Hello, Lloyd Chaffee here. I guess Irene would like me to fill you in on a few things. Let's start where I started. I was born to Crystal and Victor Chaffee on June 28th in 1919 in West Union. And, had one sister Marion. She married Bob Dixon from Bradford. Dad found his way to the Greenwood area via an orphan train from New York City along with his brother Milton and sister Blanche.
Are you familiar with the orphan trains? Well, back when so many people were dying of consumption, now known as tuberculosis, children who lost their parents to this dreaded disease in the cities were loaded on trains and brought west, stopping at station after station where farmers and other families could pick one out and give them a home. Most of the time children were split up as families couldn't take them all. A lot of them didn't even get to stay in the same town, let alone the same state. I guess my father was lucky. While his siblings were not adopted into the same family, they stayed around the area. Blanche being the farthest away in the Almond area. And, they got to keep their family name. I guess I could have had another name and not been Lloyd Chaffee.
For a short time we lived across from the American Legion and then moved to a home on Fenton Avenue. That is where my parents stayed until they passed away.
I attended Greenwood Union School, down where the town barns sit now. Officially, I was a member of the first graduating class from Greenwood Central School. While I never attended the new school, we did graduate in the auditorium there in 1936.
After high school, I started working at the Erie Railroad where my dad had worked. I swept floors for $.41 per hour. An apprenticeship opens and it sounded like a good idea. I could learn to be an machinist. Only drawback, I would make 3 cents less an hour. I guess that was the cost of learning a trade. So I took it.
I continued to work there and began dating Irene Wallace. She told you about that. As Irene also told you, we were married in 1943.
Dad's brother Milton worked at The Erie too. He was active in trying to unionize. I was caught in the middle. I was not too interested in the union, but, Uncle Milton was tough. I talked about leaving and joining my Dad at Carborundum in Niagra Falls. Uncle Milton reminded me that railroad workers were exempt from the draft and that if I went, I would probably be drafted. I went anyway. Irene joined me. She filled you in on the boarding house.
And, just as Uncle Milton warned, I was drafted in 1944. I went ahead and joined the Navy. I was sent to Falmouth, England to repair boats. You know the hinges on those landing crafts took at beating when the sides were dropped to offload cargo and troops.
A bunch of the guys and I would hang out at this little pub in town. The owner was a wonderful lady. When an air raid siren would go off, she would send all the locals off to a shelter and take us into her basement. Looking back, she was smart. The townies hadn't any money and we did. She just kept serving us beer while we waited for the all clear.
Jeanette (Lamphier) Jackson here. Walt and I took at trip to England and looked up this famous pub. The owner was still there. She remembered Lloyd. Called him High Pockets.
Duane here. I don't know if it was because of where his pockets rode as he was 6'5" or maybe there was another reason. It certainly wasn't for the same reason as Clair Phillips, a WWII spy with that Code Name.
Another form of recreation was playing softball. I usually played catcher. That is how I shattered my finger and ended up in a hospital in Virginia Beach and then back in Niagra Falls until October of 1946. I returned to Carborundum and the boarding house, then we moved on to the house at Love Canal with our first born Gary.
In January 1947, Irene and I decided it was time to come back to Greenwood. We lived next to Irene's parents upstairs at Dr. Hardenburg's. And, we purchased the hardware store from the Matthews. Ori Freeland stayed on with us for a time. As the others as Irene told you helped out at the store. Duane was born.
I went out doing repairs and working as a mail carrier and Irene held down the store. Even after we "retired" and sold the store to Duane, Irene and I spent a lot of time there.
Duane again. Yes, I am not even sure that most people knew I bought the store. There were times when a customer walked in and passed right by me to talk to Dad. Oh well, it was still Chaffee's hardware.
We decided we needed a bigger house and built a new one on the foundation of Carney's old store in 1951. We lived out our days in that house.
Well most of the time. I had a lot that I purchased in the 30s. So, I built a cottage at the lake around 1954. We spent weekends and summers there. Herm and Edith Wallace had a house on one side and Stan and Joanne Holt on the other. Nearby were the Dixon brothers, Bob and Marion of course and Cliff and his wife too. As Irene said, we will let the boys talk more about that.
Speaking of living, we lived it up, small town style. Did you see me in the Fireman's Follies. Here's a reminder.
We firemen and our families could sure put on a show, couldn't we? No role too far fetched, that's for sure.
After the boys grew up and moved out, we spent some winters in Florida and Arizona. I moved on from softball to golf.
Gary here. Yeah, sometimes I think Dad spent more time looking for golf balls than playing. You just can't take that depression era thinkin' out of someone, can you?
Life was good. I look forward to finding out how my boys remember it.