Person:Roy Blake (1)

Spanish American War Veteran-Private, Company M, 19th Regulars, U.S. Infantry Enlisted May 1898 in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Honorable discharge June, 1899 in Ponce, Puerto Rico (muster out) Had Malaria and Typhoid from service.

Harold's birth certificate indicates that Roy was occupation was farmer in Golden, Michigan which is nearby to Hart.

A copy of "The Mears Newz", dated June 30, 1950, had the following article concerning the death of Roy in Chicago:

      " Roy Blake dies in Chicago.  He used to be a potato buyer in Hart around 30 years back in the colorful days when wagons lined up down State street four blocks from the east tracks and the potato buyers would jump up on the whiffletree and bid .49, .50, .52 cents a bushel.   Roy was more agile on the jumping than John Wallace and John Wachter, but E. R. Hubbard was pretty spry and active, too.

Those were the grand old days when farmers could get their dinner at the restaurants for .25 cents." (Mears is a town near Hart)

Draft registration indicates he was Commission Merchant self employed (dealt with produce) in Hart, Oceana county , Michigan.

U. S. Postal Clerk in Chicago until retirement.

His birthdate is off of WW1 draft registration - differs from Josephus Blake's Army Pension application (Civil War) by 2 more years. Some variances in year depending on document.

Per Susan Stahr on the Internet Site Michigan Family History Network, Roy's first name was Winthrop with "R" indicated as his middle initial. His birthdate was shown as October 10, 1875 rather than October 12,1875.

A copy of Roy's birth certificate obtained from Kalamazoo county on Feb 2, 2002, indicates he was born on Oct 10, 1875 rather than Oct 12, 1875 but draft registration shows Oct 12, 1877.