Person:Fred Seaver (9)

After his marriage, Frederick Walton Seaver lived for a short time in Leominster MA at 149 Lancaster Street (with his parents and grandmother Hildreth), where their two oldest children were born. Fred was working in a comb-making factory in Leominster. In about 1905, he became a superintendent at another factory in Fitchburg. The family lived at 56 Linden Street there, where son Stanley was born. They bought a house at 116 Lawrence Avenue in Fitchburg where Ruth and Frederick were born, and the older children went to school at Highland Avenue School, then Maverick Street School, and finally Goddard Street School.

In the 1910 US Census, the Fred W. Seaver (indexed as Leaver) family resided at 116 Lawrence Street in the 6th Ward of Fitchburg, Worcester County, Massachusetts. The family included head Fred W. Seaver (male, white, age 33, first marriage, married 10 years, born MA, parents born MA, a superintendent, works in comb shop), wife Bessie A. Seaver (female, white, age 28, first marriage, married 10 years, 4 children born, 4 living, born CT, father born England, mother born CT), daughter Marion F. Seaver (female, white, age 8, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT), daughter Evelyn Seaver (female, white, age 7, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT), son Stanley R. Seaver (male, white, age 4, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT), daughter Ruth W. Seaver (female, white, age 2, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT) and brother-in-law James H. Richmond (male, white, single, born CT, father born England, mother born CT, comb maker, works in comb shop) [NARA Microfilm Series T624, Roll 628, ED 1745, Sheet 6B, page 193, dwelling #80, family #125].

In about 1911, Fred was offered a position as superintendent at the Patton Manufacturing Company in Leominster, which made hairpins from celluloid material. The family moved to a large house on the factory site at 290 Central Street, where Edward and Geraldine were born. The house was on the main road from Leominster to Sterling and Worcester, with streetcar tracks in the middle of the road. There were several smaller buildings around the house - a barn which was used as a garage, chicken coops and rabbit hutches. A brook ran beside the house to the factory. The house was heated by warm air from the factory.

Frederick Walton Seaver registered for the World War I draft on 12 September 1918 in Leominster, Massachusetts. He was age 41, born 9 October 1876, white, and a native born US citizen. He resided at 290 Central Street in Leominster MA, and was a Superintendent at Paton Mfg Co at 282 Central Street in Leominster MA. His nearest relative was his wife, Alma B. Seaver at the same home address. He was medium height, stout build, blue eyes, dark brown hair, with no disqualifying disabilities [World War I Draft Registration Card database, on www.ancestry.com, taken from FHL Microfilm 1,684,563].

In the 1920 U.S. Census, the Frederick W. Seaver family resided at 290 Central Street in Leominster, Worcester County, MA [1920 U.S. Census for Massachusetts, Supervisor District 3, Enumeration District 102, Sheet 14A, dwelling #175, family #288, LDS Microfilm 1,820,747]. The family included:

• head of family Frederick W. Seaver -- male, white, age 42, married, born MA, father born MA, mother born MA, superintendent of a comb shop, a salaried worker, renting home, able to read, write and speak English;
• wife Bessie R. Seaver -- female, white, age 38, married, born CT, father born England, mother born CT, no occupation, able to read, write and speak English;
• daughter Marion F. Seaver -- female, white, age 18, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, attending school, able to read and write, and speak English;
• daughter Evelyn Seaver -- female, white, age 16, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, attending school, able to read and write, and speak English;
• daughter Ruth W. Seaver -- female, white, age 12, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, attending school, able to read and write, and speak English;
• son Frederick W. Seaver Jr. -- male, white, age 8, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, attending school, unable to read and write, able to speak English;
• son Edward R. Seaver -- male, white, age 6, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, attending school, un able to read and write, able to speak English;

daughter Geraldine Seaver -- female, white, age 2, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, unable to read and write, unable to speak English

During the 1920's, Fred and Bess bought a cottage on the shore of Whalom Lake, between Leominster and Fitchburg. The family spent summer weekends there. Vacations were taken at Cape Cod on occasion.

In about 1927, the owner of the Patton Manufacturing company, Barney Doyle, sold the factory to the Dupont company, and the site closed on Central Street. Fred moved to the main plant in Leominster, and was superintendent of the toothbrush division there until his retirement. The family bought a house at 20 Hall Street in Leominster. During the Depression, Fred took a cut in pay at Dupont, and the bank foreclosed on the house. They moved to an apartment on West Street in downtown Leominster.

In the 1930 US Census, this family resided at 20 Hall Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts. The household included [National Archives Microfilm Series T626, Roll 964, Page 3A, ED 226, dwelling #44, family #69]:

• Fred W. Seaver -- head, male, white, age 52, married, first at age 23, born MA, parents born MA, a superintendent, works in celluloid, owns home worth $5,000
• Alma B. Seaver -- wife, female, white, age 48, married, first at age 18, born CT, father born England, mother born RI
• Ruth W. Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 22, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, a teacher, works in public school
• Frederick W. Seaver -- son, male, white, age 18, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, works in celluloid
• Edward R. Seaver (son, male, white, age 16, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT, works in celluloid
• Geraldine Seaver (daughter, female, white, age 12, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born CT)

Fred retired at age 65, and died shortly thereafter of prostate cancer at the home of his daughter, Evelyn Wood, in Andover MA.