| |
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
********************************************************************************************************************************************************
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.
**************************************************************************************************
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)
********************************************************************************************************************************************************
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.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
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.
***********************************************************************************************************************************************************
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.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
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)
 _small.jpg)
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 |
.jpg)
