Saturday, March 16, 2013

Wait! Boston?


Finally finding the 1928 obituary for Leon S. Bean—the building contractor in Redwood City and Palo Alto, California—may have seemed like the end of a long search.

It was not. It only became the start of a long line of further questions.

Take, for instance, the residence locations given for each of Leon’s three children.

1939 photograph of Treasure Island near San Francisco and unidentified man possibly Ulysses Grant nicknamed Bob
His oldest, Leona, had by this time married the mysterious Mr. Grant—whom I’m still having trouble positively identifying—and was situated in nearby San Francisco. That move was not so much a surprise, as she is most likely the public health nurse showing there in the 1930 census. I say most likely because I still have doubts about that document. Compounding the fact that the scanned copy available for viewing at Ancestry.com is quite faint, the information I am able to decipher doesn’t seem to match what I know of Leona’s personal history.

Bill, one of the twins whom we’ve already discussed, the one with a passion for cars and a head for business, was listed as residing in Fresno, rather than the Alameda address I’ve always known about. While Fresno is a considerable distance from Bill's native Bay Area, it is no surprise to find him there in 1928—once I finally unearthed that detail about his wife’s maiden name and family origin.

But blind and deaf Sam? In Boston? Last time I looked, he had been wrapping up a stellar academic career at the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley. Though he had been a star student, and while it was true that he had lofty ambitions upon graduation, moving so far from family with the types of challenges that he faced seems unlikely.

Do I chalk this up to the typical newspaper error? Or sniff out another unexpected story?


Photograph above left: torn from a larger format but still retaining the imprint, "Treasure Island, San Francisco Calif, 1939," this may possibly be a picture of Leona Bean Grant's husband, known only by the nickname Bob Grant, thanks to the few labels found on other pictures left in the Bean family's collection.

7 comments:

  1. There might have been a leading school for the deaf in Boston that Sam attended for a while.

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    1. I believe it was a few years ago that they found a early picture of Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller in the archives of the NEGHS while they were vacationing near Boston.

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    2. That's a viable thought, Deborah. The only reason I can think of for Sam to venture so far from home would be something to do with either his handicaps or his aspirations. There are a few newspaper clippings I'll need to study for any further clues.

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  2. I sure am enjoying this story and all that you are finding. As pesky as newspaper articles can be, they sure are providing you with answers (as well as more questions of course.)

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    1. Michelle, I'm not sure why Sam became the darling of the Oakland newspaper that he appears to have been, but I'm certainly glad it turned out that way!

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  3. I'm waiting to hear about Sam in Boston. From his accomplishments in school and his fame in the newspapers, he seems to be a very brave young man. What a story!

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    1. Yes, Mariann, Sam's was an incredible story--though it looks like it will take quite a bit more research before I figure out the Boston angle. On a lead from one newspaper article, I'm going to take a look at academic journals in education during that time period, and see if I can find mention of his case. And, of course, follow up on Iggy's suggestions for school leads in the area.

      I only wish I had gotten the chance to have met him, myself. Though I got to know both his twin brother and sister, his was a rather shortened life.

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