Roberts Family (Click for Family Tree)

The year was 1918, and the world was changing rapidly. The students in the photo above were born 1899-1900, the turn of a century that went from candles to gas lights for reading and doing homework, to electricity that eventually would power the lighting in their rural Iowa homes, and later computers. The US Post Office started the world’s first air mail delivery that year, with time zones and daylight savings time becoming official. World War I would finally end that November after four years of global bloodshed, but the first “Spanish flu” case was seen in nearby Kansas- that epidemic would take even more lives, a large number of them young people. Mechanization on the farm was improving although farming was still a hard and time-consuming job- note that there is only one male student in the graduating class. Other young men had likely dropped out of school by the 8th grade or even before, as they were needed on the farm or in the family business, thinking further schooling would not prepare them any better for the career they had ahead of them. Some of the young men might even have been in France or somewhere else in Europe, fighting in World War I.

Edith Roberts (later McMurray, then Luck) is the student standing second from the left. Her parents, George Anthony Roberts, Sr. (1861-1939) and Ella “Ellie” Viola (Daniel) Roberts (1866-1922), and her siblings, George A. Roberts, Jr. (1889-1965) and Ethel Gay Roberts (later Robison) (1891-1969) lived on the family farm in Mound Prairie Township in Jasper County. Edith paternal grandparents were living at 108 N. Sherman in Prairie City while she was in high school. Perhaps she stopped by to see them after her classes some days, or took them some of the fruits and vegetables she, Ethel, and their mother had canned, or the delicious butter that Ellie made and sold in the local stores. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Ann (Murrell) Roberts died in 1917, and her grandfather John Roberts (1832-1922) may have moved in with his son William Edward Roberts who lived with his family on Jefferson Street by the time Edith graduated.

They all would have received one of these beautiful envelopes in May of 1918:

Within would be the announcement of Edith’s graduation, along with the names of her classmates:

Commencement exercises would take place at the Opera House in Prairie City on Friday, May 24th, 1918, at 8pm. Those who would walk across the stage and receive their hard-earned diploma were:

It would be interesting to follow up and learn more about the later lives of Edith’s classmates. As for Edith, she attended the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. She began with interest in a degree in music and teaching, however graduated in June of 1923 with a B. A. in Zoology- very unusual for a woman in those years! She did take courses in the science of education and psychology, so also received a certificate from the School of Education so that she could teach. She valued education her whole life, enjoying any chance to learn and imparting that love to her son and grandchildren.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Family treasure chest of photos and ephemera.
2. There are ten persons in the class photo, but only nine are listed as graduating. Perhaps one of the women is the teacher for the class? The reverse of the photo does not list names.

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Original content copyright 2013-2021 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

BROIDA Family (Click for Family Tree)

Our beloved Max Broida, AKA Buster Brodie (1886-1948), should never surprise me- but somehow he always does. So it seems he is still entertaining people…

This was an exciting find- we had found no World War I or II draft cards for Max despite searching for years. The sudden appearance of this card was actually more than surprising– astoundingly, somehow we have had his name wrong all these years??? His real first name was… “Maurice”???

No, we have never seen that on a census, voter’s list, in a movie set of credits or database. No family records known to us show his name as anything other than ‘Max Broida’ or ‘Buster Brodie.’ No portrait has that name on the back, even the lovely portrait he shopped around to studios that had all his details written on the back, by Max/Buster himself.

We know this is “our” Max/Buster because the handwriting matches and he listed Joseph J. Broida in Pittsburgh as the person who would always know his address. Joseph was the oldest of the seven Broida brothers, and the address Max gave for him matches up with Joseph’s own WW II draft card for 1942 and the 1940 census. The home address Max gave, 5640 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood, California, is a known residence for him. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was listed as his birthplace- check- and his birthdate as Oct 11, 1885. Oops- 1886 is the year listed in most of his records, and there was no advantage re: the draft for him to make himself a year older. (If you are noticing the math doesn’t work, good math skills, but Max- er, Maurice, er, Buster- registered in April of 1942, so had not yet had his October birthday when he would turn 57.)

On the back of the draft card his height was listed as 4′ 9½” and weight 122 lbs.- “our” Max was a small person, with his height 4′ 10″ and weight 107 lbs on the back of his studio portrait, when he was much younger. The box for “Bald” was checked, and that fit our Max perfectly, since he often billed himself as, “The Hairless Man.”

The Registrar of the local draft board in Los Angeles, California would have been there as Max completed the card, and there were penalties for falsifying information, so it seems that Max- er, Maurice, er, Buster- would have filled the card out truthfully.

Even without all this cross-checking, it so obviously has to be “our” guy- at the very top of the card, Max- er, Maurice, er, Buster- added, “Known as Buster Brodie.”

He also listed his mailing address as being the same as his residence, but then added “Buster Brodie (for mail).”

We have one last section that confirms it all:

This confirmation of occupation, plus he also signed his name as “M Max Broida” in addition to Buster Brodie.

And then, not one to stop researching, a look at the Social Security record for Max- er, Maurice, er, Buster- noted his birth year as 1885. So it is more likely that year was correct as compared to census information, etc.

And then another surprise. Under the Social Security Applications and Claims Index on Ancestry.com, the transcribed notes (no original images) stated that in Jan 1937, his name was listed as Buster Brodie- and also, Maurice Max Broida.

Well, this skeptic is sold- nice to meet you, Maurice Max Broida, AKA Buster Brodie. I am off to review yet again those censuses and voter registrations that listed a “Max M. Brodie” [middle initial possibly for Maurice?] living in Los Angeles. We have not found other persons in the census in that area that could be Maurice-Max-Buster, so have wondered for years whether that salesman job was the pay-the-rent persona of Maurice/Max/Buster. Stay tuned!

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Various draft cards, censuses, city directories, etc., found at Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, etc. See previous posts on Max Broida for more details.

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Original content copyright 2013-2021 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

BROIDA Family (Click for Family Tree)

Regular readers will note that this is yet another post about Max Broida, who used the stage name “Buster Brodie” for his work in vaudeville and the movies.

Max has been interesting to research- from a character that some family members were not even sure existed, we have learned that he ran away as a teen (or maybe younger) to join the circus. He likely learned the ropes and jokes as a clown there, and honed those skills and his comedy timing when he moved on to vaudeville. Next were silent movies and then the ‘talkies.’ Always a bit player and never truly the star, we have been surprised that Max has lived on in so many hearts. We have heard from movie historians and people who bought his picture at an antique store just because they liked it, and then they sent it on to the family via this blog. Max is included in books and images sold through ebay, etc.- he is an important part of the cult following of the 1932 film, “Island of the Lost Souls.” And we know he is one of the Flying Monkeys in “The Wizard of Oz” though it is hard to tell which, so his work remains as well.

At only 4’9-1/2″ and ~120 lbs. himself, Buster would not have been as intimidating to little kids- he was not too far from kid-sized! He probably had little trouble being the last squeezed into the clown car!

We don’t know if Max ever had a wife or children, so the above image is especially sweet.

To read more details about Max, click here.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. A current as-of-this-post listing of Max Broida/Buster Brodie articles. Please use the search box in the future to see any added. — https://heritageramblings.net/?s=buster+brodie. 

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Original content copyright 2013-2021 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

McMurray Family (Click for Family Tree)

Today, Memorial Day in the United States, we solemnly remember those who sacrificed all to protect our freedom and our democracy. While none of our direct ancestors gave their lives in war (that we know of), some returned with injuries, and some had brothers who did not return home. This quote, source unknown, makes one pause and be ever grateful to our men and women who died in service, and their families who have borne that pain ever since:

“Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it.
It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.”

Following are some images of aircraft from World War II. These pictures were taken by Edward A. McMurray, or are pictures of Edward A. McMurray with aircraft he worked on as a mechanic while stationed in the South Pacific from 1944 to 1946. Ed, or “Mac” as he was more commonly known, was stationed in the Pacific theater in Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, possibly the Philippines, and some small islands such as Biak; he ended his time in the war in Japan, at the surrender of Japan on V-J Day. Mac served in the 3rd Engine Over-haul Squadron, 4th Engine Over-haul Squadron, and the 13th Depot Supply Squadron per his 1949 State of Iowa WW II Service Compensation application. (He was paid $345 for his service in the US, which was training, plus his time overseas. Today that amount is approximately equal to $3,700.)

These images are some of the planes that were flown by our men and women- yes, women ferried planes from place to place during WW II- and some air crews may have died in them to protect freedom around the world. Mac told of the grisly tasks of those in the aircraft engine overhaul department- sometimes there were body parts and blood in a plane, needing to be removed for proper burial and before the plane could be overhauled and repaired. It was a painful reminder of how fleeting a life could be, especially in times of war, for those who were so young and should have still felt immortal.

Please let us know if you can help with identification of the aircraft or the places.

Nose art was really big in World War II. Images on the nose of a plane were great identification on the ground or in the air, a part of the crew’s ego, and a boost to morale for male soldiers, especially if a pretty or scantily-clad woman was involved:

“Overshot” Nose Art, World War II aircraft in the Pacific theater, circa 1944-1946. Note image similar to W.C. Fields, a curmudgeon of a comedian who played up drinking a lot of alcoholic ‘shots.’ The crew of this ship likely had other types of shots in mind, at least until they were back safely at the airfield- then it was time to celebrate survival with the liquid version of ‘shots.’

And then there is this last photo- what could be going on here? There are two planes side-by-side- maybe a B-24 bomber and a fighter?- and the soldier on the ladder is probably taking pictures. Maybe it’s an air show, since at least one child is in the crowd and people are looking up. That seems a somewhat dangerous event during the days of World War II on a Pacific island, and a waste of fuel and flight hours on a plane… Maybe a new aircraft is showing off flight capabilities, or a VIP is headed to the base? Or a group of heroes who just successfully completed a strategic flight that helped to turn the tides of war is doing a victorious fly-by before they land… What do you think?

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Family treasure chest of photos.
2. See also the following posts about Edward A. McMurray, Jr. in World War II:
3. “Military Monday: Memorial Day and Edward A. McMurray, Jr.”– http://heritageramblings.net/2017/05/29/military-monday-memorial-day-and-edward-a-mcmurray-jr/
4. “Veteran’s Day: Honoring Edward A. McMurray, Jr.”– https://heritageramblings.net/2014/11/11/veterans-day-honoring-edward-a-mcmurray-jr/
5. “Military Monday: Edward A. McMurray, Jr. in the Pacific Theater of WWII”– http://heritageramblings.net/2014/09/08/military-monday-edward-a-mcmurray-jr-in-the-pacific-theater-of-wwii/
6. “Edward A. McMurray, Jr. at the Surrender of Japan, 02 Sep 1945”– http://heritageramblings.net/2014/09/02/edward-a-mcmurray-jr-at-the-surrender-of-japan-02-sep-1945/
7. “Sorting Saturday: Armed Forces Day”– http://heritageramblings.net/2016/05/21/sorting-saturday-armed-forces-day/
8. “Military Monday: Memorial Day and Edward A. McMurray, Jr., again”– https://heritageramblings.net/2021/05/30/icymi-military-monday-memorial-day-and-edward-a-mcmurray-jr/

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In 2017, we posted a Memorial Day tribute to Edward A. McMurray, Jr., one of the “Greatest Generation” and my favorite soldier. Ed went from a small-town Iowa boy to a world traveler on Uncle Sam’s dime, stopping in ports in Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Japan, and tiny islands like Biak in the South Pacific. He would only tell his family that there was a ‘ceremony’ that occurred for those who had never crossed the equator before, but he would not give details… He was in the Army-Air Corps, and worked as an airplane mechanic, possibly because he had some mechanical experience with working at a gas station as a teen.

Like others of his generation, Ed did not talk much about the war, though he was truly disappointed that it did not end all wars, as they had hoped. Although he wanted to go to college to become a doctor, and was an only son, he did not seek a deferment- in fact, the attack at Pearl Harbor made him want to join up right away.

As was said in our previous posts, we are so grateful that Ed made it through World War II and came back to his family and friends. So many were not fortunate enough to come back, some that Ed knew and called “friend.”

Today, on Memorial Day, we honor these soldiers and all the other military personnel who served our country and paid the highest price for our freedom. “Thank you” will never be enough to say for their sacrifice.

Notes, Sources, and References:

1. Family treasure chest of photos.
2. “Military Monday: Memorial Day and Edward A. McMurray, Jr.”– http://heritageramblings.net/2017/05/29/military-monday-memorial-day-and-edward-a-mcmurray-jr/
3. “Veteran’s Day: Honoring Edward A. McMurray, Jr.”– https://heritageramblings.net/2014/11/11/veterans-day-honoring-edward-a-mcmurray-jr/
4. “Military Monday: Edward A. McMurray, Jr. in the Pacific Theater of WWII”– http://heritageramblings.net/2014/09/08/military-monday-edward-a-mcmurray-jr-in-the-pacific-theater-of-wwii/
5. “Edward A. McMurray, Jr. at the Surrender of Japan, 02 Sep 1945”– http://heritageramblings.net/2014/09/02/edward-a-mcmurray-jr-at-the-surrender-of-japan-02-sep-1945/
6. “Sorting Saturday: Armed Forces Day”– http://heritageramblings.net/2016/05/21/sorting-saturday-armed-forces-day/

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