After years of interviewing family members
and searching for George Drollette (1869-?), I found that
some puzzles, when thought solved, form a new puzzle which
is harder then the first.
George who was the son of Nazaire Drolet and Mary Maille,
was known to have gone to China. Other then family stories,
there wasn't much more to go on. After interviewing
several aunts in the family, my Aunt Rita told me that there
were some old letters from George in the families old
records. Well! I started to get excited thinking about what the
letters would possibly reveal. After requesting copies of
the letters, I went over them scanning the letters and
magnifying them, examining everything.
The stationery that several letters were written on, had
the letterhead of "Lockyear Practical Business
College". Research shows that the college was
located in Evansville, Indiana located in Vanderburgh
County.
While attending college in Indiana, George met and
married Mary Cintura (Joseph & Petreja Cintura). This is
confirmed by the "Indiana Marriage Collection
1800-1941" and the 1900 census for Pigeon
Township, Vanderburgh County, Indiana. In this census
George, Mary and their son Elmore (Elmer) are found to be
living under Joseph & Petreja's (Theresa) household.
George and his family are all listed with the surname
"Deolett. The surname was transcribed incorrectly many
years later from the original census.
A letter dated July 17, 1901 from George to Nazaire, had
stationery with the letterhead "Occidental Hotel"
and
a postal mark from San Francisco California. George
indicated in the letter that
he had been appointed as Secretary to the Ambassador of
China, Edward H. Conger. Marie and Elmore were to follow George
to China, that next year.
It appears that only Mary was able to make the trip to
China, because Elmore shows up on the 1910 census living
with his grandmother.
A passenger list for the "Steamship China" originating
from Hong Kong, China lists May Drollette, married, age 27
embarking in the port of Shanghai, with a destination to Evansville, Indiana. This is not conclusively George's
wife. There are several public records however that show her
birth name as May.
A later passenger list for the "S.S. Golden
State" leaving Hong Kong, China April 25, 1921, and
arriving in San Francisco May 17, 1921 lists George W.
Drollette, born December 9, 1872 of Pittsburg, PA, traveling
to 936 Maple Avenue, Jamesville, Ohio. Research
attempts do not show a George W. Drollette born December 9th
other then Nazaire's son. Two months later an article
appears in the "Plattsburgh Sentinel" (July
15, 1921) stating that a gentleman named "R W
Drollette" showed up at the newspaper office. Mr.
Drollette provided much information including that he went
to China in 1901 as secretary for E.H. Conger. After Edward
H. Congers retirement in 1904, George remained in China as a
representative to the Singer Sewing Machine Company. He indicated
that he would be visiting his brother Elmore, and that he
would provide a follow-up interview to the
"Sentinel" several days later about
his travels in China. No follow-up interview was
located.
No census records past 1900 list George or Mary. Elmore
does appear in the 1920 census, working as a bookkeeper and
living in Indianapolis with his wife Eloise and daughter
Lillian. Elmore and his family later appear in the 1930
census in the city of San Francisco. Both Elmore and
Lillian's occupations are listed as "performers in
theater". Elmore became a resident of Santa
Monica, CA and died in 1976. He had previously retired as a
timekeeper for McDougal-Douglas. His wife Lillian had
predeceased him. Elmore's death record lists him as Elmer
DeVoe. "Richard DeVoe" is listed as completing the
death certificate. Is this a son or stepbrother?
I originally speculated that Mary may have died in the
1907 earthquake of San Francisco, that George had died
during the "Boxer Rebellion" and that
Elmore had been adopted. Since finding the passenger lists
and census of Elmore, I don't feel that George died in
China.
If this was our George, that was on the "S.S. Golden
State", did he visit his son who was now living in
the same state that George arrived in?
Why did George go by "R W Drollette" in
Plattsburgh in 1921? What type of reception did he receive
from existing family members after having been gone a
quarter of a century? And most importantly, where did George
go from there?
|
