Kenilworth Street

Franklin III at Kenilworth Street

The above photo of my father (Franklin III) was taken on the sidewalk in front of his house at 25 Kenilworth Street in Waterbury, Connecticut. His pedal-car may have been designed after a Toledo Pierce Arrow.

Although the photo does not include any details, he may have received the roadster from Uncle Will for his third birthday in February 1928. Uncle Will had adopted Papa (Franklin II) and his brothers in 1905 after their father was killed by a train (see previous posts here and here). Therefore, Uncle Will may have considered my father his "grandson" (and therefore, my generation could probably consider ourselves his "great-grandchildren").

25 Kenilworth Street, from a current Google "Street View" image

My grandparents (Franklin II and Phyllis) had moved into the Kenilworth Street house in 1923 after they were married. At that time, Papa was 22 and Gam was 20. The house had been newly constructed and was located on a 0.14 acre parcel within a residential area of the city.

Franklin III ("Sonny") at Kenilworth Street in October 1927 (click to enlarge)

Although Waterbury has undergone a lot of changes during the past 90+ years (for better or worse), it seems that Kenilworth Street has remained largely unchanged. In comparing the three black-and-white photos above with the current Google image below, although the road is now paved, each of the houses and other features are almost identical!

Current view of Kenilworth Street to west

WHB and the Brooklyn Bridge

Adam on the Brooklyn Bridge, looking towards lower Manhattan

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Brooklyn Bridge in New York with my son Adam. We were able to cross over the bridge on a wooden walkway that extended over the busy traffic and East River far below. The bridgework and night-time views of the NYC skyline were amazing!

Our view of the New York skyline from the bridge

The experience brought to mind a letter that Uncle Will had written in 1880, which I had briefly described in a previous post. At that time, the bridge was considered to be one of the greatest engineering feats in the world. Construction of the bridge had begun in 1869 and would take 14 years to complete. The chief engineer on the project was a German immigrant named John Roebling. During the second year of construction, however, his foot was crushed and he died of tetanus. Afterwards, his 32-year old son, Washington Roebling, took over the project as chief engineer.

In November 1880, Uncle Will had written a letter home to his 15-year old sister Sarah, whom they had affectionately called Sadie. At that time, he was in his first semester as an engineering student at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. From his dormitory room on the third floor, he was able to look across the Hudson River to NYC and may have been able to see the stone suspension towers of the bridge on the other side of Manhattan. On the third page of his letter (see below), Uncle Will describes contacting the chief engineer to ask permission to visit the bridge during construction.

He and his classmates were then able to cross over the footpath above the bridge and get a personal tour from another engineer on the project. He writes that:

"It is a grand thing to go up on those piers. They are over 250 feet above the river. The view of NY and the surroundings is magnificent. When on the walk out over the river it almost seems as if one was flying." and "Going across that bridge is the best treat that I have had since I have been here -- I only wish that Papa and Frank could go over it too."

Although separated by 139 years, Adam is also a young engineer. I mentioned to him that Uncle Will's brother Frank (Franklin Benjamin Bristol I) was his great-great grandfather, and Papa (Benjamin Hiel Bristol) was his great-great-great grandfather!

Uncle Will's experience on the bridge that day may have been particularly inspiring for him during his career. After graduating from Stevens in 1884, he would begin teaching there in 1886 and then become a professor of mathematics there in 1899, after starting the Bristol Company with Frank and his father in 1889. While at Stevens, he also patented some of his most successful inventions. The school still offers a William Henry Bristol Endowed Scholarship, which is "awarded to a deserving student with financial need."

Uncle Will's letter from November 1880, page 1 (click to enlarge)

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

WW2 Appendix - Additional Photographs (Post 1 of 6)

Franklin in August 1943, one week before leaving for the service

Shortly after completing this story, another box of old photographs was discovered at the lake house from the time of the war. The photos had been taken by Franklin's family during his last few months at home, during his leave from training, and during the time that he was away. The original photos were in black and white and were only about 2 x 3 inches in size.

Most of the photos had been taken by Franklin's father, who seemed to have a good eye for photography. As an engineer, he also appeared to be especially good at adjusting his camera to the various light conditions and then developing the photos in his darkroom.

Papa's darkroom on South Street where he developed his photos

After development, Franklin's mother would carefully write the subject of the photos on the back in pencil before enclosing them with their letters to him overseas. As possible, Franklin would then return the photos to them along with his own letters.

The following appendix contains 52 of the additional photos from that time. Where possible, I have noted the chapter numbers for the corresponding events taking place in the preceding story.

Bob Bristol
March 26, 2019
East Haddam, Connecticut

WW2 Appendix - Additional Photographs (Post 2 of 6)

Photo #1: Franklin's regional high school hockey team (see Chapter 3).

Photo #2:  With his hockey team (second row, second from left).

Photo #3:  Franklin's high school baseball team.

Photo #4:  Graduation from Loomis High School with his family. Franklin and many of his classmates would soon be drafted into the war.

Photo #5:  Franklin racing a Snipe on Lake Quassapaug during the summer of 1943 (boat number 4, marked FB).

Photo #6:  Formal photo with Franklin Sr., Dave, Phyllis, and Franklin Jr.

Photo #7:  Franklin expanding his chicken coup, summer of 1943.

Photo #8:  Dave would be taking care of the chickens while he was away.

Photo #9:  Sailing on Lake Quassapaug with Dave and his parents, August 15, 1943, one week before leaving for service.

Photo #10:  With Dave on Lake Quassapaug, one week before leaving for service.

WW2 Appendix - Additional Photographs (Post 3 of 6)

Photo #11:  Dave with "Rochester."

Photo #12:  "Ready for Christmas" at home on South Street.

Photo #13:  Camp Roberts in California, December 24, 1943. While waiting for Franklin, his father was somehow allowed to tour the facility and take photos of the men in training (see Chapter 9).

Photo #14:  Men resting at Camp Roberts.

Photo #15:  Machine gun training at Camp Roberts, December 24, 1943 (see Chapters 11 and 13).

Photo #16:  Browning M1917 machine gun used in training. Some of these photos were probably not shown to Franklin's mother!

Photo #17:  Barracks at Camp Roberts, December 24, 1943.

Photo #18:  Franklin waiting in mess tent.

Photo #19:  Postcard from hotel where Franklin and his father stayed during his Christmas leave (Chapter 10). Because the hotel did not hold their reservation, they had to share a bed in a Red Cross storage room.

Photo #20:  Franklin's father would write home about their hotel room: "I wish you could have seen it. Heaps of trunks, duffle bags, helmets, gas masks, canteens and equipment of every kind."

Photo #21:  With his father on Christmas day, 1943.

WW2 Appendix - Additional Photographs (Post 4 of 6)

Photo #22:  Back home on leave after completing his four months of basic training, 

February 1944 (see Chapter 17).

Photo #23:  With his mother during leave, February 1944

Photo #24:  With his sister, February 1944.

Photo 25:  Packing chicken eggs with Dave, February 1944.

Photo #26:  Making a paper airplane(?) from instructions in a magazine.

Photo #27:  Easter flowers sent by Franklin, April 1944.

Photo #28:  "Shake hands, Pete!" May 1944.

Photo #29:  Franklin's father mowing the lawn, May 1944.

Photo #30:  Dave mowing the lawn, May 1944.

Photo #31:  "Thank you for these beautiful flowers. You were a very dear 

son to remember me." Mother's Day, May 1944.

Photo #32:  Nancy at her high school graduation, June 1944 (see Chapter 22).

WW2 Appendix - Additional Photographs (Post 5 of 6)

Photo #33:  Dave writing a letter to Franklin, June 15, 1944.

Photo #34:  Back side of Photo, June 15, 1944.

Photo #35:  "Making ice-cream on a hot Sunday morning."

Photo #36:  Dave wearing Hawaiian shirt and military hat sent by Franklin.

Photo #37:  "Ten years old today"  August 10, 1944.

Photo #38:  "New row, half beans-carrots." During the war, the government encouraged "victory gardens" and chickens to reduce food shortages.

Photo #39:  Sunflowers, September 1944.

Photo #40:  Dave reading.

Photo #41:  Lake Quassapaug, September 1944 (see Chapter 27).

Chapter #42:  "Nancy, off to college, at 6:30 in the morning" September 19, 1944 (see Chapter 22). The 'service flag' indicated that a family member was serving in the war (usually displayed in a window).

Photo #43:  "David wants to show you that he is taller than Pete!" (see Chapter 25).

Photo #44:  On the way home from visiting Franklin's mother's family in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.