Laura Russel CHAFEE

Notes:

I have very happy memories of my grandmother, which is one reason why I named my older daughter after her. We would often visit her on Heath Avenue in Warwick. Once I even got to spend the night with her. The next day we walked a couple of miles to the shopping center across from Aldrich Junior High. I wanted to buy some doll clothes, but she said, "I can make those for you, Dear." And she did -- beautiful ones, for our baby dolls and grown-up dolls. She did lovely embroidery, too, which she gave as gifts in the form of pillows, table and bed linens, and framed pictures. In later years, when she moved to Ashland, MA, we would usually ride up to see her on Sunday afternoons. After I learned to drive, one summer day I borrowed my dad's car and drove up there with my cousin Barbara, and we took her to the seashore for lunch. Another time I rolled her hair up for her. In the early 1970s, Rich and I would drop in on her, and get her talking about the old days. Once she got started, the stories followed one after another. She'd get out the photographs, laugh about this or that event, and often give her opinion in no uncertain terms. More than once she said she had married too young, on her 18th birthday. But I'm glad she did, because my dad was born a little over a year later, the first of six sons. What a life! I'm sure her marriage, and her whole life, had its ups and downs. At one point their farmhouse burned down, and the family had to move into a little shanty for a while. My grandparents certainly set an example of hard work and determination for generations to follow. While I never met my grandfather, I know he was proud of his children and grandchildren. My grandmother was very much a part of our family, and I only wish she had lived to be a part of the lives of my children, too.

I have copies of Laura's birth, marriage, and death certificates, plus a copy of the page from the 1900 Census at Bristol which shows her family when Laura was one year old. Also, her gravestone has been photographed.

The birth record at Bristol says she is the second child born to Frank & Mary Chafee.

Laura married Chester Philip REMINGTON, Sr. 28 Apr 1917, Coventry, Kent Co., RI. Chester (son of John Allen REMINGTON and Angeretta Williams WHITFORD) was born 10 Feb 1894, Anthony Village, Coventry, RI; died 9 May 1948, Providence, Providence Co., RI; was buried 11 May 1948, Woodland Cemetery, Washington & Knotty Oak Sts., Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I have two different copies of his birth certificate, one a card issued at Coventry, RI, and the other a paper from the RI Dept. of Health. I am told he was born on a Tuesday.

My dad Norman was born on the family farm off Knotty Oak Rd. in Coventry, RI. We have some pictures of the farm (see Remington section of the photo gallery, "Remington brothers together," at our web site). Tragically, the two-family farmhouse burned down when my dad was six years old. After this, his family moved into a shanty and stayed there for a while. Quoted below are some reminiscences from my dad Norman about his grandmother Angeretta (Whitford) Remington, about the big farmhouse, and about the fire there. They always believed the fire was set. The adjoining farm belonged to my dad's uncle, John Francis (we called him Uncle Fran), who kept cows there even when I was a child in the 1950s. We used to go blueberrying there, and I was afraid of being confronted face-to-face by a cow, which did actually happen once! In very recent years that property has passed out of our family, and part of it is now a new plat. One of the streets is Remington Farm Drive. On an old map, I've seen that another Remington may have owned that land adjacent to my great uncle.

About the farmhouse: "There were two front doors. The first one as one approached from the road led into a long hall way extending the width of the main section of the house. At the end was the door opening into the ell kitchen. Doors on the left were to my Grandmother's bedroom (used whenever she was with us) and to a downstairs bedroom. At a right angle to that was the door to the cellar stairs. The stairway to the upstairs rooms began near the door to the kitchen. From the right side of the hall were doors to the parlor (as it was called in those days) and the dining room.

"Grandma's bedroom windows were between the front doors. The second one was Aunt Velna's front door, which opened into a small entry, from which a door to the left led into her parlor.

"My grandmother [Angeretta] was a practical nurse, attending women about to give birth and for some time afterwards. Confinements lasted several days at that time. Between work opportunities she would be on the farm, sleeping in her room in our house, where the furnishings were hers. So my earliest memories are that she was with us from time to time. When she was there she was a great help to my mother. Later on she also worked as a housekeeper/cook. When I was in the second grade she kept house for a Mrs. Maynard (or Menard), who was legally blind. This was on Boston Street, Anthony, which is off the main street directly opposite the big mill.

"The fire destroyed the house December 27, 1924. It was discovered some time before daybreak, when my mother thought my father was trying to waken her. Later, she always said she thought it was an angel. Anyway, she smelled smoke, and woke my father. Our collie dog, Major, usually was in the kitchen overnight (no doubt, during cold weather), and he pushed open the door to the hall, again no doubt because of flames and heat. All of us were out of the house, and in my father's truck, in the big meadow across the driveway from the house, while it was still dark."

Dad enlisted at Providence, RI, on 29 Aug 1942, as a Private in the US Army. He was a resident of Providence, married, an insurance clerk with 2 years of college; height 74 inches and weight 158 lbs.

Norman married Edna Virginia BERRY 6 Sep 1941, Providence, RI. Edna (daughter of John Holland BERRY and Ellen COLEMAN) was born 25 Mar 1918, Providence, RI; died 20 Nov 2010, Warwick, Kent Co., RI; was buried 24 Nov 2010, Woodland Cemetery, Washington & Knotty Oak Sts., Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Raymond Remington is listed in the 1936 yearbook of Central High School, Providence, as the Treasurer of the club Il Circolo Giovanile.

In the 1939 Cranston City Directory, Raymond was listed as living at 67 Turner Ave. In the 1940 federal census he was age 19, living on Kilvert St., Warwick, and was a fireman at a laundry. The 1941 Cranston City Directory listed him as a station attendant at the Esso Service Station in Hillsgrove.

Ray enlisted in the US Navy on 14 Aug 1941.

After serving in the Navy, Raymond came home from the service 8 Feb 1948.

Raymond married Marie Frances Scott 15 Jul 1944, Athens, GA. Marie (daughter of James Henry Scott and Mildred Edson) was born 12 May 1919, MA; died 17 Feb 2012, MA; was buried , Edgell Grove, Framingham, MA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

The One Consolation of a Soldier

poem written by Pvt. Russel Philip Remington on January 2, 1943
sent to his mother, Laura Russel Remington, from North Africa, during World War II
he died in combat on March 31, 1943

Dear Mom as I sit looking up into the sky tonight
all lighted with millions of stars and the silvery moonlight
My thoughts are brought closer to home and you
Because this same sky over me is over you too.
The sky covers a great span
over thousands of miles of sea from land to land
On that side is glittering New York and home
and on this side the dark African sand and me sitting alone.
There's a bitter war to be fought over here
where many fellows like me are fighting
for loved ones at home who we love so dear.
But some day we're going to win this fight
And then we too will be looking at
the other side of the sky and the moonlight.


RI Pvt 39 Inf 9 Inf Div/World War II


The following link leads to a web site which tells of the battles in Tunisia around the time Russel was killed:
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-C-Tunisia/

I believe Russel died, probably between 6 am and 12:45 pm, in an offensive commanded by General Patton and known as Benson Force. The took place in and around the El Guettar Valley, between Gafsa and Gabes, Tunisia.

Russel — . Unknown [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Elliott enlisted in the Army 2 July 1942.

Elliott married Luena Mildred Angell 24 May 1947, Rhode Island. Luena (daughter of George Frederick Angell and Mildred Lowary Anderson) was born 31 Dec 1924, Providence, RI; died 4 Jul 1999; was buried , Moshassuck Cemetery, Lonsdale Avenue, Central Falls RI. [Group Sheet]

Elliott married Jacqueline Rae Hall 8 Jul 1955, Lewiston, ME. Jacqueline (daughter of Leslie Raymond Hall and Frances Gertrude Shaw) was born 6 Dec 1927, Augusta, ME; died 2 Jul 2017, Hawaii. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

He enlisted in the US Navy 11 Aug 1944 and was released 6 June 1946.

US Navy World War II Muster Rolls list Chester's service number as 205 78 76.

His rating was S1c (Seaman 1st class) on some of the ship USS Anacosta's muster rolls, for example: quarter ending 1 Oct 1945; month ending 1 Mar 1946, sailing from Okinawa to Pearl Harbor.

On other muster rolls of the same ship, his rating was S2c (Seaman 2nd class): 25 Feb 1945, 31 Mar 1945, and 27 Apr 1945 sailing from San Pedro, CA.

Report of changes for period ending 19 June 1946 USS Saginaw Bay: Chester P. Remington, rating at date of last report: Cox (Coxswain).

Coxswain: works with canvas and handles boats; knows signaling.

Chester married Ruth H. Burlingame Abt 1948, Rhode Island. Ruth was born 16 Nov 1927, RI; died 31 Jan 2001, TX. [Group Sheet]

Chester married Lillian Eva Bennett 26 Apr 1958, Old South Church, Boston, MA. Lillian (daughter of John Alan Bennett and Mary Watson Nisbet) was born 13 Jun 1918, Riverside, RI; died 21 Jun 2002, Marblehead, Essex Co., MA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

He enlisted in the US Navy 13 Feb 1948.

Richard married Althea Lowary Angell 1958, Great Lakes, IL; divorced 20 Mar 1990, Virginia. Althea (daughter of George Frederick Angell and Mildred Lowary Anderson) was born 17 Dec 1928, Providence, RI; died 14 May 2022, Virginia Beach, VA. [Group Sheet]

Richard married Eunice Irene Wilder 28 May 1991, Phoenix, AZ. Eunice (daughter of Paul Luther Wilder and Nellie Maude Miller) was born 24 Mar 1931, St. Petersurg, FL; died 11 Jun 2021, Virginia Beach, VA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I'm told that she was born on a Thursday.

Elizabeth married Thomas Leslie Willett 28 Aug 1969, North Kingstown, RI. Thomas (son of Edward John Willett and Ruth Georgina Shea) was born 7 Feb 1947. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Russell was born on a Sunday.

Russell married Deborah Ann Simmons 29 Aug 1970, Warwick, RI. Deborah was born 8 May 1950. [Group Sheet]

Russell married Kathleen Crabtree 18 Sep 1981, Los Angeles, California. Kathleen (daughter of Graydon Timmons Crabtree and Ruth Carpenter) was born 27 Apr 1954. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I was born on a Tuesday.

My son Paul was born on my birthday in 1979. He was my best birthday present ever!

Lois married Richard Brahe Sorensen 16 Jun 1973, North Kingstown, RI. Richard (son of Paul Brahe Sorensen and Katherine Ann Nikolaisen) was born 25 Sep 1951, Minneapolis, MN. [Group Sheet]

Richard married Dorothy McNally 7 Jun 1969, Portland, ME; divorced 1973. [Group Sheet]

Richard married Elizabeth "Beth" Bottomley 1978; divorced 1985. Elizabeth was born 23 Dec 1950. [Group Sheet]

Mildred married Robert William Bright 19 Oct 1968, Warwick, RI. [Group Sheet]

Mildred married David Langdon Atwell, Jr. 1994. [Group Sheet]

Annette married David Christian Harmon 13 Dec 1975, Warwick, RI. [Group Sheet]

Annette married Rene Klein Abt 1986. Rene died 10 Feb 2017. [Group Sheet]

Annette married George H. Warren Aft Feb 2017. [Group Sheet]

Derek married Suzanne Porter 9 Jun 2001, South Lake Tahoe, CA. [Group Sheet]

Keith married Tracy Lynn Landino Abt 4 Mar 1995. [Group Sheet]

Keith married Katherine Yau 6 May 2000, Newport Beach, CA. Katherine (daughter of Phillip Yau and Georgiana Unknown) was born 3 Nov 1972, Hong Kong, China. [Group Sheet]

Keith married Tina Thuong Thi Nugyen 1 May 2020. Tina was born 19 Dec 1981. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

His name was later changed to Peter Clark Schilleci.

Clifford — Dell Helene Schilleci. [Group Sheet]

Lisa married Jay Irwin Simon 28 Jun 2006, Marblehead, MA. Jay was born Abt 1950. [Group Sheet]

David — Katya Kallsen. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Edna and her ex-husband Mark have gone their separate ways and she is now using the name Anna Russel.

Edna — Mark Earl Johnson. Mark was born 7 Nov 1957, Margate Kent, England. [Group Sheet]

Barbara — . Unknown [Group Sheet]

Allyn — . Unknown [Group Sheet]

Camilla married Sean Welch 8 Jan 1994, Tucson, AZ. Sean was born , Arizona. [Group Sheet]

Camilla married Henry Jay "Hank" Wyckoff 19 Aug 2005, Tucson, AZ. [Group Sheet]

Heidi married Jed Andrew Hollenbach 28 Dec 1997, Tucson, AZ. Jed was born Abt 7 Aug 1973. [Group Sheet]

Adria married Joel Carl Pearson 22 Mar 2003, Chicago, Illinois. Joel (son of Eric Lincoln Pearson and Dorothy Victoria Carlson) was born 20 Aug 1962, Rockford, Illinois. [Group Sheet]

Adria married Jim Leonardo 12 Feb 2021, Chicago, IL. [Group Sheet]

Lance married Erin Eileen May 14 Apr 2001, Portal, AZ. [Group Sheet]

Lance married Tracy Claire Sole 16 Dec 2016, Tucson, AZ. [Group Sheet]

Steven — . Unknown [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Jenny was born in a Sunday.

Jennifer — . Unknown [Group Sheet]

Laura married Wayne Curtis Kneeland 17 Sep 2016, Bristol, RI. Wayne (son of Douglas Eugene Kneeland and Anne Packard Libby) was born 12 Jul 1960. [Group Sheet]

Benjamin — . Unknown [Group Sheet]

Paul married Elena Alekseyevna Savinova 17 Aug 2015, Juneau, Alaska. Elena (daughter of Aleksey Savinov and Tatiana Makuch) was born 18 Nov 1986, Krasnoozyornoye, USSR. [Group Sheet]

Karla married Philip Andrew Curry 15 Sep 2001, North Kingstown, RI. Philip (son of Thomas Morton Curry, III and Sylvia Jacqueline Bonard) was born 11 Apr 1979, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Daniel Peter and Karla Marie are twins. After our first three children were born, Rich & I considered whether we should have any more children. When I was growing up as the youngest one in my own childhood family, I often wished for another sibling to share good times with, lamenting that I always was the one left behind. So, I thought it would be great to end with twins, so no one would have to be the "last one." So I confided in God, telling him that I thought my idea was a good one, and that if he gave us twins, I would know he was telling us that we should not have any more children after that -- we would end with twins. Well, afterwards I occasionally wondered if he had really heard that prayer. Some time later, when we discovered we were going to have another child, I half expected the doctor to tell us it was twins. Months went by and I had decided it was probably not to be, until one day during a routine exam, guess what -- twins! So, within a year of that prayer, we had another beautiful girl and boy.

Daniel married Jennifer Larson 6 Jun 2009, Bristol, RI. Jennifer (daughter of Randy Larson and Lydia Vee Wilson) was born 10 Dec 1980, Plantation, FL. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

He was born on Easter Day.

James — Lindsay Passmore. [Group Sheet]

Colleen married Christopher Jerald Lemacher 2 Feb 2003. Christopher was born 28 Oct 1970. [Group Sheet]

Daniel — Carlene Diana Hillier. Carlene (daughter of Donald Hillier and Mary Ann Unknown) was born 24 May 1980, Manchester, CT; died 1 Jul 2015. [Group Sheet]

Kelli — Steve Holland. Steve was born 4 Mar 1988, VA. [Group Sheet]