Frederick Walton Seaver, Jr. was born 15 October 1911 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, the son of Frederick Walton and Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver.[1-5] He was the fifth of seven children, and the first male that lived to adulthood. He was baptized at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Leomnster on 7 April 1912.[6] The family moved to nearby Leominster in about 1915.
In the 1920 United States Census, the Frederick W. Seaver family resided at 290 Central Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.[7] 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
His father's job changed in 1929, and the family moved to 20 Hall Street in Leominster, across from the high school. In June 1933, they moved to 90 Main Street in Leominster.
In the 1930 United States Census, the Fred W. Seaver family resided at 20 Hall Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.[8] 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
Frederick Walton Seaver attended Leominster High School in Leominster, Massachusetts, dropped out, and graduated from Worcester Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts in June 1930. He attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire on a football scholarship, but was injured playing football from September 1932 to June 1933, but did not complete college. During the Depression, he had jobs in and around Leominster.
In the 1940 United States Census, Frederick W. Seaver was enumerated in the Newton YMCA in Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts (page headed by Patrick J. Delaney).[9] His information included:
- Frederick W. Seaver - Lodger, male, white, age 28, Single, Not attending school, Highest grade achieved was C-1, birthplace Massachusetts, resident of Leominster in 1935, worked the week of March 24-30, 48 hours of work, occupation a sales manager for a finance company, workeds 50 weeks in 1939, earned $1440 in 1939.
Fred was also enumerated another time in the 1940 United States Census, residing with his brother-in-law Bowers and sister Ruth Fischer at 918 Main Street.[10] His occupation was an investigator for a bank loan corporation.
Frederick Walton Seaver Jr. registered for the United States Draft on 16 October 1940 in Leominster, Massachusetts.[11] The information includes:
- Residence: 918 Main Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.
- Phone number was 1204 in the Leominster exchange.
- Age 29, born in Fitchburg on 15 October 1911, a citizen of U.S.A.
- Next of Kin: Mrs. Frederick Seaver, his Mother, residing at 90 Main Street in Leominster.
- Employer's name: Personal Finance Co., 371 Moody St., Waltham, Mass.
- Description: White, 6'-1-1/2" tall, weight 178, blue eyes, brown hair, light complexion.
In early December 1940, he abruptly left Massachusetts and drove to California, arriving at the home of Marshall and Dorothy (Taylor) Chamberlain at 4601 Terrace Drive in the Kensington area of San Diego. Dorothy's mother, Emily (Richmond) Taylor, was Fred's aunt, his mother's sister. He lived with them for several months, and found work in local businesses.
In the spring of 1941, his niece, Marcia Chamberlain, introduced him to one of her teachers, an art teacher at Woodrow Wilson Junior High School in San Diego. They began dating and Fred moved to an apartment in the South Park neighborhood of San Diego near Betty's home.
The engagement announcement in the San Diego Union newspaper on 5 April 1942 reads:
"Mr. and Mrs. Lyle L. Carringer announce the engagement of their daughter, Betty Virginia, lower left, to Frederick Walton Seaver jr., son of Mrs. F.W. Seaver and the late F.W. Seaver, Leominster, Mass.
"Miss Carringer is a graduate of San Diego State college, where she affiliated with Phi Sigma Nu sorority. She is teaching in the San Diego city schools.
"Mr. Seaver is a graduate of Worcester (Mass.) Academy, and attended Dartmouth college. He is now associated with an aircraft corporation.
"The wedding date has been set for July 11. (Miss Carringer's photo by Maxwell)."
Frederick Walton Seaver and Betty Virginia Carringer were married on 12 July 1942 in St. Paul's Episcopal Church in San Diego,[12-13] with Fred's mother and sister Geraldine in attendance.
The marriage of Frederick W. Seaver and Betty V. Carringer was announced in the Fitchburg (Mass.) Sentinel newspaper.[14] The article says:
"Seaver-Carringer
"LEOMINSTER, July 11 -- Miss Betty Virginia Carringer, daughter of Mr.. and Mrs.. Lyle L. Carringer of 2130 Fern street, San Diego, Cal., will be married this afternoon in St. Luke's Episcopal Church, San Diego, to Frederick W. Seaver, Jr. also of San Diego.
"Mr.. Seaver is a former resident of Leominster and is the son of Mrs.. Bessie A. Seaver of 90 Main street and the late Frederick W. Seaver, Sr. Mrs.. Seaver and her daughter, Miss Geraldine Seaver, are attending the wedding.
"Mr.. Seaver was graduated from Worcester academy and attended Dartmouth college. He is engaged in war work in San Diego. The bride was graduated from the State Teachers college in San Diego and is a member of the faculty of the San Diego high school. Mr.. and Mrs.. Seaver will live at Point Loma, San Diego."
Before and after his marriage, Fred was employed at Rohr Corporation in Chula Vista in the defense industry. Fred and Betty resided at 577 Twin Oaks Avenue in Chula Vista after their marriage and until Fred enlisted in the United States Navy.
The 28 October 1943 issue of the San Diego Union newspaper (page 12) announced the birth of their son, Randall:
"IT'S A BOY
"Frederick Seaver and Mrs.. Seaver (Betty Carringer) announce the birth of a son, Randall Jeffrey, Saturday at Paradise Valley Sanitarium. Grandparents are Mr.. and Mrs.. Lyle Carringer of San Diego and Mrs.. F.W. Seaver of Northampton, Mass."
In early 1944, Fred enlisted in the United States Navy and served as Mailman 3rd Class on the U.S.S. Halford, a destroyer in the Gulf of Alaska. While he was in the Navy, Betty moved back to her parent's home on Fern Street in San Diego, and her mother helped with Randy, their first son. When Fred left the Navy, the family moved into the bottom floor flat at 2114 Fern Street. He was discharged from the Navy in early 1946.[4]
Fred soon got a job with Prudential Insurance as a life insurance agent, and he worked there for about twenty-five years. His "debit" was located in Pacific Beach and he solicited business and then collected monthly payments from his customers every month. He visited the office once a week, and performed much of the bookkeeping at his desk at home.
After their son Stanley was born in 1946, the family moved to the second story flat at 2119 30th Street in 1947, which the boys remember as their home. Betty's parents lived downstairs at 2115 30th Street, until they moved to their new home on Point Loma in 1951. The home at 2119 30th was relatively small - living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, back bedroom, master bedroom, and sun room. There were windows all around, with a view towards downtown to the southwest and to the mountains to the northeast. The sun room housed Betty's art activities until Scott was born in 1955, when Randy and Stan were moved there and the back bedroom became the nursery.
In the 1950 United States Census, the "Fredrick W. Seaner" family was enumerated at 2119 30th Street in San Diego, San Diego County, California.[15] The household included:
- Fredrick W. Seaner - head, white, male, 38, married, born Massachusetts, worked last week, an insurance agent, for an insurance company, P[rivate employer].
- Betly C. Seaner - wife, white, female, 30, married, born California, H[ome]
- Randell J. Seaner - son, white, male, 6, nev[er married], born California.
- Stanly R. Seaver - son, white, male, age 3, nev[er married], born California.
In the summer of 1959, Fred's mother, his sister Evelyn with her husband Walter Wood, and their granddaughter Diana Soule traveled from New England to San Diego. They stayed with Bess's sister, Emily (Richmond) Taylor and her family. This was the last time Fred saw his mother.
All three boys attended Brooklyn Elementary School, Roosevelt Junior High School and San Diego High School. They played in the neighborhood, at Grape Street Park, in the canyons of Balboa Park, and at the Brooklyn Heights Presbyterian Church playground midway between home and school. They loved sports, playing football, basketball and baseball at school, in the backyard, and on the neighborhood streets. During football season, 30th Street and Grape Street Park had many touch and flag football games. Basketball was played on the brick backyard or at the playground. The big family sport was ping-pong, on a table set up on the brick backyard. During baseball season, the bricks would turn into the world's greatest Whiffle ball court.
Randy and Stan rode their bicycles everywhere from Balboa Park to East San Diego and Mission Hills, exploring the neighborhoods, going to the museums and the Zoo in Balboa Park, or to the swimming pool at Morley Field. They got a newspaper route for the Independent newspaper, which was published twice a week, to get some spending money. Both boys received Flexible Flyer's for Christmas in 1954, and rode them all over the city and used them on their paper route.
Stan started Little League at Morley Field in Balboa Park in 1957, with Fred as a coach. Fred managed Stan's teams in Little League (age 8-12), Pony League (age 13-14) and Colt League (age 15-16) until 1964. He then managed Scott's teams in Little League, Pony League and Colt League until 1972. Randy coached some of Scott's teams, then managed his own team in Little League for several years. Stan was a catcher and Scott was an infielder and pitcher. They both played high school baseball at San Diego High School, and Scott pitched at Mesa Community College.
The San Diego Padres were always in their hearts - first as a minor league team and then as a major league team starting in 1969. The boys went to minor league games at Lane field, then Westgate Park in the period 1953-1967, and then attended major league games in San Diego Stadium. Fred preferred to listen to the games on radio.
Betty was the supportive baseball mother, full of encouragement for her husband and sons. The different schedules for each member of the family enabled Betty to have free time for her own hobbies and interests. She enjoyed sewing, pottery ceramics and metal enameling.
The San Diego Chargers came to San Diego in 1961. Randy, Stan and their friends attended many games at Balboa Stadium in the early years, reveling in the Charger's accomplishments, including an AFL championship in 1963. Randy often took Scott to the games. During the 1963 pre-season, Randy got a summer job with the Chargers at their training camp at Rough Acres Ranch near Boulevard in the East County. As Scott grew older, he became the wide receiver in the family street games. Fred and Betty had Chargers season tickets from about 1970 to 1980 at San Diego Stadium.
Fred was an accomplished bowler, and played in some of San Diego's highest average leagues for many years. The bowling highlight each week was not Friday night when he went bowling, but Saturday morning when the family awoke to doughnuts and eclairs which Fred brought home from the bakery on Friday nights. Bowling provided an opportunity for many family vacations within California. Fred's teams entered the California State Bowling tournaments in Fresno, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and several other places in the late 1950's and early 1960's. The most memorable non-bowling vacation was a two-week stay at Bass Lake on the southern edge of Yosemite National Park. The family rented a cabin on the lake, with boating, swimming, hiking, and fishing in the summer of 1954. One year, Fred and Betty took a trip to Victoria, British Columbia without the boys.
Fred retired from Prudential Insurance in 1971. He continued to do handyman work around the house, work in the garden and in his garage workshop, while taking care of the six rental flats on the block.
After her parents died in 1976-1977, Betty and Fred moved to the Carringer's Point Loma home at 825 Harbor View Place, overlooking San Diego Bay. Betty inherited the 30th Street properties, and sold them to provide a retirement income. Fred enjoyed working in the garden, working around the house, and watching sports on television in the Point Loma home. One newsworthy event was a cement truck that lost its brakes coming down Lucinda Street and crashed into the garage of the house, injuring the driver but not hurting Fred and Betty.
All three boys married and had children. Randy married Linda Leland in 1970, and they had daughters Lori and Tami. Stanley married Sheryl Johnson in 1967 and they had daughter Molly. Scott married Susie Moreno in 1976 and they had daughter Lisa. Fred enjoyed seeing the grandchildren grow up, and encouraged Lori, the oldest, to play softball.
In the summer of 1982, Fred was diagnosed with prostate cancer, had several complications, and eventually died of a heart attack on 26 May 1983 while being treated in the hospital.[3,5,16] He is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery on Point Loma, on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the San Diego he had loved.[16-17]. A memorial service was held on 1 June 1983 at All Souls Episcopal Church in San Diego.
An obituary for Frederick W. Seaver was published in the San Diego Union newspaper on 28 May 1983:[18]
"Frederick W. Seaver
"Frederick W. Seaver, 71, a longtime local insurance agent, died Thursday in the Sharp Cabrillo Hospital.
"Services will be at 3 p.m. Wednesday in All Souls Episcopal Church of Point Loma, with burial in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.
"Mr. Seaver, a native of Massachusetts, moved to this area in 1940. He served in the Navy postal service during World War II and then worked as an agent for the Prudential Insurance Co. of America for 25 years.
"He was involved in the North Park Little League and the Pioneer Pony League for more than 20 years and was active in the San Diego Bowling Association.
"Survivors include his wife, Betty, three sons, Randall, Stanley and Scott, all of San Diego, four granddaughters, three sisters, and one brother.
"The family suggests contributions to the local chapter of the American Cancer Society."
SOURCES:
1. "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911-1915," online database, American Ancestors (https://www.AmericanAncestors.org), New England Historic Genealogical Society : 2008), citing original records held by the Massachusetts Archives, Births, Volume 600, Page 313, Fitchburg: Frederick Walton Seaver entry.
2. Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Birth Certificate, Volume C-8, Page 321, Frederick Walton Seaver Jr. entry #1093, City Clerk's Office, Fitchburg, Mass. (certificate dated 9 September 1996).
3. San Diego County, California, Death Certificate, Frederick Walton Seaver entry, Local Registration District and Certificate Number 8009 (issued 31 May 1983).
4. Frederick Walton Seaver Honorable Discharge Certificate, San Diego, California, citing discharge on 5 February 1946 from United States Navy; Seaver/Carringer Family Papers, 1860- —, privately held by Randall J. Seaver, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Chula Vista, California.
5. Social Security Administration, "U.S. Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014," indexed, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), Frederick Seaver (1911-1983) entry.
6. Baptismal Record, Frederick Walton Seaver; 7 April 1912, St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Leominster, Massachusetts; privately held by Randall J. Seaver, [address for private use], Chula Vista, California, 1988.
7. 1920 United States Federal Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster; Supervisor District 3, Enumeration District 102, Sheet 14A, dwelling #175, family #288, lines 1-7, Frederick W. Seaver household; imaged, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T625, Roll 747.
8. 1930 United States Federal Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster: Enumeration District 226, page 3A, dwelling 44, family 69, Fred W. Seaver household; imaged, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T626, Roll 964.
9. 1940 United States Census, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Newton; ED 9-398, Page 81A, line 20, in Patrick J. Delaney household; imaged, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T627, Roll 1614.
10. 1940 United States Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Population Schedule, Leominster, ED 14-160, Page 6B, Dwelling #113, Bowers A. Fisher household; imaged, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com, accessed 24 June 2013), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T627, Roll 1651.
11. "U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947," digital image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), Massachusetts > Rue-Sinclair > Seaman, Henry-Seddon, William (image 1309 of 2099), card for Frederick Walton Seaver, Jr., serial number 1128, Leominster, Mass. Board No. 83; citing Draft Registration Cards for all states (except Maine), 1940-1947: Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1975, National Archives, Record Group 147; Original records at The National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri.
12. San Diego County, California, Certificate of Marriage Registration, Frederick W. Seaver, Jr. and Betty Virginia Carringer, 12 July 1942.
13. Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer, Carringer Family Births, Marriages and Deaths (loose pages, 1828-1946) (n.p. : n.p., n.d. before 1901), Marriages, Betty Virginia Carringer and Frederick Walton Seaver entry, 12 July 1942.
14. "Leominster: Seaver - Carringer," wedding announcement, Fitchburg (Mass.) Sentinel, 11 July 1942, page 8, column 2; imaged, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : digital image 6 November 2006).
15. 1950 United States Federal Census, California, San Diego County, San Diego city, ED 72-293, Sheet 14, Line 28, 2119 30th Street, Fredrick W. Seaner household, National Archives (https://1950census.archives.gov/ : accessed 31 March 2022).
16. Find A Grave (https://www.findagrave.com), Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983) memorial #3430152, created by "US Military Affairs;" citing Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, San Diego, California, USA; gravestone image provided by "W. Piety."
17. "U.S. Veterans Burial Sites, 1775-2013," online database, MyHeritage (https://www.MyHeritage.com : accessed 16 January 2015), Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983), at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, Calif.
18. "Frederick W. Seaver," obituary, San Diego [CA] Union, 28 May 1983, page 6-B, column 5; indexed and imaged, GenealogyBank (https://www.genealogybank.com), Historical Newspapers, in Newspaper Archives, 1690-2024 collection.
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