52 Ancestors Week 36: Tradesman

From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 36

The theme for Week 36 is "Tradesman." Monday is Labor Day in the US. This is a good week to write about someone in your family tree who followed a trade. (Or, if you want to be more in the spirit of Labor Day, write about someone involved in the labor movement.)

Workin' 9 to 5....

    Finding just one tradesman in my family tree to talk about is a tricky feat in and of itself. If you look at my tree really closely you'll find tradesmen of all sorts from laborers in Italy to farmers in Quebec. It's as blue collar as you can get. Even my father, who is a dentist, has been no stranger to power tools. The same could be said for my mother who worked as a medical technologist and has helped my father with various household projects. That type of background is very common here in New England and has been for centuries. Immigrants brought their work ethic and skills to work in places like the various mills in cities along the Merrimack river. Their descendants picked up on those skills and those skills would be passed on for generations. However, if I were to pick someone on my tree who was really a "Jack-of -all- trades", I'd have to pick my great-grandfather Alfred Francis Hamel.

    Alfred was the son of two French-Canadian immigrants, Eugène Thomas Hamel and Marie Célanise Lefebvre and once his tour of duty in World War One ended, he opened a "Fix-it" shop in the city of Newburyport on Temple Street before moving to Inn Street.

    The shop would be open up until he passed away in 1962 and while he was there he would fix various things such as appliances. He was so good at his job that everyone who knew him ended up calling him "Mr. Fix It". He was just that good at tinkering with and repairing anything anyone might have broken. I wonder if he'd have been good at fixing computers. Probably.

    While I'm not sure if he was a member of a union or not, you can bet that he likely sided with them. If only they knew if he really DID repair boats during Prohibition. The statute of limitations is LONG over. I think it'd be okay to come forward with that information.

    In any case, Alfred was clearly loved by his community. His obituary from the Newburyport Daily News on April 11th, 1962 is evidence of that as great care was done in making sure the community never forgot the man they called "Mr. Fix-It".

    I'll be honest in saying it was quite hard to read through it all because one of his good friends found him dead in his home on Plum Island. That's not an end anyone should have. No one should die alone like that. It's just very sad, you know.

    At least he was remembered by all who knew him because this obituary outlined his many accomplishments from serving on the Mexican border in the first World War to being a sailor in World War II. Aside from his military honors, the author of the obituary later spent a great deal of time discussing his visit shop. The obituary here is just the first part!

    The second page talked about the shop and how he was even involved in municipal affairs in Newburyport and Plum Island. He was active with the Plum Island Tax Payers and Associates and even ran for City Council a couple times. It's a shame he never got elected. I totally would have voted for him. Curse the fact that I was born in the late 1970s! Wait. I take that back. I loved growing up in the 1980s and 1990s.

    While he was known around town as Mr. Fix-It, the obituary didn't mention his other business ventures. My mother often talked about how he made keys and was a locksmith. In fact, when she and her siblings were young, he'd make them keys for them to play with. I just hope none of them started a car. Then again cars were like tanks back then and required an engineering degree just to get in the door. "Built Ford Tough" indeed.

        At the time of his death, my great-grandfather was also a member of a number of organizations such as the Disasbled American Veterans and the American Legion. Speaking of the American Legion, he also played in that group's band. I wonder if that was where my Uncle Bob got his musical talent! You never know!

    In any case, it's clear that Alfred Hamel was a jack-of -all- trades. He literally did everything from being a soldier to being a humble repairman who everyone seemed to like. His death on Plum Island may have been sad. But, at least he left a mark in the hearts of the community.

        He clearly worked hard and that work ethic was passed down to his children and was ultimately passed down to me. Now, am I good with tools? Eh....No. I think my wood shop experiments from junior high is evidence that I should probably stay away from tools. Still, it's great to learn about a great jack- of- all- trades like my great-grandfather. I may not be as skilled as he was. But. I do have other sets of skills. ;)

See ya next time!