Work and War on the Road to Portland

I began and ended one of my recent posts with the question: How did Masonia Scott Worthen, sister of my 2x Great-Grandmother Scoatney Scott Cooper, end up moving all the way from Georgia to Portland, Oregon in the early 1900s?

 

She didn't. Well, at least, not all at once. It turns out that Masonia and three of her sons* actually made a pit stop in Washington State along the way. How do I know? World War I records provide the answers.

I want you for U.S. Army : nearest recruiting station / James Montgomery Flagg. 1917. Library of Congress. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

On June 5th of 1917, just 2 months after the United States officially entered into the Great War (World War I), three of Masonia's sons registered for the Selective Service draft. Solomon, the oldest, was in his late 20s. Thomas, next oldest, was about 24. Then came Henry, somewhere between 21 and 23. Grant Worthen was not yet old enough to enlist, but by the time of the third round of draft registrations, when men ages 18-45 who had not previously registered were called, it was his turn. He registered on September 12th, 1918, aged about 19 or 20.

Looking at their Draft Registrations Cards, we get the story of their geography pretty quickly: Solomon is living in Atlanta, Georgia in 1917. (The family had moved here between 1910 and 1911.)

(Page 1 of 2)

But Thomas and Henry are residing in Shelton, Mason County, Washington State in June of 1917.

By September of 1918, Grant absolutely was as well.

What of Masonia? She's right there in Washington State with her younger sons - whereas Thomas and Henry's forms don't make this clear, Grant's thankfully does. Take a look at his nearest relation's name and address:

Snippet of Grant Warthen's WWI Draft Registration Card, P1.

Taking another look at their forms and you'll see what Grant and his brothers are up to in Shelton: logging! I'll dig into that another day (there's lot's more research to be done), but it's a likely guess that these young men were recruited or otherwise heard of available work in the logging camps in Washington State while still in Georgia and made their way across the country seeking opportunities. (Perhaps mom Masonia was the catalyst, or maybe she was simply in tow.)

Thomas, Henry, and Solomon down in Georgia all served during World War I. (Grant was lucky - he registered for the draft just 2 months before the Armistice which ended the war on November 11th, 1918.) During this time and immediately after, we know that Masonia continued to reside in Shelton; passenger lists for the U.S. Army Transport Service returning men to the United States in 1919 list her as the emergency contact for each of her serving sons, and as you can see on Thomas's, she is reachable at Box 4:

How, then, do they make the move from Washington State to Portland? It seems that Grant got to make the first move, quite literally. While his brothers were away at war, Grant learned of a job at the Golden West Hotel, a black-owned business that had been open in Portland for about 12 years by 1918. Somehow, he landed himself a position as a porter and shows up employed there in the 1918 Portland City Directory.

By 1920, his mother Masonia, brothers Thomas and Henry, sister Cherry Anne, and her daughter Lena Hillsman, had all joined him. And, if this record is correct - I haven't ordered land records yet - they'd already purchased a family home. So in the end, Masonia traveled:

•  from Sparta, Hancock County, Georgia (where she was born about 1863) 
• to Atlanta, Georgia (where she parented a brood of teens and tweens in 1910 and 1911)
• to Shelton, Mason County, Washington (where she waved her sons off to World War I)
• to Portland, Oregon (where she established a home about 1920 and was laid to rest in 1951)

You'll probably have noticed a few things in this story: First, Masonia Worthen is widowed. Second, so - apparently - is her daughter. Third, several of Masonia's children who had appeared in the 1900 Federal Census are not mentioned. These are all stories for another day (and more research), but do stay tuned - there's more coming!

Do you know anything about how or why Masonia and her family got to Shelton, Washington or Portland, Oregon? Please connect with me in the comments below!


*Daughter Cherry Anne was in her late 20s at the time, and may or may not have been with them. Cherry Anne's daughter, Lena Mae Hillsman was born in Georgia in 1915, so Cherry Anne had not yet left the state at that point.