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| Ellen Sophia Bills and Robert Edson - circa 1897 Used by permission of Chirstina Kraus |
Robert Adams Edson, was born in West Brookfield, on January 21, 1894. His parents were Charles O'Meara Edson and Cora Richards. Robert was a chemist by trade, and at the time of the 1920 census, was living in Hackensack, New Jersey.
Ancestry.com has a record collection entitled, U. S., Identification Card Files of Prohibition Agents, 1920-1925. I entered the search term, "West Brookfield, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA," in the locations box, and found a copy of the Photo ID for Robert A. Edson. The ID dated Mar. 9 '21 bears the number 7799 in red, and says, "The United States Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service. This Certifies that Robert A. Edson of W. Brookfield, Mass. is a duly employed as a Federal Prohibition Agent and is hereby authorized to execute and perform all the duties delegated to such officers by law." It is signed by John F. Kramer Federal Prohibition Commissioner and Wm. M. Williams, Commissioner of Internal Revenue.
Prohibition Agents were responsible for eliminating the sale and consumption of alcohol by closing speakeasies, destroying stills, and apprehending bootleggers and gangsters. Jeffrey H. Fiske, mentions two prohibition raids in town, on page 151 of A History of West Brookfield: 1675-1990. The "Uwanta Lunch" was raided by unnamed prohibition officers in October of 1923. Twelve bottles of whiskey and brandy were seized. The "Happy Rest Eat Shoppe" owned by Sheick Masoonaian was fined $150 for selling liquor in September of 1927. The location of both establishments was on Route 9; and in fact, may have been identical
I do not know how long Robert worked as a prohibition agent. He was living in the Brighton section of Boston by 1930, and working as a chemist in a glue factory. He married Elizabeth Gunther sometime between 1930 and 1940. The couple lived together in Boston until June of 1954 when Robert jumped from the Harvard Bridge into the Charles River and drowned.
Ancestry.com has a record collection entitled, U. S., Identification Card Files of Prohibition Agents, 1920-1925. I entered the search term, "West Brookfield, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA," in the locations box, and found a copy of the Photo ID for Robert A. Edson. The ID dated Mar. 9 '21 bears the number 7799 in red, and says, "The United States Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service. This Certifies that Robert A. Edson of W. Brookfield, Mass. is a duly employed as a Federal Prohibition Agent and is hereby authorized to execute and perform all the duties delegated to such officers by law." It is signed by John F. Kramer Federal Prohibition Commissioner and Wm. M. Williams, Commissioner of Internal Revenue.
Prohibition Agents were responsible for eliminating the sale and consumption of alcohol by closing speakeasies, destroying stills, and apprehending bootleggers and gangsters. Jeffrey H. Fiske, mentions two prohibition raids in town, on page 151 of A History of West Brookfield: 1675-1990. The "Uwanta Lunch" was raided by unnamed prohibition officers in October of 1923. Twelve bottles of whiskey and brandy were seized. The "Happy Rest Eat Shoppe" owned by Sheick Masoonaian was fined $150 for selling liquor in September of 1927. The location of both establishments was on Route 9; and in fact, may have been identical
I do not know how long Robert worked as a prohibition agent. He was living in the Brighton section of Boston by 1930, and working as a chemist in a glue factory. He married Elizabeth Gunther sometime between 1930 and 1940. The couple lived together in Boston until June of 1954 when Robert jumped from the Harvard Bridge into the Charles River and drowned.
I have a picture of Robert Edson with my grandmother, born Eleanor Sophia Bill (who lived on Main St, daughter of dentist Clement E Bill), taken around 1898.
ReplyDeleteIs this a photo that you would be willing to share?
Deletesure. Can i post it here? I also have at least one picture of his sister, it must be; my grandmother (b1893) and aunt (b1890) lived in town in what is now Brookhaven nursing home from their birth until about 1920. I've got pics of Mary Olmstead's (first) wedding and some nice ones of little kids in sleighs, etc.
Deletelooking through your list, i have pics of Elsie Converse, a Clark child, the Huycks, Marguerite Fales, Dorothy Makepeace and her daughter Dorothy Cochran [who married Walter Fullam], Priscilla Jones m. Furgal, and of course my great-grandparents (Bill) and the town green, Salem Cross when it was a golf course, etc.
DeleteI can add it to the post, and/ or to the website
ReplyDeletehttp://www.westbrookfieldgenealogy.org.
Perhaps you would like to do a guest post.
You can contact me through the website contact button or message me privately on Facebook. Leah Smith
Let me know how to post the pictures!
ReplyDeleteoh, sorry, i just saw yours. Will get in touch.
ReplyDelete