John Linton Lilly
30 May 1908 – 29 Aug 1999
I was born in Warren Township, Winona County, Minnesota about 4.5 miles southeast of Lewiston, in a house that I believe was called the "Sartwell" place. It was located on the west side of the road, less than an eighth of a mile north of Brott's corners. A man named Brott had a store on the northwest corner of the road intersection. The town hall was located on the southwest corner of the intersection and is still shown there on the 1981 Winona County map.
My sister, Olive Marie Lilly, was born in the farm house on the southeast corner of the intersection on April 15, 1912. Our family lived there at that time. Some time between April 15, 1912 and June 28, 1914, our family moved to the Schonneger farm about 4.5 road miles almost due east of Lewiston. My brother, Luther, was born there on June
28, 1914. My three older brothers were: Lawrence, born Sept 1, 1900 in a log cabin in Fremont township, Winona County, MN, died March 31, 1967, at Gonzales, TX; Albinus Harper born May 13, 1903 in Winona, MN, died March 1, 1983 at Riverside, CA.; and Jesse Jerome born Sep. 5, 1905 in Warren township, Winona County, MN. (These places of birth were told to me when I was a young boy. I have not attempted to verify them.)
I learned to ride Lawrence's bicycle there. My legs were not long enough to reach the pedals, and the bike and I headed down the drive, coasting, to the roadway with no way of stopping except by tipping over when I reached the other side of the road. Neither the bike nor I suffered very much damage. We lived there several years. The four oldest boys, Lawrence, Harper, Jesse and I slept in an upstairs bedroom in two double beds. Occasionally we would get in a pillow fight until our father would shout at us when we would stop and go to sleep.
During this time my father bought a threshing rig, steam engine and grain thresher. We were in a threshing group with several farmers of German descent who lived on "Dutch Ridge". Their road was located along a ridge north of the Schonneger farm. Each farmer would harvest and shock his own grain. When it was time to thresh, they all worked together as a crew - moving the engine and thresher from farm to farm. The farmer's wife cooked a big dinner for the entire crew. One dinner that my mother cooked included beans and she cooked them in the dish pan because it was the only pan that she had that was large enough.
Some time during World War I, my father moved the family to Mercedes, Texas. It must have been during the winter of 1917-1918 (Luther says he was four years old, Marie said she went to First Grade in Mercedes; so it was probably 1918). I remember getting off the train while it was stopped in Houston, Texas. The air was warm, and it seemed like spring. It wasn't easy for a nine year old, me, who had lived in Minnesota all his life to understand how it could be so warm and pleasant in winter time. My father had purchased 40 acres north of Mercedes, that didn't have irrigation water available. So, as a result, it couldn't be farmed. He also purchased 7 acres in Mercedes and that is where we lived. I believe we all lived there except Lawrence who probably remained in Minnesota or went to Oklahoma. These seven acres are located, in 1984, southeast of the corner of 16th and Ohio streets. The First Methodist Church is now located there. My Grandfather, Grandmother Nettleton and son Ralph (my Uncle) also moved to Mercedes. I believe it was 1918. Grandpa and Ralph drove a car. They had to take a route from San Antonio to Del Rio then down the old river road because there was no roadway to the "Valley" at that time.
In January 1984, my Aunt Ida (Wetergrove) Nettleton, Ralph's widow, told me her father made occasional trips from his farm home, near Mercedes, to Austin, Texas, where they previously lived. Because there was no road, he shipped his car to Kingsville by rail and he rode the passenger train to pick up his car and drive from there to Austin.
The family lived in Mercedes for approximately a year and then returned to Minnesota to a farm south and west of Lewiston. While on this farm, my father built an addition to the milk barn. He did the construction work himself. The family, less Lawrence, lived there until about 1925. I believe Harper left home during this period. Father, Mother, Jesse, Marie and Luther moved to the Mercedes, Texas area, and I remained in Lewiston and lived with one of our farmer neighbors, Bill Thompson, while I finished my last year of high school graduating in 1926 with honors as the boy with the highest scholastic rating.
Lawrence, Nita and their daughters Helen, Rebecca and Patricia came to the farm in 1926 and I lived with them during the summer. We had cows that we milked and cared for. I don't remember what financial arrangement we had with our father, but the farm was given up during 1926. I, with Lawrence and family, drove to Mercedes, Texas. I drove my father's truck there, and Lawrence drove his car with his family. Some place in Texas, we became separated, and I didn't have much money. In Alice, Texas, the truck got stuck. After paying to have it pulled out, I barely had enough money to buy gasoline for the rest of the trip to Mercedes, in the Rio Grande Valley.
I obtained work in Harlingen, with the Central Power and Light Co. in their plant that made white ice for refrigerating railroad cars. The vegetables and citrus fruit grown in the Valley was shipped north by railroad. Refrigerated trucking wasn't available. The cars had an ice bunker at each end with a fill hole on top. My first job was operating an electric hoist that lifted 12,300 pound blocks of ice from the freezing tanks and replacing them filled with water for more ice. My next appointment was to be an "Oiler," which required a check of several large ammonia compressors that compressed the ammonia used in cooling the freezing brine tanks. I had to keep oil cups filled, check bearings for proper temperature and ensure that they were operating properly. The salary for an oiler was $90.00 a month for a 12 hour day and a six day week (maybe 7 days.. I have forgotten) and that was a good salary. Later I obtained a position as third engineer in a smaller "ice plant" in Harlingen that made clear ice. Later on I was promoted to a larger ice plant as third engineer in another town (I believe it was Weslaco). This job paid a good salary of $135.00 a month with a shorter week of 60 or 70 hours.
During the summer of 1927, the ice plant at Harlingen closed down during the season that not many refrigerated vegetables were being shipped. I was laid off. So, I went to Brownsville to talk to the Navy recruiter about enlisting in the Navy. He was on vacation; I went back to work when the plant reopened. Some time during the 1928 summer, I was working, but I returned to Brownsville and found the recruiter on the job. He told me there would be a wait of several months to get in. When he learned that I was a High School graduate, he said the wait would only be a few weeks. I filed an application.
My preliminary physical examination was by an Army doctor at Fort Brown, Brownsville who told me I was the type of person the Navy wanted. I was finally sent to the Navy Recruiting Station, Houston, Texas, where I was given a General Classification test, receiving a grade of 85 and a final physical examination. I passed both and was enlisted as Apprentice Seaman for four years on October 8, 1928 with a salary of $21.00 a month. The pay of a Seaman Second Class was $36.00 and of a Seaman First Class $54.00. A third class petty officer earned $60.00 a month. If the record of an A.S. was not blemished, he was usually advanced to S2C after four months. Engine room "BLACK GANG" sailors were designated fireman until they became petty officer. Education was an aid to my prompt acceptance in the Navy.
My father understood this importance and wanted us to have a good quality education. When we lived on the Schonnegar farm, we were in a rural (country) school district; but my father paid tuition and supplied our own transportation to the Lewiston Consolidated School District, which included High School. I did go to the country school for a year. I am not certain of the reason, but I think it was a transportation problem.
The "Navy" transferred me from Houston to the Naval Training Station San Diego, California for recruit training. The first 4 weeks were a quarantine period in a fenced compound that we left only to march to the mess hall for meals. Our quarters were square tents over a raised wooden floor. We slept on steel cots. Training consisted of marching forenoon and afternoon with some seamanship and rifle handling. I weighed 149 pounds when I enlisted. After four weeks we were transferred to masonry buildings, where we slept in hammocks, where recruit training continued. I do not remember how many additional weeks, 8 or 10. Sometime during this period, I submitted an application to attend radio operator school, at the Training Station. It was approved, and after learning the Morse code and some electronics, I was graduated from the fourteen-week course on May 17, 1929. Part of this training included about ten days or two weeks experience at the Naval Radio Station Point Loma.
Before being transferred to a ship, I was granted leave to visit home in Mercedes, Texas. I tried to hitch hike but traffic east of El Centro was mostly travelers who didn't have room for a sailor with luggage. After several hours of trying, I gave up and bought a bus ticket.
I returned to Naval Training Station, San Diego by train and, on the trip, developed trouble with a Pilonidal cyst. I was hospitalized for removal of the cyst, and finally on October 11, 1929, I was transferred to a ship for duty - the USS Procyon at San Pedro, Calif.
The Procyon was flagship of the U.S. Navy Base Force. The Base Force was in charge of furnishing supplies. The Procyon was an old freighter converted with offices and extra crew space for the "Flag" personnel. The "Flag" had radio personnel that handled lots of message traffic from other ships and relayed it to shore. The ship was moored to a buoy and rarely ever went to sea except when the fleet went on maneuvers or she needed to go to a Navy Yard for maintenance. In spring 1930, the Procyon, with the Pacific Fleet made a cruise through the Panama Canal to New York City. While in New York I visited a Mr. Gathercole who, I believe, was a cousin of my Grandmother Nettleton. This visit was made at my family's urging. I noted that the New York subways were fast, cheap, dirty and crowded.
On May 22, 1930 we were at Hampton Roads, Virginia on our return trip. On our way to New York we stopped in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. One day while we were there, a few more than 100 Navy ships were there. During our Cuba visit, the Procyon went to
Cienfuegos, Cuba for a ten-day recreation (liberty) visit. After Cuba, we went to New York.
The Procyon had evaporators for making fresh water but not enough for all the needs of the crew and the ship's boilers so soon after leaving San Pedro. Fresh water was rationed. We were allowed one half a bucket twice a day. After a few days, this was reduced to one half bucket once a day and the fresh water taps were on only for a short time so you couldn't get more. A half bucket of water can do a lot. First, you scrub your teeth, then wash your face. Next you bathe your body and rinse off in a salt water shower. Last, you lather and scrub your clothes and rinse them in salt water.
Naturally, some of the crew were on watch (working) during water hours so they would draw their water and chain their bucket to a rack. Occasionally, someone would swipe their ration of fresh water, and they had none until the next day.
When we reached the Panama Canal Zone, fresh water was purchased and all tanks refilled. Between there and New York we were able to purchase water often enough so that strict rationing wasn't necessary. For example, when we reached Guantanamo Bay, we were rationed two buckets a day. On the return trip water rationing was not a problem. The longest time between ports was from the Canal Zone to San Pedro, but the ship proceeded directly without being involved in any fleet tactical maneuvers. Water rations were ample.
We left Hampton Roads May 26, 1930 and arrived in the Canal Zone about June 5 and were scheduled to arrive in San Pedro June 19.
During the trip to New York, Pacific to Atlantic Ocean, I saw what proved, to me, that the earth is round. When the battleships were far enough away, the only part of the ship visible from the Procyon was the fighting tops on the masts.
The Base Force flag was transferred to another ship, but I requested to remain on the Procyon which was scheduled to be decommissioned. The Procyon went to Bremerton for decommissioning and was later sold to the State of California to be used for training merchant seamen. I was transferred to the Receiving Station Puget Sound on March 31, 1931, and from there on April 2, 1931 to the USS Altair at San Diego.
While still aboard the Procyon, on Sept. 16, 1930, I was promoted from seaman second class to Radioman Third Class. On June 2, 1931, I was transferred to the USS Breese. The Breese was an old four-stack destroyer, which was used as a reference vessel while other ships were having gunnery practice. I was transferred back to the Altair on Oct 17, 1931.
After returning to the Altair I was promoted to RM2C on Dec 7, 1931. While on the Altair, I submitted a request for transfer to the Asiatic Fleet. The request was approved and on April 25, 1932, I was transferred from the USS Altair. I was sent to the USS Chaumont, a Navy transport; and we left from San Pedro, California about May 7, for Manila, Philippine Islands,. with stops in the Hawaiian Islands and Guam.
For several days, when near the midway area between Hawaiian Islands and Guam, we were out of communications with land for several hours during the day because radio equipment was not well enough advanced to permit 24-hour radio contact.
About midway between Guam and the Philippines we met a group of about six U.S. submarines and their Tender that were being transferred from the Asiatic Fleet to the U.S. The ocean was calm, and we met just as accurately as though we were traveling a land highway. The navigators were good then as they are now. Of course, navigation equipment and systems are now vastly improved. The ships lay to, long enough for the Chaumont to transfer a few provisions to them. I believe some of it was cigars and cigarettes.
On May 30, 1932 I had my first sight of the Philippines as we passed through the San Bernardino Straits. Some time in June, I was transferred to the USS Houston. I believe the transfer was at Shanghai.
The Houston was relieved by the USS Augusta, and I was transferred to the Auggie on Nov. 14, 1933. I requested to return to the U.S. on the Houston, but the Fleet Communications Officer, Cdr. McGowan, said I had not been in the Asiatics long enough and, "You will ride a transport back". I did, in 1937.
I had extended my tour of duty in the Asiatic Fleet but was scheduled to return to the U.S. in 1935, when an opportunity arose for me to be transferred to the 4th Marines, Marine Corps Expeditionary Force in Shanghai. My request was approved, and I was transferred from the Augusta on Nov. 11, 1935, to the Navy transport USS Henderson for further transfer to the 4th Marines. Thanksgiving dinner 1935, was eaten on the Henderson, standing up. On the Henderson, the passengers messing area had tables about two feet wide and four feet from the deck where you stood to eat. This conserved space. I arrived at the 4th Marines compound on Dec. 4, 1935.
While serving on the Houston and Augusta, I made visits to Japan, a trip to Australia and two trips to Peiping and the Great Wall of China. The ship anchored off Taku, and a tug took us across the shallow water to the railroad near Tientsin. We rode the train to Peiping where we stayed at the Marine barracks in the Legation. Sightseeing trips were made from there. During my duty tour on the Houston, we made a trip up the Yangtze River as far as Hankow. While at Hankow, I extended my enlistment for two years on October 8, 1932. (Note: Names of some Chinese cities have been changed since I left the Orient in 1937.)
On Dec. 30, 1936, I was transferred from the 4th Marines to the Receiving Ship, San Francisco. The return trip was on the USS Chaumont (Navy transport). Upon returning to the U.S. I was transferred to staff of "Flag" aboard the USS California, where I served from March 31, 1937 to June 15, 1937. While I served aboard the California, many of the ships of the Pacific Fleet, including the California, went to sea on tactical maneuvers. Many of them returned to San Francisco Bay as part of the official opening of the Golden Gate Bridge. The California, as Flagship, led the group, and at 12:00 (noon) May 27, 1937, she passed beneath the bridge. These maneuvers included a visit to the Territory of Hawaii. One of my letters to home was written in Pearl Harbor on May 17, 1937.
Prior to reporting aboard the California I had submitted a request for "Shore Duty" at the Navy Dept Washington, D.C. and was transferred there from the California.
I served at Washington, D.C. from Sept 1937 to August 1940, and most of the time was at "Radio Central" in the Navy Bldg. Soon after the Radio Station at Cheltenham, Md. was opened, I was sent out there for several months. The station was not complete, and there was a lot of mud when it rained.
During my tour at Washington, D.C., I was officially carried on the rolls at the Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Washington D.C. I met Frances Selma Wheeler while at D.C., and we were still dating when I was transferred from there to the USS Hannibal for record purposes. However, I was assigned to a World War I submarine chaser which was being prepared, at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, for use as an experimental mine sweeper (for magnetic mines). Some weekend liberties were from Thursday to Monday while the sub chaser was being overhauled. On these long weekends, I went to Wash D.C. to date Selma. The sub chaser was assigned to an Experimental Mine Sweeping Group on Nov. 9, 1940 and sent to Yorktown, Virginia. On Nov 16, 1940, I was promoted to RM1c.
On Jan. 18, 1941 Selma and I were married in York, South Carolina. We drove from Washington D.C. to South Carolina because the war in Europe caused the U.S. to prepare for possible involvement, and we wanted to get married as soon as possible. There was no required waiting period in S.C. at that time.
Some time during 1941, Selma quit her job, and we set up housekeeping in Newport News, VA, in Govt Housing, near the north end of the James River Bridge.
On Nov 12, 1941, I was transferred to the USS Bullfinch, a commissioned minesweeper, based at Yorktown, Virginia. The Bullfinch was used for training students at the Mine Warfare school. At times, the Bullfinch was used to help clear magnetic mines from the sea channels into Chesapeake Bay. On one sweep, we exploded a mine close enough to the ship to make me think it must have cracked the hull. The man on watch in the engine room apparently thought the same thing because when I stepped out of the radio room to look into the engine room, he was on the run for the ladder to get out. We reassured each other that all was O.K., and we went back to work.
On Sep 22, 1942, I was transferred from the Bullfinch to the Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Wash D.C. I was rated CRM (AA) on Oct 10, 1942 and transferred on Oct 30, 1942 to the U.S. Naval Attache's office in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. On Dec 1, 1942, I was transferred to U.S. Naval Operating Base Rio, which was merely a change in organization and no change in work. From there I was transferred on June 7, 1943 to the Navy Base at Recife, Brazil. My rate was changed to CRM (PA) on Oct 10, 1943.
While I was in Rio, Selma tried to get a job at the U.S. Commercial Attache's office in Rio. She was told at the Commerce Dept, Washington, that approval was required from the Navy Dept for a dependent to go to Brazil, and they would not approve. Commerce Dept. told her if she got a divorce, they would give her a job and we could be remarried in Rio and she could stay there with me. She told them NO.
From Recife, I was transferred on Sept. 18, 1944, to Naval Air Facility (NAF) Belem, Brazil for further transfer. My next duty station was at the Naval Air Station, Shawnee, Oklahoma. The Navy was teaching navigation there to Naval Aviators. That was in Dec. 1944. Selma joined me at Shawnee, where we rented a duplex apartment. The duty there was enjoyable and, of course, far from any war time hostilities.
On June 20, 1945, I was transferred to NAS Miami, where Selma and I obtained a government detached house to live in.
The next transfer was on Jul. 15, 1946, to the Fleet Tug USS Hitchiti, ATF-103. There was no allowance in the ships' crew for a CRM; so I did not remain on board very long. The tug was based at Bremerton, Washington, where we had a small apartment.
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From the tug I went, on Dec 17, 1946, to the oil tanker USS Chikasia (AO-54). She made a trip from the U.S. West Coast with a couple of stops, one in Guam, then on to the Persian Gulf for a load of oil, which we took through the Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, across the Atlantic to the U.S. East Coast.
In 1947, I spent some time at the Naval Hosp. Portsmouth, Va. and the USNH Bethesda, Md. with ulcers. They were healed without surgery.
I requested retirement during 1947, and it was authorized by Bupers letter (NavPers-631) Pers 6633-etd, dated 13 Oct. 1947. Retirement was to be after completing 20 years service; so the rest of my time consisted of short tours of duty on the USS Allagash, USS Cadmus, USS Paiute until retirement (transfer to F-6 Fleet Naval Reserve) on Oct. 22, 1948, at the Receiving Station, Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia).
Our son John Paul was born Sept. 9, 1948, while I was attached to the USS Paiute, at the Naval Hospital Portsmouth, Virginia.
On 11 Oct 1948, I was transferred to the Receiving Station, Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia. From there, I was released from active duty. On 22 Oct 1948, I was transferred to class F-6 Fleet Naval Reserve. At this time, we were living near Newport News, Virginia.
After transfer to F-6, we moved to Washington, D.C. (four of us then) and lived with Selma's Dad and Sister. Selma stayed with them while I went to Waukegan, Ill.
In Waukegan I bought a home, but this was after I obtained employment at Johns Manville in their plant at Waukegan. Selma and the children came to Waukegan after I bought the home, and I continued to work for Johns Manville.
In response to an application submitted soon after my retirement from the Navy, I received a call from the Navy Electronic Supply Office (ESO) Great Lakes, Illinois,. and went to work there on August 1, 1950 under Civil Service. My annual starting salary was $3450.00 as a GS-6.
The home I purchased was at 2118 Crescent Place in the northwest part of Waukegan. It was my neighbor's voice telling me that water was backing up in basement drains. In my mind this was a minor problem and was caused by rain water from roof gutters, etc. being connected to the sanitary sewer lines. There was no storm sewer system.
We paid $11,500.00 for this home when we purchased it on Nov 23, 1948. It had two bedrooms, one bath, living room, kitchen dining area, a full unfinished basement and an unfinished second floor with a finished stairway to it. While living here we had a bedroom finished upstairs, and I divided a portion of the basement and made a play room. We lived here until 1956, and I continued to work at ESO.
These figures on real estate costs are merely for information for comparison with costs of real estate when you read this. We spent $1379.00 in improvements and sold it for $15,150.00. We purchased 5 acres in Bristol Township, Kenosha County, Wisconsin on 10 Sept. 1956. The purchase price was $15,000.00.
We continued living in Bristol Township until 1977. The children all graduated from High School at Paddock Lake and went on to college. I continued working at ESO, Great Lakes, Illinois until I retired at age 65 in 1973.
After our children moved away from Wisconsin, Selma and I had no family relatives that lived near us. We considered several areas for retirement that had a milder climate, and we decided that Seneca, South Carolina would be acceptable. We purchased a home in the Seneca subdivision of Port Santorini and moved there in August 1977.
In 1979, we sold our home in Seneca and had a home built in the Warner Mill subdivision near Walhalla, South Carolina. We moved to this new home and we still live there as of April 15, 1989.
While living in Bristol Township I served on the School Board and received a plaque with this inscription:
To JOHN LILLY
FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE
TO BOYS AND GIRLS AND COMMUNITY
AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER 1966-1977
Given this 29th day of April, 1977
BRISTOL CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL
In 1987, Selma and I purchased a motor home and in 1988 we drove it to Alaska and back over the Alaskan Highway (originally called "ALCAN HIGHWAY"). One of the interesting things that happened was an incident involving a Black Bear. On June 8, 1989, on the return trip, the bear was on the road about 4 miles north of White River Lodge, Yukon (mileage DC-1135/1882 km). Other campers and a tour bus stopped, as we did, and the bear was going from one to another for something to eat. It came to Selma's window, and I asked her to roll the window down so I could get a clear view for a picture. She could see it's BIG dirty teeth that could chew food other than grubs and berries. She emphatically refused to open the window. I was able to obtain a good picture through the glass. I had thought of stepping out of the cab to obtain a good picture but quickly rejected the idea. The bear was bigger and faster than I.
Some time after we moved to South Carolina, I became interested in my ancestry. I reviewed records of historical societies, vital statistics, official birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, gravestones, published genealogies and traveled. Selma and I went to Ashfield, Massachusetts. where several of my Lilly ancestors lived and died. We also visited areas of Connecticut.
I learned there was an organization called Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). The eligibility requirements are similar to the DAR. I submitted an application to join and was accepted. My SAR National No.is 127567, and my South Carolina, State No. is 1964.
Some notes of possible interest.
• My Navy pay as a Chief Radioman (Permanent Appointment) was $172.50 a month on 9/24/1945.
• My 1949 income tax return shows an income of $2706.84 from Johns Manville and Navy retainer of $1139.40 for a yearly total of $3846.24.
• Our home near Bristol, Kenosha County, Wis. sold for $63,000 on Aug. 1, 1977.
• The home near Seneca, S.C. cost $44,500.00 on Aug. 8, 1977.
• Our Walhalla home, building and land, cost $64,227.89. It has a carport, dining room, living room, foyer, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, one half basement, pantry, guest closet, utility closet, linen closet, a closet in each bedroom, and a heat pump for heating and cooling. There is a fireplace in the living room. Built in 1979.
Military Information: RMC, US NAVY
30 May 1908 – 29 Aug 1999
I was born in Warren Township, Winona County, Minnesota about 4.5 miles southeast of Lewiston, in a house that I believe was called the "Sartwell" place. It was located on the west side of the road, less than an eighth of a mile north of Brott's corners. A man named Brott had a store on the northwest corner of the road intersection. The town hall was located on the southwest corner of the intersection and is still shown there on the 1981 Winona County map.
My sister, Olive Marie Lilly, was born in the farm house on the southeast corner of the intersection on April 15, 1912. Our family lived there at that time. Some time between April 15, 1912 and June 28, 1914, our family moved to the Schonneger farm about 4.5 road miles almost due east of Lewiston. My brother, Luther, was born there on June
28, 1914. My three older brothers were: Lawrence, born Sept 1, 1900 in a log cabin in Fremont township, Winona County, MN, died March 31, 1967, at Gonzales, TX; Albinus Harper born May 13, 1903 in Winona, MN, died March 1, 1983 at Riverside, CA.; and Jesse Jerome born Sep. 5, 1905 in Warren township, Winona County, MN. (These places of birth were told to me when I was a young boy. I have not attempted to verify them.)
I learned to ride Lawrence's bicycle there. My legs were not long enough to reach the pedals, and the bike and I headed down the drive, coasting, to the roadway with no way of stopping except by tipping over when I reached the other side of the road. Neither the bike nor I suffered very much damage. We lived there several years. The four oldest boys, Lawrence, Harper, Jesse and I slept in an upstairs bedroom in two double beds. Occasionally we would get in a pillow fight until our father would shout at us when we would stop and go to sleep.
During this time my father bought a threshing rig, steam engine and grain thresher. We were in a threshing group with several farmers of German descent who lived on "Dutch Ridge". Their road was located along a ridge north of the Schonneger farm. Each farmer would harvest and shock his own grain. When it was time to thresh, they all worked together as a crew - moving the engine and thresher from farm to farm. The farmer's wife cooked a big dinner for the entire crew. One dinner that my mother cooked included beans and she cooked them in the dish pan because it was the only pan that she had that was large enough.
Some time during World War I, my father moved the family to Mercedes, Texas. It must have been during the winter of 1917-1918 (Luther says he was four years old, Marie said she went to First Grade in Mercedes; so it was probably 1918). I remember getting off the train while it was stopped in Houston, Texas. The air was warm, and it seemed like spring. It wasn't easy for a nine year old, me, who had lived in Minnesota all his life to understand how it could be so warm and pleasant in winter time. My father had purchased 40 acres north of Mercedes, that didn't have irrigation water available. So, as a result, it couldn't be farmed. He also purchased 7 acres in Mercedes and that is where we lived. I believe we all lived there except Lawrence who probably remained in Minnesota or went to Oklahoma. These seven acres are located, in 1984, southeast of the corner of 16th and Ohio streets. The First Methodist Church is now located there. My Grandfather, Grandmother Nettleton and son Ralph (my Uncle) also moved to Mercedes. I believe it was 1918. Grandpa and Ralph drove a car. They had to take a route from San Antonio to Del Rio then down the old river road because there was no roadway to the "Valley" at that time.
In January 1984, my Aunt Ida (Wetergrove) Nettleton, Ralph's widow, told me her father made occasional trips from his farm home, near Mercedes, to Austin, Texas, where they previously lived. Because there was no road, he shipped his car to Kingsville by rail and he rode the passenger train to pick up his car and drive from there to Austin.
The family lived in Mercedes for approximately a year and then returned to Minnesota to a farm south and west of Lewiston. While on this farm, my father built an addition to the milk barn. He did the construction work himself. The family, less Lawrence, lived there until about 1925. I believe Harper left home during this period. Father, Mother, Jesse, Marie and Luther moved to the Mercedes, Texas area, and I remained in Lewiston and lived with one of our farmer neighbors, Bill Thompson, while I finished my last year of high school graduating in 1926 with honors as the boy with the highest scholastic rating.
Lawrence, Nita and their daughters Helen, Rebecca and Patricia came to the farm in 1926 and I lived with them during the summer. We had cows that we milked and cared for. I don't remember what financial arrangement we had with our father, but the farm was given up during 1926. I, with Lawrence and family, drove to Mercedes, Texas. I drove my father's truck there, and Lawrence drove his car with his family. Some place in Texas, we became separated, and I didn't have much money. In Alice, Texas, the truck got stuck. After paying to have it pulled out, I barely had enough money to buy gasoline for the rest of the trip to Mercedes, in the Rio Grande Valley.
I obtained work in Harlingen, with the Central Power and Light Co. in their plant that made white ice for refrigerating railroad cars. The vegetables and citrus fruit grown in the Valley was shipped north by railroad. Refrigerated trucking wasn't available. The cars had an ice bunker at each end with a fill hole on top. My first job was operating an electric hoist that lifted 12,300 pound blocks of ice from the freezing tanks and replacing them filled with water for more ice. My next appointment was to be an "Oiler," which required a check of several large ammonia compressors that compressed the ammonia used in cooling the freezing brine tanks. I had to keep oil cups filled, check bearings for proper temperature and ensure that they were operating properly. The salary for an oiler was $90.00 a month for a 12 hour day and a six day week (maybe 7 days.. I have forgotten) and that was a good salary. Later I obtained a position as third engineer in a smaller "ice plant" in Harlingen that made clear ice. Later on I was promoted to a larger ice plant as third engineer in another town (I believe it was Weslaco). This job paid a good salary of $135.00 a month with a shorter week of 60 or 70 hours.
During the summer of 1927, the ice plant at Harlingen closed down during the season that not many refrigerated vegetables were being shipped. I was laid off. So, I went to Brownsville to talk to the Navy recruiter about enlisting in the Navy. He was on vacation; I went back to work when the plant reopened. Some time during the 1928 summer, I was working, but I returned to Brownsville and found the recruiter on the job. He told me there would be a wait of several months to get in. When he learned that I was a High School graduate, he said the wait would only be a few weeks. I filed an application.
My preliminary physical examination was by an Army doctor at Fort Brown, Brownsville who told me I was the type of person the Navy wanted. I was finally sent to the Navy Recruiting Station, Houston, Texas, where I was given a General Classification test, receiving a grade of 85 and a final physical examination. I passed both and was enlisted as Apprentice Seaman for four years on October 8, 1928 with a salary of $21.00 a month. The pay of a Seaman Second Class was $36.00 and of a Seaman First Class $54.00. A third class petty officer earned $60.00 a month. If the record of an A.S. was not blemished, he was usually advanced to S2C after four months. Engine room "BLACK GANG" sailors were designated fireman until they became petty officer. Education was an aid to my prompt acceptance in the Navy.
My father understood this importance and wanted us to have a good quality education. When we lived on the Schonnegar farm, we were in a rural (country) school district; but my father paid tuition and supplied our own transportation to the Lewiston Consolidated School District, which included High School. I did go to the country school for a year. I am not certain of the reason, but I think it was a transportation problem.
The "Navy" transferred me from Houston to the Naval Training Station San Diego, California for recruit training. The first 4 weeks were a quarantine period in a fenced compound that we left only to march to the mess hall for meals. Our quarters were square tents over a raised wooden floor. We slept on steel cots. Training consisted of marching forenoon and afternoon with some seamanship and rifle handling. I weighed 149 pounds when I enlisted. After four weeks we were transferred to masonry buildings, where we slept in hammocks, where recruit training continued. I do not remember how many additional weeks, 8 or 10. Sometime during this period, I submitted an application to attend radio operator school, at the Training Station. It was approved, and after learning the Morse code and some electronics, I was graduated from the fourteen-week course on May 17, 1929. Part of this training included about ten days or two weeks experience at the Naval Radio Station Point Loma.
Before being transferred to a ship, I was granted leave to visit home in Mercedes, Texas. I tried to hitch hike but traffic east of El Centro was mostly travelers who didn't have room for a sailor with luggage. After several hours of trying, I gave up and bought a bus ticket.
I returned to Naval Training Station, San Diego by train and, on the trip, developed trouble with a Pilonidal cyst. I was hospitalized for removal of the cyst, and finally on October 11, 1929, I was transferred to a ship for duty - the USS Procyon at San Pedro, Calif.
The Procyon was flagship of the U.S. Navy Base Force. The Base Force was in charge of furnishing supplies. The Procyon was an old freighter converted with offices and extra crew space for the "Flag" personnel. The "Flag" had radio personnel that handled lots of message traffic from other ships and relayed it to shore. The ship was moored to a buoy and rarely ever went to sea except when the fleet went on maneuvers or she needed to go to a Navy Yard for maintenance. In spring 1930, the Procyon, with the Pacific Fleet made a cruise through the Panama Canal to New York City. While in New York I visited a Mr. Gathercole who, I believe, was a cousin of my Grandmother Nettleton. This visit was made at my family's urging. I noted that the New York subways were fast, cheap, dirty and crowded.
On May 22, 1930 we were at Hampton Roads, Virginia on our return trip. On our way to New York we stopped in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. One day while we were there, a few more than 100 Navy ships were there. During our Cuba visit, the Procyon went to
Cienfuegos, Cuba for a ten-day recreation (liberty) visit. After Cuba, we went to New York.
The Procyon had evaporators for making fresh water but not enough for all the needs of the crew and the ship's boilers so soon after leaving San Pedro. Fresh water was rationed. We were allowed one half a bucket twice a day. After a few days, this was reduced to one half bucket once a day and the fresh water taps were on only for a short time so you couldn't get more. A half bucket of water can do a lot. First, you scrub your teeth, then wash your face. Next you bathe your body and rinse off in a salt water shower. Last, you lather and scrub your clothes and rinse them in salt water.
Naturally, some of the crew were on watch (working) during water hours so they would draw their water and chain their bucket to a rack. Occasionally, someone would swipe their ration of fresh water, and they had none until the next day.
When we reached the Panama Canal Zone, fresh water was purchased and all tanks refilled. Between there and New York we were able to purchase water often enough so that strict rationing wasn't necessary. For example, when we reached Guantanamo Bay, we were rationed two buckets a day. On the return trip water rationing was not a problem. The longest time between ports was from the Canal Zone to San Pedro, but the ship proceeded directly without being involved in any fleet tactical maneuvers. Water rations were ample.
We left Hampton Roads May 26, 1930 and arrived in the Canal Zone about June 5 and were scheduled to arrive in San Pedro June 19.
During the trip to New York, Pacific to Atlantic Ocean, I saw what proved, to me, that the earth is round. When the battleships were far enough away, the only part of the ship visible from the Procyon was the fighting tops on the masts.
The Base Force flag was transferred to another ship, but I requested to remain on the Procyon which was scheduled to be decommissioned. The Procyon went to Bremerton for decommissioning and was later sold to the State of California to be used for training merchant seamen. I was transferred to the Receiving Station Puget Sound on March 31, 1931, and from there on April 2, 1931 to the USS Altair at San Diego.
While still aboard the Procyon, on Sept. 16, 1930, I was promoted from seaman second class to Radioman Third Class. On June 2, 1931, I was transferred to the USS Breese. The Breese was an old four-stack destroyer, which was used as a reference vessel while other ships were having gunnery practice. I was transferred back to the Altair on Oct 17, 1931.
After returning to the Altair I was promoted to RM2C on Dec 7, 1931. While on the Altair, I submitted a request for transfer to the Asiatic Fleet. The request was approved and on April 25, 1932, I was transferred from the USS Altair. I was sent to the USS Chaumont, a Navy transport; and we left from San Pedro, California about May 7, for Manila, Philippine Islands,. with stops in the Hawaiian Islands and Guam.
For several days, when near the midway area between Hawaiian Islands and Guam, we were out of communications with land for several hours during the day because radio equipment was not well enough advanced to permit 24-hour radio contact.
About midway between Guam and the Philippines we met a group of about six U.S. submarines and their Tender that were being transferred from the Asiatic Fleet to the U.S. The ocean was calm, and we met just as accurately as though we were traveling a land highway. The navigators were good then as they are now. Of course, navigation equipment and systems are now vastly improved. The ships lay to, long enough for the Chaumont to transfer a few provisions to them. I believe some of it was cigars and cigarettes.
On May 30, 1932 I had my first sight of the Philippines as we passed through the San Bernardino Straits. Some time in June, I was transferred to the USS Houston. I believe the transfer was at Shanghai.
The Houston was relieved by the USS Augusta, and I was transferred to the Auggie on Nov. 14, 1933. I requested to return to the U.S. on the Houston, but the Fleet Communications Officer, Cdr. McGowan, said I had not been in the Asiatics long enough and, "You will ride a transport back". I did, in 1937.
I had extended my tour of duty in the Asiatic Fleet but was scheduled to return to the U.S. in 1935, when an opportunity arose for me to be transferred to the 4th Marines, Marine Corps Expeditionary Force in Shanghai. My request was approved, and I was transferred from the Augusta on Nov. 11, 1935, to the Navy transport USS Henderson for further transfer to the 4th Marines. Thanksgiving dinner 1935, was eaten on the Henderson, standing up. On the Henderson, the passengers messing area had tables about two feet wide and four feet from the deck where you stood to eat. This conserved space. I arrived at the 4th Marines compound on Dec. 4, 1935.
While serving on the Houston and Augusta, I made visits to Japan, a trip to Australia and two trips to Peiping and the Great Wall of China. The ship anchored off Taku, and a tug took us across the shallow water to the railroad near Tientsin. We rode the train to Peiping where we stayed at the Marine barracks in the Legation. Sightseeing trips were made from there. During my duty tour on the Houston, we made a trip up the Yangtze River as far as Hankow. While at Hankow, I extended my enlistment for two years on October 8, 1932. (Note: Names of some Chinese cities have been changed since I left the Orient in 1937.)
On Dec. 30, 1936, I was transferred from the 4th Marines to the Receiving Ship, San Francisco. The return trip was on the USS Chaumont (Navy transport). Upon returning to the U.S. I was transferred to staff of "Flag" aboard the USS California, where I served from March 31, 1937 to June 15, 1937. While I served aboard the California, many of the ships of the Pacific Fleet, including the California, went to sea on tactical maneuvers. Many of them returned to San Francisco Bay as part of the official opening of the Golden Gate Bridge. The California, as Flagship, led the group, and at 12:00 (noon) May 27, 1937, she passed beneath the bridge. These maneuvers included a visit to the Territory of Hawaii. One of my letters to home was written in Pearl Harbor on May 17, 1937.
Prior to reporting aboard the California I had submitted a request for "Shore Duty" at the Navy Dept Washington, D.C. and was transferred there from the California.
I served at Washington, D.C. from Sept 1937 to August 1940, and most of the time was at "Radio Central" in the Navy Bldg. Soon after the Radio Station at Cheltenham, Md. was opened, I was sent out there for several months. The station was not complete, and there was a lot of mud when it rained.
During my tour at Washington, D.C., I was officially carried on the rolls at the Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Washington D.C. I met Frances Selma Wheeler while at D.C., and we were still dating when I was transferred from there to the USS Hannibal for record purposes. However, I was assigned to a World War I submarine chaser which was being prepared, at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, for use as an experimental mine sweeper (for magnetic mines). Some weekend liberties were from Thursday to Monday while the sub chaser was being overhauled. On these long weekends, I went to Wash D.C. to date Selma. The sub chaser was assigned to an Experimental Mine Sweeping Group on Nov. 9, 1940 and sent to Yorktown, Virginia. On Nov 16, 1940, I was promoted to RM1c.
On Jan. 18, 1941 Selma and I were married in York, South Carolina. We drove from Washington D.C. to South Carolina because the war in Europe caused the U.S. to prepare for possible involvement, and we wanted to get married as soon as possible. There was no required waiting period in S.C. at that time.
Some time during 1941, Selma quit her job, and we set up housekeeping in Newport News, VA, in Govt Housing, near the north end of the James River Bridge.
On Nov 12, 1941, I was transferred to the USS Bullfinch, a commissioned minesweeper, based at Yorktown, Virginia. The Bullfinch was used for training students at the Mine Warfare school. At times, the Bullfinch was used to help clear magnetic mines from the sea channels into Chesapeake Bay. On one sweep, we exploded a mine close enough to the ship to make me think it must have cracked the hull. The man on watch in the engine room apparently thought the same thing because when I stepped out of the radio room to look into the engine room, he was on the run for the ladder to get out. We reassured each other that all was O.K., and we went back to work.
On Sep 22, 1942, I was transferred from the Bullfinch to the Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Wash D.C. I was rated CRM (AA) on Oct 10, 1942 and transferred on Oct 30, 1942 to the U.S. Naval Attache's office in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. On Dec 1, 1942, I was transferred to U.S. Naval Operating Base Rio, which was merely a change in organization and no change in work. From there I was transferred on June 7, 1943 to the Navy Base at Recife, Brazil. My rate was changed to CRM (PA) on Oct 10, 1943.
While I was in Rio, Selma tried to get a job at the U.S. Commercial Attache's office in Rio. She was told at the Commerce Dept, Washington, that approval was required from the Navy Dept for a dependent to go to Brazil, and they would not approve. Commerce Dept. told her if she got a divorce, they would give her a job and we could be remarried in Rio and she could stay there with me. She told them NO.
From Recife, I was transferred on Sept. 18, 1944, to Naval Air Facility (NAF) Belem, Brazil for further transfer. My next duty station was at the Naval Air Station, Shawnee, Oklahoma. The Navy was teaching navigation there to Naval Aviators. That was in Dec. 1944. Selma joined me at Shawnee, where we rented a duplex apartment. The duty there was enjoyable and, of course, far from any war time hostilities.
On June 20, 1945, I was transferred to NAS Miami, where Selma and I obtained a government detached house to live in.
The next transfer was on Jul. 15, 1946, to the Fleet Tug USS Hitchiti, ATF-103. There was no allowance in the ships' crew for a CRM; so I did not remain on board very long. The tug was based at Bremerton, Washington, where we had a small apartment.
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From the tug I went, on Dec 17, 1946, to the oil tanker USS Chikasia (AO-54). She made a trip from the U.S. West Coast with a couple of stops, one in Guam, then on to the Persian Gulf for a load of oil, which we took through the Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, across the Atlantic to the U.S. East Coast.
In 1947, I spent some time at the Naval Hosp. Portsmouth, Va. and the USNH Bethesda, Md. with ulcers. They were healed without surgery.
I requested retirement during 1947, and it was authorized by Bupers letter (NavPers-631) Pers 6633-etd, dated 13 Oct. 1947. Retirement was to be after completing 20 years service; so the rest of my time consisted of short tours of duty on the USS Allagash, USS Cadmus, USS Paiute until retirement (transfer to F-6 Fleet Naval Reserve) on Oct. 22, 1948, at the Receiving Station, Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia).
Our son John Paul was born Sept. 9, 1948, while I was attached to the USS Paiute, at the Naval Hospital Portsmouth, Virginia.
On 11 Oct 1948, I was transferred to the Receiving Station, Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia. From there, I was released from active duty. On 22 Oct 1948, I was transferred to class F-6 Fleet Naval Reserve. At this time, we were living near Newport News, Virginia.
After transfer to F-6, we moved to Washington, D.C. (four of us then) and lived with Selma's Dad and Sister. Selma stayed with them while I went to Waukegan, Ill.
In Waukegan I bought a home, but this was after I obtained employment at Johns Manville in their plant at Waukegan. Selma and the children came to Waukegan after I bought the home, and I continued to work for Johns Manville.
In response to an application submitted soon after my retirement from the Navy, I received a call from the Navy Electronic Supply Office (ESO) Great Lakes, Illinois,. and went to work there on August 1, 1950 under Civil Service. My annual starting salary was $3450.00 as a GS-6.
The home I purchased was at 2118 Crescent Place in the northwest part of Waukegan. It was my neighbor's voice telling me that water was backing up in basement drains. In my mind this was a minor problem and was caused by rain water from roof gutters, etc. being connected to the sanitary sewer lines. There was no storm sewer system.
We paid $11,500.00 for this home when we purchased it on Nov 23, 1948. It had two bedrooms, one bath, living room, kitchen dining area, a full unfinished basement and an unfinished second floor with a finished stairway to it. While living here we had a bedroom finished upstairs, and I divided a portion of the basement and made a play room. We lived here until 1956, and I continued to work at ESO.
These figures on real estate costs are merely for information for comparison with costs of real estate when you read this. We spent $1379.00 in improvements and sold it for $15,150.00. We purchased 5 acres in Bristol Township, Kenosha County, Wisconsin on 10 Sept. 1956. The purchase price was $15,000.00.
We continued living in Bristol Township until 1977. The children all graduated from High School at Paddock Lake and went on to college. I continued working at ESO, Great Lakes, Illinois until I retired at age 65 in 1973.
After our children moved away from Wisconsin, Selma and I had no family relatives that lived near us. We considered several areas for retirement that had a milder climate, and we decided that Seneca, South Carolina would be acceptable. We purchased a home in the Seneca subdivision of Port Santorini and moved there in August 1977.
In 1979, we sold our home in Seneca and had a home built in the Warner Mill subdivision near Walhalla, South Carolina. We moved to this new home and we still live there as of April 15, 1989.
While living in Bristol Township I served on the School Board and received a plaque with this inscription:
To JOHN LILLY
FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE
TO BOYS AND GIRLS AND COMMUNITY
AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER 1966-1977
Given this 29th day of April, 1977
BRISTOL CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL
In 1987, Selma and I purchased a motor home and in 1988 we drove it to Alaska and back over the Alaskan Highway (originally called "ALCAN HIGHWAY"). One of the interesting things that happened was an incident involving a Black Bear. On June 8, 1989, on the return trip, the bear was on the road about 4 miles north of White River Lodge, Yukon (mileage DC-1135/1882 km). Other campers and a tour bus stopped, as we did, and the bear was going from one to another for something to eat. It came to Selma's window, and I asked her to roll the window down so I could get a clear view for a picture. She could see it's BIG dirty teeth that could chew food other than grubs and berries. She emphatically refused to open the window. I was able to obtain a good picture through the glass. I had thought of stepping out of the cab to obtain a good picture but quickly rejected the idea. The bear was bigger and faster than I.
Some time after we moved to South Carolina, I became interested in my ancestry. I reviewed records of historical societies, vital statistics, official birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, gravestones, published genealogies and traveled. Selma and I went to Ashfield, Massachusetts. where several of my Lilly ancestors lived and died. We also visited areas of Connecticut.
I learned there was an organization called Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). The eligibility requirements are similar to the DAR. I submitted an application to join and was accepted. My SAR National No.is 127567, and my South Carolina, State No. is 1964.
Some notes of possible interest.
• My Navy pay as a Chief Radioman (Permanent Appointment) was $172.50 a month on 9/24/1945.
• My 1949 income tax return shows an income of $2706.84 from Johns Manville and Navy retainer of $1139.40 for a yearly total of $3846.24.
• Our home near Bristol, Kenosha County, Wis. sold for $63,000 on Aug. 1, 1977.
• The home near Seneca, S.C. cost $44,500.00 on Aug. 8, 1977.
• Our Walhalla home, building and land, cost $64,227.89. It has a carport, dining room, living room, foyer, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, one half basement, pantry, guest closet, utility closet, linen closet, a closet in each bedroom, and a heat pump for heating and cooling. There is a fireplace in the living room. Built in 1979.
Military Information: RMC, US NAVY
John Linton Lilly
30 May 1908 – 29 Aug 1999
I was born in Warren Township, Winona County, Minnesota about 4.5 miles southeast of Lewiston, in a house that I believe was called the "Sartwell" place. It was located on the west side of the road, less than an eighth of a mile north of Brott's corners. A man named Brott had a store on the northwest corner of the road intersection. The town hall was located on the southwest corner of the intersection and is still shown there on the 1981 Winona County map.
My sister, Olive Marie Lilly, was born in the farm house on the southeast corner of the intersection on April 15, 1912. Our family lived there at that time. Some time between April 15, 1912 and June 28, 1914, our family moved to the Schonneger farm about 4.5 road miles almost due east of Lewiston. My brother, Luther, was born there on June
28, 1914. My three older brothers were: Lawrence, born Sept 1, 1900 in a log cabin in Fremont township, Winona County, MN, died March 31, 1967, at Gonzales, TX; Albinus Harper born May 13, 1903 in Winona, MN, died March 1, 1983 at Riverside, CA.; and Jesse Jerome born Sep. 5, 1905 in Warren township, Winona County, MN. (These places of birth were told to me when I was a young boy. I have not attempted to verify them.)
I learned to ride Lawrence's bicycle there. My legs were not long enough to reach the pedals, and the bike and I headed down the drive, coasting, to the roadway with no way of stopping except by tipping over when I reached the other side of the road. Neither the bike nor I suffered very much damage. We lived there several years. The four oldest boys, Lawrence, Harper, Jesse and I slept in an upstairs bedroom in two double beds. Occasionally we would get in a pillow fight until our father would shout at us when we would stop and go to sleep.
During this time my father bought a threshing rig, steam engine and grain thresher. We were in a threshing group with several farmers of German descent who lived on "Dutch Ridge". Their road was located along a ridge north of the Schonneger farm. Each farmer would harvest and shock his own grain. When it was time to thresh, they all worked together as a crew - moving the engine and thresher from farm to farm. The farmer's wife cooked a big dinner for the entire crew. One dinner that my mother cooked included beans and she cooked them in the dish pan because it was the only pan that she had that was large enough.
Some time during World War I, my father moved the family to Mercedes, Texas. It must have been during the winter of 1917-1918 (Luther says he was four years old, Marie said she went to First Grade in Mercedes; so it was probably 1918). I remember getting off the train while it was stopped in Houston, Texas. The air was warm, and it seemed like spring. It wasn't easy for a nine year old, me, who had lived in Minnesota all his life to understand how it could be so warm and pleasant in winter time. My father had purchased 40 acres north of Mercedes, that didn't have irrigation water available. So, as a result, it couldn't be farmed. He also purchased 7 acres in Mercedes and that is where we lived. I believe we all lived there except Lawrence who probably remained in Minnesota or went to Oklahoma. These seven acres are located, in 1984, southeast of the corner of 16th and Ohio streets. The First Methodist Church is now located there. My Grandfather, Grandmother Nettleton and son Ralph (my Uncle) also moved to Mercedes. I believe it was 1918. Grandpa and Ralph drove a car. They had to take a route from San Antonio to Del Rio then down the old river road because there was no roadway to the "Valley" at that time.
In January 1984, my Aunt Ida (Wetergrove) Nettleton, Ralph's widow, told me her father made occasional trips from his farm home, near Mercedes, to Austin, Texas, where they previously lived. Because there was no road, he shipped his car to Kingsville by rail and he rode the passenger train to pick up his car and drive from there to Austin.
The family lived in Mercedes for approximately a year and then returned to Minnesota to a farm south and west of Lewiston. While on this farm, my father built an addition to the milk barn. He did the construction work himself. The family, less Lawrence, lived there until about 1925. I believe Harper left home during this period. Father, Mother, Jesse, Marie and Luther moved to the Mercedes, Texas area, and I remained in Lewiston and lived with one of our farmer neighbors, Bill Thompson, while I finished my last year of high school graduating in 1926 with honors as the boy with the highest scholastic rating.
Lawrence, Nita and their daughters Helen, Rebecca and Patricia came to the farm in 1926 and I lived with them during the summer. We had cows that we milked and cared for. I don't remember what financial arrangement we had with our father, but the farm was given up during 1926. I, with Lawrence and family, drove to Mercedes, Texas. I drove my father's truck there, and Lawrence drove his car with his family. Some place in Texas, we became separated, and I didn't have much money. In Alice, Texas, the truck got stuck. After paying to have it pulled out, I barely had enough money to buy gasoline for the rest of the trip to Mercedes, in the Rio Grande Valley.
I obtained work in Harlingen, with the Central Power and Light Co. in their plant that made white ice for refrigerating railroad cars. The vegetables and citrus fruit grown in the Valley was shipped north by railroad. Refrigerated trucking wasn't available. The cars had an ice bunker at each end with a fill hole on top. My first job was operating an electric hoist that lifted 12,300 pound blocks of ice from the freezing tanks and replacing them filled with water for more ice. My next appointment was to be an "Oiler," which required a check of several large ammonia compressors that compressed the ammonia used in cooling the freezing brine tanks. I had to keep oil cups filled, check bearings for proper temperature and ensure that they were operating properly. The salary for an oiler was $90.00 a month for a 12 hour day and a six day week (maybe 7 days.. I have forgotten) and that was a good salary. Later I obtained a position as third engineer in a smaller "ice plant" in Harlingen that made clear ice. Later on I was promoted to a larger ice plant as third engineer in another town (I believe it was Weslaco). This job paid a good salary of $135.00 a month with a shorter week of 60 or 70 hours.
During the summer of 1927, the ice plant at Harlingen closed down during the season that not many refrigerated vegetables were being shipped. I was laid off. So, I went to Brownsville to talk to the Navy recruiter about enlisting in the Navy. He was on vacation; I went back to work when the plant reopened. Some time during the 1928 summer, I was working, but I returned to Brownsville and found the recruiter on the job. He told me there would be a wait of several months to get in. When he learned that I was a High School graduate, he said the wait would only be a few weeks. I filed an application.
My preliminary physical examination was by an Army doctor at Fort Brown, Brownsville who told me I was the type of person the Navy wanted. I was finally sent to the Navy Recruiting Station, Houston, Texas, where I was given a General Classification test, receiving a grade of 85 and a final physical examination. I passed both and was enlisted as Apprentice Seaman for four years on October 8, 1928 with a salary of $21.00 a month. The pay of a Seaman Second Class was $36.00 and of a Seaman First Class $54.00. A third class petty officer earned $60.00 a month. If the record of an A.S. was not blemished, he was usually advanced to S2C after four months. Engine room "BLACK GANG" sailors were designated fireman until they became petty officer. Education was an aid to my prompt acceptance in the Navy.
My father understood this importance and wanted us to have a good quality education. When we lived on the Schonnegar farm, we were in a rural (country) school district; but my father paid tuition and supplied our own transportation to the Lewiston Consolidated School District, which included High School. I did go to the country school for a year. I am not certain of the reason, but I think it was a transportation problem.
The "Navy" transferred me from Houston to the Naval Training Station San Diego, California for recruit training. The first 4 weeks were a quarantine period in a fenced compound that we left only to march to the mess hall for meals. Our quarters were square tents over a raised wooden floor. We slept on steel cots. Training consisted of marching forenoon and afternoon with some seamanship and rifle handling. I weighed 149 pounds when I enlisted. After four weeks we were transferred to masonry buildings, where we slept in hammocks, where recruit training continued. I do not remember how many additional weeks, 8 or 10. Sometime during this period, I submitted an application to attend radio operator school, at the Training Station. It was approved, and after learning the Morse code and some electronics, I was graduated from the fourteen-week course on May 17, 1929. Part of this training included about ten days or two weeks experience at the Naval Radio Station Point Loma.
Before being transferred to a ship, I was granted leave to visit home in Mercedes, Texas. I tried to hitch hike but traffic east of El Centro was mostly travelers who didn't have room for a sailor with luggage. After several hours of trying, I gave up and bought a bus ticket.
I returned to Naval Training Station, San Diego by train and, on the trip, developed trouble with a Pilonidal cyst. I was hospitalized for removal of the cyst, and finally on October 11, 1929, I was transferred to a ship for duty - the USS Procyon at San Pedro, Calif.
The Procyon was flagship of the U.S. Navy Base Force. The Base Force was in charge of furnishing supplies. The Procyon was an old freighter converted with offices and extra crew space for the "Flag" personnel. The "Flag" had radio personnel that handled lots of message traffic from other ships and relayed it to shore. The ship was moored to a buoy and rarely ever went to sea except when the fleet went on maneuvers or she needed to go to a Navy Yard for maintenance. In spring 1930, the Procyon, with the Pacific Fleet made a cruise through the Panama Canal to New York City. While in New York I visited a Mr. Gathercole who, I believe, was a cousin of my Grandmother Nettleton. This visit was made at my family's urging. I noted that the New York subways were fast, cheap, dirty and crowded.
On May 22, 1930 we were at Hampton Roads, Virginia on our return trip. On our way to New York we stopped in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. One day while we were there, a few more than 100 Navy ships were there. During our Cuba visit, the Procyon went to
Cienfuegos, Cuba for a ten-day recreation (liberty) visit. After Cuba, we went to New York.
The Procyon had evaporators for making fresh water but not enough for all the needs of the crew and the ship's boilers so soon after leaving San Pedro. Fresh water was rationed. We were allowed one half a bucket twice a day. After a few days, this was reduced to one half bucket once a day and the fresh water taps were on only for a short time so you couldn't get more. A half bucket of water can do a lot. First, you scrub your teeth, then wash your face. Next you bathe your body and rinse off in a salt water shower. Last, you lather and scrub your clothes and rinse them in salt water.
Naturally, some of the crew were on watch (working) during water hours so they would draw their water and chain their bucket to a rack. Occasionally, someone would swipe their ration of fresh water, and they had none until the next day.
When we reached the Panama Canal Zone, fresh water was purchased and all tanks refilled. Between there and New York we were able to purchase water often enough so that strict rationing wasn't necessary. For example, when we reached Guantanamo Bay, we were rationed two buckets a day. On the return trip water rationing was not a problem. The longest time between ports was from the Canal Zone to San Pedro, but the ship proceeded directly without being involved in any fleet tactical maneuvers. Water rations were ample.
We left Hampton Roads May 26, 1930 and arrived in the Canal Zone about June 5 and were scheduled to arrive in San Pedro June 19.
During the trip to New York, Pacific to Atlantic Ocean, I saw what proved, to me, that the earth is round. When the battleships were far enough away, the only part of the ship visible from the Procyon was the fighting tops on the masts.
The Base Force flag was transferred to another ship, but I requested to remain on the Procyon which was scheduled to be decommissioned. The Procyon went to Bremerton for decommissioning and was later sold to the State of California to be used for training merchant seamen. I was transferred to the Receiving Station Puget Sound on March 31, 1931, and from there on April 2, 1931 to the USS Altair at San Diego.
While still aboard the Procyon, on Sept. 16, 1930, I was promoted from seaman second class to Radioman Third Class. On June 2, 1931, I was transferred to the USS Breese. The Breese was an old four-stack destroyer, which was used as a reference vessel while other ships were having gunnery practice. I was transferred back to the Altair on Oct 17, 1931.
After returning to the Altair I was promoted to RM2C on Dec 7, 1931. While on the Altair, I submitted a request for transfer to the Asiatic Fleet. The request was approved and on April 25, 1932, I was transferred from the USS Altair. I was sent to the USS Chaumont, a Navy transport; and we left from San Pedro, California about May 7, for Manila, Philippine Islands,. with stops in the Hawaiian Islands and Guam.
For several days, when near the midway area between Hawaiian Islands and Guam, we were out of communications with land for several hours during the day because radio equipment was not well enough advanced to permit 24-hour radio contact.
About midway between Guam and the Philippines we met a group of about six U.S. submarines and their Tender that were being transferred from the Asiatic Fleet to the U.S. The ocean was calm, and we met just as accurately as though we were traveling a land highway. The navigators were good then as they are now. Of course, navigation equipment and systems are now vastly improved. The ships lay to, long enough for the Chaumont to transfer a few provisions to them. I believe some of it was cigars and cigarettes.
On May 30, 1932 I had my first sight of the Philippines as we passed through the San Bernardino Straits. Some time in June, I was transferred to the USS Houston. I believe the transfer was at Shanghai.
The Houston was relieved by the USS Augusta, and I was transferred to the Auggie on Nov. 14, 1933. I requested to return to the U.S. on the Houston, but the Fleet Communications Officer, Cdr. McGowan, said I had not been in the Asiatics long enough and, "You will ride a transport back". I did, in 1937.
I had extended my tour of duty in the Asiatic Fleet but was scheduled to return to the U.S. in 1935, when an opportunity arose for me to be transferred to the 4th Marines, Marine Corps Expeditionary Force in Shanghai. My request was approved, and I was transferred from the Augusta on Nov. 11, 1935, to the Navy transport USS Henderson for further transfer to the 4th Marines. Thanksgiving dinner 1935, was eaten on the Henderson, standing up. On the Henderson, the passengers messing area had tables about two feet wide and four feet from the deck where you stood to eat. This conserved space. I arrived at the 4th Marines compound on Dec. 4, 1935.
While serving on the Houston and Augusta, I made visits to Japan, a trip to Australia and two trips to Peiping and the Great Wall of China. The ship anchored off Taku, and a tug took us across the shallow water to the railroad near Tientsin. We rode the train to Peiping where we stayed at the Marine barracks in the Legation. Sightseeing trips were made from there. During my duty tour on the Houston, we made a trip up the Yangtze River as far as Hankow. While at Hankow, I extended my enlistment for two years on October 8, 1932. (Note: Names of some Chinese cities have been changed since I left the Orient in 1937.)
On Dec. 30, 1936, I was transferred from the 4th Marines to the Receiving Ship, San Francisco. The return trip was on the USS Chaumont (Navy transport). Upon returning to the U.S. I was transferred to staff of "Flag" aboard the USS California, where I served from March 31, 1937 to June 15, 1937. While I served aboard the California, many of the ships of the Pacific Fleet, including the California, went to sea on tactical maneuvers. Many of them returned to San Francisco Bay as part of the official opening of the Golden Gate Bridge. The California, as Flagship, led the group, and at 12:00 (noon) May 27, 1937, she passed beneath the bridge. These maneuvers included a visit to the Territory of Hawaii. One of my letters to home was written in Pearl Harbor on May 17, 1937.
Prior to reporting aboard the California I had submitted a request for "Shore Duty" at the Navy Dept Washington, D.C. and was transferred there from the California.
I served at Washington, D.C. from Sept 1937 to August 1940, and most of the time was at "Radio Central" in the Navy Bldg. Soon after the Radio Station at Cheltenham, Md. was opened, I was sent out there for several months. The station was not complete, and there was a lot of mud when it rained.
During my tour at Washington, D.C., I was officially carried on the rolls at the Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Washington D.C. I met Frances Selma Wheeler while at D.C., and we were still dating when I was transferred from there to the USS Hannibal for record purposes. However, I was assigned to a World War I submarine chaser which was being prepared, at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, for use as an experimental mine sweeper (for magnetic mines). Some weekend liberties were from Thursday to Monday while the sub chaser was being overhauled. On these long weekends, I went to Wash D.C. to date Selma. The sub chaser was assigned to an Experimental Mine Sweeping Group on Nov. 9, 1940 and sent to Yorktown, Virginia. On Nov 16, 1940, I was promoted to RM1c.
On Jan. 18, 1941 Selma and I were married in York, South Carolina. We drove from Washington D.C. to South Carolina because the war in Europe caused the U.S. to prepare for possible involvement, and we wanted to get married as soon as possible. There was no required waiting period in S.C. at that time.
Some time during 1941, Selma quit her job, and we set up housekeeping in Newport News, VA, in Govt Housing, near the north end of the James River Bridge.
On Nov 12, 1941, I was transferred to the USS Bullfinch, a commissioned minesweeper, based at Yorktown, Virginia. The Bullfinch was used for training students at the Mine Warfare school. At times, the Bullfinch was used to help clear magnetic mines from the sea channels into Chesapeake Bay. On one sweep, we exploded a mine close enough to the ship to make me think it must have cracked the hull. The man on watch in the engine room apparently thought the same thing because when I stepped out of the radio room to look into the engine room, he was on the run for the ladder to get out. We reassured each other that all was O.K., and we went back to work.
On Sep 22, 1942, I was transferred from the Bullfinch to the Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Wash D.C. I was rated CRM (AA) on Oct 10, 1942 and transferred on Oct 30, 1942 to the U.S. Naval Attache's office in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. On Dec 1, 1942, I was transferred to U.S. Naval Operating Base Rio, which was merely a change in organization and no change in work. From there I was transferred on June 7, 1943 to the Navy Base at Recife, Brazil. My rate was changed to CRM (PA) on Oct 10, 1943.
While I was in Rio, Selma tried to get a job at the U.S. Commercial Attache's office in Rio. She was told at the Commerce Dept, Washington, that approval was required from the Navy Dept for a dependent to go to Brazil, and they would not approve. Commerce Dept. told her if she got a divorce, they would give her a job and we could be remarried in Rio and she could stay there with me. She told them NO.
From Recife, I was transferred on Sept. 18, 1944, to Naval Air Facility (NAF) Belem, Brazil for further transfer. My next duty station was at the Naval Air Station, Shawnee, Oklahoma. The Navy was teaching navigation there to Naval Aviators. That was in Dec. 1944. Selma joined me at Shawnee, where we rented a duplex apartment. The duty there was enjoyable and, of course, far from any war time hostilities.
On June 20, 1945, I was transferred to NAS Miami, where Selma and I obtained a government detached house to live in.
The next transfer was on Jul. 15, 1946, to the Fleet Tug USS Hitchiti, ATF-103. There was no allowance in the ships' crew for a CRM; so I did not remain on board very long. The tug was based at Bremerton, Washington, where we had a small apartment.
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From the tug I went, on Dec 17, 1946, to the oil tanker USS Chikasia (AO-54). She made a trip from the U.S. West Coast with a couple of stops, one in Guam, then on to the Persian Gulf for a load of oil, which we took through the Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, across the Atlantic to the U.S. East Coast.
In 1947, I spent some time at the Naval Hosp. Portsmouth, Va. and the USNH Bethesda, Md. with ulcers. They were healed without surgery.
I requested retirement during 1947, and it was authorized by Bupers letter (NavPers-631) Pers 6633-etd, dated 13 Oct. 1947. Retirement was to be after completing 20 years service; so the rest of my time consisted of short tours of duty on the USS Allagash, USS Cadmus, USS Paiute until retirement (transfer to F-6 Fleet Naval Reserve) on Oct. 22, 1948, at the Receiving Station, Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia).
Our son John Paul was born Sept. 9, 1948, while I was attached to the USS Paiute, at the Naval Hospital Portsmouth, Virginia.
On 11 Oct 1948, I was transferred to the Receiving Station, Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia. From there, I was released from active duty. On 22 Oct 1948, I was transferred to class F-6 Fleet Naval Reserve. At this time, we were living near Newport News, Virginia.
After transfer to F-6, we moved to Washington, D.C. (four of us then) and lived with Selma's Dad and Sister. Selma stayed with them while I went to Waukegan, Ill.
In Waukegan I bought a home, but this was after I obtained employment at Johns Manville in their plant at Waukegan. Selma and the children came to Waukegan after I bought the home, and I continued to work for Johns Manville.
In response to an application submitted soon after my retirement from the Navy, I received a call from the Navy Electronic Supply Office (ESO) Great Lakes, Illinois,. and went to work there on August 1, 1950 under Civil Service. My annual starting salary was $3450.00 as a GS-6.
The home I purchased was at 2118 Crescent Place in the northwest part of Waukegan. It was my neighbor's voice telling me that water was backing up in basement drains. In my mind this was a minor problem and was caused by rain water from roof gutters, etc. being connected to the sanitary sewer lines. There was no storm sewer system.
We paid $11,500.00 for this home when we purchased it on Nov 23, 1948. It had two bedrooms, one bath, living room, kitchen dining area, a full unfinished basement and an unfinished second floor with a finished stairway to it. While living here we had a bedroom finished upstairs, and I divided a portion of the basement and made a play room. We lived here until 1956, and I continued to work at ESO.
These figures on real estate costs are merely for information for comparison with costs of real estate when you read this. We spent $1379.00 in improvements and sold it for $15,150.00. We purchased 5 acres in Bristol Township, Kenosha County, Wisconsin on 10 Sept. 1956. The purchase price was $15,000.00.
We continued living in Bristol Township until 1977. The children all graduated from High School at Paddock Lake and went on to college. I continued working at ESO, Great Lakes, Illinois until I retired at age 65 in 1973.
After our children moved away from Wisconsin, Selma and I had no family relatives that lived near us. We considered several areas for retirement that had a milder climate, and we decided that Seneca, South Carolina would be acceptable. We purchased a home in the Seneca subdivision of Port Santorini and moved there in August 1977.
In 1979, we sold our home in Seneca and had a home built in the Warner Mill subdivision near Walhalla, South Carolina. We moved to this new home and we still live there as of April 15, 1989.
While living in Bristol Township I served on the School Board and received a plaque with this inscription:
To JOHN LILLY
FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE
TO BOYS AND GIRLS AND COMMUNITY
AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER 1966-1977
Given this 29th day of April, 1977
BRISTOL CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL
In 1987, Selma and I purchased a motor home and in 1988 we drove it to Alaska and back over the Alaskan Highway (originally called "ALCAN HIGHWAY"). One of the interesting things that happened was an incident involving a Black Bear. On June 8, 1989, on the return trip, the bear was on the road about 4 miles north of White River Lodge, Yukon (mileage DC-1135/1882 km). Other campers and a tour bus stopped, as we did, and the bear was going from one to another for something to eat. It came to Selma's window, and I asked her to roll the window down so I could get a clear view for a picture. She could see it's BIG dirty teeth that could chew food other than grubs and berries. She emphatically refused to open the window. I was able to obtain a good picture through the glass. I had thought of stepping out of the cab to obtain a good picture but quickly rejected the idea. The bear was bigger and faster than I.
Some time after we moved to South Carolina, I became interested in my ancestry. I reviewed records of historical societies, vital statistics, official birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, gravestones, published genealogies and traveled. Selma and I went to Ashfield, Massachusetts. where several of my Lilly ancestors lived and died. We also visited areas of Connecticut.
I learned there was an organization called Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). The eligibility requirements are similar to the DAR. I submitted an application to join and was accepted. My SAR National No.is 127567, and my South Carolina, State No. is 1964.
Some notes of possible interest.
• My Navy pay as a Chief Radioman (Permanent Appointment) was $172.50 a month on 9/24/1945.
• My 1949 income tax return shows an income of $2706.84 from Johns Manville and Navy retainer of $1139.40 for a yearly total of $3846.24.
• Our home near Bristol, Kenosha County, Wis. sold for $63,000 on Aug. 1, 1977.
• The home near Seneca, S.C. cost $44,500.00 on Aug. 8, 1977.
• Our Walhalla home, building and land, cost $64,227.89. It has a carport, dining room, living room, foyer, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, one half basement, pantry, guest closet, utility closet, linen closet, a closet in each bedroom, and a heat pump for heating and cooling. There is a fireplace in the living room. Built in 1979.
Military Information: RMC, US NAVY
30 May 1908 – 29 Aug 1999
I was born in Warren Township, Winona County, Minnesota about 4.5 miles southeast of Lewiston, in a house that I believe was called the "Sartwell" place. It was located on the west side of the road, less than an eighth of a mile north of Brott's corners. A man named Brott had a store on the northwest corner of the road intersection. The town hall was located on the southwest corner of the intersection and is still shown there on the 1981 Winona County map.
My sister, Olive Marie Lilly, was born in the farm house on the southeast corner of the intersection on April 15, 1912. Our family lived there at that time. Some time between April 15, 1912 and June 28, 1914, our family moved to the Schonneger farm about 4.5 road miles almost due east of Lewiston. My brother, Luther, was born there on June
28, 1914. My three older brothers were: Lawrence, born Sept 1, 1900 in a log cabin in Fremont township, Winona County, MN, died March 31, 1967, at Gonzales, TX; Albinus Harper born May 13, 1903 in Winona, MN, died March 1, 1983 at Riverside, CA.; and Jesse Jerome born Sep. 5, 1905 in Warren township, Winona County, MN. (These places of birth were told to me when I was a young boy. I have not attempted to verify them.)
I learned to ride Lawrence's bicycle there. My legs were not long enough to reach the pedals, and the bike and I headed down the drive, coasting, to the roadway with no way of stopping except by tipping over when I reached the other side of the road. Neither the bike nor I suffered very much damage. We lived there several years. The four oldest boys, Lawrence, Harper, Jesse and I slept in an upstairs bedroom in two double beds. Occasionally we would get in a pillow fight until our father would shout at us when we would stop and go to sleep.
During this time my father bought a threshing rig, steam engine and grain thresher. We were in a threshing group with several farmers of German descent who lived on "Dutch Ridge". Their road was located along a ridge north of the Schonneger farm. Each farmer would harvest and shock his own grain. When it was time to thresh, they all worked together as a crew - moving the engine and thresher from farm to farm. The farmer's wife cooked a big dinner for the entire crew. One dinner that my mother cooked included beans and she cooked them in the dish pan because it was the only pan that she had that was large enough.
Some time during World War I, my father moved the family to Mercedes, Texas. It must have been during the winter of 1917-1918 (Luther says he was four years old, Marie said she went to First Grade in Mercedes; so it was probably 1918). I remember getting off the train while it was stopped in Houston, Texas. The air was warm, and it seemed like spring. It wasn't easy for a nine year old, me, who had lived in Minnesota all his life to understand how it could be so warm and pleasant in winter time. My father had purchased 40 acres north of Mercedes, that didn't have irrigation water available. So, as a result, it couldn't be farmed. He also purchased 7 acres in Mercedes and that is where we lived. I believe we all lived there except Lawrence who probably remained in Minnesota or went to Oklahoma. These seven acres are located, in 1984, southeast of the corner of 16th and Ohio streets. The First Methodist Church is now located there. My Grandfather, Grandmother Nettleton and son Ralph (my Uncle) also moved to Mercedes. I believe it was 1918. Grandpa and Ralph drove a car. They had to take a route from San Antonio to Del Rio then down the old river road because there was no roadway to the "Valley" at that time.
In January 1984, my Aunt Ida (Wetergrove) Nettleton, Ralph's widow, told me her father made occasional trips from his farm home, near Mercedes, to Austin, Texas, where they previously lived. Because there was no road, he shipped his car to Kingsville by rail and he rode the passenger train to pick up his car and drive from there to Austin.
The family lived in Mercedes for approximately a year and then returned to Minnesota to a farm south and west of Lewiston. While on this farm, my father built an addition to the milk barn. He did the construction work himself. The family, less Lawrence, lived there until about 1925. I believe Harper left home during this period. Father, Mother, Jesse, Marie and Luther moved to the Mercedes, Texas area, and I remained in Lewiston and lived with one of our farmer neighbors, Bill Thompson, while I finished my last year of high school graduating in 1926 with honors as the boy with the highest scholastic rating.
Lawrence, Nita and their daughters Helen, Rebecca and Patricia came to the farm in 1926 and I lived with them during the summer. We had cows that we milked and cared for. I don't remember what financial arrangement we had with our father, but the farm was given up during 1926. I, with Lawrence and family, drove to Mercedes, Texas. I drove my father's truck there, and Lawrence drove his car with his family. Some place in Texas, we became separated, and I didn't have much money. In Alice, Texas, the truck got stuck. After paying to have it pulled out, I barely had enough money to buy gasoline for the rest of the trip to Mercedes, in the Rio Grande Valley.
I obtained work in Harlingen, with the Central Power and Light Co. in their plant that made white ice for refrigerating railroad cars. The vegetables and citrus fruit grown in the Valley was shipped north by railroad. Refrigerated trucking wasn't available. The cars had an ice bunker at each end with a fill hole on top. My first job was operating an electric hoist that lifted 12,300 pound blocks of ice from the freezing tanks and replacing them filled with water for more ice. My next appointment was to be an "Oiler," which required a check of several large ammonia compressors that compressed the ammonia used in cooling the freezing brine tanks. I had to keep oil cups filled, check bearings for proper temperature and ensure that they were operating properly. The salary for an oiler was $90.00 a month for a 12 hour day and a six day week (maybe 7 days.. I have forgotten) and that was a good salary. Later I obtained a position as third engineer in a smaller "ice plant" in Harlingen that made clear ice. Later on I was promoted to a larger ice plant as third engineer in another town (I believe it was Weslaco). This job paid a good salary of $135.00 a month with a shorter week of 60 or 70 hours.
During the summer of 1927, the ice plant at Harlingen closed down during the season that not many refrigerated vegetables were being shipped. I was laid off. So, I went to Brownsville to talk to the Navy recruiter about enlisting in the Navy. He was on vacation; I went back to work when the plant reopened. Some time during the 1928 summer, I was working, but I returned to Brownsville and found the recruiter on the job. He told me there would be a wait of several months to get in. When he learned that I was a High School graduate, he said the wait would only be a few weeks. I filed an application.
My preliminary physical examination was by an Army doctor at Fort Brown, Brownsville who told me I was the type of person the Navy wanted. I was finally sent to the Navy Recruiting Station, Houston, Texas, where I was given a General Classification test, receiving a grade of 85 and a final physical examination. I passed both and was enlisted as Apprentice Seaman for four years on October 8, 1928 with a salary of $21.00 a month. The pay of a Seaman Second Class was $36.00 and of a Seaman First Class $54.00. A third class petty officer earned $60.00 a month. If the record of an A.S. was not blemished, he was usually advanced to S2C after four months. Engine room "BLACK GANG" sailors were designated fireman until they became petty officer. Education was an aid to my prompt acceptance in the Navy.
My father understood this importance and wanted us to have a good quality education. When we lived on the Schonnegar farm, we were in a rural (country) school district; but my father paid tuition and supplied our own transportation to the Lewiston Consolidated School District, which included High School. I did go to the country school for a year. I am not certain of the reason, but I think it was a transportation problem.
The "Navy" transferred me from Houston to the Naval Training Station San Diego, California for recruit training. The first 4 weeks were a quarantine period in a fenced compound that we left only to march to the mess hall for meals. Our quarters were square tents over a raised wooden floor. We slept on steel cots. Training consisted of marching forenoon and afternoon with some seamanship and rifle handling. I weighed 149 pounds when I enlisted. After four weeks we were transferred to masonry buildings, where we slept in hammocks, where recruit training continued. I do not remember how many additional weeks, 8 or 10. Sometime during this period, I submitted an application to attend radio operator school, at the Training Station. It was approved, and after learning the Morse code and some electronics, I was graduated from the fourteen-week course on May 17, 1929. Part of this training included about ten days or two weeks experience at the Naval Radio Station Point Loma.
Before being transferred to a ship, I was granted leave to visit home in Mercedes, Texas. I tried to hitch hike but traffic east of El Centro was mostly travelers who didn't have room for a sailor with luggage. After several hours of trying, I gave up and bought a bus ticket.
I returned to Naval Training Station, San Diego by train and, on the trip, developed trouble with a Pilonidal cyst. I was hospitalized for removal of the cyst, and finally on October 11, 1929, I was transferred to a ship for duty - the USS Procyon at San Pedro, Calif.
The Procyon was flagship of the U.S. Navy Base Force. The Base Force was in charge of furnishing supplies. The Procyon was an old freighter converted with offices and extra crew space for the "Flag" personnel. The "Flag" had radio personnel that handled lots of message traffic from other ships and relayed it to shore. The ship was moored to a buoy and rarely ever went to sea except when the fleet went on maneuvers or she needed to go to a Navy Yard for maintenance. In spring 1930, the Procyon, with the Pacific Fleet made a cruise through the Panama Canal to New York City. While in New York I visited a Mr. Gathercole who, I believe, was a cousin of my Grandmother Nettleton. This visit was made at my family's urging. I noted that the New York subways were fast, cheap, dirty and crowded.
On May 22, 1930 we were at Hampton Roads, Virginia on our return trip. On our way to New York we stopped in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. One day while we were there, a few more than 100 Navy ships were there. During our Cuba visit, the Procyon went to
Cienfuegos, Cuba for a ten-day recreation (liberty) visit. After Cuba, we went to New York.
The Procyon had evaporators for making fresh water but not enough for all the needs of the crew and the ship's boilers so soon after leaving San Pedro. Fresh water was rationed. We were allowed one half a bucket twice a day. After a few days, this was reduced to one half bucket once a day and the fresh water taps were on only for a short time so you couldn't get more. A half bucket of water can do a lot. First, you scrub your teeth, then wash your face. Next you bathe your body and rinse off in a salt water shower. Last, you lather and scrub your clothes and rinse them in salt water.
Naturally, some of the crew were on watch (working) during water hours so they would draw their water and chain their bucket to a rack. Occasionally, someone would swipe their ration of fresh water, and they had none until the next day.
When we reached the Panama Canal Zone, fresh water was purchased and all tanks refilled. Between there and New York we were able to purchase water often enough so that strict rationing wasn't necessary. For example, when we reached Guantanamo Bay, we were rationed two buckets a day. On the return trip water rationing was not a problem. The longest time between ports was from the Canal Zone to San Pedro, but the ship proceeded directly without being involved in any fleet tactical maneuvers. Water rations were ample.
We left Hampton Roads May 26, 1930 and arrived in the Canal Zone about June 5 and were scheduled to arrive in San Pedro June 19.
During the trip to New York, Pacific to Atlantic Ocean, I saw what proved, to me, that the earth is round. When the battleships were far enough away, the only part of the ship visible from the Procyon was the fighting tops on the masts.
The Base Force flag was transferred to another ship, but I requested to remain on the Procyon which was scheduled to be decommissioned. The Procyon went to Bremerton for decommissioning and was later sold to the State of California to be used for training merchant seamen. I was transferred to the Receiving Station Puget Sound on March 31, 1931, and from there on April 2, 1931 to the USS Altair at San Diego.
While still aboard the Procyon, on Sept. 16, 1930, I was promoted from seaman second class to Radioman Third Class. On June 2, 1931, I was transferred to the USS Breese. The Breese was an old four-stack destroyer, which was used as a reference vessel while other ships were having gunnery practice. I was transferred back to the Altair on Oct 17, 1931.
After returning to the Altair I was promoted to RM2C on Dec 7, 1931. While on the Altair, I submitted a request for transfer to the Asiatic Fleet. The request was approved and on April 25, 1932, I was transferred from the USS Altair. I was sent to the USS Chaumont, a Navy transport; and we left from San Pedro, California about May 7, for Manila, Philippine Islands,. with stops in the Hawaiian Islands and Guam.
For several days, when near the midway area between Hawaiian Islands and Guam, we were out of communications with land for several hours during the day because radio equipment was not well enough advanced to permit 24-hour radio contact.
About midway between Guam and the Philippines we met a group of about six U.S. submarines and their Tender that were being transferred from the Asiatic Fleet to the U.S. The ocean was calm, and we met just as accurately as though we were traveling a land highway. The navigators were good then as they are now. Of course, navigation equipment and systems are now vastly improved. The ships lay to, long enough for the Chaumont to transfer a few provisions to them. I believe some of it was cigars and cigarettes.
On May 30, 1932 I had my first sight of the Philippines as we passed through the San Bernardino Straits. Some time in June, I was transferred to the USS Houston. I believe the transfer was at Shanghai.
The Houston was relieved by the USS Augusta, and I was transferred to the Auggie on Nov. 14, 1933. I requested to return to the U.S. on the Houston, but the Fleet Communications Officer, Cdr. McGowan, said I had not been in the Asiatics long enough and, "You will ride a transport back". I did, in 1937.
I had extended my tour of duty in the Asiatic Fleet but was scheduled to return to the U.S. in 1935, when an opportunity arose for me to be transferred to the 4th Marines, Marine Corps Expeditionary Force in Shanghai. My request was approved, and I was transferred from the Augusta on Nov. 11, 1935, to the Navy transport USS Henderson for further transfer to the 4th Marines. Thanksgiving dinner 1935, was eaten on the Henderson, standing up. On the Henderson, the passengers messing area had tables about two feet wide and four feet from the deck where you stood to eat. This conserved space. I arrived at the 4th Marines compound on Dec. 4, 1935.
While serving on the Houston and Augusta, I made visits to Japan, a trip to Australia and two trips to Peiping and the Great Wall of China. The ship anchored off Taku, and a tug took us across the shallow water to the railroad near Tientsin. We rode the train to Peiping where we stayed at the Marine barracks in the Legation. Sightseeing trips were made from there. During my duty tour on the Houston, we made a trip up the Yangtze River as far as Hankow. While at Hankow, I extended my enlistment for two years on October 8, 1932. (Note: Names of some Chinese cities have been changed since I left the Orient in 1937.)
On Dec. 30, 1936, I was transferred from the 4th Marines to the Receiving Ship, San Francisco. The return trip was on the USS Chaumont (Navy transport). Upon returning to the U.S. I was transferred to staff of "Flag" aboard the USS California, where I served from March 31, 1937 to June 15, 1937. While I served aboard the California, many of the ships of the Pacific Fleet, including the California, went to sea on tactical maneuvers. Many of them returned to San Francisco Bay as part of the official opening of the Golden Gate Bridge. The California, as Flagship, led the group, and at 12:00 (noon) May 27, 1937, she passed beneath the bridge. These maneuvers included a visit to the Territory of Hawaii. One of my letters to home was written in Pearl Harbor on May 17, 1937.
Prior to reporting aboard the California I had submitted a request for "Shore Duty" at the Navy Dept Washington, D.C. and was transferred there from the California.
I served at Washington, D.C. from Sept 1937 to August 1940, and most of the time was at "Radio Central" in the Navy Bldg. Soon after the Radio Station at Cheltenham, Md. was opened, I was sent out there for several months. The station was not complete, and there was a lot of mud when it rained.
During my tour at Washington, D.C., I was officially carried on the rolls at the Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Washington D.C. I met Frances Selma Wheeler while at D.C., and we were still dating when I was transferred from there to the USS Hannibal for record purposes. However, I was assigned to a World War I submarine chaser which was being prepared, at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, for use as an experimental mine sweeper (for magnetic mines). Some weekend liberties were from Thursday to Monday while the sub chaser was being overhauled. On these long weekends, I went to Wash D.C. to date Selma. The sub chaser was assigned to an Experimental Mine Sweeping Group on Nov. 9, 1940 and sent to Yorktown, Virginia. On Nov 16, 1940, I was promoted to RM1c.
On Jan. 18, 1941 Selma and I were married in York, South Carolina. We drove from Washington D.C. to South Carolina because the war in Europe caused the U.S. to prepare for possible involvement, and we wanted to get married as soon as possible. There was no required waiting period in S.C. at that time.
Some time during 1941, Selma quit her job, and we set up housekeeping in Newport News, VA, in Govt Housing, near the north end of the James River Bridge.
On Nov 12, 1941, I was transferred to the USS Bullfinch, a commissioned minesweeper, based at Yorktown, Virginia. The Bullfinch was used for training students at the Mine Warfare school. At times, the Bullfinch was used to help clear magnetic mines from the sea channels into Chesapeake Bay. On one sweep, we exploded a mine close enough to the ship to make me think it must have cracked the hull. The man on watch in the engine room apparently thought the same thing because when I stepped out of the radio room to look into the engine room, he was on the run for the ladder to get out. We reassured each other that all was O.K., and we went back to work.
On Sep 22, 1942, I was transferred from the Bullfinch to the Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Wash D.C. I was rated CRM (AA) on Oct 10, 1942 and transferred on Oct 30, 1942 to the U.S. Naval Attache's office in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. On Dec 1, 1942, I was transferred to U.S. Naval Operating Base Rio, which was merely a change in organization and no change in work. From there I was transferred on June 7, 1943 to the Navy Base at Recife, Brazil. My rate was changed to CRM (PA) on Oct 10, 1943.
While I was in Rio, Selma tried to get a job at the U.S. Commercial Attache's office in Rio. She was told at the Commerce Dept, Washington, that approval was required from the Navy Dept for a dependent to go to Brazil, and they would not approve. Commerce Dept. told her if she got a divorce, they would give her a job and we could be remarried in Rio and she could stay there with me. She told them NO.
From Recife, I was transferred on Sept. 18, 1944, to Naval Air Facility (NAF) Belem, Brazil for further transfer. My next duty station was at the Naval Air Station, Shawnee, Oklahoma. The Navy was teaching navigation there to Naval Aviators. That was in Dec. 1944. Selma joined me at Shawnee, where we rented a duplex apartment. The duty there was enjoyable and, of course, far from any war time hostilities.
On June 20, 1945, I was transferred to NAS Miami, where Selma and I obtained a government detached house to live in.
The next transfer was on Jul. 15, 1946, to the Fleet Tug USS Hitchiti, ATF-103. There was no allowance in the ships' crew for a CRM; so I did not remain on board very long. The tug was based at Bremerton, Washington, where we had a small apartment.
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From the tug I went, on Dec 17, 1946, to the oil tanker USS Chikasia (AO-54). She made a trip from the U.S. West Coast with a couple of stops, one in Guam, then on to the Persian Gulf for a load of oil, which we took through the Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, across the Atlantic to the U.S. East Coast.
In 1947, I spent some time at the Naval Hosp. Portsmouth, Va. and the USNH Bethesda, Md. with ulcers. They were healed without surgery.
I requested retirement during 1947, and it was authorized by Bupers letter (NavPers-631) Pers 6633-etd, dated 13 Oct. 1947. Retirement was to be after completing 20 years service; so the rest of my time consisted of short tours of duty on the USS Allagash, USS Cadmus, USS Paiute until retirement (transfer to F-6 Fleet Naval Reserve) on Oct. 22, 1948, at the Receiving Station, Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia).
Our son John Paul was born Sept. 9, 1948, while I was attached to the USS Paiute, at the Naval Hospital Portsmouth, Virginia.
On 11 Oct 1948, I was transferred to the Receiving Station, Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia. From there, I was released from active duty. On 22 Oct 1948, I was transferred to class F-6 Fleet Naval Reserve. At this time, we were living near Newport News, Virginia.
After transfer to F-6, we moved to Washington, D.C. (four of us then) and lived with Selma's Dad and Sister. Selma stayed with them while I went to Waukegan, Ill.
In Waukegan I bought a home, but this was after I obtained employment at Johns Manville in their plant at Waukegan. Selma and the children came to Waukegan after I bought the home, and I continued to work for Johns Manville.
In response to an application submitted soon after my retirement from the Navy, I received a call from the Navy Electronic Supply Office (ESO) Great Lakes, Illinois,. and went to work there on August 1, 1950 under Civil Service. My annual starting salary was $3450.00 as a GS-6.
The home I purchased was at 2118 Crescent Place in the northwest part of Waukegan. It was my neighbor's voice telling me that water was backing up in basement drains. In my mind this was a minor problem and was caused by rain water from roof gutters, etc. being connected to the sanitary sewer lines. There was no storm sewer system.
We paid $11,500.00 for this home when we purchased it on Nov 23, 1948. It had two bedrooms, one bath, living room, kitchen dining area, a full unfinished basement and an unfinished second floor with a finished stairway to it. While living here we had a bedroom finished upstairs, and I divided a portion of the basement and made a play room. We lived here until 1956, and I continued to work at ESO.
These figures on real estate costs are merely for information for comparison with costs of real estate when you read this. We spent $1379.00 in improvements and sold it for $15,150.00. We purchased 5 acres in Bristol Township, Kenosha County, Wisconsin on 10 Sept. 1956. The purchase price was $15,000.00.
We continued living in Bristol Township until 1977. The children all graduated from High School at Paddock Lake and went on to college. I continued working at ESO, Great Lakes, Illinois until I retired at age 65 in 1973.
After our children moved away from Wisconsin, Selma and I had no family relatives that lived near us. We considered several areas for retirement that had a milder climate, and we decided that Seneca, South Carolina would be acceptable. We purchased a home in the Seneca subdivision of Port Santorini and moved there in August 1977.
In 1979, we sold our home in Seneca and had a home built in the Warner Mill subdivision near Walhalla, South Carolina. We moved to this new home and we still live there as of April 15, 1989.
While living in Bristol Township I served on the School Board and received a plaque with this inscription:
To JOHN LILLY
FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE
TO BOYS AND GIRLS AND COMMUNITY
AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER 1966-1977
Given this 29th day of April, 1977
BRISTOL CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL
In 1987, Selma and I purchased a motor home and in 1988 we drove it to Alaska and back over the Alaskan Highway (originally called "ALCAN HIGHWAY"). One of the interesting things that happened was an incident involving a Black Bear. On June 8, 1989, on the return trip, the bear was on the road about 4 miles north of White River Lodge, Yukon (mileage DC-1135/1882 km). Other campers and a tour bus stopped, as we did, and the bear was going from one to another for something to eat. It came to Selma's window, and I asked her to roll the window down so I could get a clear view for a picture. She could see it's BIG dirty teeth that could chew food other than grubs and berries. She emphatically refused to open the window. I was able to obtain a good picture through the glass. I had thought of stepping out of the cab to obtain a good picture but quickly rejected the idea. The bear was bigger and faster than I.
Some time after we moved to South Carolina, I became interested in my ancestry. I reviewed records of historical societies, vital statistics, official birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, gravestones, published genealogies and traveled. Selma and I went to Ashfield, Massachusetts. where several of my Lilly ancestors lived and died. We also visited areas of Connecticut.
I learned there was an organization called Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). The eligibility requirements are similar to the DAR. I submitted an application to join and was accepted. My SAR National No.is 127567, and my South Carolina, State No. is 1964.
Some notes of possible interest.
• My Navy pay as a Chief Radioman (Permanent Appointment) was $172.50 a month on 9/24/1945.
• My 1949 income tax return shows an income of $2706.84 from Johns Manville and Navy retainer of $1139.40 for a yearly total of $3846.24.
• Our home near Bristol, Kenosha County, Wis. sold for $63,000 on Aug. 1, 1977.
• The home near Seneca, S.C. cost $44,500.00 on Aug. 8, 1977.
• Our Walhalla home, building and land, cost $64,227.89. It has a carport, dining room, living room, foyer, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, one half basement, pantry, guest closet, utility closet, linen closet, a closet in each bedroom, and a heat pump for heating and cooling. There is a fireplace in the living room. Built in 1979.
Military Information: RMC, US NAVY
