Those Places Thursday–Webster Family Road Trip: New York Part 2

This is part of a series of posts dedicated to the immigration story of Debs Webster and his family.

In our last installment, my Grandpa Debs and his family were in New York.  In that previous post, I shared some vintage postcards from Long Island with you.  In today’s post my Webster family takes a road trip within the state of New York.

"See the USA in Your Chevrolet"

According to a recently received and very interesting email from my uncle, who was on this trip, the family actually stayed in New York City for a couple weeks before my grandpa purchased the 1951 Chevrolet sedan.  Then they started on their trip across the U.S.A. to Glendora, California.

From Wikimedia Commons by IFCAR
All Rights Released

I found this photo of a 1951 Chevrolet Sedan on the Wikimedia Commons website.  It looks very similar to the car in the photo of my Webster family stopping for a meal in THIS PREVIOUS POST.

My uncle said their car had no air conditioning, so a lot of the time they had to drive with all four windows rolled down.  Remember, this was during the summer and it was very hot!

Goodbye New York City ~ Hello Palmyra, New York

The next photos and vintage postcards we have from Debs' photo album and scrapbook are from Palmyra, New York.  Now, I don't know if they traveled directly from New York City to Palmyra or if they stopped at other locations along the way.  If they did make a direct trip to Palmyra, then according to Googlemaps.com, that trip would take a good 5-1/2 hours.  And that's using present day calculations.  I wonder how long it took in 1952.  Were the roadways any different back then?

Googlemaps.com

Vintage Postcards and Photos

In this part of Grandpa Debs’ photo album, he displayed photos and their corresponding postcards next to each other.  I really like that he did this!

While in this part of New York, Debs Webster and his family visited LDS historic sites such as The Hill Cumorah and the early home of Joseph Smith.

Angel Moroni Monument Postcard

Back of Angel Moroni Monument Postcard

My Mom, Willis, and My Uncle at The
Angel Moroni Monument Near Palmyra, New York

My Uncle, Willis, and My Mom at The
Angel Moroni Monument Near Palmyra, New York

Hill Cumorah and Angel Moroni Monument Postcard

Back of Hill Cumorah and Angel Moroni Monument Postcard

Hill Cumorah, near Palmyra, New York

Early Home of Joseph Smith Postcard

Back of Early Home of Joseph Smith Postcard

My Two Uncles, Willis, Helena, and My Mom
at The Early Home of Joseph Smith Near Palmyra, New York

Next stop on the trip…Illinois.  See you then!

Thanks for reading!

Jana


Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Those Places Thursday–Debs Webster’s Family Travels Across the USA ~ A Photo and Vintage Postcard Travelogue: New York - Part 1

This is part of a series of posts dedicated to the immigration story of Debs Webster and his family.

As you read in the last installment of Debs Webster’s family travels, they had just arrived in the United States.  Now it’s time to buy a car and get ready for their road trip across the U.S.A.  Their final destination will be Glendora, California.

My mom was 14 years old when she arrived here in the U.S.A.  About two years later she wrote a bit about her immigration experience.  In her story, she said,

“We had a chance to come to the United States in 1952 so on that same year on June we took a boat which brought us to New York.  From there on to California we bought a 1951 Chevrolet and made the trip from coast to coast.

This will be remembered by all of us as being [a] wonderful experience.  We visited about 15 states and several parks such as Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.  We also visited the Temple Square in Salt Lake and also the Museum of it.  We visited other temples also which were wonderful experiences.”

I think she did a very good job expressing herself in her newly acquired language of English, don’t you agree?

My mom and her family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while they were still living in Brazil.  That’s why she mentioned visiting LDS temples along their way.

In addition to buying a car, they bought some sleeping bags and camping equipment so they wouldn’t have to stay in motels along the way.  Yes, they were trying to be frugal.

Here’s the family stopping somewhere for a bite to eat.  My mom is sitting on the far right, Willis is next to her, and Willis’ mom Helena is to the left.  The two little boys are my uncles.

Grandpa and Grandma Webster collected lots of postcards during their travels.  And there are quite a few from the state of New York.  Here are several from Long Island:

 

John Howard Payne Home - Historical Long Island Postcard

John Howard Payne Home - Historical Long Island Postcard

Montauk Lighthouse - Historical Long Island Postcard

Montauk Lighthouse - Historical Long Island Postcard

Montauk Point - Long Island, New York Postcard

Montauk Point - Long Island, New York Postcard

Water Tower at Jones Beach, Long Island, New York Postcard

Water Tower at Jones Beach, Long Island, New York Postcard

Hope you enjoyed reading about my Webster family as they started on their journey across the United States.

The next installment will find the Websters still in New York, so stay tuned for more vintage postcards and photos.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Copyright © Jana Last 2012

Treasure Chest Thursday–Goodbye Trinidad, Hello New York City - My Webster Family: Coming Full Circle - From The U.S.A. to Brazil and Back Again - Part 6

This is part of a series of posts dedicated to the immigration story of Debs Webster and his family.

Today’s post finds Debs Webster and his family leaving Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and sailing toward their final destination of The United States of America.  They still have 1,942 miles to go on the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

As the photo below shows, the crew of the S.S. Brazil did a fantastic job keeping the kids entertained.

For more photos of the kids at play, see my previous post Children's Games on Board the S.S. Brazil.




Welcome to America!

Imagine the excitement Debs and his family felt as they finally approached the shores of the United States.  I love that my Grandpa Debs took this photo of The Statue of Liberty while on board the S.S. Brazil.



The Statue of Liberty – July 1952
Click to Enlarge

Hello New York City!

Debs and his family arrived in New York City on July 22, 1952 and stayed there until the end of the month.

They had just left winter in Brazil and arrived during summer here in America.
Following their arrival in New York City, Debs and his family stayed at the Hotel Greystone.

My mom recalls that they stayed on one of the upper floors of the hotel and that there was no air conditioning.  She said it was so hot!

Originally built as a stately hotel in 1923, the Hotel Greystone is now an apartment building.  Here is their current website - Hotel Greystone.







This vintage postcard of the William Sloane House YMCA sits next to the Hotel Greystone postcard in my Grandfather Debs’ photo album.  I asked my mom if they stayed there too, but she said no.  She thinks my Grandfather bought the postcard because he and his dad, The Traveling Dentist, may have stayed there on one of their trips to the U.S.






 
Well, my Webster family has finally arrived in The United States of America, so that is the end of this series of posts.

But it’s not the end of their adventures.  They still have a trip across the United States to make to reach their final destination in Southern California.

So stay tuned for more stories, photos and vintage postcards from across the United States.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

Copyright © Jana Last 2012

The Traveling Dentist - Part 4

As you read in my last post about my "traveling dentist" great-grandfather, Frederick Webster, he and his wife Esther were in Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico for the birth of their first child, Carlota.  For some reason they decided to relocate to Brazil.  The rest of their children were born in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Staying true to his "traveling ways" Frederick, as well as his wife, Esther, traveled from Mexico to the United States and from Brazil to the United States while their children were very young.

Here is a passenger list dated October 19, 1911.¹  On lines two and three are listed Carlota and her mother Esther.  They were sailing from Veracruz, Mexico.  Unfortunately there is no destination listed, although we know it is somewhere in the United States.  For Esther, in the column "Nationality (Country of which citizen or subject)" Mexico is listed, but is crossed out and the initials U.S. were written in instead.  Because Esther married a U.S. Citizen between the years 1855-1922, she automatically became a U.S. Citizen.  Perhaps that's why her citizenship was corrected.

I found Esther and her children in two more passenger lists, both in the year 1913.  Here she is listed with her two children, Carlota - age 1, and Edna - age 3 months.² They sailed from Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil on January 29, 1913 and arrived at the Port of New York sometime in February 1913.  Interestingly, the passenger list states that Esther was born in El Paso, Texas.  And under "Address in the United States," Chiapas, Arriaga, Mexico is listed.  Perhaps those were accidentally reversed and she was heading to El Paso, Texas.  Frederick did have ties to El Paso, Texas as evidenced by his passport application of 1907.  Another interesting, and possibly confusing, item is the statement that Esther's husband was born in Chicago, Illinois.  He was really born in Coolville, Athens, Ohio.  But, in 1913, Frederick's brother, Rollin, and father, Ebenezer, were living in Chicago, Illinois.  Perhaps there was a little confusion there on Esther's part.

And here is Esther again with her two children, this time sailing from Veracruz, Mexico on May 8, 1913 heading to the Port of New York.³

This time an address in the United States was listed for Esther and her children - 30 Columbia Place, Brooklyn, New York. I looked up that address on Google Maps and this is what I found.

30 Columbia Place, Brooklyn, New York
Courtesy of Google Maps

The interesting thing about the Brooklyn, New York address is that Frederick was on a passenger list for a ship sailing from Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 8, 1913 and the address in the United States listed for him was Brooklyn, New York.⁴  This ship sailed on September 8, 1913 and arrived at New York on September 28, 1913. That was a 20 day voyage!  Just imagine Esther, a young mom, traveling by herself on a ship for 20 days with her baby in 1911 and then again in 1913, this time with her two small children?! And in the year 1913 she made this voyage two separate times!  Wow!



The next time I see Frederick traveling is in 1921, after Esther's death in 1919.  In the following passenger list Fred is sailing with his children Carlota, Edna, and Debs (my grandfather).⁵ Carlota was listed separately on another page.⁶  They were sailing from Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil to the Port of New York again.  Another address was listed in the United States.  This time it was 44 Beekman Street, New York City.  I didn't know that my great-grandfather had any ties to New York, but it appears he did!

 
Frederick apparently wasn't done traveling!  Here he is in Arkansas this time.  This is a photo of Frederick Webster with his children - Carlota (in the dental chair), Edna Lillie (in the checked dress), and Debs (my grandfather).  This is in Brinkley, Arkansas between January and April, 1922.  Seeing Carlota in the dental chair reminds me of myself as a young girl sitting in the dental chair of Debs, my grandfather.  Debs followed in his father's footsteps and became a dentist too!

I love this picture of Frederick Webster with his bike in front of his Dental Office.  If you look closely you can see the sign behind him reads, "F. E. Webster, Dentista Norte Americano."  Unfortunately, I don't know when or where this photo was taken.  The three children in the doorway may very well be Fred's children, Carlota, Edna, and Debs.

This last photo is of Frederick with his daughters, Carlota (far left), and Edna (far right), and his son Debs (my grandpa).  The photo was taken in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico on April 3, 1923.

I also found evidence that Frederick traveled to Louisiana in 1922 and 1926.  Yes, great-grandpa Webster, you definitely were a "traveling dentist!"  Frederick passed away on July 21, 1946 in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

I know this was a very long post.  Thanks for letting me share with you the story of my "traveling dentist" great-grandfather Frederick Webster!

Thanks for reading!

Copyright © Jana Last 2012

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1 Year: 1911; ; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_1763; Line: 3; ; Page Number: 180. Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.^↩
2 Year: 1913; ; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_2016; Line: 1; ; Page Number: 142. Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.^↩
3 Year: 1913; ; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_2079; Line: 1; ; Page Number: 19. Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.^↩
4 Year: 1913; ; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_2187; Line: 1; ; Page Number: 122. Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.^↩
5 Year: 1921; ; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_3062; Line: 3; ; Page Number: 77. Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.^↩
6 Year: 1921; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 3062; Line: 1; Page Number: 79. Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.^↩