his children is circa 1908, and came from a video prepared by his granddaughter, Mary Jo Nolan Tongue. It was provided by his great grandson, Daniel Nolan and his wife, Jennifer, and it's the earliest known picture of Hazel Loretta Nolan.

From left to right in this picture are Agnes (who became the nun, Sister Jane Patricia), Bernard, Ed (at about age 28), Harold Joseph and Hazel Nolan (at about age 9), who was to become Hazel Nolan Dunn Youngs .

In identifying those in the picture, Jennifer Nolan said, "...
My theory is that since there is no wife included in the picture, [Johanna, the mother of Agnes, Bernard and Harold Joseph, died sometime after Harold Joseph's birth] I'm assuming this picture was taken after 11/29/07 (Harold Joseph's birth) and before he [Ed] married Margaret [O'Neil] on 10/19/1910. My guess is it was taken circa summer of 1908. I think the baby looks to be be about 8-9 months old."

Last updated 8/11/09

7/8/09

Nolan Family Obituaries

▲ This obituary is that of Edward Nolan, the Irish immigrant in our ancestral Nolan line, who is not to be confused with his son, Edward Francis Nolan, whose obituaries are shown below. Some odd things about this very sparse article:

■ It doesn't mention his occupation;

■ It names no survivors, not even his wife. I was hoping to learn about siblings and/or other relatives;

■ It fails to mention his being born in Ireland;

■ It says he left five daughters and four sons, but other records say he and his wife (Mary) Ellen had only eight kids. Her obituary (see it below) says eight, and so do both the 1880 and 1900 censuses;

■ It says he was 61 when he died. That would make his birth year 1843. His gravestone says 1832 and census records have it at about 1835, so that's confusing.

The obituary above was provided by a very kind lady by the name of Sally. She’s the same person who provided photos of Ed’s gravestone, which can be seen on another page of this blog.

▲The obituary above appeared in the Joliet Herald News (Illinois) on 22 May 1955, and refers to him being the husband of the former Margaret O'Neil (click on it to enlarge it).

▲This one also appeared in the Joliet Herald News on 22 May 1955, and also refers to Margaret O'Neil (click to enlarge).

▲The obituary above appeared in the Joliet Herald News, 14 Jan 1935, and is that of Margaret O'Neil Nolan, the third of his wives to predecease Edward Francis Nolan. It's interesting to note that neither her first name nor her maiden name were used in the article, only her identity as "Mrs. Edward Nolan" (click to enlarge).

The obituaries above were provided by Molly Kennedy, a genealogist whose help has been most valuable in documenting various elements of our Family History.

▲This obituary, undated and without a source noted, was provided by Mary Jo Nolan Tongue, granddaughter of Francis Edward Nolan, aka Edward Francis Nolan, with the able assistance of Daniel Nolan and his wife Jennifer. Dan is the great grandson of Ed, as he was was known while he was alive.

Note that this obituary refers to him being the husband of Johanna, his second wife - which was a source of confusion since he was last married to Margaret O'Neil Nolan. However, Molly, the genealogist, provided insight into the likelihood that the info for this one was provided by one of Johanna's children and published in a small local publication in Roseland, Illinois, where Johanna's name would be known.


▲This obituary, undated and without a reference to the source, is that of Ellen Kavanaugh Nolan (her brother's name being spelled Cavabaugh reflects the fact that her name was often recorded with an initial letter "K" as well as a "C") and she was Ed's mother. The article was provided by a friend named Kate to Dan and Jen Nolan, who made it available for inclusion in this blog.

I'm very thankful for the generous and valuable assistance of each of the people named above who provided these documents!


- PWD
Last updated 3/18/2010

6/1/09

Dunns in 1860 Madison County, Illinois, and Interesting Historical Background

Some Historical Background:
My research has shown that our Irish immigrant ancestors, Michael and Bridget Grace Dunn, first went from Ireland to England, then emigrated to the U.S. via New York in May, 1858. They made their way west and initally settled in the Alton area in Madison County, Illinois. This link shows where Madison County is in relationship to the rest of the state. Here's a map of the county, where you can see where they were.

In trying to imagine what their lives would have been like, I found it helpful to read historical stories about the area where they lived and the world in general. Following are some sources I found:
■ Here's a link with many Alton/Madison County stories;
■ Here's a site with photos of historical Alton;
■ Here's one with facts about Madison County;
■ This link has a chronology of world events in 1858.

James Buchanan was president of the United States when they arrived in New York. The tensions over slavery, which ultimately led to the Civil War, were escalating greatly. Here's a map showing how the states lined up on the issue in 1860.

We know they were in Alton in 1860 because the census tells us so, but we have no way of knowing how long it took them to get from new York to Illinois. However, on the 15th of October, 1858, a huge historical event occurred in Alton. That event was the Lincoln-Douglas debate, the last of seven they held in their campaign for the U. S. Senate. One author introduced his essay about the debate as follows:

“It was the 15th day of October, 1858. Crowds were pouring into Alton. For some days people had been arriving by the steam-packets from up and down the river, the up-boats from St. Louis, bringing visitors with long, black hair, goatees, and stolid, Indian­like faces, slave-owners and slave-dealers, from the human marts of Missouri and Kentucky; the northern visitors arriving by boat or rail, Abolitionists and [anti-slavery] Republicans, with a cast of features distinctly different from the types coming from the south.

They came from villages, townships, the prairies, from all the adjoining counties, from across the Mississippi, from far-away cities, from representative societies north and south, from congressional committees in the east, from leading journals of all political parties, and from every religious denomination within hundreds of miles, filling the broad space in front of the Town Hall, eager to see and hear the now famous debaters--the popular Stephen A. Douglas, United States Senator, nicknamed the 'Little Giant' and plain Abraham Lincoln, nicknamed the 'Rail-Splitter.'

The great debate had begun on the 21st of August at another town, and to-day the long-discussed subject would be brought to a close. Douglas stood for the doctrine that slavery was nationalised by the Consti­tution, that Congress had no authority to prevent its introduction in the new Territories like Kansas and Nebraska, and that the people of each state should alone decide whether they should be slave States or free. Lincoln opposed the introduction of slavery into the new Territories…”


Later in the essay he said, "Alton had seen nothing so exciting since the assassination of Lovejoy, the fearless Abolotionist, many years before."

Of course, after reading that I had to know more about the Lovejoy assassination. Speaking about that event is a site that says, "It has been said that, '...the first armed skirmish of the Civil War..' occurred in Alton, Illinois." The site also describes how a once-closed prison in Alton was reopened to house Confederate prisoners during that war, so Alton played a significant role in U.S. history during the time when Michael and Bridget were getting settled in their adopted country.

Trivia: Douglas won the senatorial election, but it cost him the presidential nomination. In answer to Lincoln, he was forced to expound on his views that the territories need not have slavery despite the Dred Scott decision. This was an 1857 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that people of African descent imported into the United States and held as slaves, or their descendants - whether or not they were slaves - were not protected by the Constitution and could never be citizens of the United States. (This decision was overruled by the adoption of the 14th amendment to the Constitution in 1868.)

The result was that the extreme pro-slavery faction of the Democrat party labeled Douglas indifferent to slavery rather than an advocate of it and split the party in 1860. Lincoln, on the other hand, only gained from the debates. Before 1858, he was scarcely known outside Illinois. After 1858, he was asked to speak in several other states and in 1860 received the Republican nomination and was elected president.

Although railroads and steamships were then being used for long-distance travel, the primary mode of local transportation at the time was horses and buggies. In view of that fact, the gathering of more than 6,000 people to hear the debate must have been an amazing scene. Here's a link to the full essay about the debate, which I find fascinating because it provides a glimpse into the historical circumstances our ancestral family became a part of after they arrived here. I'd love to know if Michael and/or Bridget were present for the debate, and if so, how they felt about what they heard.

♦♦♦

Michael Dunns from Illinois in the Civil War:

I found myself wondering whether our Michael might have been a soldier in the Civil War and learned that many immigrants, including the Irish, enlisted in the Union army. In fact, there's been a book written about an Irish regiment that was formed in Chicago. I found a site where I could do a lookup for his name and found four Michael Dunns who were from Illinois. The information is listed in the following order:
Soldier's name
Side
Function
Regiment Name

Dunn, Michael
Union
Infantry
89th Regiment, Illinois Infantry
Organized at Chicago, Ill., and mustered in August 27, 1862.

Dunn, Michael
Union
Cavalry
8th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry

Organized at St. Charles, Ills. (sic), and mustered in September 18, 1861.

Dunn, Michael
Union
Infantry
59th Regiment, Illinois Infantry

Organized at St. Louis, Mo., as 9th Missouri Infantry, September 18, 1861.

Dunn, Michael
Union
Infantry
20th Regiment, Illinois Infantry

Organized at Joliet, Ill., and mustered in June 13, 1861.

There's insufficient information on that site to further identify our Michael, and I've not seen any information anywhere else to link him to military service. Therefore I don't know if we'll ever learn whether one of those listed above is him.

♦♦♦

4605
Dunns served In the Civil War:
1627 were Confederate soldiers.
2978 were Union soldiers.


Source: Compiled by Ancestry.com from the Civil War Service Records

♦♦♦

Dunns in 1860 Madison County
Immigrants tended to cluster in groups of fellow countrymen, usually in areas where friends and other family members had settled. My research has shown that not only Irish families, but sometimes whole parishes and even villages were transplanted and reunited in their adopted country by utilizing a practice dubbed "chain migration". The significance of that is that the people listed below may very well have been part of this phenomenon.

"Chain migration can be defined as a “movement in which prospective migrants learn of opportunities, are provided with transportation, and have initial accommodation and employment arranged by means of primary social relationships with previous migrants.” (Source)


"Henry Mayhew explained how chain migration worked: 'As soon as the first settler is thriving in his newly chosen country, a certain portion of his or her earnings are carefully hoarded up, until they are sufficient to pay for the removal of another member of the family...; then one of the friends left "at home" is sent for; and thus by degrees the entire family is got over, and once more united'." (Source)

♦♦♦

Below is a list of the Dunns recorded in the 1860 census in Madison County, the first census after Michael and Bridget arrived here. I've put the known members of our ancestral family in red to make it easier to identify those we are sure are related to us.

In the census, but not showing on this page, are three males by the last name of Furlong, ages 15, 18 and 21, who are also members of Michael and Bridget's household. Their connection to Michael and Bridget is unclear, but they are recorded as being born in Illinois, so they apparently weren't relatives or friends from Ireland. They may have been boarders or hired hands.

It's interesting to see how many Dunns on the list were Irish immigrants, for, knowing about chain migration, it suggests that they and their families might be related to Michael and Bridget - and therefore to those of us in our Dunn line. It would be interesting to know is that's the case.

It's also interesting to note that occupations of adult males is recorded in the census, but not that of women. Apparently women were assumed not to be employed outside the home, so no occupational listing was required for them in 1860.

The information is presented in the following order:
Name, occupation
Home in 1860
Age in 1860
Birth Year
Birthplace
Gender

View Record
John Dunn, day laborer
Alton, Madison, IL
51
abt 1809
Ireland
Male

View Record
Ann Dunn
Alton, Madison, IL
50
abt 1810
Ireland
Female

View Record
Catharine Dunn
Township 4 Range 7, Madison, IL
46
abt 1814
Ireland
Female

View Record
Michael Dunn, farmer
Township 4 Range 7, Madison, IL
30
abt 1830
Ireland
Male

View Record
Wm A Dunn, railroad engineer
Alton, Madison, IL
30
abt 1830
Ireland
Male

View Record
Bridget Dunn
Township 6 Range 9, Madison, IL

Post office: Upper Alton
29
abt 1831
Ireland
Female

View Record
Charles Dunn, day laborer
Alton, Madison, IL
29
abt 1831
Ireland
Male

View Record
Michal Dunn, farmer
(First name incorrectly spelled)

Township 6 Range 9, Madison, IL

Post office: Upper Alton
29
abt 1831
Ireland
Male

View Record
Michal Dunn, day laborer
Township 5 Range 8, Madison, IL
29
abt 1831
Prussia
Male

View Record
James Dunn, farm hand
Township 3 Range 9, Madison, IL
25
abt 1835
Missouri
Male

View Record
Agnes Dunn
Alton, Madison, IL
24
abt 1836
Canada
Female

View Record
Catharina Dunn
Township 4 Range 7, Madison, IL
24
abt 1836
Ireland
Female

View Record
Joseph Dunn, day laborer
Alton, Madison, IL
24
abt 1836
Ireland
Male

View Record
Patrick Dunn, carpenter
Alton, Madison, IL
23
abt 1837
Ireland
Male

View Record
James Dunn, farm laborer
Township 6 Range 10, Madison, IL
21
abt 1839
Illinois
Male

View Record
Mary Dunn
Township 4 Range 7, Madison, IL
10
abt 1850
Illinois
Female

View Record
Catharina Dunn
Township 4 Range 7, Madison, IL
8
abt 1852
Illinois
Female

View Record
Robbert Dunn
Township 5 Range 9, Madison, IL
7
abt 1853
Illinois
Male

View Record
Peter Dunn
Township 6 Range 9, Madison, IL
6
abt 1854
England
Male

View Record
Bridget Dunn
Township 4 Range 7, Madison, IL
5
abt 1855
Illinois
Female

View Record
Margaret Dunn
Township 5 Range 9, Madison, IL
5
abt 1855
Illinois
Female

View Record
Mary Dunn
Alton, Madison, IL
4
abt 1856
Indiana
Female

View Record
Wm Dunn
Township 5 Range 9, Madison, IL
4
abt 1856
Illinois
Male

View Record
Margaret Dunn
Township 4 Range 7, Madison, IL
3
abt 1857
Illinois
Female

View Record
Charles Dunn
Township 5 Range 9, Madison, IL
3
abt 1857
Illinois
Male

View Record
Wm E Dunn
Alton, Madison, IL
3
abt 1857
Indiana
Male

View Record
John Dunn
Township 4 Range 7, Madison, IL
2
abt 1858
Illinois
Male

View Record
Wm Dunn
Township 6 Range 9, Madison, IL
2
abt 1858
England
(This is incorrect, he was born in Illinois)
Male

View Record
Susan Dunn
Alton, Madison, IL
6.12 (6 months old)
abt 1859
Illinois
Female

Last updated 5/16/2010

5/28/09

William Edward (Bill) Dunn (1918-1986), Great Grandson of Michael Dunn

Bill's Paternal Ancestry:

To summarize information covered elsewhere, here's a recap of Bill's paternal family line:

Pierce Dunn: Great great grandfather, believed to have emigrated from Ireland to England, probably in the mid 1800s;

Michael and Bridget Grace Dunn: Great grandparents, emigrated from Ireland to England, then to the U.S. (Illinois) in 1858;

William Edward and Josephine Lauer Dunn: Grandparents, lived in Illinois, moved to Missouri, then back to Illinois;

Eugene Michael and Hazel Nolan Dunn: Parents, lived in Illinois, moved to Arkansas (Eugene) and Indiana (Hazel).

♦♦♦

His Maternal Ancestry:

Edward and Mary Ellen Kavanaugh Nolan: Great grandparents, emigrated from Ireland to the U.S. (Illinois) in 1852;

Edward Francis and Mary Ring Nolan: Grandparents, lived in Illinois;


Hazel Lorretta Nolan Dunn and Eugene Michael Dunn: Parents.

♦♦♦

His Immediate Family:

His parents, Eugene Michael Dunn (1898-1969) and Hazel Loretta Nolan Dunn (Youngs) (1899 -1994) were married in Indiana in 1917 and had two children. They were my generation's father, William Edward (Bill) Dunn, and his sister, Rita Jane Dunn.

My mother reported that Eugene abandoned his family sometime after Bill was born in 1918, came back some years later, stayed long enough for Hazel to get pregnant with Rita, who was born in 1928, and left again, this time permanently. None of my generation ever met Eugene, or had even seen a picture of him until I began assembling our family history. After starting to gather our information I met a long-lost second cousin, Mary Green Starasinic, who provided some photos of him.

After I started this project, Rita’s daughter provided copies of several family documents. Hazel and Eugene’s application for a marriage license says he was a bookkeeper and that his parents were William Edward Dunn, after whom Bill was named, and Josephine [Barbara] Lauer, both of Steger, Illinois. Their stories are covered elsewhere in this blog.

With my father, I recall occasionally visiting relatives in Steger as a small youngster. I have no recollection of who they were or how I was related to them. However, after being widowed, that’s where his grandmother Josephine lived until her death in 1942. Also, I've learned that some of his cousins lived and worked in Steger for many years as well. Their stories are also included elsewhere in this blog.

I found Eugene as a child in the 1900 and 1910 censuses, living with his family. His page of this blog includes links to those censuses and other information about him. The
1920 census shows Eugene living in Chicago with Hazel. His occupation was "clerk - die casting" – from which I surmise that he was employed in a clerical job with some sort of factory at that time. Even though Bill was born in 1918, he's not recorded with his family in the 1920 census, which seems odd.

Hazel’s baptismal certificate is interesting. It’s dated 4/24/1961, which means she’d have been 61 years old if that’s correct. A more likely date is 1901, when she’d have been two years old. It was issued by Sacred Heart Church in Joliet, Illinois, and it shows her name as Lauretta Hazel (no other source says this).

Her father’s name was Edward Francis Nolan, her mother’s maiden name was Mary Ring, and both family lines have been traced back to those who emigrated from Ireland. The information we have about them is covered elsewhere in this blog.

To make a living, Hazel worked in retail as a sales clerk. She later married Darrow M Youngs (1903-1982), whom the 1930 census reports was a salesman of candy products. He was with his previous wife in 1930 and the census shows that he had children from that marriage (three in 1930), but he and Hazel had no children together.

Surprisingly, in an era before current sophisticated treatments were available, Hazel survived both colon cancer and breast cancer and lived to be age 95. Hazel Loretta Nolan Dunn Youngs was a gentle and caring person - and was very much beloved by all of us who knew her.

♦♦♦

Bill:


Bill was born July, 6th, 1918, in Chicago, Illinois. Because his father left the family, Bill dropped out of school as a teenager - age 13, I believe - so he could earn money to help support the family. He was a highly intelligent person, but that was the end of his formal education.

His mother was Catholic, and long ago I'd heard that Bill was raised as a Catholic - and even served as an altar boy. Although I'd heard that said of him, I'd never seen any evidence that it was true. However, my mother had several old photo albums labeled by dates - which I currently have - and on the opening page of the first album is a photo with a caption "William E Dunn - age 7". It's him as an altar boy, but somewhere along the line he left his religion behind. As far as I know, he never attended church as an adult and I never heard him express an interest in spiritual matters.

Bill married Fleeta Claire Jones, aka Fleeta Claire Field (Field being her mother's maiden name), in mid-1940. He met her while he was working at a White Castle restaurant in Chicago, where he was reportedly known as “The Wolf of the White Castle” - a "ladies man", if you please. We have a photo of him, circa 1939, outside a White Castle - and he looks very dapper in his dark double-breasted suit and white shoes, so it seems likely the report could be accurate.

To put their marriage into the context of what was going on in the world at that time, here are some headlines from that period:
■ German occupiers disband Dutch States-General/Council of State;
■ SS rounds up 31 German/Polish/Dutch Jews in Roermond Netherlands;

■ France falls to Nazi Germany; armistice signed, France disarmed;
■ Marcel Louette seeks opposition group "White Brigade" on Antwerp;
■ RAF bombs Schiphol;
■ France signs an armistice with Italy during WW II.

So, they were married before the U.S. became involved in World War II when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941 - but the war was was raging in Europe.


Trivia: WWII ended in 1945. However, there were some Japanese soldiers on isolated islands in the Pacific who never got the message that the war ended (or they believed it was a trick) and they fought on for years afterward. The last Japanese soldier to surrender was Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onada who emerged from the Philippine jungle in 1974 to finally surrender. For more on that subject you may want to see if your library has a copy of his book, "No Surrender - My Thirty-Year War".


Trivia: White Castle, for those who aren't familiar with it, is the oldest American hamburger fast food chain, known for square burgers which were priced at five cents until the 1940s, and remained at ten cents for years thereafter. For several years, when the original burgers sold for five cents, White Castle periodically ran promotional ads in local newspapers which contained coupons offering five burgers for ten cents, takeout only. The typical White Castle restaurant architecture features a white exterior with a tower at one corner to resemble a medieval castle.

Bill and Claire opened a tiny grocery store in Chicago around 1941, but it was during WW II, and apparently didn’t last long. I hadn't even known of its existence until beginning this family history. We have a photo of Claire in that store and in the picture is a photo of me as a baby. My birth certificate records that at the time of my birth he was a laborer at Youngstown Sheet & Tube, a steel mill in northwest Indiana, so that was apparently his job, while she ran the little store.


Trivia: Financial info from that era:
Bread: 8¢ per loaf
Milk: 51¢ per gallon
Eggs: 59¢ per dozen
Gas: 18¢ per gallon
Postage stamps: 3¢ each
Car: $810
House: $6,558
Average annual income: $1,906
Minimum wage: 30¢ per hour


♦♦♦

Military Service, His Lack Thereof:

We have a photo of him, circa 1943, which is believed to be his ID photo for the steel mill. As I thought about the timing of when this was taken, I found myself wondering why he didn’t serve in the military during World War II, which was underway at the time.

I did a bit of research and found that there was a draft classification applied to those for whom military service would cause “hardship to dependents”. The classification was called III-A and applied to “men with dependents, not engaged in work essential to national defense”.

It was drawn to my attention that because the production of steel was so crucial at that time, he may have been in the category of those whose work was essential to the war effort. In looking at the draft classifications, it's possible he may have been classed as III-B, "Men with dependents, engaged in work essential to national defense".

So, the evidence suggests that either because he was married and had children starting a year prior to the U.S. getting into the war and/or because of his job in a defense-related industry, he was exempt from serving.

♦♦♦

Info from His Social Security Death Index:

Name: William Dunn
SSN: 347-09-3546
Last Residence: Hammond, Indiana, United States
Born: 6 Jul 1918
Died: Dec 1986
State issued: Illinois


♦♦♦

His Businesses:

In one of Claire's albums is an interesting photo. The caption says, "The '47 Dodge - Our business 4/10/49". The picture on the link shows what it would have looked like, but his had a large box-type affair on the back that made the back a covered area. What's interesting is that the signage on his truck says, "Supreme Baking Co, Calumet City, Illinois". That causes me to think that before he did business as "Unique Bakery Service" and/or "Unique Donuts" (discussed below) Bill must have done business as Supreme Baking Co. I don't recall having known that before seeing this photo.

Trivia: The Calumet City address is of interest as well; it was just across the state line from where we lived. I recall that Bill had some kind of business relationship with a man in Cal City whose name I think was Jack Gannon or Gannis. I remember having been with Bill on occasion when he met with this man, but I have no idea of the nature of their business dealings. However, as I recall, the man owned a strip joint in Cal City - which was widely known as a "Sin City" in that era. It was heavily populated with strip joints and taverns and was infamous for its prostitution in those days.

Trivia: The picture of the truck is taken from the front of our house in East Chicago. Supermarkets as we know them today had not yet come into existence, and across the street is the little mom and pop grocery store/meat market where we got a lot of our food as I was growing up. It was owned by immigrants from Europe - Poland, I think - who came to America to escape the ravages of World War II, as did many of those in our neighborhood in the 1950s.

In any event, Bill became an entrepreneur, owning a bakery and several donut shops called "Unique Donuts". The production of his goods took place at the bakery location at the corner of Cherry St. and Calumet Ave. in Hammond, Indiana. The merchandise was retailed at that shop and was also delivered in vans to his other locations in the Calumet Region, as that area of northwest Indiana is called.

He didn’t start out with physical locations, however. Nor did he manufacture his own merchandise in the beginning. It's my understanding that he was working at the steel mill full-time while getting his bakery delivery business underway on a part-time basis.


♦♦♦

How He Got Started in Business:

He started in business by buying bakery goods at wholesale pricing from a man by the name of
Joe Biegel, owner of Biegel’s Bakery in Roseland, Illinois, on Chicago’s south side. He’d drive there at around 3-4 a.m. every morning to pick up his inventory. There were many occasions on weekends and during summer months when, as a kid, I’d accompany him on trips to Biegel’s to help him load his walk-in truck, in which he had installed racks to hold the bakery trays.

To sell his goods he would drive his truck full of merchandise to outlying rural areas that didn’t have easy access to the stores available to city-dwellers. The truck was equipped with a large bell he'd ring to alert the customers that he'd arrived on the scene. They'd then come out to the truck to buy his merchandise.

Using the business name of Unique Bakery Service, he established routes that he’d cover on a rotating basis on various days of the week and deliver both fresh bakery goods and ice cream products to his customers. As time passed, his business outgrew his ability to handle it all himself, so he added trucks and hired drivers to do the same thing he was doing – take the merchandise to his customers’ doorsteps. We have a picture of three walk-in bakery trucks he owned in the mid-1950s.

In the post-World War II era of the late 1940s and early 1950s, Wal-Mart, supermarkets and large grocery stores hadn’t yet come along. So, his approach was, indeed, unique and it was a service that was appreciated and valued by his customers. For many years he prospered with this approach before deciding to open stores and produce his own merchandise.

He also had wholesale customers - grocery stores and restaurants - to whom he delivered bakery goods as well. I worked for him as a route driver in my late teens and early 20s, and my siblings and I worked in the bakery in various roles when we were youngsters.

In the 1950s he had other business ventures as well. I recall going with him to the Route 30 racetrack in Schererville, Indiana, and being vendors of products (I don't recall for certain, but it may have been ice cream bars and popsicles we sold). He also owned three-wheeled ice cream bikes (similar to the one shown at the link). As a youngster I rode one of them in the summer and sold ice cream bars and ice cream novelties any place I could find groups of people
gathered. Parks where people gathered for softball games were a favorite venue.

♦♦♦

The Mothers of His Children:

Bill and Claire had five children between 1940 and 1948, began living separate lives sometime thereafter, and were divorced in 1957. They had an unusual arrangement, both before and after the divorce. Claire and we kids lived in the large house in the front of the property they owned and Bill lived in one of the two apartments in the rear of the property. So, although they lived separate lives, both before and after their divorce, they lived on the same piece of real estate for several years while doing so.

In 1960 Bill married Jeannine (Jean) Wells, who had three children from a previous marriage. Bill and Jean had two children, and this marriage ended with Jean’s untimely death. Bill spent his final fifteen years or so with Ann Girski, who had four kids from previous marriages, and they had one daughter.

In all, he had three families, fathered eight biological children, had three stepchildren, and played a father role of sorts with Ann's four kids, for a total of fifteen kids. That group have grown to adulthood and the extended family now includes Bill's numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

♦♦♦

Stock Car Racing:

For hobbies, Bill was an occasional golfer, but for a period of time had a passion for stock car racing, or what has now evolved into NASCAR. He owned - and drove - stock cars in the 1950s, and we have a photo of one of those cars in our archive. From a current perspective it seems like a hazardous hobby for someone with as many kids as he had at the time.

I have memories of going to a Blue Island, Illinois, racetrack as a kid and watching him race. It was alway exciting to be part of his racing activities, even if only as an observer.

His brother-in-law, Hank Erickson, for one, was involved in helping to keep his cars running, if my memory is correct. I think Peter Tumbiolo, another brother-in-law, may also have been involved at some point as well, although I'm not sure of that.

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His Sister, Rita Dunn Erickson Tumbiolo:

Rita Jane Dunn (1928-2007) married Henry (Hank) Erickson, and they had one daughter. For a period of time when I was a kid, Rita, Hank and their daughter lived in the second rear apartment on the East Chicago property where we lived.

My recollection is that Hank was a milkman. (For younger readers of this blog, a milkman was someone who drove a truck and delivered milk - in glass bottles - and other dairy products to the homes of customers.) Rita’s marriage to Hank ended in divorce, and Rita later married Peter Tumbiolo; he and Rita had one son. I recall that Peter worked part-time for Bill in the donut business - bookkeeping, I believe. If I recall correctly, his full-time job was at Inland Steel, another steel mill in northwest Indiana. I don’t remember what his job there was. However, as a kid, I remember liking Peter a lot. Rita was widowed when Peter died.

I remember Rita as being very sociable, and have fond memories of spending time visiting her as a youngster. My recollection is that there were always lots of friends around, people dropping by, lots of camaraderie and laughing, especially when family gatherings took place.

Although she had no formal training as a nurse, she worked as an assistant to our family doctor, Dr. Richard Schulfer, for many years prior to his death. In a short biographical sketch prepared for our family reunion in 1999, Rita provided the following info: “Retired from the medical field, now working in retail… I like the Internet and love working in my son’s garden. I’m a frustrated interior decorator. I enjoy some arts and crafts. Not all.” Her obituary said, “Rita was a lover of animals and plants. She was an experienced seasonal interior decorator.”


Last updated 5/31/09

5/16/09

Helen Dunn Green Wolf, Daughter of William E Dunn

Background:

As discussed previously in this blog, William Edward Dunn (WED) and his first wife had a daughter, Ella Dunn. After being widowed he married Josephine Barbara Lauer and they had eight children.

I've also written previously about what I've been able to find out about their eldest son, Stephen, and their second son, John (known as Jack). Their next two children were daughters Julia and Rosa, who died as children, and we have no other info about them. They were followed by sons Eugene, Edward and Francis (known as Smiley) Dunn, who are covered elsewhere in this blog.

The last child was Helen M Dunn and this page covers what I've so far been able to learn about her.


To start with, she was born a Dunn in 1907, married John Cecil Green sometime before 1934, and became Helen Green. Helen and John's only child was Mary Lou Green (who married Joe Starasinic).

Helen was widowed, later married Jesse Raymond Wolf, and ended her days as Helen Wolf.
Doing genealogy research with someone whose name changes along the way is indeed an interesting challenge!

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Here's her obituary:

Chicago Heights Star
7/7/1994

"Helen M. Wolf (nee Dunn), a resident of Joliet, formerly a long time resident of Steger, died Sunday, July 3, in Joliet. [Nee is a word of French derivation meaning "formerly known as"
when referring to a woman's maiden name.]

[Funeral] Services were [held] Wednesday at St. Liborious Catholic Church, Steger, with the Rev. John Sponder officiating. Interment was in Skyline Memorial Park, Monee.

The former Helen Dunn was born October 12, 1907, in Crete. She was retired as a sales clerk for Jordans Clothing Store and a member of the Happy Agers of Steger.

She is survived by a daughter, Mary Starasinic of Joliet, and three grandchildren.

Her husband, Jesse, died in 1992.

Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Arrangements were handled by Steger Memorial Chapel, Steger."

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From the 1910 census:
Being born in 1907, the first census in which she would have appeared is this one. Helen's mother, Josephine Lauer Dunn, and the children lived in Crete, Illinois. Ella would have been 25 by this time, had married, become Ella Dawson, and was no longer in the household. Rosa and Julia had died, and three more children had been born.

WED had died in 1908 and the household looked like this:
Josephine Dunn, 39;
Stephen C Dunn, 17, [illegible word] keeper at Steger Piano factory;
John H Dunn, 15, custom finisher, also at Steger Piano factory;
Eugene M Dunn, 11;
Edward T Dunn, 9;
Francis A Dunn, 6;
Helen M Dunn, 2.


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From the 1920 census:
The family was still living in Crete, and in the household with Josephine, 49, are:
John, 25, a foreman;
Edward, 19, machinist;
Francis,16, millwright;
Helen, 12, presumably still in school.

All three males work for the Steger Piano factory. From other records we know that Eugene married in 1917 and is no longer in the household.


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About John Green:
Here's what I learned about John Green from his daughter, Mary.

Born: Chicago Heights, Illinois, on 19 December 1898;

Died: St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights, Illinois, on 5 December 1953;
Buried: St. James Cemetery in Strassburg, Illinois, on 12 December 1953.

At the time of his death he was survived by four sisters and two brothers:

Mrs. Frances Green Manno of Steger, Il;
Mrs. Sadie Green Stringer of Steger, Il;
Mrs. Anna Green Wyman of Chicago, Il;
Mrs. Hazel Green Zell of Chicago, Il;
Mr. William Green of Steger, Il;
Mr. Joseph Green of Steger, Il.

John moved to Steger, Illinois, about 1927. This could be the year he and Helen Dunn were married. Prior to his death he was employed for 17 years at the Victor Chemical Works in Chicago Heights, Illinois, where he was a foreman.


From the 1930 census:
John is recorded as living with the Stringer family in Steger:
Edward Stringer, head of household;
Sadie, wife; [John's sister]
Edward, son;
John Green, brother in law.

According to this census, John is age 31 and unmarried. It says his father was born in Germany and his mother was born in Illinois. Edward is a “planer” at the [Steger] piano factory. John’s occupation is listed as retail merchant / grocery store. The available data suggests that John and Helen were married between April, 1930, when the census was taken, and late 1933. This would allow at least 9 months between their marriage and Mary's birth.

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Helen's Marriage to Jesse Wolf
From: Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930-1960
Name: Jesse Wolf
Marriage Date: 22 Sep 1956
Spouse: Helen [Dunn Green]
Marriage Location: Cook County, IL

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From Helen's Social Security Death Index
Name: Helen M. Wolf

SSN: 327-24-9077
Last Residence: Steger, Cook, Illinois
Born: 12 Oct 1907
Died: 3 Jul 1994

I haven't found her in the 1930 census, but will continue to research. As is the case with her brothers Edward and Francis, it would be interesting to know more about her, so I will see what more I can learn and will update this page when I do so.

Last updated 5/22/2009

Francis A (Smiley) Dunn, Son of William E Dunn

Background:

As discussed previously in this blog, William Edward Dunn (WED) and his first wife had a daughter, Ella Dunn. After being widowed he married Josephine Barbara Lauer and they had eight children.

Previously in this blog I've written about what I've been able to find out about their eldest son, Stephen, and their second son, John (known as Jack). Their next two children were daughters Julia and Rosa, who died as children, and we have no other info about them.

They were followed by sons Eugene and Edward, who are covered elsewhere in this blog. The next son was Francis Anthony (known as Smiley), and this page covers what I've so far been able to learn about him.

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Here's his obituary:

Chicago Heights Star
12/10/1987

"[Funeral] Services were [held] yesterday for Francis A 'Smiley' Dunn, a lifelong Chicago Heights resident who died Saturday, December 5 in St. James Hospital medical center.

The Rev. John Doyle, pastor, offered mass at St. Liborius church in Steger. Burial was in Homewood Memorial Gardens cemetery.

Mr. Dunn was born November 10, 1903, in St. Genevieve, Mo. He was retired from woodworking for Caravelle Wood Products Inc.

He is survived by his wife, Edna; one daughter, Colleen Becker of Springfield, Va; one sister, Helen Wolf of Steger, and three grandchildren."

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From the
1910 census:
Being born in 1903, the first census in which he would have appeared is this one. Smiley's mother, Josephine Lauer Dunn, and the children lived in Crete, Illinois. Ella would have been 25 by this time, had married, become Ella Dawson, and was no longer in the household. Rosa and Julia had died, and three more children had been born.

WED had died in 1908 and the household looked like this:
Josephine Dunn, 39
Stephen C Dunn, 17, [illegible word] keeper at Steger Piano factory
John H Dunn, 15, custom finisher, also at Steger Piano factory
Eugene M Dunn, 11
Edward T Dunn, 9
Francis A Dunn, 6
Helen M Dunn, 2

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From the
1920 census:
The family was still living in Crete, and in the household with Josephine, 49, are:
John, 25, a foreman;
Edward, 19, machinist;
Francis,16, millwright;
Helen, 12, presumably still in school.

All three males work for the Steger Piano factory. From other records we know that Eugene married in 1917 and is no longer in the household.


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From Smiley's Social Security Death Index:

Name: Francis A. Dunn
SSN: 346-07-9396
Last Residence: Chicago Heights, Illinois
Born: 10 Nov 1903
Died: 5 Dec 1987


I couldn't find a draft registration for him, nor could I find him in the 1930 census. I will continue to research, but this surprises me, for as you can see above, he was recorded for 1910 and 1920 and was still living in the same area. It would be interesting to know more about him, so I will see what more I can learn and will update this page when I do so.

Last updated 5/17/09

5/15/09

Edward T Dunn, Son of William E Dunn

Background

William Edward Dunn (WED) and his first wife had a daughter, Ella Dunn. After being widowed, he married Josephine Barbara Lauer and they had eight children.

Previously in this blog I've discussed what I've learned about their eldest son, Stephen, and their second son, John, known as Jack. Their next two children were daughters Julia and Rosa, who died as children, reportedly of scarlet fever. They were followed by Eugene, who is also discussed elsewhere in this blog. That brings us to their next son, Edward T Dunn. This page is about him.

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To start, here's his obituary:


Chicago Heights Star
2/9/1975


"A funeral mass for Edward t Dunn, 30 Mckinley, Steger, was celebrated yesterday in St. Liborius church. The Rev. John Doyle officiated. Burial was in St. James cemetery in Sauk Village.

Mr. Dunn. who died Thursday at St. James hospital, was born January 22nd, 1901 in Chicago, and spent most of his life in the south suburbs. He was formerly personnel manager of the Steger Furniture company.

He is survived by a sister, Mrs. Helen Wolf of Steger and a brother, Francis, of Chicago Heights."

From what is reported above, it appears that he was a lifelong bachelor, since neither a wife nor children are mentioned as survivors. The Steger Furniture company is discussed in detail on Stephen C Dunn's page of this blog.

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From the
1910 census:
Being born in 1901, the first census in which he would have appeared is this one. The widowed Josephine Lauer Dunn and the children now lived in Crete, Illinois. Ella would have been 25 by this time, had married, become Ella Dawson, and was no longer in the household. Rosa and Julia had died, and three more children had been born.

WED had died in 1908 and the household looked like this:
Josephine Dunn, 39
Stephen C Dunn, 17, [illegible word] keeper at Steger Piano factory
John H Dunn, 15, custom finisher, also at the piano factory
Eugene M Dunn, 11
Edward T Dunn, 9
Francis A Dunn, 6
Helen M Dunn, 2

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From the 1920 census:
The family was still living in Crete, and in the household with Josephine, 49, are:
John, 25, a foreman;
Edward, 19, machinist;
Francis,16, millwright;
Helen, 12, presumably still in school.

All three males work for the Steger Piano factory. From other records we know that Eugene married in 1917 and is no longer in the household.


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From Edward's Social Security Death Index

Name: Edward Dunn
SSN: 343-05-2802
Last Residence: Steger, Illinois, United States of America
Born: 22 Jan 1901
Died: Feb 1975

I couldn't find a WWI draft registration for him, which may be because he was too young to be eligible for the draft, for the war ended in 1918 when he'd have been just 17 years old. Nor could I find him in the 1930 census. This surprises me, for as you can see above, he was recorded for 1910 and 1920 and was still living in the same area.

It would be interesting to know more about him, especially about how he spent his later years.

Last updated 5/16/09