Frederick Walton "Fred" Seaver was born on 9 October 1876 in Leominster, Massachusetts, the son of Frank Walton and Hattie Louisa (Hildreth) Seaver[1-5]. He died on 13 March 1942 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, of prostate cancer[4-5].
He married Alma Bessie Richmond, born 16 February 1882 in Killingly, Connecticut, died 29 June 1962 in Leominster, Massachusetts, of carcinoma of the gall bladder, on 21 June 1900 in Leominster[6-7]. She was the daughter of Thomas and Juliet (White) Richmond of Leominster.
"GOWNED IN SWISS MUSLIN
"Alma Bessie Richmond Became the Wife of Fred W. Seaver
"Fred Walton Seaver, son of Frank W. Seaver, and Miss Alma Bessie Richmond, daughter of Thomas and Julia Richmond, were united in marriage last evening at 6 o’clock at the home of the bride’s parents, 42 Summer Street. Rev. Frank A. Brown officiated, using the full Episcopal church service with the ring. The bride was given away by her father. The couple were otherwise unattended. The room where the ceremony was performed was very prettily decorated with laurel daisies and roses. The wedding march was played by Miss Jennie Marcy. The bride was handsomely gowned in Swiss muslin, trimmed with Valenciennes lace and white satin ribbon. She wore pink roses and carried a white bound prayer book.
"Only the immediate relatives and friends of the family, to the number of about 25, witnessed the service. A short reception was held, afterwards followed by a wedding supper. Mr. and Mrs. Seaver went immediately to their new home at 149 Lancaster Street.
"The contracting parties are very well known in town and have the good wishes of a large number of friends."
Frederick Walton and Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver had seven children, all born in either Leominster or Fitchburg:
* Marion Frances Seaver (born 9 November 1901 in Leominster, died 6 March 2000 in Clinton, South Carolina), married (1) 25 August 1928 Irving Braithwaite (born 9 June 1902 in Clarenceville, Quebec, died 1 July 1966 in Maitland, Florida); (2) 8 June 1970 in Stonington, Connecticut, Russell Hemphill (born 4 October 1893 in Westerly, Rhode Island, died 17 October 1976 in Pawcatuck, Rhode Island). One daughter.
* Evelyn Seaver (born 13 March 1903 in Leominster, Massachusetts, died 11 June 1978 in Methuen, Massachusetts), married February 1926 in Leominster to Walter Hazelhurst Wood (born 24 August 1893 in Fall River, Massachusetts, died 15 August 1966 in Seekonk, Massachusetts). Two sons and one daughter.
* Stanley Richmond Seaver (born 20 October 1905 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, died 24 April 1910 in Fitchburg, of scarlet fever).
* Ruth Weston Seaver (born 9 September 1907 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, died 21 September 2000 in Sun City Center, Florida), married 14 June 1930 in Leominster, Massachusetts to Bowers Arnold Fischer (born 20 December 1906 in Leominster, Massachusetts, died 27 July 1988 in Sun City Center, Florida). Two daughters.
* Frederick Walton Seaver Jr. (born 15 October 1911 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts), died 26 May 1983 in San Diego, California of a heart attack), married 12 July 1942 in San Diego to Betty Virginia Carringer (born 30 July 1919 in San Diego, died 4 January 2002 in El Cajon, California). Three sons.
* Edward Richmond Seaver (born 28 August 1913 in Leominster, Massachusetts, died 14 February 2004 in Mesa, Arizona), married 10 August 1940 in Leominster to Janet Arlene Roukes (born 7 February 1913 in Leominster, died 9 September 2002 in Sun Lakes, Arizona). One son, one daughter.
* Geraldine Seaver (born 18 May 1917, in Leominster, Massachusetts, died 26 April 2007 in Augusta, Mine, married 27 June 1970 in Newton, Massachusetts to James Howard Remley (born 21 January 1912 in New Castle, Pennsylvania, died 1 November 2007 in Augusta, Maine). No children.
In the 1880 U.S. Census, the Frank W. Seaver family resided in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts[8]. The family included:
* Frank W. Seaver -- white, male, age 27, married, works in a comb shop, born MA, parents born MA/MA
* Hattie S. Seaver -- white, female, age 22, wife, married, keeping house, born MA, parents born MA/MA
* Frederick W. Seaver -- white, male, age 3, son, single, born MA, parents born MA/MA.
Before his marriage, Fred’s family resided with his maternal grandparents, Edward and Sophia (Newton) Hildreth at 149 Lancaster Street in Leominster.
Frederick Walton Seaver (born 9 October 1876) enlisted in the U.S. Army on 14 September 1899 in St. Louis, Missouri as a Private in Company F, 43rd Regiment of U.S. Volunteers. He was discharged on 25 October 1899 for an unknown reason[9].
In the 1900 U.S. Census, the Frank W. Seaver family resided at 149 Lancaster Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts[10]. The Seaver family was renting the house. The family included:
* Frank W. Seaver -- head of household, white, male, born June 1852, age 47, married 26 years, born MA, parents born MA, a teamster, rents home
* Hattie L. Seaver -- wife, white, female, born Nov 1856, age 43, married 26 years, mother of 3 children, 2 living, born MA, father born MA, mother born VT
* Fred W. Seaver -- son, white, male, born February 1876, age 24, single, born MA, parents born PA, a painter of combs
* Harry C. Seaver -- son, white, male, born March 1885, age 15, single, born MA, parents born MA, a painter of combs
* Sophia Hildreth -- mother-in-law, white, female, born September 1835, age 64, widow, mother of 1 child, 1 living, born MA, father born ME, mother born MA
After his marriage, the Frederick Walton Seaver family lived for a short time in Leominster MA at 149 Lancaster Street (with his parents and grandmother Hildreth), where their two oldest children, Marion and Evelyn, were born. Fred was working in a comb-making factory in Leominster[11].
In about 1905, he became a superintendent at another factory in Fitchburg. The family lived at 56 Linden Street there, where son Stanley was born. They bought a house at 116 Lawrence Avenue in Fitchburg where Ruth and Frederick were born, and the older children went to school at Highland Avenue School, then Maverick Street School, and finally Goddard Street School[11].
In the 1910 U.S. census, the Fred W. Seaver (indexed as Leaver in the census record) resided at 116 Lawrence Street in Fitchburg Ward 6, Worcester County, Massachusetts[12]. The family included:
* Fred W. Seaver -- head of household, male, white, age 33, married once, 10 years, born MA, father and mother born MA, speaks English, superintendent in a comb shop, a worker, owns home, with a mortgage, can read and write
* Bessie A. Seaver -- wife, female, white, age 28, married once, 10 years, 4 children, 4 living, born CT, father born England, mother born CT, speaks English, no occupation, can read and write
* Marion F. Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 8, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, attends school
* Evelyn Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 7, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, attends school
* Stanley R. Seaver -- son, male, white, age 4, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, attends school
* Ruth W. Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 2, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, attends school
* James H. Richmond -- brother-in-law, male, white, age 23, single, born CT, father born England, mother born CT, speaks English, comb-maker, in a comb shop, a worker, 24 weeks out of work in 1909, can read and write
In about 1911, Fred was offered a position as superintendent at the Paton Manufacturing Company in Leominster, which made hairpins from celluloid material. The family moved to a large house on the factory site at 290 Central Street, where Edward and Geraldine were born. The house was on the main road from Leominster to Sterling and Worcester, with streetcar tracks in the middle of the road. There were several smaller buildings around the house, including a barn which was used as a garage, chicken coops and rabbit hutches. A brook ran beside the house to the factory. The house was heated by warm air from the factory[11].
Frederick Walton Seaver registered for the World War I draft on 12 September 1918[3]. The information on the registration includes:
* Address: 290 Central St, Leominster, Worcester, Mass.
* Age: 41
* Birthdate: October 9th 1876
* Race: White
* U.S. Citizenship: Native Born
* Present Occupation: Superintendent Paton Mfg. Co.
* Employer's Name: Paton Mfg. Co.
* Place of Employment or Business: 282 Central St. Leominster, Worc. Mass.
* Nearest Relative Name: (wife) Alma B. Seaver
* He signed the registration card.
In the 1920 U.S. Census, the Frederick W. Seaver family resided at 290 Central Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts[13]. The family included:
* Frederick W. Seaver -- head of household, male, white, age 42, married, born MA, father born MA, mother born MA, superintendent of a comb shop, a salaried worker, rents home, able to read, write and speak English
* Bessie R. Seaver -- wife, female, white, age 38, married, born CT, father born England, mother born CT, no occupation, able to read, write and speak English
* Marion F. Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 18, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, attending school, able to read and write, and speak English
* Evelyn Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 16, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, attending school, able to read and write, and speak English
* Ruth W. Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 12, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, attending school, able to read and write, and speak English
* Frederick W. Seaver Jr. -- son, male, white, age 8, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, attending school, unable to read and write, able to speak English
* Edward R. Seaver -- son, male, white, age 6, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, attending school, unable to read and write, able to speak English
* Geraldine Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 2, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, unable to read and write, unable to speak English
During the 1920's, Fred and Bess bought a cottage on the shore of Whalom Lake, between Leominster and Fitchburg. The family spent summer weekends there. Vacations were taken at Cape Cod on occasion[11].
In about 1927, the owner of the Paton Manufacturing company, Barney Doyle, sold the factory to the Dupont Company, and the site closed on Central Street. Fred worked at the main Dupont plant in Leominster, and was superintendent of the toothbrush division there until his retirement in 1941. The family bought a house at 20 Hall Street in Leominster[11].
In the 1930 US Census, the Fred W. Seaver family resided at 20 Hall Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts[14]. The household included:
* Fred W. Seaver -- head, own home, worth $5,000, owns a radio set, male, white, age 52, married, first at age 25, can read and write, born MA, father and mother born MA, speaks English, superintendent in a celluloid company
* Alma B. Seaver -- wife, female, white, age 48, married, first at age 18, can read and write, born CT, father born England, mother born RI, speaks English
* Ruth W. Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 22, single, can read and write, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, speaks English, teacher in a public school
* Frederick W. Seaver -- son, male, white, age 18, single, can read and write, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, speaks English
* Edward R. Seaver -- son, male, white, age 16, single, can read and write, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, speaks English
* Geraldine Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 12, single, attends public school, can read and write, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, speaks English
During the Great Depression, Fred took a cut in pay at Dupont, and the bank foreclosed on the house on Hall Street. The family moved to an apartment on West Street in downtown Leominster[11].
In the 1940 United States Census, Frederick and his daughter Geraldine were enumerated at 90 Main Street in Leominster[15]. There is no indication of where Bessie was residing, but likely was with Fred at 90 Main Street. The census information included:
* Frederick Seaver (gave the information) - Head of household, male, white, age 63, married, 2 years of high school, born Massachusetts, lived in same place in 1935, worked the last week of March 1940 (40 hours), occupation is Foreman, and Industry is Viscoloid, earned $3000 in 1939 in wages, did not make over $50 in other income.
* Geraldine Seaver - Daughter, female, white, age 22, single, 4 years of college, born Massachusetts, lived in same place in 1935, worked the last week of March 1940 (35 hours), occupation is music teacher, Industry is public school, earned $1100 in 1939 in wages, and over $50 in other income.
Fred retired at age 65 in 1941, and died shortly thereafter of prostate cancer on 13 March 1942 at the Lawrence General hospital[4-5,16]. Near the end, he had resided at the home of his daughter, Evelyn (Seaver) Wood, in Andover, Massachusetts.
An obituary announcing the death of Frederick W. Seaver was published in the Fitchburg (Mass.) Sentinel newspaper, dated 13 March 1942, on page 9 under the "Deaths" heading[16].
"Frederick W. Seaver
"LEOMINSTER, March 13 -- Frederick W. Seaver, 65, of 90 Main Street, died this morning at the Lawrence General hospital. He had been visiting his daughter, Mrs. Walter Wood of Salem Depot, N.H.
"Mr. Seaver was born in Leominster. He was superintendent of the old Paton Mfg. Co. and at the time of his retirement a few years ago he was general foreman at the Doyle works. He was a member of the St. Mark's Episcopal church.
"Mr. Seaver is survived by his wife, Mrs. A. Bessie (Richardson) Seaver; four daughters, Mrs. Wood, Mrs. Bowers Fischer and Mrs. Irving Braithwaite, both of Leominster, and Miss Geraldine Seaver, a teacher in the public schools of Northampton; two sons, Edward of Keene, N.H., and Frederick Seaver of San Diego, Calif.; and a brother, Harry Seaver of Leominster."
The funeral notice for Frederick W. Seaver appeared in the "Funerals" section on page 3 of the 16 March 1942 edition of the Fitchburg [Mass.] Sentinel newspaper[17]. It reads:
"Frederick
W. Seaver
"The funeral of Frederick W. Seaver, 90
Main street, who died Friday, was held yesterday afternoon at St.
Mark's church with Rev. John Brett Fort, rector, officiating. John
Dalton was at the organ, and Fred Thomas and George Hancock were
ushers.
"Burial was in Evergreen
cemetery. The bearers were Henry Pickford of Clinton, Fred
Shaw, Allen Freeman, Frank T. Cook, Councilor Paul R. Nettel and Earl
P. Person of this city."
He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Leominster, Massachusetts with his wife Alma Bessie, his son, Stanley Richmond Seaver, and his daughter, Geraldine (Seaver) Remley[5].
Sources:
1. "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915," indexed records and digital images, American Ancestors (https://www.americanancestors.org), Births: Volume 279, Page 311, Leominster, 9 October 1876: Fred Walton Seaver entry, 9 October 1876.
2. Leominster, Massachusetts Town Clerk's Office, Birth Certificate, Frederick Walton Seaver, 9 October 1876, Town Clerk’s Office, Leominster, Worcester County, Mass. (certificate dated 9 September 1996).
3. "U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," indexed records and digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 October 2010); Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster City, Draft Board 14, Serial No. 2670, Order No. A853, Frederick Walton Seaver entry, dated 12 September 1918.
4. Lawrence, Massachusetts Town Clerk's Office, Death Certificate, Frederick W. Seaver Sr., 13 March 1942; Town Clerk's Office, Lawrence, Essex County, Mass. (certificate dated 20 December 1996).
5. Find A Grave (https://www.findagrave.com), Evergreen Cemetery, Leominster, Mass., Frederick W. Seaver (1876-1942) memorial #44596450.
6. "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915," digital images, American Ancestors (https://www.AmericanAncestors.org : accessed 5 March 2009), Marriages: Volume 502, Page 297, Leominster, entry Frederick W. Seaver and Alma Bessie Richmond, 21 June 1900; citing original records in the Massachusetts Archives.
7. Leominster, Massachusetts Town Clerk's Office, Marriage Certificate, Fred Walton Seaver and Alma Bessie Richmond, 21 June 1900; Town Clerk's Office, Leominster, Mass. (certificate dated 17 September 1990).
8. 1880 United States Federal Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Leominster, Page 525C, dwelling # 354, family #436, Frank Seaver household; indexed records with digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T9, Roll 565.
9. "United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940," indexed records with record images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WWLT-ZHT2 : 29 October 2019), Frederick Walton Seaver, 14 Sep 1899; citing Military Service, NARA microfilm publication 76193916 (St. Louis: National Archives and Records Administration, 1985), various roll numbers.
10. 1900 United States Federal Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Leominster, Enumeration District 1645, Sheet 16A, Dwelling #258, Family #377, Frank W. Seaver household; indexed records with digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T623, Roll 692.
11. Geraldine Seaver (1917-2007) Memories, on 4 audio cassette tapes recorded 1989, transcribed by Randall J. Seaver in 1992, in possession of Randall J. Seaver (1154 Via Trieste, Chula Vista, CA., 2023).
12. 1910 United States Federal Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Fitchburg, Enumeration District 1745, Page 193, Sheet 6B, dwelling #82, family #125, Fred W. Seaver household; indexed records with record images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T624, Roll 608.
13. 1920 United States Federal Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Leominster; Supervisor District 3, Enumeration District 102, Sheet 14A, dwelling #175, family #288, lines 1-7, Frederick W. Seaver household; indexed records with digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T625, Roll 747.
14. 1930 United States Federal Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Leominster, enumeration district (ED) 226, page 3A, dwelling 44, family 69, Fred W. Seaver household; indexed records with digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2017); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T626, Roll 964.
15. 1940 United States Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Leominster: Enumeration District 14-181, Sheet 9-A, Household #202, Frederick Seaver household; indexed records with digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 April 2012), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T627, Roll 1651.
16. The Fitchburg Sentinel, Fitchburg, Mass., online database and digital image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), 13 March 1942, page 9, "Deaths" column, "Frederick W. Seaver" obituary.
17. The Fitchburg Sentinel, Fitchburg, Mass., 16 March 1942, page 3, "Funerals" column, "Frederick W. Seaver" funeral notice.
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