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Note: On March 29, 1903, Frank Ward Henderson was born to his parents Archibald Henderson and Mary Elizabeth McManus, in Monroe County, Michigan, most likely in Exeter Township there, near the town of Carleton. I presume his true name was Francis, but in all the records and references that I have ever seen for him, he is listed as and called Frank. His father Archibald died in January of 1910, when Frank was just six years old. In the 1910 census from April of 1910, Frank was living with his mother and a number of siblings, in the household of his mother's father, Owen McManus, on a farm in Exeter Township. Frank's mother died in October of 1913, when Frank was 10 years old. In the 1920 census, the 16 year old Frank is listed as a Ships Cook in the U.S. Navy, in the U.S. Naval Training Station near Chicago in Lake County, Illinois. From the later census records I know that Frank married in about 1921 to Florence Josephine Duray. According to the census records, she was listed as being born in Germany and immigrating to the U.S. in 1913. On her death certificate, she is listed as being born in Austria. According to Jack Waggener, he said that Florence was born in Alsace-Lorraine and that she was a very interesting woman who spoke several languages. Stuart Crossman confirmed this, and noted that she worked at some point as a translator for a court in Detroit. As I have been unable to find a marriage record for Frank and Florence in Michigan, I believe that they were probably married somewhere other than Michigan. It seems possible that he met and married her in the Chicago area. There were two children born to Frank and Florence Henderson, Frances Arline in 1923 and Donald Archibald in 1926. Both were born in Royal Oak, Michigan, so assuming Frank and Florence had married outside of Michigan, they had moved to Michigan by 1923. From the city directory records and census records for 1930 and 1940, I know that Frank and Florence lived for about the next 20 years in various locations in Royal Oak, Oakland County, Michigan. In 1924, he and Florence are living with the family of his sister Adelaide and Dick Waggener, in Royal Oak at 423 Maryland Avenue. Frank is listed as an auto worker. I am not sure how long it was before this that they moved there, or who had moved to Royal Oak first. Dick and Adelaide Waggener had been living in Detroit in 1921-22, and I know that they subsequently lived in Royal Oak until Mary's death in 1959. In 1928, Frank and Florence are living at 238 Oakwood Blvd. in Royal Oak, and Frank is listed as a body worker. In the 1930 directory for Royal Oak they are again listed as living at this same location, but in the 1930 census in April, Frank and Florence and family are living at 238 12 Mile Road in Royal Oak, and Frank is listed as being a foreman in a factory. In the 1933 directory, Frank is listed as a clerk and they are living at 1023 Cherokee Ave. in Royal Oak. In the 1936 they are living at that same location and Frank is listed as a foreman at the Pontiac Motor Company in Pontiac, Michigan. In the 1940 census they are living at 249 E. 12 Mile Road, Royal Oak; which was next door to Dick and Adelaide Waggener. Frank is listed there as time keeper for a road project. In the 1942 directory they are living at 224 Marlin Ave., Royal Oak; and Frank is listed as a foreman with the Stinson/Valtie Aircraft Division in Wayne County. At some point, apparently between 1940 and 1942, Frank apparently left Florence and the children. The stories I have heard around this don't all quite fit together, but I am pretty sure he left them sometime around then. In 1942 Frances would have been 19 years old and Donald would have been 16 years old. Stuart Crossman reported that Frances was sent to live in a convent in Mt. St. Joseph near Cincinnati, Ohio. I believe this was the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. He said that she left the convent and finished her senior year of high school in a public school. If she was sent to Cincinnati around the time Frank left the family, it must have been in 1940. I know that after Frank left, Florence and I believe Donald, went to live in the home of Adelaide and Dick Waggener in Royal Oak. I know that Florence died tragically in that house in December of 1942. Reportedly Donald said that he thought that his mother had been hit by a car or in a traffic accident, but her death certificate seems to indicate it was some sort of disease or illness. I believe that Donald went to live with friends of the family for the rest of his childhood, and Frances became a student at the University of Michigan in 1943, and married Stuart Crossman the next year. Stuart Crossman reported that Frances had told him that her parents divorced when she was five years old, which would have been about 1928, but this just does not seem to be supported by the records. With Florence's untimely death apparently not long after Frank left her, it seems likely they never actually divorced. I had also been previously under the impression that when Frank left the family, he was gone and out of touch with them for about ten years. According to Stuart Crossman, this was not really the case. Although they did not see him much, they lived near him in Detroit for a couple of months in about 1945, and Frances and Donald both kept is some contact with him. Frank apparently moved around a lot, mostly in Detroit, and had a number of odd jobs. At one point he reportedly worked as a bell boy in a hotel in Detroit. I am pretty sure he lived at least part of the time in Florida, possibly with or near his brother Bill. Frank has been described by a number of family members as an alcoholic. I do not know any real details about this, but it seems likely that this contributed to him leaving Florence and the family, and his apparent subsequent employment problems. His brother George Leo Henderson apparently also had some sort of problem with drinking, and also left his family in about that same time as Frank. I know that George never came back, and that George's children at least, never heard from him again and that no one knows what became of him. I have a few photos of Frank in Florida in the mid- 1950's. I know that he died in a hospital in Detroit on July 30, 1960, at the age of 57. Reportedly his son Donald was overseeing him at the end and attended his burial. Frank is buried near to his parents in the St. Patrick's Parish Cemetery, in Carleton, Monroe County, Michigan.- Rick Waggener ================ From the 1910 Federal Census of Monroe County, Michigan; Exeter Township, district #92, page 2A, taken April 18-20, 1910, household #24; from ancestry.com, district #91, image #3 of 32. Frank is living with his mother and several siblings, in the household of his grandfather, Owen McManus. His father had died about 3 months earlier: ----- Frank; grandson, male, age- 7, born- Michigan, father born- Canada, mother born- Canada, r/w's, in school ================== From the 1920 Federal Census of the U.S. Naval Training Station, Great Lakes township, Lake County, Illinois, district 263, sheet 24a, taken January 29, 1920, household 219; from ancestry.com, Frank seems to be one of many members of the U.S. Navy: Henderson, Frank W.; male, age- 16,. married, r/w's, born- Michigan, father born- Nova Scotia, mother born- Michigan, occupation- ships cook ================= From the Polk's Directory of Royal Oak, Berkeley, Clawson, Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge; Oakland County, Michigan; 1924, page 211 (Royal Oak): Henderson, Frank W. (Florence), auto worker, resides at 423 Maryland Ave. (I also found a listing for Frank's sister Adelaide and her husband Dick Waggener at this same address. -RW) ================= From the Polk's Directory of Royal Oak and Ferndale, Oakland County, Michigan, 1928, page 195 (Royal Oak): Henderson, Frank (Florence) bodywkr, house 238 E. Oakwood Blvd ================= From the Polk's Directory of Royal Oak and Ferndale, Oakland County, Michigan, 1930, page 191 (Royal Oak): Henderson, Frank (Florence), house 239 E. Oakwood Blvd. ================== From the 1930 Federal Census of Royal Oak City, Oakland County, Michigan, district 63-105, sheet 1a, taken April 2, 1930, household 9, address- 238 Twelve Mile Road; from ancestry.com, image 1 of 32: Henderson, Frank; head of household, owns home/ value $3,000, radio in home, home is not a farm, male, age- 27, married, 18 years old at 1st marriage, r/w's, born- Michigan, father born- Canada/ English, mother born- Michigan, occupation- Block Foreman/ Factory, currently employed, military veteran/ World War ------ Florence; wife/ head, female, age- 24, married, 16 years old at 1st marriage, r/w's, born- Germany, parents born- Germany, immigrated to U.S. in 1913/ Naturalized Citizen, occupation- none ------ Francis; daughter, female, age- 6, in school, r/w's, born- Michigan, father born- Michigan, mother born- Germany ------ Donald; son, male, age- 4, born- Michigan, father born- Michigan, mother born- Germany ========== From the Polk's Directory of Royal Oak and Ferndale, Oakland County, Michigan, 1933, page 195 (Royal Oak): Henderson, Frank W. (Florence J) clerk, house 1023 Cherokee Ave. ========== From the Polk's Directory of Royal Oak and Ferndale, Oakland County, Michigan, 1936, page 239 (Royal Oak): Henderson, Frank W. (Florence J) foreman Pontiac Motor Company (Pontiac) resides 1023 Cherokee Avenue =========== From the 1940 Federal Census of Royal Oak City, Oakland County, Michigan, district 63-145, sheet 26a, taken April 29, 1940, address- 249 E. 12 Mile Rd,: Henderson, Frank; head of household, rents home/ $15. male, age- 37, married, highest school grade completed- 7th, born- Michigan, residence in 1935- same place, worked last week of March/ (# hours not listed), occupation- time keeper/ road project, worked 52 weeks in 1939/ wages and salary- $1128 ------ Florence; wife, female, age- 35, married, highest grade completed- 7th, born- Germany, naturalized citizen, residence in 1935- same place, not working last week of March or 1939 ------ Francis; daughter, female, age- 16, in school, highest school grade completed- 8th, born- Michigan, residence in 1935- same place ------ Donald; son, male, age- 14, in school, highest school grade completed- 7th, born- Michigan, residence in 1935- same place Dobson, John; roomer, male, age- 24, single, highest school grade completed- 1st year high school, born- Nova Scotia, residence in 1935- Colchester, Nova Scotia, worked last week of March/ 40 hours, occupation- Dingman?/ auto manufacturing, worked 35 weeks in 1939/ wages and salary- $1040 (Frank and family are living effectively next door to the household of his sister Adelaide and her husband James Waggener and family. The John Dobson listed here must have been some sort of family friend, as he was apparently from Colchester, Nova Scotia, where Frank's father Archibald was born and grew up.- RW) ========== From the Polk's Directory of Royal Oak and Ferndale, Oakland County, Michigan, 1942, page 250 (Royal Oak): Frank W. (Florence) foreman Stinson Aircraft Div. Valtie Aircraft Div. (Wayne), householder 224 Marlin Ave. ========== In the obituaries for his brother William in November of 1957, and his sister Adelaide in November of 1959, Francis is listed as surviving and living in Detroit. -RW ========== Frank is buried near to his parents and mother's parents the McManuses, in the "middle" cemetery of St. Patrick's Parish, in Carleton, Michigan. His fairly simple headstone reads just "Frank." I checked in the cemetery office and I am pretty sure that is Frank. The dates of birth and death that I have for Frank, came from those records in the cemetery office. According to Stuart Crossman, husband of Frank's daughter Frances, Frank died in a hospital in Detroit.- RW
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