Category Archives: Otter Lake, NY

Charboneau, Otter Lake, NY

Before WWII: Uncle Fred’s childhood (1918-1931)

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Sepia Saturday 682. Third in a new series about letters written by my dad’s brother Frederic Mason Charboneau while in the US Army during WWII.

In a Jan. 12, 1943, letter home, my dad’s brother Frederic Mason Charboneau told his mother, “Tomorrow morning makes it exactly one year since I stood out in front of the Remsen School and said goodbye to you and my civilian life.”

This got me wondering: what do I really know about Uncle Fred’s civilian life? I have no personal memories of him (he died when I was two years old) and no surviving family members to consult with. Yet how can I understand his letters without knowing something about his time before WWII? So I set off on a new research quest to see what I could find.

Early childhood: Dolgeville to Utica to Whitesboro

Uncle Fred was born on March 13, 1918, in Dolgeville, Herkimer Co., N.Y., as confirmed by the New York State Birth Index for 1918 – the fourth of five Charboneau brothers. It was the year of the Great Influenza Pandemic, but fortunately he was not affected.

Uncle Fred, with hands shielding his eyes, on the front steps of his grandfather Will Charboneau’s house in Dolgeville, Herkimer Co., N.Y. (circa 1925). From left – Back row: Uncle Owen and Will. Front row: Uncle Hubert, Uncle Fred and Uncle Franny. Scan by Molly Charboneau.

Fred’s parents (and my grandparents) William Ray and Mary (Owen) Charboneau were working respectively at a piano sounding board factory and the Daniel Green Felt Shoe Company in Dolgeville – no doubt saving money for their next career move.

Because soon thereafter, Uncle Fred appears in the 1920 U.S. census of Utica, Oneida Co., N.Y.11920 US Census: FamilySearch requires free login to view records., at age 1 year and 10 months – living with the family at 1000 Whitesboro Street, above an A&P Tea Company store managed by my grandfather Ray.

By the time of the 1925 New York State census21925 NYS Census: FamilySearch requires free login to view records., the family had moved to a house at 5 Redfield Ave. in nearby Whitesboro, N.Y.,  and all five brothers were present: Uncles Owen (13), Franny (11), Hubert (9), Fred (7) and my dad, Norm (just 329 days!). (See photo below).

A fortuitous move to Otter Lake

Within five years, though, according to the 1930 U.S. Census31930 US Census: FamilySearch requires free login to view records., the family had finally arrived at Otter Lake, N.Y. — the small Adirondack lakeside town in Forestport, Oneida Co., N.Y., that would become the childhood home of Uncle Fred and the younger Charboneau boys.

Family lore is that my grandmother Mary (aka Molly) saw a want ad for someone to run the ice cream parlor at the Otter Lake Hotel – so she responded.

From left — Back row: My grandfather Ray Charboneau holding my father Norman, who looks about 329 days old. Front row: Uncles Owen, Hubert, Franny and Fred (in front of Franny). This photo was likely taken in 1925 in Utica or Whitesboro, before the Charboneau family’s move to Otter Lake, N.Y. Scan by Molly Charboneau

By 1930, my grandfather Ray was a wholesale grocery salesman — which may have offered enough flexibility for her to take the job and for the family to eventually relocate.

The move proved fortuitous. Within a few years, my grandparents were operating the Otter Lake Hotel – a scenic Adirondack vacation spot where Uncle Fred and my dad Norm worked their first jobs in the family business.

Uncle Fred heads to high school

Meanwhile, Uncle Fred was forging ahead in school. On June 25, 1931, in an article titled “Otter Lake School Closes for Summer,” the Boonville Herald announced that he was among the students who had completed the 8th grade and were headed to high school – but not before enjoying an end-of-year picnic and festivities:

“Otter Lake school closed June 19 for the summer vacation. The following pupils completed the eighth grade and will enter high school next fall: Gilbert Hammond, Abraham Madore, Frederic Charbonneau, Helen Green and Odiana Madore. These pupils tried their regents examinations at Woodgate.

“Thursday the pupils of the school with their teacher, Mrs. Agnes Hammond, enjoyed a picnic on the camping grounds and sports were held during the afternoon. At four o’clock a splendid picnic dinner was served after which the children were taken for a ride. This was one of the most enjoyable events of the year.”4Boonville Herald, June 25, 1931, at fultonshistory.com

In high school and after, Uncle Fred focused on a business-oriented education – amassing civilian skills that would come in handy at his Otter Lake Hotel job, and later when he was drafted into the service during WWII.

Details on Uncle Fred’s school life in a future post — but first: exactly when did he and the family move to Otter Lake?

More on Uncle Fred’s civilian life in the next post. Please stop back! Meanwhile, please visit the other intrepid bloggers over at Sepia Saturday and tip your hat to Alan who has kept us going — then visit the blog-hop gang over at Wordless Wednesday using the link below.

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