By Ray L. Bellande

 

 
Ocean Springs Families

Contents

Alves Family

Ames Family

Calongne Family

Camba Family

Colligan Family

Dale Family

Egan Family

Gormly Family

Hamill Family

Lundy-McClure

McEwen Family

O'Keefe Family

Seymour Family

Soden Family

Swedish Families [Ackander, Hakanson, Lindholm, Lindstrom, Nelson, Nilsson, and Strahle]

Taltavull Family

Tillinghast

Toche Family

Van Cleave

Ward Family

Westbrook Family

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ALVES FAMILY

            Peter Alves (1863-1939) was born in Louisiana on December 11, 1863, the son of Peter Alves and Elizabeth Supass.  He married Angelina Trasierra (1876-1957), the daughter of Manuel Trasierra and Emily Numberg (1848-1924).  Angelina was born at New Orleans and her parents were from Mexico and Texas respectively.  Their children were: August George Alves (1893-1959), Charles Alves (1896-1971), Jennie Alves Tillman (1898-1980), Bertha Alves Gerosa Churchill Thomas (1901?-1980+), Joseph Alves (1903-1953), Alma Alves Olier (1907-1987), and Wilhemina Alves West (1910-2005).

           The Peter Alves family arrived at Biloxi circa 1910, probably from New Orleans.  In 1920, Peter Alves was sick and not working.  Angelina was an oyster shucker in a canning plant. They lived on Myrtle Street at Point Cadet in a domicile adjacent to the Joseph A. Toche (1872-1960) family.

 

BERTHA ALVES

            Betha Alved married a Mr. Gerosa.  On December 21, 1921, she married Henry T. Churchill (1897 or 1900-1931), the son of Henry Frank Churchill and Mary Collins.  Henry was born at Redmonville, Mississippi.  He expired at Breton Island, Louisiana on May 15, 1931, while at crewman on the Willomena, a Biloxi fishing boat owned by Marco Skrmetta (1889-1959).  Henry was buried in the Alves family plot in the Biloxi City Cemetery.  He was survived by a son, Henry Churchill.(The Daily Herald, May 16, 1931, p. 2)

 

Children:

AUGUST GEORGE ALVES (1893-1959)

August George Alves was born December 23, 1893.  He married Lola Daniels (1898-1940).  Children: August G. Alves II (1915-1979), Lola Claire Alves (1918-1919), Joyce Alves Nocora, and Rita Alves Oliver.  He died on March 15, 1959 while she expired on November 11, 1940.  Buried Biloxi City Cemetery.

 

August G. Alves II (1915-1979)

August G. “Ducky” Alves II married Phala Louise Vierling (1921-1978).  Their children: August G. Alves III, Kay A. Braun DeSilvey, and Kevin Alves.  In 1958, August G. Alves is making his livelihood as a ship captain and living at 120 West End Homes in Biloxi.

 

August G. Alves III

 

Kay Claire Alves (b. 1939) married Robert E. Braun (b. 1942), the son of Russell Braun and Louise Ruiz, at Pascagoula in April 1963.  He was a water ski instructor and bartender.(JXCO, Ms. MRB 103, p. 204)

 

Kevin Vincent Alves (b. 1948) the son of August G. Alves II (1915-1979) and Phala Louise Vierling (1921-1978).  Grew up at 27 Holcomb Boulevard.  Joined USAF and while a serviceman, he married Lynn Belle Speed (b. 1950), the daughter of Alfred Speed and Irene Martin, at Ocean Springs in August 1968.(JXCO, Ms, Circuit Court MRB 111, p. 157)  Appointed police chief in 1983 and served in this capacity until 1989.  Elected Mayor of Ocean Springs in 1989 and 1993.

Kevin Vincent Alves married Lynn Belle Speed (b. 1950), the daughter of Alfred Speed and Irene Martin, in August 1968.(JXCO, Ms. MRB 111, p. 157)

            Children: Kevin V. Alves II (b. 1975) and Shannon Lyn Alves (b. 1972?) married Mark Andrew Williams (b. 1969?), the son of Albert L. Williams (1927-2000) and Norma Williams of Ocean Springs, on November 27, 2004 in Biloxi.(The Ocean Springs Record, October 28, 2004, p. A6)

 

Joyce Alves Nocora

 

Rita Alves Oliver

            Rita married William Oliver.  They had a daughter, Chi Chi Joyce Oliver (1940-1940) who expired as an infant on May 23, 1940.  Buried Biloxi City Cemetery.

 

CHARLES PETER ALVES (1896-1971)

            Charles Peter Alves was born at New Orleans on November 17, 1896.  He married Adele Marie Primeaux (1903-1975) a native of Erath, Louisiana.  She was the daughter of Dupre Primeaux and Octavia Duplantis.  They resided at 302 Rose Street in Biloxi where he worked as a fisherman.   They had a son, Henry G. Alves (1920-1992), and four daughters: Vivian A. Cellucci, Donna A. Flores, June A. Palumbo, Gloria A. Landry, and Mary A. Williamson.  Charles Alves expired in July 1971.  His remains were interred at the Biloxi City Cemetery.(The Daily Herald, August 1, 1971, p. 2)

Gloria A. Landry, d. 1-29-1991, 5-24-1991, 9-22-2000.

 

Henry G. Alves (1920-1992)

            Henry G. Alves, called Bubba” was born at Biloxi on November 22, 1920.  He made his livelihood as a marine salesman.  Henry never married.  During WW II, he served in the U.S. Navy.  Henry G. Alves expired at Gulfport, Mississippi on November 12, 1992.  His remains were interred in the Biloxi City Cemetery.(The Daily Herald, November 14, 1992, p. A-2)

 

JENNIE ALVES TILLMAN (1898-1980)

            Jennie “Honey” Alves Tillman was born on November 22, 1898, at New Orleans.  She married John William Tillman.  Member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in North Biloxi. Her family was: Lionel Pete Tillman, Frank Tillman, Norma T. Rhodes, Rita T. McMillan, June T. Cannette, Shirley T. Mallette, and Joyce T. Merritt.  She expired on January 26, 1980.  Buried Biloxi Cemetery.(The Daily Herald, January 28, 1980, p. A-2)

 

JOSEPH ALVES (1903-1953)

            Joseph “Joe” Alves was born at New Orleans.  He married Mable Marie Tauzin (1907-2004), a native of New Iberia, Louisiana, and the daughter of Emile Tauzin and Angela Borrell. (HARCO, Ms. MRB 36, p. 35). 

Joseph Alves passed on October 19, 1953, and was buried in the Biloxi Cemetery.  They were the parents of Raphael “Ray” P. Alves (1926-1988), Edmonia “Mona” Alves Sorci, Daniel Alves, and Helen Alves Wadja. 

Sometime before 1918, young Joe Alves was injured while working for the Sea Food Company on Point Cadet in Biloxi, Mississippi.  While unloading an oyster schooner at the factory, Alves fell through a hole in the wharf and suffered bodily harm for which litigation was brought against the Sea Food Company.  In February 1918, the Mississippi Supreme Court upheld the lower courts decision in favor of Alves against the defendant.(The Daily Herald, February 26, 1918, p. 1)

  Mable T. Alves worked at the Dejean Packing Company in 1958, while residing at 260 Miramar Avenue in Biloxi. She expired at Ocean Springs on May 27, 2004.  Buried in the Biloxi City Cemetery.(The Sun Herald, May 29, 2004, p. A-8)

 

Raphael P. Alves

Raphael “Ray and Ralph” P. Alves (1926-1988), called Ralph, was born at Biloxi on October 25, 1926.  He married Willine Wright.  They were the parents of Joyce Alves Von Heeder of Sealy, Texas.   In 1958, he was a fisherman employed with the Moore Seafood Company and residing with his mother.  At the time of his demise on August 30, 1988, in Houston, Texas, Raphael P. Alves was a maintenance technician for a food equipment company.  His corporal remains were sent to the Biloxi City Cemetery for burial.(The Daily Herald, September 2, 1988, p. A-4)

 

Edmonia “Mona” Alves

            Edmonia “Mona” Alves married John B. Sorci, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Salvdore Sorci, of San Jose, California on July 1, 1950, at St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church in Biloxi, Mississippi. At the time of her mother’s death in 2004, she was residing at San Jose, California.  No children?(The Daily Herald, June 29, 1950, p. 8)

 

Daniel Alves

            Daniel “Buddy” Alves was a resident of Houston, Texas in August 1988.  Children: John, Ray, and Gail Alves.  Buddy expired before May 2004.

 

Helen Alves

            Married Wadja.  Children: Anthony, John, Eugene, Jeanne W. Dykraff.

 

ALMA ALVES OLIER (1907-1987)

            Born July 8, 1907.  Married Voorhis Louis Olier.  They had a son, Voorhis L. Olier II (1928-1948), who died on April 25, 1948.  She expired in September 1987.

 

WILHEMINA ALVES WEST (1910-2005).

            Wilhemina Alves was born April 8, 1910.  She was married to Houston West (1908-1997). He expired

September 12, 1997.  They were the parents of: Phyllis W. Spataro; Ralph West; and Hollis West.  Mrs. West expired at Biloxi, Mississippi on September 30, 2005.  Her corporal remains were interred in the Biloxi City Cemetery.(The Sun Herald, October 4, 2005, p. A6)

 

REFERENCES:

 

The Daily Herald, “Biloxi Youth Wins His Suit”, February 26, 1918.

The Daily Herald, “Churchill-Gerosa”, December 21, 1921.

The Daily Herald, “Fisherman Dies Suddenly”, May 16, 1931.

The Daily Herald, “Miss Mona Alves”, June 29, 1950.

The Daily Herald, “Charles Pete Alves”, August 1, 1971.

The Daily Herald, “Raphael P. Alves”, September 2, 1988.

The Daily Herald, “Mrs. Jennie A. Tillman”, January 28, 1980.

The Daily Herald, “Henry G. ‘Bubba’ Alves”, November 14, 1992.

The Ocean Springs News, “Jennie Alves Tillman”, January 1980.

The Ocean Springs Record, “Williams and Alves honored by VFW", May 6, 1976, p. 14.

The Ocean Springs Record, “Alves Named Ocean Springs Chief of Police”, February 10, 1983.

The Ocean Springs Record, “New chief assumes duties”, February 17, 1983.

The Ocean Springs Record, “First Family”, June 22, 1989.

The Ocean Springs Record, “Alves-Williams", October 28, 2004, p. A6.

The Sun Herald, “Mabel Marie Tauzin”, May 29, 2004.

The Sun Herald, "Mrs. Wilhemina West", October 4, 2005, p. A6.

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AMES

The forefather of the Ames family at Ocean Springs was John Ames (1797-1852+).  Ames settled originally at New York (1843) and came to Ocean Springs circa 1845 where he made his livelihood as a collier (charcoal maker).  Ames secured land patents in 1847 and 1848 from the United States Government on one hundred-twenty acres of land in the SE/4 of Section 19, T7S-R8W. 

This parcel of land, known in the past as the "Ames Tract", was bounded on the north by the south line of the SW/4 of the NE/4 of Section 19 (which strikes east-west through the southern one-third of the Evergreen Cemetery) and a line south of Iberville through the Spring Plaza Shopping Center, west by a line projecting from Government through Blount to Fort Bayou, south by Government, and east by a line from Government to the east side of the Spring Plaza Shopping Center.  Oddly, Ames Avenue is just west of the original Ames Tract.

Probably, the first baseball park at Ocean Springs, called the "Baseball Green" was located on a part of the Ames Tract.  It was 763 feet by 363 feet (6.36 acres) and located west of present day Germaine's Restaurant.  Captain Antoine Bellande (1829-1918) purchased the tract from James Stranby of New Orleans in November 1873.  It later became known as Veillon's Ball Diamond after Mrs. Henrietta Hyde Veillon (d. 1920) bought it from Bellande in May 1913.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 39, pp. 208-210 and Bk. 39, pp. 328-329)

Dr. Henry Bradford Powell (1867-1949), a Canadian physician and inn keeper, operated a four hole golf course here in 1910.  The links were short lived as Powell with A.E. Lee (1874-1936) and George E. Arndt (1857-1945) developed the Ocean Springs Country Club on the Rose-Money Farm north of Fort Bayou in 1914.

John Ames and his wife, Helen (1814-1874) reared four children at Ocean Springs: Thomas Ames (1843-1906), Elizabeth Ames (1845-1917), William Ames (1848-1922), and Jeremiah Ames (1852-pre 1922).

 

Thomas Ames (1843-1906), the eldest child, was born at New York.  He made his livelihood as a carpenter.  At the time of his demise on June 30, 1906, he was employed by the Dantzler Lumber Company at its Cedar Lake Camp in Harrison County.  It is believed that Thomas Ames never married.

 

Elizabeth Ames (1845-1917) called Eliza was the first Ames child born at Ocean Springs.  Her younger days were filled with acts of heroism and works of charity which entitle her to a prominent niche in the history of Ocean Springs.  In October 1878, the dreaded "yellow jack" struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  Miss Eliza Ames and her brothers led the small brave corps who nursed the sick and buried the dead.  They often worked day and night without pay or hope of reward.

In 1884, Miss Eliza Ames sold the lot adjacent to the Public Cemetery to Bishop Francis Janssens, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Natchez.  At this time, this burial ground was known as the Catholic Cemetery.  Later, the Public and Catholic Cemetery were called collectively the Evergreen Cemetery.

In 1900, Eliza Ames was the proprietress of a hotel or boarding house probably the ancestral Ames home located on the east side of Cemetery Road (now Sunset).  By 1910, she had retired from the business world.  Miss Eliza Ames died in January 1917.

After the Augustus von Rosambeau Store and home on Jackson at Calhoun were destroyed by fire on November 13, 1917, Leo von Rosambeau (1883-1931) and a group of workmen tore down Miss Ames's residence.  The lumber from that ancient structure was utilized to build the new von Rosambeau home at 420 Jackson Avenue.  Thomas Gautier and his family reside here today.

 

William Ames (1848-1922) married Mary Lux.  They had at least two children:  Giordina Beatrice Ames (b. 1885) and Thomas Alexander Ames (b. 1888).  They left Ocean Springs to reside at Bay St. Louis where he may have worked for the railroad.  William Ames died there in September 1922.

 

Jeremiah M. Ames (1852-pre 1922) married Louisa Monti (1856-1925), the daughter of Giacomo Monti (1820-1891) and Rosa Lendre Bacchi.  They married on January 15, 1876 in Bay St. Louis at Our Lady of the Gulf.  He made his livelihood initially as a merchant (1880) and later with the L&N Railroad as a bridge builder (1900).  Jerry and Louisa Ames reared a large family at Ocean Springs.  Their children were: Theodore J. Ames (1876-1927), Helen Rose Ames (b. 1878), William Thomas Ames (1880-1969), Emma Louise Williams  Ames (b. 1882), Floyd Ames (1885-1969+), Allen Monti Ames (1888-1963), Westley Ames (b. 1890), and Mabel Veronica Ames (b. 1896). (Lepre, 1995, p. 263)

 

Children of Jeremiah M. Ames

Theodore J. Ames (1876-1927), known as Ted, married Carrie Seymour (1889-1979), the daughter of Narcisse Seymour (1849-1931) and Caroline Virginia Krohn (1847-1895).  In 1904, Ames operated a livery stable behind the Commercial Hotel on Robinson.  He later moved into a metal building further east nearer Cash Alley. 

In the early part of this Century, Ted Ames functioned as the director of the Ocean Springs Brass Band.  In 1918, During WW I, he served with U.S. Army at Camp Wheeler, Georgia where he was a member of the 123rd Infantry Band.  When Ted Ames returned from his military service, he worked as a railroad carpenter (1920).  Later Ames was the caretaker of Captain Alex L. Bisso's home (Terrace Hill) at 414 Martin.  He and Miss Carrie lived at present day 1108 Calhoun (the Centennial House) where their only child, a son, Kenneth Ames (1923-1987), was born.  Kenneth Ames appears to have been the last male Ames left at Ocean Springs.

    

William Thomas Ames (1880-1969) was born at Ocean Springs, Mississippi on September 4, 1880.  His father, Jeremiah Ames (1852- circa 1920) was a first generation American of Irish parentage, and his mother Louisa Monti (1856-1925) from Bay St. Louis was the daughter of Giacomo Monti (1820-1891) and Rosa Lendre Bacchi.  Jerry Ames made his livelihood initially as a merchant (1880) and later with the L&N Railroad as a bridge builder (1900).  Mrs. Ames had eight children of which six were living in 1900.  They were: Theodore J. Ames (1876- 1927), Helen Rose Ames (b. 1878), William T. Ames (1880-1969), Emma Louise Ames (b. 1882), Floyd Ames (1885-1969+), Allen Ames (b. 1888), Westley Ames (b. 1890), and Mabel Veronica Ames (b. 1896).  Mr. Jeremiah Ames died at Ocean Springs prior to 1922.  One daughter married Will Sigerson of Bay St. Louis.    

 

Career

Young William T. Ames worked as a typesetter for The Progress, an Ocean Springs journal, from 1900 to 1903.  He listed his occupation as manager of an electric company, probably the Mississippi Coast Traction Company, in 1910. 

It is known that he went to Nashville, Tennessee and took a course in telephone work and was appointed manager of the Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph Company at Ocean Springs in 1904.  In April 1909, Manager Ames announced that the phone company was going to rebuild the local phone exchange because the company was unable to supply the demand for telephones at Ocean Springs.

            Ames was frequently transferred temporarily by the telephone company and was sent to Hattiesburg in 1917.  He returned to Ocean Springs and resigned his position as local manager of the Cumberland Telephone Company, and head of the Gulf Coast Traction Company.  Eugene W. Illing succeeded Ames of the affairs of the Gulfport & Mississippi Coast Traction Company, which furnished electric lights to Ocean Springs.

            In January 1918, Ames accepted a government job with the sanitation department at Hattiesburg.  He was in charge of the sanitary works and garbage collection of that city. 

Evidently this opportunity was short-lived as The Jackson County Times reported Ames back with the phone company.  In March 1918, W.T. Ames went to New Orleans.  In July 1918,

he was made manager of Cumberland Telephone Company at Crowley, Louisiana.  In October 1918, at Covington, Louisiana in charge of the telephone exchange.(The Jackson County Times, October 26, 1918, P. 5, c. 2)  It is believed that Mrs. Ames and the children remained at Ocean Springs during these times.

            William T. Ames officiated as Mayor of Ocean Springs (1913-1916), and alderman of Ward One 1905-1910.  He was known for his faithful attention to his duties both as mayor and alderman.  This was reflected by his almost perfect attendance at all public meetings.

           

Marriage

In 1910, W.T. Ames married a widow, H. May Bertolotti of Mobile on September 11, 1909.  Her first husband, E.A. Bertolotti, was the local manager of the Biloxi Railway & Power Company.  He was a first class electrician.  His company specialized in wiring buildings, burglar alarms, desk fans, ceiling fans, and electric door bells.  The Bertolottis lived at Ocean Springs in 1904, and had a daughter, Mary L. Bertolotti Baehler (1904-1984). 

            In May 1915, a daughter, Elizabeth Ames Estalote (1915-1995), was born to the Ames at Ocean Springs.  It is believed that the Ames had another child, probably a son.  Ames was a musician in the famous turn of the century Ocean Springs Brass Band.

            After leaving Louisiana circa December 1918, Ames relocated to Pascagoula where he was the manager of the Pascagoula telephone exchange. He joined the Mississippi Bottling Works at Pascagoula as manager in March 1919.  The company made pop, ginger ale, and other soft drinks.  In Pascagoula as late as September 1919.

            The Ames relocated to Selma, Alabama where he was employed by the L&N Railroad as an electrician.  They resided at 519 Lamar Street until Mrs. Ames death on May 26, 1926.  Her body was sent to Mobile for burial.  She was survived by three children. 

            When his mother, Louisa Ames, died in August 1925, she was living with Dr. Allen Ames in Pensacola.  Her other surviving children were:  Mrs. Will Sigerson of Bay St.Louis, Floyd and Wesley Ames of Hattiesburg, and W.T. Ames of Selma, Alabama.

            W.T. Ames moved to 226 Franklin Street at Selma and remained here until his retirement in 1964.  He probably moved to Algiers, Louisiana to be near his daughter ? 

Mayor Ames died on September 27, 1969 at Algiers.  He is buried at Westlawn Memorial Park.

 

Floyd Ames (1885-1963+) married Martha Elizabeth Cragin of Purvis at Hattiesburg in February 1909.  They resided at Hattiesburg where Ames was a partner in the Century Drug Company.  No further information.

 

Allen Monti Ames (1888-1963) would go to Hattiesburg in the summer months to assist his brother, Floyd, at his drug store there.  He began his medical education at Vanderbilt University and in 1912, graduated from the Tulane Medical School at New Orleans.  In 1914, Dr. Ames opened his medical practice at Pensacola, Florida.  He was a veteran of WW I and returned to Pensacola where he served the community for nearly fifty years.  Dr. Ames expired at Pensacola in mid-June 1963.  His corporal remains were interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery at Pensacola.  He was of the Roman Catholic faith.

(The Pensacola Journal, June 19, 1963, p. 8-A)

 

REFERENCES:

 

Jerome Lepre, Catholic Church Records Diocese of Biloxi, Mississippi, Volume 1, "Ames", (Catholic Diocese of Biloxi: Biloxi, Mississippi-1991), p. 4.

 

The Daily Herald, "W.T. Ames Goes to Hattiesburg", January 14, 1918, p. 4.

The Daily Herald, "Mrs. Willie Ames Obit", May 26, 1926, p. 1.

The Jackson County Times, "W.T. Ames Goes to Hattiesburg", January 12, 1918, p. 5.

The Jackson County Time, "Local News Interest", March 16, 1918.

The Jackson County Times, "Local News Interest", July 6, 1918.

The Jackson County Times, "Local News Items", October 26, 1918.

The Jackson County Times, "Local News Interest", March 29, 1919.

Jackson County Times, "Mrs. Louisa Ames Buried Here", August 15, 1925, p. 4.

Jackson County Times, "Local News Items", October 1, 1927.

Ocean Springs News, "The Weekly Roundup", April 17, 1909.

The Ocean Springs News, "W.E. Wilson in the Race for Mayor", September 26, 1914, p. 1.

The Ocean Springs News, "Mayor Ames a Candidate for Reelection", October 24, 1914, p. 5.

The Ocean Springs Record, "Obituary", October 9, 1969, p. 8.

The Progress, "Local News", July 2, 1904, p. 4.

The Selma Times-Journal, "Ames Remains Carried To Mobile For Burial", May 27, 1926.

 

US CENSUS - Jackson County, Mississippi (1880, 1900, 1910)

 

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CALONGNE FAMILY

            This family name may have originally been Fauconne de Calongne.  Calongne is a small village or estate in France.  Progenitors of the American family were Francois Calongne and Emilie Adelaide Henry of New Orleans.  Their son, Sidney Auguste Calongne (1855-1911), built the American Sugar Refinery in St. Bernard, Parish and other buildings in New Orleans.  In 1881, he married Sally A. Forschee (1853-1942), the daughter of J.H. Forshee and Sarah Knight. Sidney A. Calongne and Sally Forschee Calongne had five children: Sidney E. Calongne (b. 1883), Wilford F. Calongne (1885-1967), Emily C. Mead (b. 1887), Ashely Calongne (1890-1953), Mildred Calongne (1891-1892), and Evelyn Leah C. Smith (1896-1973).(Bill Calongne, April 1997)

The Calongnes were fond of Ocean Springs and began coming here in the early 1900s.  They rented a cottage behind Glengariff, the beach front home of Captain Francis O' Neill (1849-1936), the retired Superintendent of Chicago police.  It was here that a young Wilford F. Calongne met Mary Haggarty, the daughter of John J. Haggarty.  The Haggartys were also residents of the Crescent City and enjoyed the breezy, warm summers of the Mississippi coast.  Wilford married Miss Haggarty in September 1920 at New Orleans.(Bill Calongne, April 1997)        

 

Calongne-Reeves House [destroyed by Katrina, August 2005]

204 Washington Avenue

Hillside

The Calongne family built a home in the fall of 1909 at present day 204 Washington Avenue.  It was called, Hillside, and cost $3000.  The contractors were Wieder & Friar.  Hillside burned in the 1930s, and was rebuilt.  Muriel Cousins, wife of Mayor George Barrow Cousins (b. 1883), once lived here.(The Ocean Springs News, November 27, 1909, p. 1 and Bill Calongne, April 1997)

 The Calongne home on lower Washington Avenue had been possessed since December 1978 by Louise “Lit” VanCourt (1914-2004).  In the late 1990s, Miss VanCourt sold it to James D. Reeves and Nell Webb Reeves.  In the summer of 1999, the Reeves family renovated their home with consultations from Carl D. Germany, AIA, and under the auspices of the Ocean Springs Historic Preservation Commission.  They restored the L-shaped gallery of the original structure, replaced windows, and installed a balustrade around the perimeter of the porch.  New colors, Tarrytown Green with Windham Cream trim, were selected to replace the faded dark green and white trim.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 636, p. 449 and City of Ocean Springs-Historical District Application for Certificate of Appropriateness-March 1999)

 

Paving company

The three sons of Sidney A. Calongne formed a paving company called Calongne Brothers.  They came to Ocean Springs in May 1915, to remove the defective schellinger paving and laid over one mile of cement walks and driveways at the Benjamin Estate, the large, well-landscaped property of Anna Louise Fitz Benjamin (1848-1938), the widow of David M. Benjamin (1834-1892) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.(The Ocean Springs News, June 3, 1915, p. 1)

 

 

Calongne Children

Sidney E. Calongne

Sidney Edward Calongne (b. 1883) received a Civil Engineering degree from Tulane. Married Ethel Calongne.  Died at Baton Rouge.  Four children: Dorothy Calongne, Ethel Calongne, Calongne, and Sidney Calongne married J. Arthur Smith.  No further information.(Bill Calongne, April 1997 and Philo Hooper DuVal, April  2001)

 

Wilford F. Calongne

Wilford F. Calongne (1883-1967) was born November 30, 1883 at New Orleans.  He received a Civil Engineering degree from Tulane.  Married Mary Haggarty at New Orleans, in September 1920.  She was the eldest of sixteen children (only eight survived).  Only child, a son, Wilford F. Calongne Jr. was born a New Orleans in 1921.  The family resided on Webster Street near Audubon Park.  They later relocated to the Broadmoor section of New Orleans, which is now predominantly Black.  W.F. Calongne for WPA during the Depression and assisted in the construction of the Lake Pontchartrain seawall.  He expired in May 1967.(Bill Calongne, April 1997)

 

 

W.F. “Bill” Calongne House (built 1996)

11001 Pointe-aux-Chenes Road

 

Professor Wilford F. Calongne Jr.

            Wilford “Bill” F. Calongne was born at New Orleans in 1921, the son of Wilford F. Calongne and Mary Haggarty.  He was reared on Webster Street near Audubon Park.  The Calongne family came to Ocean Springs for their summer holiday.  They stayed in their grandmother's cottage, Hillside, at present day 204 Washington Avenue.  Hillside was built in October 1909, by Wieder & Friar, local building firm. 

These were days when Johnny Seymour operated his fish and oyster house at the foot of Washington Avenue, the Anchor Inn of Mark Seymour was in full swing, and the "natives" were more prominent than they are today.  Ocean Springs still reeked with atmosphere and ambience of the small village, which it had been since the first tourist had discovered it during the steam packet days of the middle 19th Century.

In the summer of 1938, young Bill Calongne met Nathaniel Curtis, the Dean of the Tulane School of Architecture.  Dean Curtis and family were at Hillside for the summer.  Calongne's aunt, Emily C. Mead?, was letting the Connor Cottage on Lovers Lane.  They met at the Connors and the two became fishing companions often taking a boat into Back Bay to fish for white trout.  During their fishing ventures, Professor Curtis influenced young Calongne into studying architecture. 

Professor Calongne retired from teaching at Tulane in 1984.  In November 1973, he bought four acres of land at Pointe aux Chenes described as the W/2 of Lot 5 from William B. Rudolf and his wife, Hayne Rudolph.  Ruth Carr was sales the agent.  Bill Calongne planned to build his dream home here upon retirement.  When construction costs soared beyond his budget, he scaled down the project.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 482, p. 296)

Capital for the Calongne home was raised by selling the land to William Seaman and Wynn Seaman in March 1994.  Seaman rents the land to Calongne for $1 per year.  The home will naturally belong to Seaman upon the demise of Calongne. (JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 1049, p. 329 and JXCO, Ms. Chancery Court Plat Book 1, p. 120)

Professor Calongne started a house on the bluff facing the Gulf of Mexico.  Foundation completed and framing commenced, when Seaman discovered the location and didn't want the house there.  In 1996, the Calongne project was restarted at a location farther from the water.  Ken Snyder of Ocean Springs was the general contractor.  The Calongne home has an area of 1500 square feet.(Bill Calongne, April 1997)

 

Ashley Calongne

Ashley Calongne (1890-1953) married Carol Burns.  For twenty years, Ashley was the chief sanitation engineer for the New Orleans District for the U.S. River Commission.  He died June 23, 1953, at his Waveland, Mississippi home.  Three children: Mrs. Frank London (Baltimore), Claire Calongne (Waveland), and Ashley Calongne (New Orleans).(The Gulf Coast Times, July 2, 1953, p. 1)

 

Emily Calongne

Emily Calongne (b. 1887) married Walter R. Mead of Mobile at New Orleans in November 1913.  He worked at New Orleans for the U.S. Post Office commuting from Ocean Springs.  Three children: Elaine Mead, Muriel M. Cousins married George Barrow Cousins, and Audrey Mead.

 

Evelyn Leah Calongne

Evelyn Leah Calongne (1896-1973) married Alwyn Smith Sr. (1892-1987) at New Orleans on June 30, 1917..  Al Smith was a 1912 graduate of the Tulane School of Dentistry.  Naval commander.  Came to Mississippi coast to reside in 1945.  He was a retired oral surgeon.  The Smiths had four children: Captain Alwyn Smith II (Poway, California), married Mary Lou Dixon; Jr.; Dr. Stanley T. Smith (Beaumont, Texas) married Betty Grant; Dr. Roland C. Smith (Novato, California) married Elizabeth Leach; and Joy Evelyn S. Luckey (1932-2003?) married Toxie Hall Luckey (1927-1984) and Philo Hooper DuVal (b. 1930). (The Sun Herald, April 20, 1987, p. A-4 and Philo Hooper DuVal, April  2001)

Dr. Smith was a member of the New Orleans Country Club, the Louisiana Dental Association, New Orleans Kiwanis Club, and Tulane Alumni Association.  He died April 18, 1987.  Mrs. Smith passed on July 1, 1973.(The Sun Herald, April 20, 1987, p. A-4)

  

REFERENCES: 

 

The Daily Herald, "Calongne Death", July 25, 1953, p. 12.

The Gulf Coast Times, “Funeral Services Held For Late Ashley Colongne (sic), July 2, 1953, p. 1.

The Jackson County Times, “Mrs. Calogne Dies”, July 25, 1942.

The Ocean Springs News, "Local News", August 28, 1909.

The Ocean Springs News, "Local News", October 23, 1909.

The Ocean Springs News, “Ocean Springs is Growing”, November 27, 1909.

The Ocean Springs News, "Local News", December 24, 1910.

The Ocean Springs News, “Death of Sidney A. Calongne”, March 4, 1911.

The Ocean Springs News, "One Mile of Cement Roads", June 3, 1915, p. 1.

The Sun Herald, "Dr. Alwyn Smith", April 20, 1987.

 

Personal Communication:

 

W.F. “Bill” Calongne Jr.-April 1997.

Philo Hooper DuVal- April  2001.

 

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CAMBA FAMILY

     

Francis H. Camba

Francis “Frank” Henry Camba (1853-1885) may have been the son of Frank Camba and Rosalia Oser.  He and Elizabeth Catchot (1854-1927) were the progenitors of this local family.  They were married at Jackson County, Mississippi on September 22, 1877.  At this time Mr. Camba was employed as a teller in a New Orleans bank.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, May 21, 1880, p. 3)

  Their only child, Walter F. Camba (1878-1960), was born on July 4, 1878, at Ocean Springs, Mississippi, the home of his mother.  Mrs. Camba was the daughter of two European immigrants, Antonio Catchot (1826-1885) of Menorca in the Balearic Islands, and Elizabeth Hoffen (1832-1916), a native of Bremen, Germany.  Birth records from archivist of the Diocese of Menorca at Ciudadela, Menorca indicate that the Catchot family migrated to that Mediterranean Island from Malta in the late 18th Century.  Antonio Catchot appears to have immigrated to the United States circa 1850, while his wife arrived in 1853 from Germany.  Their children were: Elizabeth C. Camba Dunn (1854-1927), Joseph S. “Joe Tony” Catchot (1858-1919), Mary C. Bellande (1861-1931), and Antonio “Toy” Catchot Jr. (1868-1948).

            The Camba family left Ocean Springs for New Orleans circa 1885.  Shortly thereafter, Frank H. Camba died at the Louisiana Insane Asylum at Jackson, Louisiana.  His remains were interred in the Girard Street Cemetery at New Orleans.  When the Louisiana Superdome was erected in the 1970s, the cemetery had to be removed.  Camba’s remains were probably sent to the Greenwood Cemetery for internment.(Walter F. Camba Jr., March 1997)

           

John M. Dunn

Frank H. Camba’s widow, Mrs. Elizabeth C. Camba married John M. Dunn (1853-1932) at the St. Alphonsus Church in Ocean Springs in October 1887.  Mr. Dunn was from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.  They had no children.  Both are interred at the Evergreen Cemetery at Ocean Springs.

 

Walter F. Camba (1878-1960)

(Courtesy of Walter F. Camba Jr. (1912-1999)-south elevation of the cottage of Captain A.V. Bellande (1829-1918) and spouse, Mary Catchot Bellande (1861-1931), on Jackson Avenue north of Cleveland)

 

Walter F. Camba

Walter F. Camba grew up in New Orleans.  He married Grace Hunt at Fort Philip, Louisiana on April 22, 1903.  Miss Eva Catchot was a bridesmaid in his wedding.  Walter Camba later married Mary Ellen Glaven (1880-1957).  They had three children:  Mercedes Camba Schmid (1909-1987) m. Dewey I. Schmid (1898-1979), Walter F. Camba Jr. (1912-1999), and Mrs. Paul Schriber.  Most of the Camba family members were interred in the Metairie Cemetery-Glavin-Section 26.  Mr. Walter Camba made his livelihood with the Illinois Central Railroad.  He worked for that organization for forty-six years retiring in August 1940. Walter F. Camba passed on June 14, 1960.  His remains were placed in the family mausoleum at the Metairie Cemetery.  Walter F. Camba Jr. expired on January 29, 1999 at Metairie, Louisiana.( Walter F. Camba Jr., March 1997)

   

Eva Louisa Camba

            Eva Louisa Camba (1880-1914), sometimes called Eva Catchot, was the illegitimate half-sister of Walter F. Camba.  Her parents were Frank H. Camba (1853-1885) and Mary Catchot (1860-1931), the sister of Mrs. Frank H. Camba.  Eva was born at New Orleans, and carried her mother's maiden name, Catchot, until her marriage.  She married Issac Clayton Chance, a protestant, of Rome, Georgia on March 8, 1911, at the St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.  His parents were Isaac Chance and Etheline Hobbs.  While growing up in Rome, Georgia, Issac Chance knew Ellen Axson (1860-1914), who married Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), the 28th President of the United States.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, May 21, 1880, p. 3 and The Ocean Springs News, August 15, 1914)

            Issac and Eva Camba Chance had a daughter, Mary Etheline Chance, who was born in October 1911.  The Chances lived at No. 68 Church Street in Ashville, North Carolina.  Eva Catchot Chance died on November 4, 1914.  Her remains were sent to Ocean Springs for burial in the Evergreen Cemetery.(The Ocean Springs News, November 14, 1914, p. 2)

 

Camba Cottage- 520 Rayburn Avenue

 In June 1924, Mary Catchot Bellande (1861-1931) conveyed for $1200 a Queen Anne cottage on the east side of Rayburn Avenue at Ocean Springs to Walter F. Camba.  The small, cottage at present day 502 Rayburn Avenue was utilized by the Cambas as a retreat from New Orleans. (JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 76, pp. 431-432).

The small, one-story, wood framed, structure was built circa 1880.  It has a front gabled roof with imbricated shingles in the gable.  The projecting wrap-around gallery has turned posts and sawn brackets.  There are shed and gabled-roofed additions on the north and east elevations.

            Mr. Camba sold his sanctuary to Roland Lovelace (1889-1967) and spouse, Valera Pickel (1910-1977), in April 1951. The conveyance included all furniture and equipment, excepting the Camba’s lawn furniture.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 117, p. 362)

             In April 1958, the Lovelace family conveyed their Rayburn cottage to Ralph P. Aiken and Charlotte B. Aiken (JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 176, p. 522)

            Ralph P. Aiken and Charlotte B. Aiken.  No information.

            In October 1966, Special Warranty Deed issued by Everette E. Cook to get Mrs. Aiken on the title.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 301, p. 436 and Bk. 301, p. 437)

             In September 1967, Ralph P. Aiken and wife conveyed to Zella Ward Walker (1918-2000).(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 318, p. 545)

In June 1998, several years before her demise, Kitty Walker conveyed her home to herself and her brother, Guy M. Walker, as joint tenants in common.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 1145, p. 298)

The Camba Cottage is presently owned by Guy M. Walker.  Guy is married to the former Betty Goodwin.

 

           

REFERENCES:

 

Books

Brother Jerome Lepre, Catholic Church Records Diocese of Biloxi, Mississippi, Volume I, (Diocese of Biloxi: Biloxi, Mississippi-1991), p. 54.

 

Journals

The Gulf Coast Times, “Roland Lovelaces Purchase New Home”, January 26, 1951.

The Gulf Coast Times, “Lovelaces Purchase Walter Camba Home”, April 19, 1951.

The Jackson County Times, August 17, 1940, p. 1, c. 3.

The Ocean Springs News, “Local News”, August 15, 1914.

The Ocean Springs News, “Mrs. I.C. Chance”, November 14, 1914.

The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, “Local News Paragraphs”, May 21, 1880.

The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, April 24, 1903.

 

Personal Communication:

 

Walter F. Camba Jr.-March 23,1997.

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COLLIGAN

Irish immigrant, Henry Colligan (1823-1887) and Louisiana born, Mary Colligan (1832-1904), arrived at Ocean Springs circa 1848.  Mary Colligan was first generation Irish probably born at New Orleans.

            Henry Colligan made his livelihood as a gardener and farmer.  He patented several forty acre tracts of land from the U.S. Government in March 1854.  These were the SW/4 of the NW/4 and the NW/4 of the SW/4 of Section 20, T7S-R8W.  This land later became the property of J.C. Wright (1879-1941) and his brother-in-law, Texas oilman, Haroldson Lafayette Hunt (1889-1974).  Here Wright operated the Fort Bayou Dairy, raised cattle, and cultivated pecans.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 12, pp. 545-547) 

            Henry and Mary Colligan had three children:  James Robert (1855-1905), May (1856-pre 1870), and John (1859-1893).

             James Robert Colligan (1855-1905) married Ellen E. Birdrow (1860-1926), a native of Louisiana.  Her father may have been from France, while her mother, Theresa Birdrow Bird (1843-1920), was a native of the Magnolia State.  Mrs. Birdrow appears to have been widowed circa 1870.  She then married a Bird (died pre-1900) who was a native of Pennsylvania.  Their children were:  James (1876-1918), Jesse Galle (1880-1942), William (1883-1956), and Samuel (1886-1925).  Theresa Bird acquired lands in the Cox Avenue area from Sarah A. VanCleave in 1887.

            James R. Colligan made his living initially working as a farmer with his father and then later as a carpenter.  In 1900, he was employed on the bridge gang for the L&N Railroad.  James and Ellen Colligan's children were: James H. Colligan (1888-1951), Hattie V. Hoffman (1889-1958), Mae C. Ryan (1892-1966), Nancy C. Bertuccini (1894-1984), Ellen C. McKay (1896-1951+), Jasper Colligan (1899-1951+), and Jessie C. Illing (1903-1972).  The Colligans resided on the west side of Cox Avenue.

James Henry Colligan (1888-1951) was a plumber and electrician commencing that profession before 1910.  He may have apprenticed under George W. Dale (1872-1953) who was probably the senior plumber at Ocean Springs at this time.  When Colligan had his own plumbing business, Mayor Albert S. Westbrook (1900-1980) worked with him before joining the L&N Railroad. 

            Ellen Colligan's brother, George Birdrow (1865-1923), was a carpenter and building contractor at Ocean Springs.     In the 1920s, James H. Colligan left Ocean Springs for Texas.  By 1929, he had settled his young family at Kenner, Louisiana.  At Louisiana, Colligan was employed during the Great Depression helping to construct the Bonne Carre Spillway near Norco.  He later worked for the East Jefferson Parish Waterworks and did carpentry work.

James H. Colligan married Catherine Cunningham (1900-1955).  She was a native of New Orleans and met Colligan when she came to Ocean Springs on a vacation.  At the time, Catherine Cunningham was employed by the D.H. Holmes Company.  This organization provided the opportunity for its female employees to spend a week at Ocean Springs each summer for $7.00.  They stayed at "Haven on the Hill", the F.J. Lundy home located at LaFontaine and Washington.  Mrs. Hilda chaperoned the young ladies when they were visited by the young men of Ocean Springs.  The Colligans met in this manner.

James and Catherine Colligan had three children born at Louisiana: Louise Wilbert (1921), James H. Colligan, Jr. (1926-1926), and Ellen Catherine Colligan (1928-1928).

Jasper Colligan (1899-1951+) was a plumber for the L&N Railroad.  He left Ocean Springs in the 1920s and lived briefly at New Orleans where he met his wife, Lillian.  The Colligans spent the remainder of their years at Mobile.  They had a daughter, Claire Danks (1926), who was born at New Orleans.

 

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DALE FAMILY

 

William F. 'Willy' Dale (1899-1990)

         Willy Dale has been described as a “hard working, good businessman and mechanical wizard”.  He was a passionate fisherman and motorboater as well.  Here circa 1927, Willy he shown with two drum that he caught in Biloxi Bay near Gulf Hills.  Courtesy of H. Randy Randazzo-Arlington, Virginia.

 

Hattie Rose Seymour Dale (1876-1956)

[L-R: William F. Dale (1899-1990), Hattie S. Dale, and George Dale (1901-1953+)

 

William ‘Willy’ Frederic Dale was born March 4, 1899, at Ocean Springs.  He was known in the community as Willy Dale.  His parents were George William Dale (1872-1953) and Harriet ‘Hattie’ Rose Seymour (1876-1956), the daughter of Narcisse Seymour (1849-1931) and Carolyn V. Krohn (1847-1895).  They were married on December 9, 1897 at the St. Alphonsus CatholicChurch.  George W. Dale was baptized into the Roman Catholic Church on June 27, 1897, several months before his marriage to Miss Seymour.(Lepre, 1991, p. 78)

 

Catherine Dana Dale (1852-1934)

[Courtesy of Dr. Judy Bassham-Niceville, Florida]

George W. Dale was a native of Hayward, California. His parents were William Dale and Catherine Dana (1852-1934).  William Dale made his livelihood as a plumber and taught the trade to his sons at Hayward, California.  Catherine Dana Dale was a native of Sacramento and had lived at Hayward since 1869.  George W. Dale settled at Ocean Springs in the 1890s and made his livelihood as an L&N Railroad employee, tinsmith and plumber.  In 1909, he went into the hardware and plumbing business with Joseph B. Garrard (1871-1915).  They erected a building on the west side of Washington Avenue between Desoto and Robinson.  Dale’s father-in-law, Narcisse Seymour, was a pioneer in the seafood industry at Ocean Springs operating at the foot of Washington Avenue.  He was especially known for his fine raw oysters.(The Jackson County Times, November 10,1934, p. 3 and The Daily Herald, July 23, 1953, p. 13)

In the fall of 1916, George W. Dale retired from plumbing when he transferred his business to James H. Colligan (1881-1951), an employee.(The Daily Herald, September 27,1916, p. 6)

 

Alforetta Newcomb Dale (1905-1932) and Leo B. Dale (1904-1954) and John A. Dale (1914-1975)

[Courtesy of Dr. Judy Bassham-Niceville, Florida]

Willy Dale was the eldest of the eight children born to George and Harriet Seymour Dale.  His siblings were: George E. Dale (1901-1953+), Leo B. Dale (1904-1954), Lillian Dale Jefferis (1906-1998), Louise Dale Scott (1909-1979+), Milledge Dale Whitworth Allen (1912-1998), John A. (1914-1975), and Gerrard W. Dale (1917-1957).  The Dale family was reared at present day 1203 Calhoun Avenue near the homestead of Mrs. W.F. Dales father, Narcisse Seymour, at present day 1108 Calhoun Avenue.

 

1203 Calhoun

[image made August 1997 by Ray L. Bellande]

Dale family cottage

In May 1913, Narcisse Seymour conveyed Lot 9-Block 35 (Culmseig Map of Ocean Springs 1854) to Hattie Seymour Dale, his daughter.  Shortly thereafter, George W. Dale erected at No. 19 Calhoun Avenue, present day 1203 Calhoun, a 1600 square-foot, vernacular, side-gabled roof cottage with a small, shed-roof porch.(Jackson Co., Ms. Land Deed Bk. 39, p. 241)

In July 1936, during the Great Depression, George and Hattie Seymour Dale sold their home to Eugenia Zeolide “Gallie” Eglin (1877-1962), the wife of Henry L. Armstrong (1874-1945).  The Armstrongs resided at 1112 Bowen with their two children: Rollin “Polly” Stanley Armstrong (1907-1979), and Bernadette Armstrong Cavanah (1909-1962+).  Mrs. Armstrong returned the Dale cottage to them in a sale in November 1942.(Jackson Co., Ms. Land Deed Bk. 69, p. 173 and Bk. 82, p. 282)

            In July 1953, George W. Dale expired in his home at No. 19 Calhoun Avenue.  His corporal remains were passed through St. Alphonsus Catholic Church and interred in the Bellande Cemetery on Dewey Avenue.(The Daily Herald, July 23, 1953, p. 13) 

            In her later years and post-demise of George W. Dale, Hattie Seymour Dale was domiciled in a personal care home at Mobile for two years before she expired on August 7, 1956 in Mt. Pleasant, Maury County, Tennessee, at the home of Milledge Dale Allen, her daughter and spouse of Clarence S. Allen (1906-1987). Mrs. Dale’s corporal remains were returned to Ocean Springs and interred in the Bellande Cemetery.(The Daily Herald, August 9, 1956, p. 2)

            Milledge Dale Allen was appointed executrix of her mother’s estate, which consisted solely of her residence at No. 19 Calhoun.  Hattie Seymour Dale’s heirs conveyed the George W. Dale cottage to Conrad and Mildred von Salzen in May 1959 for $4500.(Jackson Co., Ms. Chancery Court Cause No. 14007-December 1957 and Jackson Co., Ms. Land Deed Bk. 187, p. 512, Bk. 187, p. 514, and Bk. 187, p. 516)

            The von Salzen family lived here until J.Y. Christmas III acquired the Dale cottage from them in October 1976.  Mr. Christmas remains here today.(Jackson Co., Ms. Land Deed Bk. 575, p. 451)

 

Early Life

Willy Dale attended local schools and graduated with the Ocean Springs High School Class of 1916, which was headed by Professor Benjamin H. Ashman (1892-1983) and spouse, Mildred D. Ashman (1890-1975).  Among his classmates who would also find success in their chosen careers were: Edward A. Bellande (1897-1978), A. Lynd Gottsche (1902-1974), and Walter B. Holloway (1900-1965).

On January 20, 1920, Willy Dale married Ethel Sophia Endt (1900-1978), the daughter of Anthony J. “Tony” Endt (1870-1948) and Johanna Friedericka Wendel (1873-1931).  Their nuptial ceremony took place at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church and was presided over by the Reverend Joseph H. Chauvin (1867-1959).  Shortly after the wedding, Willy Dale moved to Oklahoma.  His wife joined him later.(The Jackson County Times, January 17,1920, p. 5 and Jackson Co., Ms. MRB 13, p. 274)

The parents of Ethel Endt Dale were natives of New Orleans and the children of German immigrants.  Ethel’s parents had married October 29, 1896 at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church.

(Lepre, 1991, p. 103 and JXCO, Ms. MRB 6, p. 70)

 

1406 Porter

[L-R: images made April 1990 and August 1997 by Ray L. Bellande]

Dale-Marion home

In March 1920, Ethel Endt Dale acquired Lot 5-Block 33 (Culmseig Map 1854), from Elijah Brown of Washington D.C.  Here the Dales built their familial home at 1406 Porter Street and reared their two children: Thelma Dale Bradford Christopherson (b. 1921) and William F. Dale Jr. (1926-1979).  In November 1989, before his demise, Willy Dale sold his Porter Street home to Thelma Dale Christopherson, his daughter, and Gary W. Christopherson, his grandson, who reside in South San Francisco, Lake Co., California.(Jackson Co., Ms. Land Deed Bk. 48, p. 3 and Bk. 949, p. 31) 

In June 1990, shortly after Willy Dales’s death, Thelma and Gary W. Christopherson vended the structure to Andrew A. Marion Jr. and Melissa Schloegel Marion, his wife.  They relocated to Seapointe in 1996 and conveyed the Dale cottage to Andrew’s parents, Andrew A. Marion and Martha B. Marion, who remain here on Porter Street today adjacent to Freedom Field..(Jackson Co., Ms. Land Deed Bk. 959, p. 656 and Bk. 1084, p. 660)

 

Dale Motor Company [circa 1927]

9  Porter Street

[from The Ocean Springs Record, June 22, 1972, p. 1]

 

Mechanical genius

As a young man Dale learned to repair automobiles.  In May 1926, he went into business as the Dale Motor Company.  He opened a 3500 square-foot garage on West Porter, in a structure which was once the locus of the J.J. O’Keefe Livery Stable.  It was of the most modern on the entire coast.  Dale's machines and tools were mostly electrically powered, state of the art for the period.  Among his inventory of apparatuses were: the electrical valve resurfacing and reseating tool; electrical riveting; counter-sinking machine for relining brakes; cylinder hones; aligning gauges for front wheels; acetylene welding and cutting torch; weaver wrecker for hauling in disabled vehicles; air pump; Weaver tire change stand; Humpy-Cooper re-babbitting machines and other appurtenances applicable to automobile repair.  At this time Willy Dale was the local Chevrolet dealer.  He also sold gasoline, oil, and greases and his Porter Street auto service business.(The Jackson County Times, June 12, 1926)

 

Milledge Dale Whitworth Allen (1912-1998)

[Milledge Dale standing in front of Willy Dale's Ocean Kid, circa 1928.  Courtesy of Dr. Judy Bassham-Niceville, Florida]

Motorboat Racing

Willy Dale was a passionate man and motorboat racing and fishing were his salient avocations.  His Ocean Wave was the only competitive speed boat at Ocean Springs.  The watercraft was powered by a Lockwood Motor.  Willy’s Dale Motor Company was  the agent for Johnson and Lockwood outboard motors.

On May 10, 1928, Willy Dale participated in a motorboat regatta in conjunction with the dedication of the Harrison County seawall.  Dale in his Ocean Wave, won three trophies.  He piloted his light craft to victory in the Class B races.  Willy also captured second place in two other class events.  He was a contender in a fourth event, but his craft was damaged.(The Jackson County Times, May 12, 1928, p. 2)

On June 10, 1928, Dale participated in the Pass Christian Motor Boat Regatta.  This time he was in a small light craft called the Ocean Kid.  This boat developed great speed from its Johnson outboard motor.  Willy Dale expertly drove his craft to first place in its class, and finished second in a race against all competitors piloting craft of all sizes and horsepower. (The Jackson County Times, June 16, 1928, p. 3)

            Two weeks later, Willy Dale ran the Ocean Kid in Back Bay at a race course off Bay Terrace.  He had recently been experimenting with the small craft and the June 24th race was a ‘test race’ for him.  Willy’s experimentations proved deleterious to his watercraft.  The Ocean Kid ran well in the first contest finishing second in a hotly contested race with The Last Flea of Biloxi.  Dale was not able to race again that day.(The Jackson County Times, June 23, 1928, p. 3 and June 30, 1928, p. 3 )

            Willy Dale made a successful appearance at the Biloxi Yacht Club Regatta held in July 1928, piloting the Red Gold, built by a Biloxi party with one of Dale’s ten and one-half, horsepower, Lockwood engine.  The Red Gold averaged thirty-five miles per hour and swept every class race.(The Jackson County Times, July 14, 1928, p. 3)

In August 1928, Dale drove his Lightning to first place finishes in the Class B and Class C outboard motor races at Bay St. Louis.  Competitors were from New Orleans and other Mississippi coast towns.(The Jackson County Times, August 25, 1928, p. 1)

 

Entrepreurial years

As previously mentioned, Willy Dale commenced his long career as a local entrepreneur in 1926 with the opening of Dale Motor Company on West Porter Street. Mr. Dale had leased the “O’Keefe Livery Stable Lot”, east of the mansion in August 1927, from the J.J. O’Keefe family.  Here he operated a garage and initially sold Texaco products.  Mr. Dale later vended Shell gasoline here.(JXCO Land Deed Bk. 70, pp. 196-200)

In September 1929, he Dale began Dale Motor Sales, Inc. with two partners, Arthur W. Hersey and Arthur .T. ‘Ted’ Hersey.  This enterprise was an agency that represented and vended Chrysler and Plymouth motorcars .  It also was located on West Porter Street at the site of the Dale Motor Company and garage.  Willy Dale continued here with his auto repairs and the vending of auto accessories, tires, tubes, and outboard motors.  Willy and Ted Hersey managed the motorcar sales of their Chrysler-Plymouth enterprise.(The Jackson County Times, September   , 1929, p.   )

 

Hersey family

Arthur W. Hersey (1879-1971), a native of Boston, Massachusetts, was a consulting Civil Engineer who came to Ocean Springs from Harvey, Cook County, Illinois.  He was reared in Bean Town where his family was in the grocery business.  A.W. Hersey was the City Engineer for Harvey, Illinois, a south Chicago suburb, before becoming a consultant engineer.(1900 Suffolk Co., Massachusetts; 1910 Cook Co., Illinois; and 1920 Cook Co., Illinois Federal Census T9_560, p. 17, ED 749; T624_241, p. 13B, ED 120; and T625-363, p. 14B, ED 216)

A.W. Hersey and A.M. McElrath, also from Cook County, Illinois supervised the dredging and road construction at Gulf Hills for the Branigar Brothers in 1925 and 1926.  At this time, a thirty-six ton dredge was utilized to dig a six to eight-foot depth channel to residential sites at the Gulf Hills development.  Mr. Hersey oversaw the construction of Shore Drive and Ridge Road, as well as, connecting roads and an eight mile bridal path through the wooded region.(The Jackson County Times, January 23, 1926, pp.1 and 3)

Circa 1906, Arthur W. Hersey married Emma B. Hersey (1887-1930+), a native of Pennsylvania.  They had one child, Arthur T. “Ted” Hersey (1907-1991), who was born in Illinois, probably Harvey.  In May 1930, A.W. Hersey was a resident of Gulf Hills and employed as a real estate manager.  In 1927, he and Emma had built one of the original Gulf Hills homes, a Spanish Colonial Revival structure at present day 13720 Windlo Circle, now the residence of Maria Mavar.  The Hersey-Mavar domicile will be one of four Gulf Hills habitats on tour for the 2007 Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra Guild Kaleidoscope of Homes, which will occur on December 2nd.(1930 Federal Census-Jackson Co., Ms., T626-1150, p. 83) 

A.T. “Ted” Hersey married Helen Wertz (or Werts) of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois on June 24, 1929.  She was the daughter of A.E. Werts and the sister of Mrs. Paul Beam.  The newly weds honeymooned in the Midwest and then took a steamer from New York to New Orleans.  They planned to be in Ocean Springs on July 10, 1929.(1930 Federal Census of JXCO, Ms., T626-1150, p. and The Jackson County Times, June 15, 1929, p. 2)

In 1930, Ted and Helen Hersey were living in Cherokee Glen.  As mentioned, he made his livelihood in automobile sales with Willy Dale.  The Herseys were members of the “Monday Night Club”.  They were hosts of a meeting of the club in May 1930 and their guests included his parents.(The Daily Herald, May 28, 1930, p. 2)

 

 

The Dolphin

      The Dolphin-was built for Willy Dale on Porter Street in 1938 by Henry F. Fountain (1899-1964), a Biloxi boat builder and hull superintendent at the Westergard Boat Works on the Back Bay in Biloxi during WW II.  Westergard’s vessels were wooden, minesweepers, which were 110 feet in length and saw service in the North Atlantic.  They were dubbed the ‘Splinter Fleet’ and the ‘Donald Duck Navy’.  Willy Dale’s  Dolphin was used in the Mississippi Sound for commercial fishing charters and pleasure cruising to the barrier island. 

 

The Babendriers or Babendreers

In March 1936, Willy Dale formed another local corporation, Dale Inc., to manufacture, sell, and build oil dispensing devices.  His partners were Dr. Albert Babendrier and spouse, Dr. Estelle Turner Babendrier (1871-1958).  Capital stock for the new company was $26,000.(The Jackson County Times, March 28, 1936)

Dr