World War I and the Winders

Almost every generation has a seminal moment, a time that everyone who was old enough will always remember where they were, when they heard the news.  September 11, 2011 is one such moment as is, for my generation, November 22, 1963 when John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  For my parents, it was December 7, 1941.  Like many people, my father heard the news of Pearl Harbor while listening to the radio, a source of information that seems antiquated today.

Trenton Evening Times - June 29, 1914 - Trenton learns of the murders that will spark World War I

Imagine then how it was in Trenton on Monday, June 29, 1914, coincidentally the day Hank Zinn was born, when even radio was at least six years away.  James Winder and family were living at 743 Stuyvesant Avenue and James was off to work at C. V. Hill and Co, daughter Alice and Elsie were going to school while baby Ruth was at home with mother, Mary.  James' sisters, Edith and Florence were tending to their families and Elsie was alone at 331 Rutherford Avenue since Mary Ann had been in England since June 6th.  At some point that day, everyone learned of the murders of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in far off Sarajevo (wherever that was).  Even at that early hour there was no mistaking the seriousness of the situation as the Trenton Times reported that "the gravest danger to the peace of Europe may be the result of the murders."

Trenton Evening Times - August 4, 1914

The Winder's first thoughts had to have been with their mother in an England that would shortly be at war.  If anyone envisioned that England would need more military manpower than its small professional army, they would have realized their cousins, Henry (31) and Ernest (29) Watkins were of military age.  It's not clear if the two brothers did serve, but they did survive the war years. Things went steadily down hill and by August 4th the Trenton Evening Times used bold headlines to report that England (home of so many Trenton immigrant families) was only hours away from war with Germany.

Trenton - State Street and Broad Street in 1915 

Military mobilization throughout Europe derailed most people's travel plans including whatever Mary Ann had envisioned at the beginning of her trip.  At the end of January 1915, the Times reported that Mary Ann would probably not return until the following summer.  In fact, she did not arrive back in the United States until May 21, 1916, almost two years after her departure.  Fortunately, and probably intentionally, Mary Ann sailed on an American ship, the St. Louis, and thereby avoided threats of German submarines.

One of Germany's first acts was to invade neutral Belgium that not only brought England into the war, but led to a change in American opinion which became anti German and remained that way for the rest of the war.  At the same time, however, the prevailing sentiment in the United States was the war was "none of our business."  As British immigrants with relatives in England, it's doubtful, the Winders were quite that neutral, at the very least, they most likely sent supplies of scare items to Worcester even after Mary Ann's return.

For at least the first two plus years of the war, life for the Winders in Trenton remained relatively unchanged.  James continued to work at C. V. Hill and in July of 1915, he and Mary and their three daughters, took a two week vacation at Belmar, New Jersey.  The family went on a similar trip in late August of 1917, accompanied by Alf Blake, now married to Mary's sister, Hannah Maria, forever known to Winder descendants as "Sis."  Also on the trip was a new addition, youngest daughter, Anna Jean, born on April 11, 1916, her first birthday came just 10 days after the United States entered the War.

743 Stuyvesant Avenue in 1919

While the Trenton directories for the period continue to list the family living at 743 Stuyvesant Avenue, there is a surprising 1915 Trenton Evening Times reference to J. W. Winder and family leaving a property on the Howe tract to move to Trenton.  According to contemporary newspaper articles, the Howe tract refers to the Howe Estate on the Pennington-Trenton road which was apparently being developed for housing.  But why the Winders were living there or even if this is the correct family is hard to tell.  James continued to be a leader at Grace Church as shortly after Anna Jean's birth, he was again elected to the vestry.

James Winder with daughters Alice, Elsie, Ruth and Anna at the beach (presumably Belmar) in 1919

Later in 1916, James was elected to another position at Grace church, treasurer of the men's club which the Times hailed as "the pioneer organization of its kind in this city."  It's not clear how active James was in lodge activities as the report of his attendance at an October 1917 Knights Hospitaler meeting suggests he hadn't been there in some time.  Although James was too old to be drafted, he did have to register so we know that at 40 years of age, he was 5'9", weighed 140 pounds and had brown eyes and dark hair.

James Winder's World War I draft card

All of the Winders were no doubt glad and relieved to have Mary Ann safely back home in May of 1916 and she must have been especially glad to see her two newest grand children.  As with most of the post 1910 period, Mary Ann's work situation is unclear.  She was still involved at St. Michael's Church and in 1917 she also became involved in the sewing circle of Central Methodist Episcopal Church which apparently met at member's houses including 331 Rutherford Avenue.  Mary Ann's participation first appears after the United States entered the work and the group's focus was on "war relief."

Mary Ann Winder in 1917 after her return from England 

A year later, Mary Ann was also serving as a Red Cross volunteer helping to make hospital supplies and knitted articles for soldiers.  The combined experiences of spending two years of the war in England and her adopted country entering the conflict probably motivated Mary Ann to do her "bit."  Apparently her sewing skills were one of her real talents as in September of 1916, she received an award for drawn thread and crochet work at an interstate fair in Philadelphia.

Throughout the war years, Elsie lived at 331 Rutherford Avenue, worked as a music teacher and performed at a number of different venues.  By 1916 she was involved in the Order of the Eastern Star, chapter 22 where she was understandably chosen to serve as pianist and organist.  Today the Order has over 500,000 members worldwide and is the largest co-ed fraternal organization in the world.  Made up of people with spiritual values, the Order of the Eastern Star is not a religion so membership was consistent with Elise's ongoing role at St. Michael's Church.  Chapter 22 was founded in Trenton around 1900 and by 1916 had 240 members, including 52 who joined in that year which may include Elsie.  She also continued to make musical contributions to her family such as playing Mendelssohn's wedding march at the marriage of Elizabeth Shaw and Samuel Burgess.

Winder and Shaw cousins in 1917 - left to right, Elsie Winder, Alice Winder, Phylis Shaw and Edith Shaw

Elizabeth Shaw was, of course, Edith Shaw's sister-in-law and Edith was a bridesmaid.  By this point, Edith, Philip and daughters Edith and Phylis had moved from 702 Southard Street to 68 Sweets Avenue, perhaps to separate themselves from the place of their son's short life and death.  Philip was now working on the railroad which in 1916 was the nation's largest employer.  A year later however he was faced with an involuntary job change.  During August of 1917, Trenton was trying to fill its draft quota and Philip was called to take the exam which he passed.  In the end, however, Philip wasn't required to serve in the military as he was granted an exemption most likely because he was supporting a family.  As with James, his draft card does give a sense of his appearance at age 30, being of medium height and build with blue eyes and light brown hair.

Philip Shaw's World War I draft card

Although he was apparently not even called for a physical, Leon Carr's draft card describes him as being 5'6" of slender build with both brown hair and eyes.  While Florence doesn't appear on the public record during the period, Leon was a labor leader at the J. L. Mott Company where he worked as an assistant foreman.  In 1918, he was part of a union negotiating team which could not reach agreement with management as the company's offer of a 10% raise fell well short of the worker's 20% demand so a strike ensued.  By 1920 Leon had left J.L. Mott and was now working as a packer at a bakery.  Like the James Winder family, the Carr family grew during the war with the births of Mildred (1916) and Mary (1919).  Mary's birth may have necessitated a move to larger quarters as by 1917 the family had moved from 1039 South Broad to 1617 on the same street.

Although American life changed significantly during World War I, much of the change was subtle and not so obvious.  That would not be true of the new decade of the 1920's where change would be both pronounced and impossible not to notice.