Edwin James OTWELL, Jr. (1905-1915)

Edwin OTWELL
Photo courtesy of
Aunt Pat H.

Edna OTWELL's twin brother

Tin type photo of the twins
Photo courtesy of Aunt Pat H.

Edwin and Edna were born on 23 May 1905 in Buffalo, Erie County, NY. As children, Edna was taller and had olive skin, brown eyes and dark hair. Edwin was shorter and of fair complexion with blue eyes and blonde hair.

On 28 September 1915, 10 year old Edwin was walking to the candy store when he was struck and killed by an automobile. Cause of death was a fractured skull.  His death was devastating to the family. Verbal family history says that the driver was drunk at the time of the accident. The newspaper article portrays the driver as a hero.

Buffalo Courier, 9/29/1915
(Found on Old Fulton NY Postcards)

Father KELLY continued on as a Catholic priest, but had been relocated from the Buffalo parish soon after the accident.

Edwin's Obit
Buffalo Courier, 1915
(Old Fulton NY Postcards)

Gravestone, Photo courtesy cousin Tracy O.

Cousin Tracy O. contacted the Ridgelawn Cemetery to locate Edwin’s grave. The cemetery documents indicated that Edwin was first buried in one plot on 1 October 1915, but a few months after, the “family came into some money” and decided to purchase plots so that the family could be near each other. Edwin was moved to the new location along with baby Dorothy on 16 May 1916. Gravestones were purchased for each. The other two plots were reserved for Edwin and Mary Jane. Son Harry bought the 3 remaining plots and these were eventually used for his sister Irene MCMAHON, brother-in-law George W. SIM and himself. (Yes, George rests with the OTWELLs while his wife Edna rests with the nearby SIMs.)

The family gathered during the exhumation of Edwin’s coffin. As the coffin was moved, it fell and the lid opened. Gramma Edna said that she saw his “little blue shoe”.

This sad poem was published by the family one year after his death:

Buffalo Evening News, 28 September 1915
(Old Fulton NY Postcards)

The phrase “family came into some money” could be explained by a document found in Bill SIM’s photo album. It is a life insurance policy taken out for Edna by her mother in 1910. It is likely that Edwin had a similar policy. 

 We recently found probate records for Edwin dated 27 October 1915 (case #51897), but have not found the files on-line, yet. This file should confirm if the money was obtained through the life insurance policy or through a lawsuit.

Probate records index, Buffalo 1915

Edwin, Harry and Edna, circa 1915, Buffalo

Edna Mae OTWELL-SIM-DAILEY (1905-1976)

Edna, Woodlawn Beach, 1923



BIRTH - Edna Mae Otwell and her twin, Edwin James Otwell Jr., were born May 23, 1905 at 221 Seymour Street, Buffalo, New York.  Her parents were Edwin Otwell and Mary Jane Charnock.  She had six sisters and three brothers.

                                                            EARLY YEARS:

Edna, 1917 Buffalo

Edna, about 1915,
photo courtesy of Delores S.

Edna grew up on Lord Street in Buffalo.  She remained on Lord Street until her marriage in 1924.

When Edna was three, the youngest member of the Otwell family, Dorothy, died at the age of one.

On September 28, 1915 Edna's twin, Edwin, ran in front of a vehicle on S. Division Street in Buffalo.  He was rushed to a doctor's office and then to an emergency room where he died from a fracture at the base of his skull.  Edwin Jr. was buried October 1, 1915 in Ridge Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo.  The twins were ten-years old.                                                           

Edna's father died five years later on June 2, 1920.  Her sister, Irene, had died March 27, 1920.  Edna was 15 years old.
                                                      
Edna had a 7th grade education.  She quit due to heart trouble (may have been rheumatic heart).  At age 16 she had a job as a printer but only worked at that job for three years.

OTWELL-SIM wedding 1924, Buffalo

MARRIAGE - Edna fell in love with George W. Sim.  Her mother, Mary Jane, was very strict and opposed her marriage to George.  Edna and George were married June 18, 1924 in Buffalo.  They were married without Mrs. Otwell's approval and she did not attend the wedding.  The young couple lived in Lackawanna, NY.  Edna and George had five children which included William, John, Joan, Patricia and Gerald.

TIMELINE:
On the 1930 US Census, Edna lived at 217 Lasalle Avenue, Buffalo.  She was living at her in-laws' home with her husband and sons, William and John.  She was 25-years old.

On the 1940 US Census Edna was 35 and lived on Chapman Drive in Hamburg, NY with her husband and five children.

Edna's husband, George, died from aplastic anemia on October 19, 194l.  They were still living on Chapman Drive.  Edna was 36-years old when she became a widow and had five children at home.

When Edna was 49, she married John (Jack) R. Dailey on March 16, 1954 in Alma, Michigan.  Jack died on January 23, 1962 in Buffalo.  Jack was 57 and Edna was 56 when she became a widow for the second time.  Jack and Edna were married for 7 years.

Jack and Edna DAILEY, Michigan, circa 1960s

DEATH - Edna Otwell-Sim-Dailey died at Buffalo General Hospital, Buffalo, NY, on September 16, 1976 at the age of 71.  The cause of death was lung cancer.  She also had cervical cancer for over a year before her death.  She was buried at Ridge Lawn Cemetery, Cheektowaga, NY.

Click here to visit her on-line memorial.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=92199370

17 Wadsworth, Buffalo, NY

George and his associates
17 Wadsworth, Buffalo, circa 1926

Photo courtesy Uncle Jerry

During Prohibition (1920-1933), residents were allowed to keep all of the liquor that they stockpiled, but once that was gone, that was it.  Saloons and the 20 Buffalo breweries were closed and this resulted in the illegal manufacturing and distribution of liquor.

Because Buffalo was so close to the Canadian border, it was tempting for people to smuggle liquor to sell on the black market.  Canada had its own temperance movement in the late 1880s, but that was repealed.  Smugglers were called “rumrunners”.  And, they often employed boats across Lake Erie to deliver the goods to drop off points along Lake Shore Road outside of Buffalo.  The liquor was then distributed to local illegal taverns or “speakeasies”, which were often fronted by “soda shops”.  According to the Buffalo Mayor’s 1922 Annual State of the City Address, there were 8,000 soda shops inside Buffalo.

There were also microbreweries established during this period.  Many bakeries had the connections to obtain the needed large quantities yeast and grain and would set up breweries in their back rooms and cellars.

Amateurs would also produce “bathtub gin” where grain alcohol was diluted with water and juniper berry juice in a bathtub; gin being the preferred drink in the late 1920s.  The government even had a program in which toxic chemicals were added to industrial alcohols to prohibit their use in this activity.  Over 10,000 people died and it is suspected that George’s death in 1941 from aplastic anemia may have been a result of ingesting tainted liquor.

Both the manufacturers and traders of illegal liquor were known as “bootleggers”; a word that dates back to colonial times when traders hid liquor in their tall boots to sneak it into dry colonies.

***

From the following news article, we know that John W. SIM owned the “soda shop” at 17 Wadsworth as early as May 1926 (Buffalo Courier).  He also purchased a fire arm in January 1927 after George was stabbed (Buffalo Evening News).

 

George SIM’s stabbing occurred in December 1927 (Read the 10/18/16 post).  It is suspicious that the attacker was let go with no penalties. 

George's stabbing put 17 Wadsworth on the police radar.  On February 3, 1928, John W.’s bail was set at $1,000.00 after the saloon was raided (Buffalo Courier Express).  More liquor was seized on the 7th (Buffalo Courier Express) and John W. was arrested again on the 8th (Buffalo Evening News).  He was held for further reading on the 18^th (Buffalo Evening News).

 

 

George and his brother-in-law, Fred OTWELL, were summoned for liquor law charges in May 1928 and it was established that George had sold the speakeasy to Fred by that date.

In October 1928, Fred is raided (Buffalo Courier Express).  He is fined $200.00 in November (Buffalo Evening News).

 

Soon after, Fred sold the fixtures from the bar according to this advertisement. (Buffalo Evening News)

John W. went on to establish another speak-easy on Grant Street.  It appears there were no raids at that location. 
The next owner turned the location into a furniture store and later, it became a children’s dance studio.  Today, it is an apartment.

Patrick B., 17 Wadsworth, Buffalo, 2013

Photo courtesy cousin Patrick B.

Bertha May SIM-HOFMAR (1901 - 1958)

Bertha, a friend, Edith ad George, about 1920, Buffalo

Photo courtesy of cousin Mary Ellen F.

George SIM's sister

Early years- Bertha was the 4th child of John Wm and Mary Ann SIM.  She was born on 9 May 1901 in Rochester, Erie Co., NY.  She graduated from high school. 

Buffalo Courier Express, 1938

Found on Old Fulton Postcards

Work history- In the 1923 marriage register, Bertha is listed as a clerk in Hackensack, NJ.  She later raised and sold show dogs (Boston Terriers).

Family- In 1923 and in Pennsylvania, at age 21, Bertha married 30 year old Bernard “Barney” Michael HOFMAR (1893-1968) of Rochester.   They later adopted son Donald HOFMAR (1929-2006). 

The marriage register had some inaccurate information, but it did indicate that Barney’s surname was originally HOFMAYR.  His father Johan HOFMAYR was born in Germany.  His mother, Mary HAUSER, was born in Rochester, NY. 

Barney was previously married to a woman named Mary according to his 1917 WWI draft card and the 1920 census.  He requested exemption status on the draft card to support his wife which may mean she was in ill health.  No additional records were found for Mary.

In the 1917 draft card, Barney was a fireman in Buffalo.  In the 1920 census, he was a Buffalo policeman.  In the 1923 marriage registry to Bertha, he was a salesman in Erie, PA.  After their marriage, he was a Buffalo policeman and in 1943, he was promoted to detective.  He died in 1968. 

I was not able to find many of the census records for the HOFMARs.  I do know that they lived at 22 Taunton Avenue between 1935 and 1940.

Interesting Facts

·       Bertha was an active member of the Golden Does, a wives club for husbands in The Elks Club.

·       Bertha and Barney declared bankruptcy in 1932. 

Death- Bertha died 20 April 1958 in Buffalo.  Her remains are interred at Ridgelawn Cemetery in Cheektowaga, NY.

 

Visit her on-line memorial

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=92262373

More news items for Barney (all found on Old Fulton Postcards):

1937 Buffalo Courier Express

1957 Buffalo Courier Express

1921 Buffalo Evening News

George W. SIM Photos on Flickr

George W. SIM photos are now available on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/29363572@N07/albums/72157668706028856

George, 1928, Buffalo

Photo courtesy of Uncle Jerry S.

George William SIM (1899-1941)

BIRTH - George William Sim was born May 3, 1899.  His parents were John Wm. Sim and Mary Ann Wallace.  He first shows up on the 1900 US Census as a one-year old living with his family at 49 Adams Street, Monroe County, Rochester, NY.  However, the Sim Bible states he was born in Buffalo, NY. 

EDUCATION - The 1940 US Census lists four-years high school.

George, Crystal Beach, 1923

Photo courtesy Aunt Pat H.

(This photo received the most views on Flickr account - over 120 in 2016)

PHYSICAL- Per WWI draft registration, George was medium height, slender built, blue eyes, with light brown hair.

MILITARY SERVICE - On September 12, 1918 George registered for the draft.  He is in Washington, DC working as a Switchboard Installer for Mr. Bright.  The New York Records of the National Guard showed George, age 23, with the Military Unit HQ Co 54th Infantry Brigade on May 8, 1922. 

MARRIAGE - On June 18, 1924 George Sim married Edna Otwell in Buffalo, NY.
                        They had five children, William, John, Joan, Patricia and Gerald.

OTWELL-SIM marriage, 1924

CENSUS REPORTS 

US 1900/l year old       49 Adams Street, Monroe County, Rochester, NY

NYS 1905/6 years old        Batavia, Genesee County, NY

US 1910/10 years old        91 Peach Street, Buffalo, NY

CDN 1911/12 years old     Grey North District, Ontario, Canada

NYS 1915                             Family not found

US 1920/20 years old        500 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY  Living with parents. Occupation: None

NYS 1925/26 years old      Lackawanna, NY

US 1930/30 years old        217 LaSalle Ave., Buffalo, NY  Living with his family at his parent's home.                        Paying $40 rent.  Occupation - proprietor of a restaurant

US 1940/41 years old        296 Chapman Dr., Hamburg, NY, renting, yearly income of $2080.                                   Occupation - foreman -  steel mill

George at Woodlawn Beach, 1923

Photo courtesy of Aunt Pat H.

BUFFALO COURIER AND BUFFALO EVENING NEWS ARTICLES



(Found on Old Fulton NY Postcards Website)

June 18, 1924 - Applied for marriage license with Edna Otwell

Dec. 21, 1927 - George was stabbed and seriously wounded in his soft drink place at 17 Wadsworth, Buffalo.  He was taken to Columbus Hospital and received 30 stitches to close the wound.

Jan. 5, 1928 - George Kirby, 27, charged with assault and robbery.

Feb. 15, 1928 - A supreme court jury found George Kirby not guilty of a robbery, first degree charge.

  

May 16, 1928 - George was charged with dry law violations.

Oct. 20, 1928 - Charge dismissed when it was shown George had sold his place of business prior to the raid to Frederick Otwell, his brother-in-law.

 

DEATH - October 19, 1941 in Hamburg, NY, George W. Sim died from aplastic anemia. He was 42-years old.  His remains are interred at Ridgelawn Cemetery in Cheektowaga, NY.

Visit his on-line memorial:

George William SIM (1899 - 1941) - Find A Grave Memorial

See more photos of George here.

Edith Mary SIM-FOLEY (1895-1968)

Edith - Photo courtesy of cousin Mary Ellen F.

 George SIM's sister

Early years- Edith was the 2nd child of John Wm and Mary Ann SIM.  She was born on 22 September 1895 in Sarawak Township, Grey, Ontario, Canada.  In 1898, the family immigrated to the US.  Edith had a 9^th grade education. 

SIM Siblings Alice, George and Edith, about 1900, Buffalo

Photo courtesy cousin Mary Ellen F.

 

Work history- In the 1920 census, Edith was listed as a hotel maid. 

Immigration and Citizenship- John Wm immigrated the family to the US about 1898.  Edith became a naturalized citizen in 1915. 

Family- In 1919, at age 24, Edith married 24 year old Eli Eugene "Gene" FOLEY (1895-1960) of Buffalo.  They had one daughter, Dorothy, who later married Edward “Ted” F. KUMROW of Buffalo. 

Gene was the son of Joseph FOLEY and Christina JAUME of Buffalo.  Gene's grandfather Miles FOLEY (1818-1894) had immigrated to Buffalo from Ireland.  Miles' wife Susannae JAMES (1831-1811) was born in Wales. 

In the 1920 census, Gene was a street car conductor.  In 1925, he was a transportation clerk.  In 1930, he was a proprietor of a restaurant.  In 1940, he performed air conditioner maintenance.  Gene died 17 February 1960. 

 

Obit from Buffalo Courier Express

Found on Old Fulton NY Postcards website

 

Edith and Gene FOLEY and Aunt Rose

Photo courtesy of cousin Mary Ellen F.

They live at the following Buffalo locations:

In 1920, they lived in John Wm’s household at 500 Niagara Street

1925-1930, they lived at 98 Fern Hill Avenue

1935-1940, they lived at 100 Potomac Avenue

We know from Dorothy’s correspondences during WWII that the family temporarily lived in John Wm’s household about 1945.  They later lived at 121 Crestwood Avenue

Death- Edith died 13 October 1968 in Buffalo.  Her remains are interred at Ridgelawn Cemetery in Cheektowaga, NY.

From the Buffalo Courier Express

Found on the Old Fulton NY Postcards website

 

Visit her on-line memorial

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=92203633

Can you help ID the people in the SIM Family Mystery Photos?

Alice Elizabeth SIM-MCCALL (1894-1966)

Alice and her grandchildren Peter and Judy

Photo courtesy cousin Judy B.

George SIM's sister

Early years- Alice was the eldest child of John Wm and Mary Ann SIM.  She was born on 5 February 1894 in Sarawak Township, Grey, Ontario, Canada.  In 1898, the family immigrated to the US.  Alice began grade school in Batavia, NY and finished in Buffalo’s School No. 24.  After graduation, she joined the school’s alumni association as an elected official.  Alice was the first SIM in our family to graduate from high school.

 

Alice and little brother George and their dog Sparky

Work history- After high school, Alice moved into an apartment and worked in an office.  She did not work when her children were young, but in the 1930 census, she was working in her husband’s lunch room.   In 1940, after her husband’s death, she was a seamstress. Later, she was a companion to the elderly.

Immigration and Citizenship- John Wm immigrated the family to the US about 1898.  Alice became a naturalized citizen in 1915.

Family- At age 22, Alice married 26 year old Ronald Beebe MCCALL (1890-1938) on 6 June 1916 in Tonawanda, Erie, NY.  They initially settled in the Buffalo area.

They had at least 3 children (all born in Buffalo):

Etta MCCALL (1917-1949) who married Charles A. WOOD

Doris MCCALL (1918-2001) who married Charles P. CHAPIN

Ronald B. MCCALL, Jr. (1922-1975) who married Joy Lee REED

Ronald was the eldest child of Archibald C. MCCALL and Etta A. BEEBE of Arcade, Wyoming Co., NY.  Ronald attended Cornell University.  In the marriage registry, he was listed as a superintendent.  In the 1920 census, he worked in a shipyard.  In 1925 he was a restaurateur.  In 1930, he was a proprietor of a lunch room.  Ronald died suddenly on 3 August 1938.  He was interred in the MCCALL family plot in Arcade.

 

Ronald with Doris and Etta

Photo courtesy of cousin Mary Ellen F.

 

From the Buffalo Courier Express

Found on Old Fulton NY Postcards website

In the 1920 census, the MCCALLs were living in Philadelphia, PA.  By the 1925 New York Census, they had returned to Buffalo.  They remained in Buffalo at the following locations:

In 1925, they lived at 777 Amherst Place in Buffalo.

In 1930, they lived at 86 Virgil Avenue in Buffalo.

In 1935-40, Alice and her children lived with her mother-in-law at 307 Bedford Avenue in Buffalo.  Her mother-in-law died in 1940.

Later, Alice lived at 277 Norwalk Avenue in Buffalo.  Nearby was John Wm and Mary Ann, the HOFMARs and the FOLEYs. 

Interesting Notes-

·         Alice was the matron of honor for Joyce CAMPBELL in her wedding to Donald HOFMAR (Alice’s nephew).

·         The daughters of John Wm and Mary Ann were known as “The Simple Sim Sisters”.

• Alice had colon cancer in the late 1950s and had a colonoscopy.

 

 

Alice and her sister Edith - 2 of the Simple Sim Sisters

Photo courtesy of cousin Judy B.

Death- Alice died 18 May 1966 in Buffalo.  Her remains are interred at Elm Lawn Cemetery in Kenmore, NY.

From the Buffalo Courier Express

Found on Old Fulton NY Postcards website 

Visit her on-line memorial

 

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=123394700