Arthur Hobert Willt 1899
Fourth member in George W. and Zerelda A. Willt family.
Arthur Hobert Willt
b. 4 Jan. 1899 d. 10 Aug. 1941 a. 42
m. 1919 to Christina Josephine (Shaffer) Willt daughter of Joseph
and Rose (Wolf) Shaffer, b. 20 Jun. 1900
bp. Oakland, MD d. 23 Sep. 1985
rp. St. Peters Catholic section of the Oakland Cemetery, MD.
bb. Her Husband. The graves are near the gate opening
in the stone fence along Forth Street.
Arthur was employed by his father in building new homes in Crellin, MD. He later worked in the coal mines. About 1920 or 22 he bought out Uncle Charles Merrill's partnership share of an agreement along with Harry McRobie to purchase the John W. Haney farm near Kings Hill on Route 219. The partnership failed and the farm was reclaimed by Mr. Haney. Shortly after he was employed in the construction of Deep Creek Lake near McHenry, MD. It was here he learn the blacksmith trade. He moved on to Havre de Grace to help construct the Conewingo Dam.
About 1930 he moved his family to Ardsley, NY; then to Elmsford, NY. were he was employed to sharpen drills for the blasting of rock to complete an aqueduct from Catskill to New York City.
It was in Elmsford that the author (Clarence) first met the Willt family. When nine and ten years of age, Clarence played with Young Harold Willt. Clarence considered his sister to be, a stuck up snob nose. When he met her later, he found her to be a beautiful woman and married her.
When the aqueduct project was finished, he moved to Cairo, NY were he found employment with a local stone quarry. The nation was in the grip of a deep depression. Work was scarce. Feeding a family was a desperate struggle. About then, The United States exchanged 100 naval destroyers for British sites to construct U.S. naval bases in Trinidad, South America. Arthur accepted employment there in May of 1941 as means to support his family. He spent a couple of days with Guy McRobie in Greenburg, NY before boarding the ship south.
McRobie at one time, told the author (Clarence) how very depressed Arthur was leaving his family in Cairo. He died of malaria one month after his daughter Geraldine and Clarence were married. His last letter asked the name of the groom, not a pleasant memory, but they were depressive times.
Quotation in "The Republican", Oakland, MD:
|
Word has been received here by
relatives announcing the death of Arthur Willt, which occurred in Georgetown,
British Guinea, South America, on Sunday 10 Aug. 1941. He was the son of
the late Mr. and Mrs. George Willt of Oakland. He previously resided in Cairo,
NY and had accepted a job in South America. He had been in that part of the
world since May, 1941.
Wilt's body will be sent from Georgetown (today) and will reach New York Thursday From there the body will be sent to Oakland, MD where it will be interred in Oakland cemetery. The deceased had been away from Oakland for twenty years. He was 42 years old. |
A later Republican quotation:
|
"The remains of Arthur Willt who died Sunday,
August 10, 1941, as a result of a week's illness of malaria, arrived in Oakland
yesterday. Funeral services are being conducted this afternoon, September
4, at 2 o'clock from the Bolden Funeral Home Rev. Minor Sprague, Methodist minister is officiating. Interment will be in St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery. Arthur went to South America on April 24, 1941 with the Elmhurst Construction Company to build a US naval base. |
The following obituary from the "Republican is entered here. The reason is
the possibility of not researching the Shaffer family genealogy further in
this work.
|
"Joint graveside services will be conducted for a mother and daughter, Mrs.
Christina J. Willt and Geraldine E. Coogan on Wednesday October 9, 1985,
at the Oakland cemetery at 930 a.m.. Both bodies were previously cremated.
Rev. Martin Field will officiate.
Mrs. Christina J. Willt, age 85, of Catskill, NY, formally of Oakland, MD, died Monday 23, 1985 at the Catskill Memorial Hospital. She was preceded in death by her husband Arthur H. Willt in 1941. She is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Regina Carrotti of Saugerties, NY and Mrs. Clarabell Enger of Leeds, NY; one son Harold Willt of Catskill, NY; two sisters, Mrs. Cecilia Hardesty of Terra Alta, WV and Mrs. Catherine McRobie of Denver, CO.; several grand children and great grand children. |
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Members in Arthur H. and Christina J. (Shaffer) Willt family
Clarence Willt b. 1919
d. 1920
a. 1
Geraldine E Willt b.
21 Mar. 1921 d. 18 Jan. 1985 a. 64
Harold H. Willt b. 11 Jul. 1922
d. 22 Jul. 1994 a. 72
Regina Willt b.
1 Oct. 1924
Clarabell Willt b. 19
Oct. 1926 d. 10 Sep. 1991 a. 65
All were born in Garrett County, Oakland, MD
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