Veteran’s Day: Kenneth R. Olson, U.S. Navy

My Dad with his parents, Carla & Fritz Olson before when he first enlisted at age 18.

Today, on Veteran’s Day, I’d like to honor my father, Kenneth Roland Olson who served his country in the U. S. Navy. He enlisted after graduating from high school in 1954 and began his term of 4 years, plus 2 in reserve .

A significant part of his time was spent upon  the U.S.S. John Paul Jones DD-932. This destroyer was commissioned from Boston, Massachusetts on April 5, 1956. He was deployed as a seaman and I believe he served as a secretary.

John Paul Jones (DD-932) was laid down 18 January 1954 by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; launched 7 May 1955; sponsored by Mrs. Robert B. Carney, wife of Admiral Carney; and commissioned at Boston 5 April 1956, Comdr. R. W. Hayler, Jr., in command. DD-932 was the first U. S. Navy warship named after the famed naval hero, John Paul Jones.

John Paul Jones, second of the initial class destroyers of post-war design, conducted exhaustive shakedown training out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after which she departed for a cruise to Northern Europe and the British Isles. During this voyage Commander Hayler and members of the crew visited the birthplace of John Paul and presented the ship’s emblem to the people of Kirkcudbright. She returned to her home port, Newport, 8 October 1956.

The new destroyer departed for her first cruise with Sixth Fleet 25 March 1957. In May she took part in a graphic illustration of the power of that naval force, swiftly projected where needed, as leftist attempts to overthrow King Hussein of Jordan were foiled by American warships offshore. After helping to avert this crisis, John Paul Jones sailed for Newport once more, arriving 6 June 1957. NATO maneuvers in the North Atlantic followed in October. After another brief cruise to the Mediterranean, she arrived Fall River 27 November, and in January 1958 she took part in fleet exercises in the Caribbean.

In the spring of 1958 John Paul Jones operated with Canadian ships on training maneuvers in the Atlantic. After further training off the East Coast and in the Caribbean, she sailed again for the Mediterranean 17 March 1959. This tour with the vital 6th Fleet on its peace-keeping mission ended 24 July when the ship arrived Boston.

USS John Paul Jones (DD-932)—"Give Me a Fast Ship for I Intend To Go In Harms Way."

John Paul Jones

USS John Paul Jones Association

Naval History of USS John Paul Jones DD-932

Tin Can Sailors – History of USS John Paul Jones DD-932

December 2010 / Christmas Welcome Page (ARCHIVE)

Gathering Christmas Holly by Currier & Ives

I’m so glad you dropped by as I’m decking the halls for a joyous Christmas! Check on the links below for some special Christmas pages that will hopefully brighten your holidays. May you be blessed as you celebrate the birth of our Savior!

Advent Calendar of Memories
Honoring the Deceased
Frost Christmas Wedding

• Cherished Memories – I’m sharing a special Christmas page remembering my Stepdad, whom I recently lost.

• Christmas 1965 – Was it really 45 years ago?

• Living History at Christmas – Special feature of relatives participating in a living nativity.

• John Greenleaf Whittier Christmas Poems – Enjoy some of the Christmas poetry penned by our talented distant cousin.

• Be sure to read A Christmas in the Northland, a special chapter that tells about the customs of Christmas from the book Sweden & the Swedes by W. W. Thomas, 1891. God Yule!

• When your done browsing you may want to visit some Christmas pages I have on my Something Olde blog. You’ll find an old New England holiday story called Christmas Revived and a featured article I wrote about Christmas Card History.

As always, more posts can be read below and by navigating the menu on top and on the sidebar.  Enjoy your visit!

Marriage record reveals grandparents names

Fritz Olson & Carla Edberg married in Boston, MA, October 6, 1914 by William H. Bowers, clergy

It’s always exciting to get new information, especially from a primary source, after hitting a brick wall for so long.  I just received a scanned image of my paternal grandparent’s marriage record in Boston, MA from October 6, 1914 that I received from my research request from the Massachusetts State Archives.  This record revealed the unknown names of my father’s parent’s parents whose names he did not know, except for one.  This is truly very exciting for me as now the door will be open for me to learn since I have access to their names.  The parents of Fritz Olson: father-Svente Olson, mother-Anna Freman. The parents of Carla Edberg: father-Carl Edberg, mother-Freda Olson. I had heard that my grandparents may have been cousins, but the exact relationship is uncertain.  (Note: It is legal for first cousins to marry in Massachusetts, although in Puritan Massachusetts it was frowned upon. The Swedes must have thought it OK.)

This postcard of the Baker Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church - 1914

I found in a Google Books search that Rev. William W. Bowers was at the Baker Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church , Upham’s Corner, South Boston.  I am speculating that this is the church where Carla and Fritz were married. This postcard was postmarked July 31, 1914 so it is how the church appeared at the time of the marriage. A parking lot now occupies the spot where the church once existed and beside that spot is the Strand Theater which opened in 1918, a popular stop on the vaudeville circuit.

Columbia Road, Upham's Corner, Dorchester. Baker Memorial Church on right.

The marriage record also reveals the places where they lived at the time of their marriage. Thanks to Google Earth I was able to zoom right in on the address and found the exact houses, where I imagine Fritz rented a room and perhaps Carla boarded.

Fritz lived at 244 Lexington Street, Boston, MA in the Boston Harbor area in the vacinity of what now is Logan International Airport. (Click map to enlarge.) The record states that Fritz’s occupation is a “pitman” for BERy.  With a little research I found that acronym to stand for the Boston Elevated Railway Company,
a precursor first to the Metropolitan Transit Authority.

244 Lexington Street, Boston, MA

Lexington Street neighborhood

Carla lived at 54 Sudan Street, Dorchester, MA in South Boston. (Click map to enlarge.) The occupation of Carla at the time of marriage is listed as “domestic”.  She had been a nurse (governess) in London, England, in the employ of a physician, before she emigrated.  So perhaps she had a similar position or was even a household maid.

54 Sudan Street, Dorchester, MA

Sudan Street neighborhood

I’m sure these neighborhoods were quiet different 100 years ago, when my grandparents immigrated in 1912.  But it must have been a wonderful time of adventure for them, though uncertain, as world War I began in the summer of 1914. I can almost imagine Gramma getting off the trolley and walking down the street to her temporary dwelling where she was greeted by the beautiful wooden front door with the great oval window and then entered her home and retired to her room where she may have thought of her Fritz and their forthcoming marriage.

More on Fritz and Carla Olson >>