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Clayton William Batchelor
Facts and Events
| Name |
Clayton William Batchelor |
| Gender |
Male |
| Birth[1][6] |
4 Mar 1898 |
Ohio County (near Rising Sun), Indiana |
| Other? |
1900 |
Petersburg, Boone County, Kentuckythe family Moved |
| Other[2][7] |
1903 |
the family moved to a farm called "Split Rock" at the mouth of Woolper Creek and the Ohio River. Moved |
| Census[3][8] |
27 Apr 1910 |
Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky |
| Baptism[9] |
23 Mar 1913 |
Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky |
| Other[10] |
1915 |
and a friend worked on a big river freighter on the Ohio River for two weeks Misc |
| Other[11] |
22 Jun 1916 |
Cincinnati, Hamilton County, OhioUnited State Army Enlisted |
| Other[12] |
1 Jul 1919 |
Army Discharge |
| Other[13] |
Abt 15 Jul 1919 |
Aurora, Dearborn County, IndianaRoyer Wheel Company Employer |
| Census[4][15] |
14 Jan 1920 |
Aurora, Dearborn County, Indiana |
| Other[14] |
Bet 1920 and 1936 |
Aurora and Dillsboro, Dearborn County, Indianabaker Occupation |
| Other[16] |
26 Mar 1922 |
Aurora, Dearborn County, Indianajoined the Methodist Episcopal Church Misc |
| Other[17] |
1933 |
Aurora, Dearborn County, Indianacity councilman Elected |
| Other[5][19] |
3 Dec 1936 |
Lawrenceburg, Dearborn County, Indiana304-07-6038 SSN |
| Other[18] |
From 1936 to 1964 |
Lawrenceburg, Dearborn County, Indianapolice officer and fire fighter for Joseph E. Seagrams & Sons, Inc., Occupation |
| Other[20] |
1964 |
Aurora, Dearborn County, Indianawas appointed by Indiana Governor Mathew Welsh to manage the state motor vehicle licensing station Misc |
| Other? |
Aug 1989 |
Clayton sold his home in Aurora and moved tothe Pine Knoll Retirement Home in nearby Lawrenceburg. Moved |
| Other[21] |
1991 |
the Aurora Park Board named the pavilion in the city park the "Clayton Batchelor Pavilion." Misc |
| Physical Description[22] |
1993 |
6' tall, 208 lbs, blue eyes, gray hair (originally brown), per his last Indiana driver's license |
| Other? |
1997 |
Lawrenceburg, Dearborn County, IndianaClayton moved to the Woodland Hills Nursing Home in Lawrenceburg. Moved |
| Other[23] |
7 Mar 1998 |
his family gathered in Lawrenceburg for a celebration of his 100th birthday. Misc |
| Death? |
20 Feb 1999 |
Lawrenceburg, Dearborn County, IndianaCause: bilateral pneumonia |
| Other[24] |
23 Feb 1999 |
Aurora, Dearborn County, IndianaRiverview Cemetery Burial 2 |
References
- ↑ Clayton Batchelor, birth certificate no. Vol. I, page 196 (4 Mar 1898), Ohio County (Indiana) Health Department,.
- ↑ Split Rock Conservation Park Website, owned by Wildlife Conservation Kentucky, Inc., http:/www.splitrockpark.org/index.html.
"Split Rock is named for the unique glacial formations deposited in the area thousands of years ago. This awesome feature and the beauty and diversity of the surrounding area have been a destination for exploration and wonder for generations. The land is a mosaic of woodlands and meadows surrounded by Woolper Creek and the Ohio River (with an abundant wildlife resource). Archaeological evidence of past cultures gives testament to the rich bounty of this area that has supported human communities and endures today."
Directions to the park: From 275 West in Northern Kentucky: take I-275 west to Petersburg (KY 20) exit (exit 11). Bear right from exit onto KY 8 South. Go straight on to KY 20 West. Follow KY 20 west for 5.4 miles into Petersburg. At the stop sign in Petersburg take a left (still KY 20 West). Go 3.2 miles to Split Rock Conservation Park on the Right.
- ↑ George Batchelor, 1910 U.S. Population, Petersburg, Boone County, Kentucky, Dwelling number 197 question , Family number 199 question ;..
- ↑ 1920 U.S. Census, Aurora, Center Township, Dearborn County, Indiana.
Dwelling # 209, Family # 222.
Age 21, living at 124 East George Street in Aurora, IN with sister, Catherine (Kate) & brother-in-law, Fred Gilb. He and Fred, age 43, both worked as laborers at the wheel works, presumably, Royer Wheel Works. Others in the household included Catherine, age 32 (father b IL, mother b IN - same as for Clayton); George, age 10; Clarence, age 8; William & Lillian, age 5. All the kids were born in IN except George who was born in KY. (Dist. 36, Sheet 9, Center Twp, Aurora)
- ↑ United States Social Security Administration, application for a Social Security Number and Card..
- ↑ He was born on Miller Brick Hill outside of Rising Sun, Indiana.
- ↑ Clayton's father, George, was sharecropping the farm. It was called Split Rock because of a huge rock split by nature which became a tourist attraction. The rock is a couple of miles east of Petersburg, just off shore in the Ohio River, but it has been under water since the river was dammed. Today (1999), it is part of a private property and cannot be accessed by the public. It is apparently no longer of any interest - the younger folks in Petersburg have never heard of it.
Update 2006: Apparently the guy who owned the property has sold it to Wildlife Conservation Kentucy, Inc., which has created the Split Rock Conservation Park. See source text for more info.
- ↑ He was 12 years old.
- ↑ It was Easter Sunday. He was baptized in the Ohio River by Rev. Fisher, pastor of the Christian Church of Petersburg.
- ↑ They spent one night in Cincinnati to see a show and had their picture taken. See photo file "Cincy1915."
- ↑ He lied about his age - said he was 22. Apparently, 21 or 22 was the youngest they would accept people into the Army back then without his father's signature. He wanted to serve in Mexico but, instead, was sent to Columbus, OH.
On 16 June 1916, Clayton was sent to Savannah, Georgia.
On 14 July 1918, he and his fellow soldiers shipped out from Hoboken, New Jersey on a 13-day trip to Liverpool, England. Clayton said that he threw up one meal during the trip. From Liverpool, they went to South Hampton from where they travelled across the English Channel to Le Havre and on to St. Nazaire and Angiers. When crossing the English Channel, the third ship in his group was bombed. That night, LeHavre was attacked.
His outfit was the 64th CAC: heavy artillery, 8" Howitzers and French 75's. Grandpa was an instructor on the French 75's. They mostly had cooks who made regular meals for them, but for emergency rations, they ate hard tack: crackers and canned beef. On Thanksgiving Day in 1918, he broke ice on the Loire River to take a bath. He was at Metz, at the front, when the armistice was signed. He got drunk the night after the armistice was signed - bought champagne for $2.50 a quart. He said it wasn't too cold in France, that he'd been billeted for a couple of months with a French family, and that he liked the French better than the English.
On 24 Feb 1919, Clayton left France from St. Nazaire on the USS Huron. The ship travelled through the Azores on the way back to the United States. Grandpa said he got seasick and threw up most of his meals. He also ran into an old friend from Petersburg on board -- a Navy mess chef named Frank. He ate all the rest of his meals with the Navy guys. They hit a huge storm and lost four men overboard before they managed to get all the hatches closed. The trip home only took about a week. They landed at Newport News, Virginia.
- ↑ He was discharged after his father wrote a letter saying he was needed on the family farm. He arrived home at the Split Rock farm on 4 July 1919.
In 1988, Grandpa received a certificate from the government of France for helping to defend that country against Germany during the 1st world war. He was a member of the Aurora Keith Ross American Legion Post # 231. He was the last surviving World War I veteran of Dearborn County, Indiana when he died in 1999.
- ↑ One week back on the farm was enough! During the war, Royer made wheels for the Army and, after the war, for Ford. Clayton boarded at the home of Frank Smith's mother. Frank became his best friend and, later, the best man at his wedding.
- ↑ Clayton served his baker apprenticeship at Huff's Bakery in Aurora. After that, he worked at Dearborn Bakery, on the riverfront where he had a bread slicer and two big ovens.
In 1923, he worked at the Domestic Baking Company in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
In 1924, while back working at Huff's, Clayton made the first devil's food cake in Aurora from a mix (the 1st) he bought from a traveling salesman. He got flour poisoning on his hands while working there. He was also the manager there when the bakery went under, but he said it wasn't his fault; he said the owner was over-extended on his credit.
He was working 60 hours a week for $30/week in 1929-1930.
On 7 February 1935, Clayton was made manager of the Dillsboro Bakery.
He worked as a baker or bakery manager for 14 years, ending by owning his own bakery in Aurora. He finally gave up the bakery business and sold his bakery to Slick Lambert (who later sold out to Willard Watts) after he got asthma from all the flour.
- ↑ He was 21, living with his sister and brother-in-law, Kate and Fred Gilb, and working with Fred at the wheel works company.
- ↑ He was active in the men's fellowship, choir, and all church activities and was a financial contributor to the church up until his death in 1999.
- ↑ This was his first election to public office. Around 1934, Clayton served as acting mayor of Aurora. He refused to run for mayor, although asked to do so frequently over the years, because he was ashamed of his lack of education. Nonetheless, he held several other elective offices during his lifetime: city councilman (12 years), chair and precinct chair ofthe Aurora Democratic Party (12 years), county councilman, and chair of the city park board.
He joined the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, serving as a director for 18 years and as president for five years. In 1987, he was made a lifetime director of the Chamber.
Clayton was a lifelong, active member of the Democratic Party in Indiana. He was well-known in the party as a good fundraiser and as the person to know in Dearborn County if you were running in any kind of a statewide election.
- ↑ He worked for them first doing construction on a new plant, but then moved on to their Police Department and, finally, to their Fire Department, before returing to the Police Department to stay. Most of his employment was with their Police Department. During his tenure with Seagrams, he was promoted to sergeant, 1st sergeant and midnight chief. He retired after 28 years of service. According to Mom, sometime during these years (when they lived in the brown house), he once worked as a security guard at the Kentucky Derby because Seagram's provided the guards & rotated the assignment among their plants. He brought Mom home a cardboard periscope with mirrors in it that was used to see up and over the crowd.
- ↑ He was 38 years old and working for Joseph E. Seagrams & Sons, Inc.
- ↑ Clayton managed the Aurora License Branch for eight years.
- ↑ In 1992, the 107th Indiana General Assembly honored him via House Concurrent Resolution 45 for his "immeasurable contributions to the people of Dearborn County and the City of Aurora."
- ↑ (His Indiana driver's license number was 8939-39-8976.) Actually, Clayton went bald fairly early except for a white fringe around the sides. Even his earliest pictures show him with a very receding hairline.
- ↑ In addition to many family members and friends, the party was attended by the mayors of Aurora and Lawrenceburg, State Senator Johnny Nugent, State Representative Bob Bischoff, and Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton. It was held in the party room of his oldest daughter's apratment building. As the last living World War I veteran in Dearborn County, Clayton was honored at his party by a number of veterans' organizations, and his birthday party was covered by a Cincinnati (Ohio) television station.
- ↑ Rev. Jean Frable officiated at the funeral which was held at Rullman's Funeral Home in Aurora. Her husband, Dr. Frank Frable, gave the eulogy. Pallbearers were five of his grandchildren and a grandson-in-law: Dick Suit, Jr, Kim Watson Roser, Sue Watson Voelkers, Lissa Taylor Holsclaw, and Nancy Watson Mahle & Paul Mahle.
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