Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Dodging the Details


What could have occurred, leading up to the year 1915 in metropolitan New York, to convince a German immigrant that he needed to disguise his identity?

That’s a question I’ve asked myself, over and over, as I ponder the possible reasons why my paternal grandfather might have disappeared from his Brooklyn home after 1910 and re-invented himself as an Irish-American citizen in Queens by 1915.

Of course, the key assumption embedded in that question is the proviso, if. If, that is, it was the same man, once known as Theodore J. Puhalski, who now materialized—along with Theodore’s family—as John T. McCann.

After wearing the search paths thin, pursuing any clues via surnames and addresses, it was time to step back from the computer and think this thing out holistically. Take in the big picture. Consider what hints history could provide for motivations.

Though America’s entry into World War One was not yet on the horizon, even in 1915, the fact that we are talking about a man of German origin was not lost upon me. Depending on where one lived and where we were in the overarching timeline of current events, hostilities toward those aliens in our country with a German nativity were either simmering or outright exploding on the scene. It might not have been a good time to go public with one’s heritage. Perhaps that was the impetus for the family story about having to change their identity to allow their father to obtain a job.

With a scenario like that insinuating itself upon my wild imagination, I dreamed up all sorts of brick wall possibilities. Was Theodore Puhalski a German spy? A draft dodger?

The timeline for the World War started—at least for those located in Europe—in 1914. While that could have influenced Theodore’s decision to re-invent himself (if that is what, indeed, happened), the pacifist mood fostered in American political circles likely didn’t provide enough immediate pressure for a German in America to be that forward-thinking. However, the news from Europe, coupled with the possibility that he hadn’t complied with proper naturalization procedures, might have impelled him to realize he would have to either provide himself with the necessary documentation, or disappear into the mass of humanity which was New York City.

This, indeed, was do-able. Especially if Theodore had arrived in America at as young an age as some of his self-reported arrival dates indicated, he could have grown up without the slightest trace of any giveaway speech traits other than a Brooklyn accent.

Things changed rapidly in this war timeline, though. The United States was drawn into the European conflict by 1917. With Congress passing the Selective Service Act of 1917, the nation quickly mobilized and sent wave after wave of military personnel across the ocean. Yet, Theodore would have been classified in Class IV: married registrants with dependent spouse and children with insufficient family income if drafted. However, while he would have been exempted, that would not have eliminated the requirement for him to have registered for the draft.

Complicating matters—at least at the point when I first started re-thinking my research predicament—was the fact that I could not locate a draft registration card for either Theodore Puhalski or John T. McCann. Admittedly, ascertaining whether I had found the document for the right John McCann was a challenge, but as of last week, I hadn’t even located any solid possibilities.

Though lack of any such discovery powered wild speculations on my part, as it turned out, missing documentation was not owing to negligence—or outright refusal—on the part of anyone back in 1917. Rather, it proved to be a case of indexing complications. Search results finally yielded an entry filed under John L. McCann when I looked last week, though prior to that, nothing at all had surfaced.


Finding the document, using the birth date I had located via other documents—August 7, 1876—helped confirm that I had the right John McCann. Though the handwriting made his wife’s name look like “Jophie,” the telltale clue about his place of employment—Mergenthaler—clinched it for me. So our John McCann had, indeed, complied with the requirements of the Selective Service Act.

But what about Theodore Puhalski? Was there a draft registration card for him as well?

None that I could see—at least in searches up to this point. Perhaps, just as had happened when seeking the card for John McCann, it will take time to sift through all the records to find one for Theodore, hidden among those mounds of data.

However, if Theodore and John were one and the same person, Theodore’s plan to morph into a less-egregious American alien before the war’s pressures mounted to the level of mandatory draft would have succeeded.

Yet, I still have to wonder: did he do it by sheer dint of will and impersonation skills? Or did he have the foresight to secure the proper documentation to make the switch?

That was the record I had yet to uncover.


Above: World War I Draft Registration Card for John T. McCann, courtesy of Ancestry.com. 

12 comments:

  1. Seems a bit weird to have an Irish last name but be a naturalized citizen from Poland/Russia. Great find to have the draft card.

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    1. Precisely! I found it quite telling that he admitted to that.

      On the other hand, with the geo-political designation more properly given, at that time, as Germany, it's also quite telling that he tended toward representing his Polish heritage as having come from the Russian side of the matter. Wouldn't you just love to have heard how that conversation progressed?!

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  2. Jacqui what's with the Poland Russian in the Alien block next to the check for naturalized?

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    1. Good eye, Kat! Isn't that odd that that was recorded? I would have presumed that the naturalization status would preclude having to get into that issue. Still, he obviously had the sense that steering clear of any link to Germany might be prudent.

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  3. I think Theodore J Puhalski and John T McCann were one and the same person. Of course, I can't prove it.

    If John were "adopted" - it would explain the variance in the "parents origins".

    I've been thinking John was adopted by the Puhalski's and reverted to his "birth name" - perhaps during the years 1910-1915 he learned he was a "McCann" and simply reverted to using that name? Just a wild theory...

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    1. Oh, Iggy, I actually know someone for whom your "wild theory" turned out to be exactly what happened. It's not that far-fetched.

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  4. Well that may be one piece to the big old puzzle. I am perplexed over the name changing:(

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    1. The more I think about it, Far Side, the more I wonder if the Germany issue was what propelled his name change maneuvering--it was simply in his own self-interest, likely in the face of increasing hostility toward German-American immigrants leading up to the U.S. entry into World War I. The bottom line for him--just as the family had said it was--was to be able to get and hold a job. Apparently, anything was better than being a German-American in need of a job in 1915.

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  5. I have seen a very few naturalization proceedings wherein the immigrant's name was changed by court order. An outside possibility, but still . . . .

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    1. This may have been a possibility that surfaced in more recent times. I did find documentation of such a court-approved name change when I researched my godmother's immigration to New York City in the 1950s, so I thought maybe I'd find the same for Theodore/John in the early 1900s. So far, no evidence for that, though.

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  6. Isn't it possible that John T and Theodore J are just name reversals?

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    1. As it turned out, Lisa, that was apparently exactly what happened. At least, I found a document listing Theodore's middle name as John. Though I have yet to discover what the T in John T McCann might stand for, I'm convinced the scenario you suggest is exactly what happened. Still, I didn't want to jump to conclusions without locating further documentation.

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