Thursday, August 9, 2018

Seavers in the News -- Walter Enwright Seaver Receives Testimonials in 1935

It's time for another edition of "Seavers in the News" - a semi-regular feature from the historical newspapers about persons with the surname Seaver that are interesting, useful, mysterious, fun, macabre, or add information to my family tree database.

This week's entry is from the The Boston (Mass.] Globe newspaper dated 5 September 1935:


The transcription of this article is:

"DINNER TO WALTER ENWRIGHT SEAVER MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HOTEL LENOX

"Walter Enwright Seaver, managing director of Hotel Lenox, youngest head of a metropolitan hotel, was honored at a testimonial dinner in the main dining room of Hotel Lenox last night by nearly 300 prominent hotel men, business and political leaders of Greater Boston and other parts of New England.

" One of the highlights was the fact emphasized that Mr. Seaver, while being toasted, did not forget his closest friend and the man who always recognized his efforts and was responsible for much of his success, the late Lerman C. Prior, former manager of the Lenox.

"Toastmaster D.J. Kelley, a Boston attorney introduced Frank Sawyer, who in behalf of the guests, presented Mr. Seaver a wrist watch.

"  Mr. Seaver asked the gathering to give a silent toast to the memory of their late associate, Mr. Prior, and in his address paid a fine tribute to Mr. Prior and what he meant to the hotel fraternity of New England.

"Other speakers were Bradbury F. Cushing, manager of Hotel Statler; Emil Coulton, manager of the Touraine and director of a chain of hotels; George H. Clark, publisher of the Hotel and Travel News; Capt. Percy Skillings of Station 16, and Roscoe H. Prior.

"Manager Seaver has been in the hotel business since he was a boy.  He was born in Boston, son of the late Louis A. Seaver, a member of an old New England family and an actor with the Daly Company.  In 1908, Walter Seaver went to work during his Summer school vacation at Hotel Lenox.  Later, while a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he continued during his spare hours at the Lenox.  He enlisted with the 101st Company, Yankee Division, and served with the Headquarters Company during the World War.  He was a member of the First Corps Cadets prior to the entry of the Cadets into the Yankee Division.  He served overseas.

"When L.C. Prior took over the Brunswick and established a cafeteria, Mr. Seaver went on a tour of inspection of the best cafeterias in the country, bringing back the newest and most approved ideas.  After a period at the Brunswick, he returned to manager of Hotel Lenox, under Managing Director Prior.  He is married and has three children.  His home is at Hosmer ter., Newton.

"Guests last evening included representatives of the New England Hotel Men's Association, Massachusetts State Hotel Association, and City of Boston Hotel Men's Association, in which organizations the honor guest is an active member.  Others at the dinner were A. Morandi Bartlett, Harry Huntt, J. Howard Bushway, Malcolm Jenney, Cleveland Ballou, Claude S. Hartwell, Henry Halper, Joseph Halper, Willard Davis, Harold R. Dolby, Ben Levias, E.J. Goulston, Stanley Tower, Walter Osterstock, Dr. Charles Grapek, Carl C. Place, and Albert Duplain.

"The committee on arrangements included Arthur J. Moran, Richard McCarthy of the Internal Revenue Department, former hotel man; Byron O. Roth, J. Freeman Marston, and Edward Douglass."

The source citation for this article is:

"DINNER TO WALTER ENWRIGHT SEAVER MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HOTEL LENOXThe Boston [Mass.] Globe newspaper, 5 September 1935, page 17, column 2, Walter Enwright Seaver article; digital image, Newspapers.com   (www.newspapers.com :  accessed 9 August 2018).

The article provides one clue about Walter's ancestry - his father was the late Louis A. Seaver.  It also gives one clue for his birth date - in 1908 he was a student after finishing school.  I guessed that he was born in about 1890.

I searched my RootsMagic family tree database for Walter Enwright Seaver and did not find him.  I searched for Louis A. Seaver and did not find him either.  I searched on Ancestry for Walter Seaver in Massachusetts born in about 1890, and easily found the 1900 and 1910 U.S. Census records that included Walter E. Seaver in the Louis and Margaret Seaver family in Boston, along with four siblings.  There were "Suggested Records" on Ancestry for each of the family members. 

I was able to add Walter's family (with his wife and three children), the Louis Seaver family (with wife and five children), to my RootsMagic family tree.  Louis A. Seaver (as "Seaberg") married Margaret Enwright in  1883 in Boston. Louis Seaver (1856-1918) was the son of Frederick R. and Mary Augusta (Hobart) Seaber of Boston.  Frederick R. Seaver was born in Prussia according to the census and vital records I reviewed.  The statement that Louis was "...a member of an old New England family..." was likely based on his mother's Hobart and Terry ancestry.

So I am not a cousin of Walter Enwright Seaver, through his Seaver ancestry, but I may be through his Hobart ancestry.

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Copyright (c) 2018, Randall J. Seaver

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