My father was Frank Francis Seaman. What I remember about my father is what can
be seen in some old photographs and what I have been told. I know that he was the oldest of three
boys. The middle brother became a
priest. The youngest brother, Bob “Speedy”
had six children, five girls and one boy.
This is what my mother wrote in her family history
about Frank Francis Seaman.
“Francis
(Frank) Seaman was born June 4, 1910 in Columbus, Ohio. His parents were Francis (Frank) Fenning
Seaman and Adelaide Madeline Averback Seaman.
Frank Sr. was an engineer and artist carving religious saints and
painting still life and famous sailing ships in oil. The family were Catholic. A girl was born to Frank Sr. and Adelaide
April 18, 1915 in Columbus, Ohio, she died July 35, 1916. Robert was born in Cleveland, Ohio July 22,
1912. He married June Gorsuch and they
had five girls and one boy. John Ignatius
was born November 12, 1919 in Cleveland, Ohio and became a Secular priest. The Seaman boys all attended parochial
schools.”
“Robert
became an engineer working for Robins and Myers in Springfield, Ohio where
Frank Sr. was one of the head engineers.
Frank Jr. ran away from home twice.
Frank Sr. found him working in a hay field for a long day and the pay
being and old rusty, broken 22 pistol.
Frank Sr. took Frank Jr. back home and put him to work in the shop of
Robbin and Myers. Frank Jr. didn't
graduate from high school. After many
minor jobs in the plant, Frank Sr. had his son work for him in the drafting department. Frank Jr. learned a lot from his Dad but
never became a registered engineer although he earned a modest living being a
draftsman.”
“Frank
Jr. married Frances Markley August 16, 1931.
They had two children, Francis (Sonny) Markley born February 13, 1932 in
Springfield, Ohio, who became an accountant and Jeanine Ethelyn born April
1936. Frank Jr. and Frances were
divorced in 1937. Frances died in Oregon
in 1964. Frank Jr. married Ethel Armen
Trout who had three boys by a former marriage.
They divorced in November 1946.”
“While
married to Ethel, Frank Jr. enlisted in Navy during WW II. He was never sent overseas but stationed at
Livermore, California where he was a draftsman and in the Seabees. After the war ended, Frank requested to be discharged
in California. He went to work in San
Jose at Food Machinery Corp. as a draftsman in the engineering Dept. He met his third wife here, who was also a
draftsman, being Ruth Sierra.”
“Frank
and Ethel were in process of getting a divorce while he was still in the
Navy. When it was finalized, Ruth and
Frank were married in San Leandro at a Presbyterian Church on November 23,
1946. They lived in a one room apartment
with bath and very small kitchen until they purchased a nice three-bedroom home
in San Jose, California. Frank was very
good working in the yard and we had the nicest landscaped yard in the
neighborhood. The first child, a girl,
Cheryl Ann was born November 29, 1947 and the second child, a boy, Douglas Carl
was born July 24, 1949.”
“Frank
worked for Westinghouse in Sunnyvale, California and when Doug was four months
old, Frank Sr. offered Frank Jr. a. job as manufactures representative for
Robbin and Myers.. The main company
being in Ohio and Frank would work out of Atlanta, Georgia, covering six
southern states. He would work with
hoists and cranes and monorails. He
accepted the job as it was better paying than being a draftsman in California. Ruth and children stayed in San Jose to sell
the home and Frank went to work in Atlanta, Georgia and bought a nice home in
Decatur, Georgia. Ruth and children flew
to Atlanta in January 1950.”
“The
children were being raised Catholic and when they started parochial school the
neighborhood in Decatur completely ignored them. They were treated like black people as at
that time Catholics were not accepted.
Frank traveled all the time and was only home two or three nights a
month. It was a very unhappy time for Ruth
and children. We flew to California to
visit the Sierras about two times during a seven-year period. Frank announced one night that if he could
earn Robbin and Myers all that money that he was going into business for
himself. After borrowing unknown amounts
of money from my parents and his parents to be a free lance representative he
lost these funds and took a job in Brunswick”.
“After
selling the home in Decatur the family moved to a very small rental house with
two bedrooms on St. Simons Island. The
house was small but the location near the Atlantic Ocean was very desirable. Ruth and children spent all free time walking
on the beach with "Schutzie", the daschound dog. There were less than 3,000 people living on
St. Simons in 1957 and it was a very quiet and beautiful village and the ideal
place to raise children.”
“After
several years of Frank borrowing money from banks (of which Ruth paid off
several loans) and finally moving into a nice three-bedroom home, Frank moved
to Atlanta working as a draftsman and finally moving to Springfield, Ohio to
live in his deceased parents home. He
was not well as he had been an alcoholic for many years and his health was
deteriorating. Ruth and Frank were
divorced in 1967, as Ruth couldn't take anymore of living with this
sickness. At that time, it was
considered a weakness.”
“Frank
died in Springfield, Ohio on March 29, 1972 and interred next to his mother and
father in Calvary Cemetery. His children
and daughter-in-law and Ruth attended the funeral, which was on the Saturday
before Easter Sunday in 1972. Frank's
brother, Fr. John (the priest) presided over services in the funeral home. Frank went back to his religion while in
Springfield and received his final rites.”
Frank
was only 62 when he died. Fr. John asked
the doctor what his health problem was, and the doctor said it would be easier
to answer what was not wrong with his health.
This is what I have been told or remember about my dad.
My father was married three times, once when he was young, maybe early thirties (August 16, 1931) and had two children, one boy “Sonny” and one girl. I never met them and did not know they existed until after my father had died. Seems like when my father died the little inheritance he left to his estate had to be split four ways and not just between my sister and me. I do remember someone visiting my father when I was maybe 12 and did not know or understand that he was my half-brother.
My father was married three times, once when he was young, maybe early thirties (August 16, 1931) and had two children, one boy “Sonny” and one girl. I never met them and did not know they existed until after my father had died. Seems like when my father died the little inheritance he left to his estate had to be split four ways and not just between my sister and me. I do remember someone visiting my father when I was maybe 12 and did not know or understand that he was my half-brother.
My father was married a second time (date not known) and divorce (1946), no children from that marriage but she had three children. I do not know their names. My mother and father meet when they were working for the Food Machinery Corp. I think they were married in 23 Nov 1946. My sister was born on 29 Nov 1947. I was born San Jose, California on July 1949. I will find the dates and make sure this post is updated.
My father was in the Navy twice, once in the 20’s but was discharge before any duty and the second time he was in the service in 1943 to the end of the war. He was a draftsman’s in the service which was a rating in the black shoe Navy, and was Fireman Seaman (his rating and last name). I was in the Air Dale Navy (Aviation), and my rating was Airman, Seaman (rating and my last name). My mother said he was in the Seabees, but I never remembered my dad talking about being in the Seabees.
I was told that my father was on the wild side when growing up in Springfield. He was brought up very strict Catholics. Back in the 20’s when he was young and going to Mass, Mass was in Latin. The priest would chant, Dominus vobiscum (The Lord be with you) and the reply would be “Et cum spiritu tuo” (An with your spirit), he and his brothers would be chanting, “My father beat your father in domino”.
I have a hand gun that I inherited from my father. I was told that my father worked all day pitching hay for the 25 cal five shot revolver (my mother said it was a 22 cal. but I have the gun and it is a 25 cal. This was during the depression and not sure what my father was thinking on doing but he kept the gun all his life. I remember on St. Simons Island playing cowboys and Indians using this real pistol. I do not remember if I had permission or not but most likely I took it no not knowing the difference between a real pistol and a toy.
Another story I remember being told was twelve, he got into the storm drain sewer system in Springfield. He would push up the manhole cover to looking at the oncoming cars. The cars would slam on their brakes not to hit the elevated lids. I am sure he was discovered, and his father handed out a very heavy handed punishment.
I remember going to Ohio where my grandparents lived, Springfield, I think. His bother Bob lived there took. We would go for Christmas and stay at Uncle’s Bob house and my sister and I would dispose one of our cousins out of there room while we visited. I do not remember any of our cousins being friendly. When I was 16, my sister told me why. Since my father was divorce twice, his third marriage was not considered legal in the eyes of the church and that my sister and I were bastards in the eyes of the Ohio Seaman’s. Funny what you remember after something is explained by the reality.
I remember that my grandfather smoked a pipe and that the house smelled but not a bad smell. My grandmother was a good cook. We visited during the holidays which would explain the smell of food cooking. I remember that my cousins talked funny. One cousin would say, “Put some Earl in the skillet.” Which translated, “put oil in the frying pan.”
My grandfather Seaman was an artist and did sculptures in wood, clay and stone. He did watercolor and oil paintings, mostly of sailing ships. He also built model ships. When he passed away all his art work was given to the church. Prior to our last visit, my mother was given two painting, one oil of a still life (fruit in a bowl) and one watercolor of a sailing ship. She also got a plaster sculpture of a seated nun praying. My sister has the oil painting and the water color burned when my mother’s house caught fire by a lighting strike.
When my father died he had to brass pirates’ statues about 9” tall that were painted. My sister has one, I have the other. Funny about what we keep after a parent passes away.
I was born in California and when I was nine months old (my mother said four months), my father moved his family to Atlanta Georgia, this was in 1950 and Atlanta was the “Old South”. He said the South was fifty years behind the times and that he could bring them into the twentieth century by selling them hoists, cranes and monorails. My father got the job because his father was on the Board of Directors of Robbin & Myers.
According to their website, Robbins & Myers, Inc. was founded in 1878 as a gray iron foundry for bicycles and agricultural machinery. The founders were Chandler Robbins and James Myers. They started producing castings for motor-powered fans, and then in 1897 they introduced their own line of fans. By 1900 they had a successful line of motors, eventually encompassing sizes from fractional horsepower up to 30 HP. 1920 saw the manufacture of automobile starters for the Delco division of General Motors. They also produced motors for Singer, Hoover and Addressogrph-Multigraph companies and built the motors for the Norden bombsight during WW II. In 1929 the firm formed a hoist and crane division, 1936 a division to make progressive cavity pumps that were invented by Rene Joseph Louis Moineau and in 1949 Robbins & Myers, Inc. acquired Hunter Fan. By 1977 they had four divisions, small, highly engineered electric motors; Moyno brand progressing cavity pumps; hoists, cranes and monorail handling systems; and comfort conditioning products.
It was the company’s divisions mading hoists, cranes and monorails where my father became a salesman for Robbin and Myers in the early 50’s in Atlanta. I am sure my grandfather helped in getting the job for my father and I know that my father did not like being beholding to his father for a job. Sometime in the middle 50’s my father started a business as an industrial engineer. My father did not have a degree in engineer and learned what he knew when working for the Navy during the war and Westinghouse after the war. While in Atlanta, he took me to the office. I remember office smelled of strong chemical, ammonia. This smell was generated from developing room for blue prints. Ten years later I would be developing blueprints when working for Glynn County Planning Board and be exposed to that same pungent order.
My father was in the Navy twice, once in the 20’s but was discharge before any duty and the second time he was in the service in 1943 to the end of the war. He was a draftsman’s in the service which was a rating in the black shoe Navy, and was Fireman Seaman (his rating and last name). I was in the Air Dale Navy (Aviation), and my rating was Airman, Seaman (rating and my last name). My mother said he was in the Seabees, but I never remembered my dad talking about being in the Seabees.
I was told that my father was on the wild side when growing up in Springfield. He was brought up very strict Catholics. Back in the 20’s when he was young and going to Mass, Mass was in Latin. The priest would chant, Dominus vobiscum (The Lord be with you) and the reply would be “Et cum spiritu tuo” (An with your spirit), he and his brothers would be chanting, “My father beat your father in domino”.
I have a hand gun that I inherited from my father. I was told that my father worked all day pitching hay for the 25 cal five shot revolver (my mother said it was a 22 cal. but I have the gun and it is a 25 cal. This was during the depression and not sure what my father was thinking on doing but he kept the gun all his life. I remember on St. Simons Island playing cowboys and Indians using this real pistol. I do not remember if I had permission or not but most likely I took it no not knowing the difference between a real pistol and a toy.
Another story I remember being told was twelve, he got into the storm drain sewer system in Springfield. He would push up the manhole cover to looking at the oncoming cars. The cars would slam on their brakes not to hit the elevated lids. I am sure he was discovered, and his father handed out a very heavy handed punishment.
I remember going to Ohio where my grandparents lived, Springfield, I think. His bother Bob lived there took. We would go for Christmas and stay at Uncle’s Bob house and my sister and I would dispose one of our cousins out of there room while we visited. I do not remember any of our cousins being friendly. When I was 16, my sister told me why. Since my father was divorce twice, his third marriage was not considered legal in the eyes of the church and that my sister and I were bastards in the eyes of the Ohio Seaman’s. Funny what you remember after something is explained by the reality.
I remember that my grandfather smoked a pipe and that the house smelled but not a bad smell. My grandmother was a good cook. We visited during the holidays which would explain the smell of food cooking. I remember that my cousins talked funny. One cousin would say, “Put some Earl in the skillet.” Which translated, “put oil in the frying pan.”
My grandfather Seaman was an artist and did sculptures in wood, clay and stone. He did watercolor and oil paintings, mostly of sailing ships. He also built model ships. When he passed away all his art work was given to the church. Prior to our last visit, my mother was given two painting, one oil of a still life (fruit in a bowl) and one watercolor of a sailing ship. She also got a plaster sculpture of a seated nun praying. My sister has the oil painting and the water color burned when my mother’s house caught fire by a lighting strike.
When my father died he had to brass pirates’ statues about 9” tall that were painted. My sister has one, I have the other. Funny about what we keep after a parent passes away.
I was born in California and when I was nine months old (my mother said four months), my father moved his family to Atlanta Georgia, this was in 1950 and Atlanta was the “Old South”. He said the South was fifty years behind the times and that he could bring them into the twentieth century by selling them hoists, cranes and monorails. My father got the job because his father was on the Board of Directors of Robbin & Myers.
According to their website, Robbins & Myers, Inc. was founded in 1878 as a gray iron foundry for bicycles and agricultural machinery. The founders were Chandler Robbins and James Myers. They started producing castings for motor-powered fans, and then in 1897 they introduced their own line of fans. By 1900 they had a successful line of motors, eventually encompassing sizes from fractional horsepower up to 30 HP. 1920 saw the manufacture of automobile starters for the Delco division of General Motors. They also produced motors for Singer, Hoover and Addressogrph-Multigraph companies and built the motors for the Norden bombsight during WW II. In 1929 the firm formed a hoist and crane division, 1936 a division to make progressive cavity pumps that were invented by Rene Joseph Louis Moineau and in 1949 Robbins & Myers, Inc. acquired Hunter Fan. By 1977 they had four divisions, small, highly engineered electric motors; Moyno brand progressing cavity pumps; hoists, cranes and monorail handling systems; and comfort conditioning products.
It was the company’s divisions mading hoists, cranes and monorails where my father became a salesman for Robbin and Myers in the early 50’s in Atlanta. I am sure my grandfather helped in getting the job for my father and I know that my father did not like being beholding to his father for a job. Sometime in the middle 50’s my father started a business as an industrial engineer. My father did not have a degree in engineer and learned what he knew when working for the Navy during the war and Westinghouse after the war. While in Atlanta, he took me to the office. I remember office smelled of strong chemical, ammonia. This smell was generated from developing room for blue prints. Ten years later I would be developing blueprints when working for Glynn County Planning Board and be exposed to that same pungent order.
In 2015 my wife and I was driving through Atlanta and we drove past an old brick building that looked like the building I remember from years ago. I did not have time to take a photo but on my next trip I will stop to take a picture of the building.
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