Person:Arthur Clift (1)

1920 census shows the Clift family living in Nyack, NY at 54 Brookside ave. Mabel Roe Clift, Chester Herrick Clift, William E. Seaman (Mabel's father), Chester Laverne Clift, a manager at the local A&P and Vernon working there too. Leslie lived there also.

Vernon's family lived there in 1940 when Pat was born. I (Steve) lived there when I was born in 1944. Phil was born there too about 1946. A three story house with a huge coal furnace in the basement. Three bedrooms on the 2nd floor with an attic filled with mysterious things on the top floor. Nyack, at the time was the terminus for the commuter trains to New York City. The commuter cars were parked down the street, and on holidays, we would run through the cars.

Release of the 1940 census shows Vernon and his new wife living with Vernon's brother Chester, his wife Marjorie, children Dorothy and Verna in a farm on Warwick-Florida Road near lake Glenmere.

1. ↑ United States. 1920 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T625).

   Film Number: 1821258
   Digital Folder Number: 4442084
   Image Number: 01112
   Sheet Number: 13
   
   Household Gender Age
   Chester H Clift M 39y
   Spouse Mabel Clift F 39y
   Child Chester L Clift M 16y
   Child Leslie Clift M 13y
   Child Vernon Clift M 7y
   William E Seaman M 62y

2.   * Worked for McDermot Bros. Dairy before entering the Navy in Dec 1943 Quartermaster on LST 889
   * Got out of Navy w/Honoralble disharge in Dec 1945.
   
   * 1939 with the World's Fair in Flushing, Long Island, Vernon and Frances opened the Clift Deli
   in Flushing. Frances says that they only sold beer and apple pies that she made.
3.   The following story was related by Philip Clift about his father Vernon Clift.
   When Vernon was in the Navy during World War II, there were apparently 2 sets of ships
   that were set up to deliver the A-bombs for Japan. Each armada was composed of 8 or 9 ships.
   One was sent to Tinian everyone has heard about the Indianapolis, but there happened to be a typhoon that swept through the decoy armada and several ships sank with all hands and because radio silence was being maintained, no distress call was ever sent out.