Cousin Joseph Aldrich

by Donna Swagerty Shreve

I Found Cousin Joe

Joseph Aldrich World War I 1918

During my many chats with my Great Aunt Lucy, I heard several tales of Cousin Joe. He lived with the A.L. Aldrich family for ten years. Lucy adored him. Joe entered and then exited the family under unfortunate circumstances. Joseph Aldrich was born April 24, 1893 in Dakota City in Humboldt county in Iowa. His family lived near my great grandfather Abraham Lincoln Aldrich. Joe’s parents were Ira E. Aldrich 1859-1934 and Jane Crossley Aldrich 1866-1900. 

Joe was the middle child of five with William R. Aldrich 1888-1933, and then Mary Jane Aldrich Shore 1891-1967 being the two oldest. His younger siblings were Steven James Aldrich 1896-1978 and Lucille Anna “Lucy” Aldrich Buck 1897-1934. His father was a farmer who ended up in Homer, Dakota county in Nebraska. Then in 1900 his wife died at home. Ira now had a dilemma. Only his oldest son was of an age to a help on the land. The rest of the children Ira handed out to his family to help raise so he could keep working on his farm. 

Ira’s younger brother A. L. Aldrich agreed to add Joe to his family of then Lulu 1894-1984, Pearl 1896-1966, and Clarence 1898-1957. Ethel 1901-1992 and Lucy 1903-2005 would arrive after Joe had joined the family. Joe was only six but he would be able to be helpful soon on A.L.’s farm. 

Everyone in the household had a job. When Lucy was quite young, she was to go out to the wood pile and bring in the kindling to help start the fire. Lucy hated the dark and was afraid of the critters that could crawl out of the wood pile. She begged Cousin Joe to help her by doing it for her. He complied until Lucy’s mother caught on to Lucy’s scheme and Lucy had to do her job without Joe’s help.

When the family decided to move from Iowa to California, Joe was the one who helped A.L. clean the cattle car and keep them fed. He was now 12 and a good helper. The family settled in the small farming town of Hughson. The children attended school and each had their chores. Each summer Hughson celebrated the fourth of July with a big picnic and various activities. Most of the town participated in the summer celebration and houses were unattended. 

Joe had gotten into a rough crowd at school and they decided to burgle several homes while the occupants were at the town picnic.   When I heard the tale from both my grandmother and great-aunt Lucy, there were three of them and they were caught and convicted. Joe spent a year in Ione at the Preston School of Industry. It was known as the castle and still stands today. 

When Joe was released, A.L. put him on a train and sent him back to Nebraska to his father. Ira was not pleased because he partly blamed his brother A.L. for not keeping Joe out of trouble as his son Clarence had not gotten into trouble. To be fair Clarence was five years younger than Joe. Once back in Nebraska Joe returned to school. 1912 has him enrolled in Doane College in Crete, Nebraska. It still exits today. He was described in the 1912 yearbook, which he was one of the associate editors, as : “Who weighs about a hundred ten, Yet bravely bucks the college men, And makes them hustle even then, The scrub.”

By 1917 he was in Thurston, Nebraska and employed as a laborer. I found a picture of him in his World war I uniform. His draft card has him as short with a medium build, grey eyes and dark hair.  I then found him on a transport ship arriving in Bordeaux France the 7th of January 1919. He then departs the 25th of September 1919 on the ship City of Savannah to return to the states. 

He shows up in records again in 1930 in Staples, in Todd county in Minnesota. He is a lodger and his occupation is a laborer. Next in 1940 Joe is living in Liberty township in Edmunds county in South Dakota. He is single and works as a laborer. This time he is living with his younger brother Steve.

In 1942 Joe registers for the draft once more. This time he is 49 years old and is described as 5 feet four inches and weighing 150 pounds. He is now self employed as a farmer and living in South Dakota. By 1945 he is 52 and dies and is buried in Ipswich, South Dakota.

Lucy begged me to find cousin Joe when she was in her late 90s. I knew nothing of him at that time but did remind Lucy that if he had been alive he would have been 108. Based on the fact that it seems Joe never married and was mostly a laborer I am not so sad I was not able to finish the tale of Joe for Lucy. It is possible he felt he had a good life. His brother took him in at one point. Considering the times, I feel Joe might have been lonely and unfulfilled. Did his early childhood set the stage for a rambling life? I am not sure I know Joe any better and I am placing so many of my values on him. I did flush out a few facts and get some pictures so I feel I do know a bit more and let some of his memory continue in the family lore.

935 words

1/24/2025

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