A Record That Adds Color

        I’ve been researching my Kludt family for a few years, writing a short biography for each direct ancestor.  While researching my grandfather, I ran across some interesting records that I never knew about.  (Papa loved telling stories but this was never told).

       Papa (as we called him) was born Edward William Kludt on the 19^th of August 1900 in Fulda, Murray Co, Minnesota, to William Edward Kludt & Susan Katherine Reisner.  Most of his growing up years were spent on the family farm in the Chehalis and Adna areas of Lewis Co, Washington.

       We have the World War I draft registration card that he completed on the 12^th of September 1918.  At that time, he was working as a mechanic for H McEldowney (McEldowney’s Garage) in Tacoma.  Description was medium height, medium build, gray eyes, and light colored hair.  He may still have been working at the garage when the census was taken in 1920.  He was listed as a lodger for the Park Hotel on A Street in Tacoma.

       By 1921 he was working as a laborer for the Chehalis Mill Company per the 1920-21 Lewis County City Directory.  The mill was destroyed by fire in August 1922.

       Now, here’s the interesting document.  While researching the digital archives, I ran across a Prisoner Register for Lewis County, Washington, that had him listed as being in jail for “contributing to delinquency of minor”.  Released on suspended sentence by Gerlach and Allen.  This was on March 22, 1921.  What was he doing?  I don’t know.  There was no other records.

       By 1923, he moved on to work for Weyerhaeuser.  He worked for them until his retirement in August 1965.  I wanted to obtain his employment history with them to find out where he was at during the early years of his career as a mechanic and road construction foreman.  I know that in 1926 he obtained a chauffer’s registration from the State of Oregon.  He lived in La Grande at the time. It was in LaGrande that he met his future wife, Bernice LaVerne Swinehart.  They were married in March 1928.  In 1929, they lived in Wheeler, Oregon.   

       The 1930 census had them living in Chehalis on the farm with his parents.  It said he was a laborer and was listed on the Unemployment Register (no copy of this).  I do know that by January 1931, they were in Lind, Washington when their daughter was born.  In 1935, they were back in Oregon, living in Marion County per the 1940 census.  In 1937, they were in Pendleton, Oregon, where my dad was born.

       Now is the confusion, census records show that he lived in Centralia in 1940 and 1950.  Land records show that he purchased a home in Centralia in 1938.  In 1943, they purchased land in Galvin (outside of Centralia) and sold the land in town.  Dad grew up in Galvin, attending grade school there then attending Centralia schools until he graduated in 1955.  His senior year, Papa purchased a farm in Zenkner Valley.  The family lived there until it was turned over to my parents to operate in about 1958.

       However, both dad and his sister often told stories about the time they lived in St Maries, Idaho when Papa worked there as a mechanic on the big logging cats & trucks.  Dad thought he was four or five years old (this would have been around 1942.  Papa also spent a lot of time at the logging camps and, on some weekends, when he had to work, the family would visit him.  There was also a period of time in the mid 1940’s that he was hospitalized due to a logging accident.  The doctors said he would never drive a cat again.  He proved them wrong.

       In February 1942, he did complete the World War II registration card for those born between 1897 and 1921.It indicated he worked for Weyerhaeuser Timber Co located in Tacoma, WA but that his job was in Vail, Thurston Co, WA.  Description was more complete – 6 ½ feet tall, weighed about 200 pounds, blue eyes, blonde hair (and bald) with a ruddy complexion.  I wouldn’t consider six feet a medium height if that was how tall he was when he was 18!