1894 - At age four was sent to live with his maternal aunt Ida May (Miles) Parker and her husband, Willis M. Parker, in Lisbon, NH.
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| Ervin about age 5. |
(1900 March - Ground is broken for the NYC subway.)
(1900 April - Hawaii becomes a territory of the US.)
1900 June Federal Census - states that he was 10 years old and that he is the nephew of Ida M. and Willis M. Parker (merchant of girls and women's furnishings) living in Lisbon, NH (Grafton Co.).
(1900 July - Second modern Olympic Games are held in Paris.)
(1900 October - U. S. population reaches 76 million.)
(1901 January - William McKinley becomes President of the U.S.)
(1901 January - Queen Victoria dies.)
(1901 May - A speeding motorist in NJ is given a $10 fine for driving 30 mph in an 8 mph zone.)
(1901 August - Settlers are given vast Indian lands in the Oklahoma Territory.)
(1901 September - Pres. McKinley shot, Teddy Roosevelt becomes president.)
(1901 October - Anne Edson Taylor, age 43, passes safely over Niagara Falls in a barrel.)
(1901 December - First Nobel Prizes are awarded.)
(1903 June - Henry Ford forms an auto company.)
(1903 October - First World Series is played in Boston.)
(1903 December - Wright Brothers fly heavier-than-air plane.)
(1903 December - Pierre and Marie Curie win the Nobel Prize in physics.)
(1904 October - NYC subway opens.)
(1904 - over 1,000,000 immigrants arrived in America this year.)
(1905 March - Teddy Roosevelt is inaugurated for a full term as President of the U.S.)
(1906 April - a major earthquake hits San Francisco.)
(1906 June - Pure Food and Drug Act becomes law.)
Burlington Weekly Free Press dated January 03, 1907 under "Waterbury Center" reports that "Dr. L. A. Newcomb and wife, Mrs. W. M. Parker and Ervin Wakefield of Montpelier at E. A. Newcomb's several days last week." For Christmas holidays I presume.
(1908 August - Model T Fords start rolling off the assembly line.)
(1908 August - Orville Wright builds first Army plane.)
(1909 January - William Taft becomes President of the U.S.)
(1909 April - Robert E. Peary plants the flag of the U.S. at the North Pole.)
1909 (?) - finished his education at Montpelier High and Seminary.
1910 Federal Census - states that he is 19 years old and a boarder with Daniel and Myra Pettee of Sharon, Mass. (Norfold Co.) He was a clerk/grocery store worker. I don't know if this was an A & P store.
Went to California? His obit says he went to California after school but I can't find a record of it. Obit also says he returned home to play professional baseball for the Eastern League in Lynn Mass. "As a catcher, he was being scouted by a major league team when a shoulder and neck injury forced him to quit." (Obit.) Ervin is in the above photo under the blue arrow.
1911 - I think Ervin is the "unknown Wakefield" listed on the New England League's 1911 Lynn Leonardites, a team managed by Frank Leonard and the 1911 Haverhill Hustlers team managed by Tom Bannon. He ranked 19 for the Leonardites at team batting and 24 for the Hustlers with a .149 BA. The County Semi-Professional Baseball League of Sydney, Nova Scotia, announces that it will include a Sydney team in addition to those representing Glacer Bay, Dominion and New Waterford. (Stone & Webster Public Service Journal, Vol. 13, p. 59)
1912 - Frank J. Leonard tried to establish professional baseball in Nova Scotia.
(1912 April - Iceberg sinks Titanic.)
(1913 January - Woodrow Wilson becomes President of the U.S.)
(1913 March - Harriet Tubman dies.)
1913 - 1916 - (ages 23 - 26) City Directories has him living in Lynn, Massachusetts. His job is listed as a clerk and he lives on School Street.
1913 - At age 23, his picture is on a postcard for the Cape Breton, County League Baseball Team, Sydney Baseball Club. This is Sydney, Nova Scotia. Ervin is in the second row from the top, on the left. From 1913 - 1914, Cape Breton renewed it's efforts to establish professional baseball. A new ballpark was built in Victoria Park, Sydney. Six United States ballplayers were imported. WW1 derailed these plans.
1914 - 1917 (?) - Over these years he worked for the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. Obit says: "Out of baseball, he became associated with the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, first as a manager of the local store in Montpelier, then on the supervision staff of the same company out of Hartford, Conn. and Springfield, Mass".
In this photo, Ervin is behind the counter and Uncle Willis Parker is opposite him in front of the counter (hatless). I believe that is is one of the A&P's Economy Stores. Hand written caption says: "Tip Mgr. A&P store in Montpelier with Uncle Will Parker (right)." "Tip" was Ervin's nickname probably after baseball player James "Tip" Edward O'Neill who played for the St. Louis Browns in the 1880s.
(April 6, 1917 - United States enters WWI.)
Items in red are from the Roster of the Vermont Men and Women in the World War. Written and published in 1927 by Herbert T. Johnson, Adjutant General.
1917 June 5 - He registered for the draft in Montpelier, VT (Washington Co.). He is 27 years old and single. He lists his address as 66 Northfield St., Montpelier, VT and his occupation as manager of an Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. store.
1917 December 18 - Enlisted at Fort Slocum, NY, David's Island. Classified as a cook. Member of the 1st Vermont Infantry to April 1, 1918. He was a month shy of his 28th birthday.
1918 January - Ervin is at Fort Slocum with the 1st Vt Infantry.
1918 April 1 - Sent to Camp Wadsworth, SC. Became member of Co. "H", 57th Pioneer Infantry to October 31, 1918.
1918 May 13 - Grade of 1/c Private.
1918 12 June 12 - Grade of Sergeant.
1918 September 17 - Grade of 1/c Sergeant.
1918 September 23 - left Camp Wadsworth with 3430 officers and men.
1918 September 29 to August 2, 1919 overseas - left on the Leviathan (Vaterland) troopship to Brest France. Over 2,000 men on this ship were sick with the Spanish Influenza and hundreds died.
1918 November 1 - Member of 319th Infantry to December 12, 1918 in France.
1918 November 11 - In Le Mons, France when the war ends.
1918 December 13 - Prov. Sup. Co., Sub. Dep. 5, Quarter Master Corp to July 12, 1919 in France.
1919 May 2 - At Chateau Gontier Mayeene, France. Prov. Sup. Co. Sub Depot #13 (according to letter).
American soldiers remained in Europe for some time as the demobilization continued, guarding against renewed hostilities. A newly activated Third Army crossed the French border into Germany on December 1, 1918, to occupy the region around Koblenz, between Luxembourg and the Rhine River. Eight U.S. divisions organized into three corps participated in the occupation of Germany. American occupation forces encountered no unusual difficulties with the populace, and their numbers were rapidly reduced after the Paris Peace Conference ended in May 1919. They numbered only about 15,000 by the beginning of 1920. After rejecting the Treaty of Versailles that resulted from the peace conference, the United States technically remained at war with Germany until a separate peace was signed in the summer of 1921. Occupying forces gradually withdrew after that, until the last thousand troops departed on January 24, 1923. http://www.eur.army.mil/organization/history.htm. "Army Strong, Strong Europe."
1919 July 13 to August 2, 1919 - 1823d Cass. Co., Quarter Master Corp to discharge.
1919 August 9 - discharged at Camp Devens.
1920 January Federal Census - states that he is a roomer in Montpelier Ward 1, Washington Co., Vermont at the age of 28. (He turned 29 on the 21st of Jan.). His occupation is salesman at a grocery store.
1922 - 1924 - (ages 30 - 34) - City directories have him living in Barre, Vermont and listed as a manager of an A & P Company.
(1920, August 26 - Women get the vote.)
(1921, January - Warren G. Harding becomes President of the U.S.)
1921 - City Directory has him living in Monpielier VT, living on 66 Northfield. Manger of an A & P Co.
1922 - 1924 - City Directories have him living in Barre, VT. on 10 Langdon. Manager of an A & P Co.
1922 - the photo below is dated January 1, 1922. Ervin is in the front row, left. That's all I know about this photo right now. (Is this Barre, VT?)
(1923, January - Calvin Coolidge becomes President of the U.S.)
1924 December 6 - Married Beulah Grout of Montpelier VT. She is pictured below. See Beulah's blog at http://beulahgroutwakefield.blogspot.com/
1925 November 15 - Twin sons, Myles Martin and Richard Ervin are born in Mass.
1926 photo of Beulah and Ervin Wakefield and twins Myles and Richard at the beach.
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| Ervin and sons. |
(1929, January - Herbert Hoover becomes President of the U.S.)
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| Montpelier Evening Argus Article about Ervin's promotion. |
1929 - Palmer, Mass. City Directory lists Ervin and Beulah as living on 21 Maple. States that Ervin is the asst. supv. of the A & P Tea Co.
1929, May 10 - daughter, Zoe-Ann is born in Mass. (This is blog creator's mother).
1930 April Federal Census - lists Ervin as being 40 years old, Beulah is 35 years old, Myles and Richard are each 4 1/2 years old and Zoe-Ann, 11/12 years old. Ervin's occupation is listed as a store supervisor for the A & P Co. The family is listed as living at 9 Rockview St. in Palmer, Mass. (Hampken Co.).
(1933, January - Franklin Roosevelt becomes President of the U.S.)
1933 - daughter, Martha Jean is born in Connecticut.
1934 - Palmer, Mass., City Directory lists Ervin and Beulah as living on 24 Squier and states that Ervin is the supv. of the A & P Tea Co.
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| Martha Jean and Zoe-Ann |
1935 - The A & P Co. trained managers so well, that many started their own businesses. At age 45, Ervin retired from the A & P Co. and purchased the Dole store in Danville, VT. He changed the name to the Danville General Store. He ran a grocery and meat business. The family lived in the apartment above the store. The entire family worked in the store. The store building still stands in Danville. This a photo of the store in more recent times. It's now called the Diamond Hill Store.
1938 - Danville Directory lists Ervin under the heading "Grocers". St. Johnsbury, VT directory has him listed as a grocer in Danville.
1940 Federal Census - Address is 100 Hill St., Danville, Vt. Ervin is 50, Beulah is 45, Miles and Richard are 14, Zoe-Ann is 10, and Martha Jean is 7. Ervin is listed as having a third-year high school education and Beulah having one year of college.
(1941, December - the U.S. enters WWII)
1942 - Registers for the Draft for WWII. Serial Number U2394. His address is listed a Danville, Caledonia County. He is 54 years old and he states that he's self-employed.
1949 - Sold the Danville store and became a real estate broker, then a realtor in Danville and St. Johnsbury, VT.
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| Ervin, Beulah and son Myles about 1951. |
1952 - March - Blog creator was born (Diane Sebastian) in Chicago, Illinois. As a young child I remember my grandfather as a quiet man who let my sister and I sit on his lap while he watched baseball and rodeos on the black and white TV. He could wiggle his ears - even when asked to do so after his stroke!
1953 - August - My sister Donna Jean was born in Vermont.
1958 September 24 - Died at age 68 in St. Johnsbury, Caledonia Co., VT. of arteriosclerotic heart disease. Buried in Danville Cemetery.
1959 - February - My sister Debra Bee was born in New Jersey.
