Person:Raymond Knott (5)

Ray "told me that he graducated from Lamson Business College in Los Angeles and worked for Bekins Transfer and Storage Co. for a while. He told me once that he remembered typing a letter for them when the date was 12-12-12. I don't know much about his life in the service during WW 1 except that he was a Company clerk and attained the rank of Sargent. He Arrived back in the States in 1919. He was also an acomplished artist but, with the exception of a couple of portraits, I don't believe he ever sold any of his works."
Ray and Alice Phiefer "were married in 1920. . ."
"After [Ray's] retirement in 1958 [he and Alice] moved to Phoenix where they lived until he passed away in 1968. . . .[Alice] passed away in 1993.

Retirement Notice for Raymond W. Knott [from Anaconda Company] (included with letter)
"Ray's 35 credited years of service began in the summer of 1915 when he left the Mutual Oil Company and came to work for the Anaconda Company as a stenographer in the Warehouse. He became a member of the U. S. Air Force in 1917 and spent 1-1/2 years overseas. Upon his return he was employed in the Copper Refineries until 1937 at which time he moved to the General Office where he has remained until his retirement, effective October 1, 1958.
He spent many years working with the Boy Scouts and has also been very active in the American Legion.
Ray's family consists of his wife, [two sons and one daughter].
Ray intends to spend the coming winter in Arizona and then he plans to look for that perfect place to settle and enjoy his retirement.
All our best wishes to you Ray, and it is our sincere wish that all your hopes for a restful and happy retirement be fullfilled.

Raymond Knott, Sergeant 116 Aero Squadron. Born 23 Jan 1891, son of Mrs. Bertha Phiefer, enlised at Great Falls, Montana May 1917. First assigned to Kelly Field, San Antonio, then to Long Island as Hdq Secretary to Gen. Patrick. Discharged from service at Cheyenne, Wyoming 21 July 1919.

From letter written 20 November 1918 from Chaumont, France
"You might imagine that since peace is here, there would be little for an army to do, but if you do so imagine you are certainly very wrong. It was just like throwing the gear of an automobile in reverse. We were going ahead without a thought of peace, or at any rate all plans were being laid and work being done on the presumption that the war would continue forever. That was on November 10th. We were speeding right on ahead. Then all at once, at 11 o'clock the gear was shifted and we found ourselves headed straight back to the shores of Uncle Sam. But the work is just the same and there is just as much of it. Our plans, hopes, thoughts, everything, made a complete somersault, but it was done so neatly and orderly that we scarcely realized the change. Instead of thinking of spending the next several years over here, we suddenly realized that we would soon be back home. Instead of planning on being soldiers forever, and looking forward to the ambitions that everyone has in the Army, we all at once began to see ourselves back again in shirts and pants instead of O. D's. I know that in me there was a complete reversal of everything. I had put in my application for Aerial Gunnery and it has gone thru all O. K. My plans of course were all laid up in the air and my one hope was that I should soon be called. In fact I received notice from the training section that I was of the next bunch to be called up. And then all at once the whole thing was over. That is, all over except the work of getting back home. It isn't a disappointment tho. . . . . I have never been in the hard part of it, I guess that is why I wasn't so sick of it. I know all right what a bomb sounds like, and I've sat on the edge of a trench waiting for a piece of shrapnel to find me, but you know the boys in the infantry have not only that to contend with, but they have to live under conditions much harder than we of the Air Service do. Another reason I am bouncing with joy these days is Kid [his younger brother Carlton]. He is in the infantry, and I know that he has and is doing much more of the work that a soldier is supposed to do than I have and am.
"I suppose it was a glad day in the States when the news arrived. It was more than that here. It was almost an insane day. The evenings of the 11th, 12th and 13th were the wildest thing in the way of joy let loose and happiness unrestrained that I ever expect or hope to see. Have you ever read Dicken's book "The Tale of Two Cities?" I couldn't help thinking of that while watching these crowds of Frenchmen and Americans celebrate. The streets were only partly lighted. After four years most of the lights that they did have in the street were out of commission, just simply because they had not been used for so long. The old town did put on all the brightness that she could, and she put out all the flags she could, both French and American. But at that the side streets were all dark and the brightest streets were only half lit. The crowds got together without any plan, just a great big mob. The Americans gave a band concert for a short time and when that broke up a couple of drummers and a bugler or two struck out through the town. Before they had gone half a block several thousand others, men, women, kids, girls, everybody that could walk was following them. Flags were torn down from the buildings and carried by the mob. The streets were a mass of people all singing and cheering. I climbed up on the steps of the Hotel d'Ville, which is the Town Hall in French, and from there I could look down on all that took place. The sight there of those thousands of people swarming about in the half-dark singing and shouting, with the flags flying and the drums and bugles, is something that I for one will never forget.
"I haven't heard from Kid. I suppose he has been moving about so that he didn't get my last couple letters. I am hoping every day to hear from him again so that I can tell if it will be possible to see him. I think probably that he will be on the army of occupation which is going up into Germany and if he is I'm pretty sure of beating him home. I don't think it will be so very long before that happens, perhaps two or three months.
". . . . I have found my rich widow all O. K. too. Rather, she isn't a widow, but she is perfectly willing to take a chance on North America. She is really rich too. Now what do you think of that? If it wasn't for the fact that I have my plans all laid pretty well already for my future which does not include her, I think I would accept her offer. It would be pretty nice to have a "Castle in France" where I could spend my time eating French cooking and kicking the servants about the house. Don't you think so?
"Well, this has grown into a fairly good sized letter after all, and so I have fulfilled my promise. I will have many things to say when I see you but I can't seem to get them on paper. I only hope that Kid and I will be able to show up at the family board at the same time. After a year of "Corned Willie" etc., we sure will be able to appreciate a little sauerkraut or bread with real butter on it. I suppose it is against the rules to hoard anything. If you can, though, try to fill the cellar up with pies and cakes etc., so that we will not run short the first day at least. Figure on about forty or fifty pies a day for each of us for the first week. After that we may get used to it and be able to eat more."
Sgt. R. W. Knott, Air Service, General Headquarters, American E. F.

Raymond W. Knott, male cauc.; b. 23 January 1891, Minnesota, USA; father Henry Knott; mother Berta Kratz; married to Alice Phiefer; accountant in metallurgical business; resident 18 E. Valencia Drive., Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ 85040 for ten years; formerly resident in Great Falls, MT; information provided by Mrs. Alice Knott, wife, 12 Sept. 1968.
died 11:50 AM, 10 September 1968, Memorial Hospital, Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ; age 77
burial 14 September 1968, East Resthaven Park, Phoenix, AZ; Bloom's South Phoenix Mortuary, 3800 S. Central, Phoenix, AZ.

Raymond Wesley Knott, age 26, born January 23, 1891, Raymond, Minnesota, USA
Address: 101 - 1st Av. N, Great Falls, Mont.
Occupation: Cerk [sic] B & M Smelter (class 19)
Employer: ACM Co., Great Falls, Montana
Natural born citizen, no dependents, unmarried, Caucasian, no previous military experience, no exemption requested
Medium height, medium build, blue eyes, dark har, not bald, no lost limbs or other disabilities

Contract made in duplicate 4 Feb 1922
Between George H. Knott and Neva Knott his wife of Clear Lake, WA
and Raymond W. Knott of Great Falls, MT
Who purchased
-- see brother George Knott for full text

Between George H. Knott and Neva Knott his wife
And Raymond W. Knott
Who paid $10
-- see brother George Knott for full text

George Henry Knott obituary
George Henry Knott is survived by his brother, Ray Knott of Phoenix, Ariz.

Raymond Knott, born 23 January 1891, Social Security issued in the state of Montana, died Septermber 1968, Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona.

3321 Second Ave
Knott, Raymond W., head 49, married, 2 yrs High School, b. MN, same house 5 yrs ago, employed, clerk in smelter, worked 52 weeks last yr, $1900 income
, Alice (informant), wife, 43, married, grade 8, b. MN, same house, not employed, does housework at home
, Robert W., son, 19, single, 4 yrs High School, b. MT, same house, employed, worked 40 hours last week, laborer in smelter, worked 19 weeks last yr, $388
, James R., son, 17, single, not in school, 2 yrs High School, b. MT, same place 5 yrs ago, not employed, looking for work, unemployed 13 weeks, New Washer, not annual income, other sources of income
, Alice M., dau, 1, b. MT

3321 2nd Ave North
Knott, Raymond W., owns home worth $3000, 39, married age 29, b. MN, fa b. Holland, mo b. Germany, office clerk, smelter, veteran of World War
, Alice, wife, 33, married age 23, b. MN, both parents b. Holland
, Robert, son, 9, b. MT, at school
, James, son, 7, b. MT, at school