52 Ancestors Week 2: A Record That Adds Color

 From Amy Johnson Crow: The theme for Week 2 is “A Record That Adds Color.” Our ancestors were more than names and dates. This week, tell about a record that added color or context to an ancestor’s life. What did it tell you about that person that made them feel more “alive”? Or maybe you found something literally colorful, like a painting. Remember, there’s no wrong way to interpret the weekly theme!

Taste the rainbow

    I love records that really bring people to life. Newspaper articles and even census records can give anyone reading them a real sense of who a person was as well as what kind of a person they were.  As a genealogist, we all have to remember that these were all just people and not just stats we're adding to our favorite family tree maker. These were living breathing people who walked the earth long before we were even a gleam in our parents' eyes. Photos also add color. If you look at one of the pictures I have of my second great-grandfather Joseph Laplante, you can definitely see what kind of a person he was. Don't believe me? Look at this picture of him, his wife and her sister at the beach and get back to me. I'll wait.

    Of course those aren't the only records that add color. Draft cards can add color and also serve to tell a story.....especially if someone filled out two cards.

Paolo and his first wife Lena.
Circa 1917.

    Enter Paolo Coppola, the brother of my second great-grandmother Caterina and national detective based in the city of Haverhill. Long before he ever decided to become a detective he was drafted into the service twice and the registrar even made a note of it on his second card. Whether or not he actually served overseas is not known at this time.

   

    In any event, he was first attempted to be drafted at the age of 29 on June 5th, 1917. The actual date is unfortunately not listed on that card. It's mentioned on his second card. On the top of the card, it says that his draft card was cancelled for undisclosed reasons. However, it did give the following facts:

Address: 26 Grove St, Haverhill Mass

Birth date: 7 Aug 1886

Bogus birth place: Naples, Italy

The card also listed his wife and four children as next of kin should anything happen to him as well as a physical description. Apparently, he was of a medium build and his hair was starting to turn gray....At the age of 29?! Dude needed to either stop stressing out or try ye olde "Just for Men Hair Color".

    Normally, this would have been the end of it. Paolo was denied entry into the US forces serving in the first World War.  When I found the card, I naturally added it to my sources and thought that was it. Little did I know that Paolo here had a second card! This card, you have to see to believe.

Second draft card

    On September 12th, 1918 Paolo went back to the registrar and again attempted to be drafted into the service. This time, the clerk made a note stating that he was the same man who attempted to be drafted on June 5th, 1917 and even gave the card number and everything.

    Paolo tried to be a little sneaky with his second card because he changed his birth date to May 31st, 1886. Not only that. He changed his profession, age and where he worked.

    The only thing that remined the same on Paolo's card was his wife Lena being his next of kin and his address. His physical characteristics were the same. This guy clearly wanted to go off to war. I was able to figure out that he was the same person just from the note alone. I mean....What other proof do you need, right? The clerk said it was the same guy from card #466. I'm inclined to believe them! It also helped that the addresses were the same and everything.

first draft card

    This whole adventure told me a lot about Paolo. Before he became a detective, Paolo was the kind of guy who'd be willing to stretch the truth a little bit. It remains to be seen which birth date is actually accurate. As I alluded to earlier, the birth place of Naples on his first card was completely bogus. He was born in San Pietro a Maida along with his sisters. Why he didn't put that down I'll never know. Thankfully, his daughter Beatrice set the record straight in the 1950 census and of course my cousin Caterina told me. I know that's a weak explanation. She talked to her grandmother Caterina about him and her sister Concetta. He was definitely born in San Pietro.

    These documents also tell me that while Paolo liked to stretch the truth he was determined to serve America in a time of war. Whether or not he was successful is to be determined. I have a feeling he did not serve as children were born to him and his first wife during the closing months of the war. World War I ended in November of 1918 and his last child with Lena was born in December of 1918.

    It's hard to say if he did serve and it's a discussion best left for another day. Either way, it's clear that Paolo was not above stretching the truth. I imagine a lot of people weren't truthful in their draft cards. I mean, I have a few soldiers of the American Civil War who definitely lied on their cards. It was something people did back in the day and we shouldn't judge them for their actions. 

    It is funny to think about the clerk's reaction, though. Can you imagine? "Oh. This guy again?! Didn't we ship you out before? Oh...right. Never mind. Okay. Let's try this again...."

    Draft cards and other documents definitely have a story to tell and sometimes you have to read between the lines to see what was really happening at the time. Sometimes people will be truthful. Sometimes people will lie. Does it tell you about their character? A little. And hey even if they lied, they still give you a great story to talk about at parties!

See ya next time!