Chester Bernard Carson and Kathleen May Rogers
No birth certificate for Chester Bernard Carson has been found, but there is little doubt that he was born on January 15, 1904 in Iola, Kansas. I once read that his full name was Chester Bernard Lloyd James Carson, but I don’t recall the source of that information, and I have no proof or confidence that this extended version of his name is correct.
UPDATED 15 September 2005: Chester's full name, written on the back of a family plate, is given as "Chester Bernard James Carson"
Above: Chester Carson in the spring of 1904
Likewise, the birth date of Kathleen May Rogers is accepted by all as October 17, 1910, in Wilmington, North Carolina, even though no birth certificate is known to exist.
I have no information on the early life of Chester. Kathleen led a varied life, traveling with her father, and performing in various shows. To read those stories, see the write-up of Loyd Rogers and Blanche Wheeler.
Kathleen Carson in an undated photo.
It is believed that Chester and Kathleen met each other in Miami, Florida. Interestingly, there is no evidence that either lived there at the time. They may have met when Chester was working as a carpenter, repairing hurricane damage, and one of Loyd Rogers’ traveling shows came through town. They were married on June 26, 1926 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Chester was 22 and Kathleen was 15. They later moved to Miami, Florida, and were there when a very destructive hurricane came through that same year. There was substantial damage to the area.
This photo of Hurricane damage, taken by Kathleen Carson, shows the remains of the home of Mrs. Adams. Mrs. Adams, who lived three houses from Kathleen and Chester, was killed by the storm.
Sometime between 1926 and 1930 Chester moved to Imperial, Texas, to work with his father. He was later proud of the fact that they built the first brick church in the town. It is unclear if Kathleen accompanied him to Texas.
UPDATED 15 September 2005: Chester's full name, written on the back of a family plate, is given as "Chester Bernard James Carson"
Above: Chester Carson in the spring of 1904
Likewise, the birth date of Kathleen May Rogers is accepted by all as October 17, 1910, in Wilmington, North Carolina, even though no birth certificate is known to exist.
I have no information on the early life of Chester. Kathleen led a varied life, traveling with her father, and performing in various shows. To read those stories, see the write-up of Loyd Rogers and Blanche Wheeler.
Kathleen Carson in an undated photo.
It is believed that Chester and Kathleen met each other in Miami, Florida. Interestingly, there is no evidence that either lived there at the time. They may have met when Chester was working as a carpenter, repairing hurricane damage, and one of Loyd Rogers’ traveling shows came through town. They were married on June 26, 1926 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Chester was 22 and Kathleen was 15. They later moved to Miami, Florida, and were there when a very destructive hurricane came through that same year. There was substantial damage to the area.
This photo of Hurricane damage, taken by Kathleen Carson, shows the remains of the home of Mrs. Adams. Mrs. Adams, who lived three houses from Kathleen and Chester, was killed by the storm.
Sometime between 1926 and 1930 Chester moved to Imperial, Texas, to work with his father. He was later proud of the fact that they built the first brick church in the town. It is unclear if Kathleen accompanied him to Texas.
posted by Steve | 11:00 AM
2 Comments:
Steve, do you know if Chester and Kathleen's house was destroyed or damaged in the hurricane? Do you know the name of the hurricane?
The National Weather Service did not begin naming hurricanes until 1953, however this storm is sometimes referred to as The Great Miami Hurricane, and also as "The Big Blow". It struck Florida over September 17-18, 1926.
I do not know their address, and I do not know if their home was damaged. From the look of the photos, and from news accounts, it's hard to imagine that it was untouched. This might be the reason they moved to Oklahoma to live with family (Chester's parents).
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Miami_Hurricane
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