The Civilian Conservation Corps in New Hampshire (Part 7)

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(Digital Images. Photographs Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Text Copyright (c) 2013 Cynthia Shenette) After three months and almost sixty photos later this is my last post with photos from my dad's CCC album from the dam project he worked on in Campton, New Hampshire.  I knew it was going to take a while to post all of the photos, but I will admit it took a little longer than expected. There are a few vintage postcards in my dad's album from Fort Devens, but my guess is they are easy to find elsewhere on either eBay or the Internet so I won't be taking the the time to post them here, at least for now.

My dad is in the photo below on the scaffolding on the dam.  I was happy to find him in one of the construction photos.  I also found the photo which included the young African American man below interesting.  My impression before seeing this photo was that the CCCs were mostly if not all segregated.  I did a bit of quick research and discovered that the CCCs were integrated at the beginning, but that changed in the later years of the program.  Obviously, I don't know what relationship the young man below had with the other enrollees in his camp but he looks as if he is included in the photo as part of a group of buddies.  I'd like to think that was the case.

It's time to say goodbye to Campton and my time with the CCCs. Again, if you recognized anyone in any of the photos that I've posted over the last three months I'd love to hear from you.  I love to add a name to a face!

Henry Albert Shenette

An Integrated CCC Unit

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The Civilian Conservation Corps in New Hampshire (Part 5) - Wordless Wednesday

(Digital Images. Photographs Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Photographs and Text, Copyright (c) 2013 Cynthia Shenette) Here is the latest round of photographs from my dad's photo album from the Civilian Conservation Corps at Campton, New Hampshire.  My dad, Henry Albert Shenette, was a man of few words when it came to documenting the photographs in his album.  So far I've only found one picture in the bunch that has any information on it.  The photo of my dad directly below says, "1934 Age 18."  Well, that's better than nothing. I'm just guessing mind you, but given that all of the photos are the same size and seem to be taken in colder weather, they were probably all taken around the same time.  Maybe between October and December of 1934?  Why do I think this?  My dad joined the CCCs on 17 April 1934 and his birthday was in February.  If the pictures were taken in 1934 and he was 18 years old they were probably taken at the end of the year, not the beginning.

Left: Henry Albert Shenette, 1934 Age 18
Right: Unknown Friend

Construction of the  Dam in Campton, New Hampshire

Construction of the Dam in Campton, New Hampshire

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The Civilian Conservation Corps in New Hampshire (Part 1)

(Digital Images. Photographs Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Text Copyright (c) Cynthia Shenette) My dad, Henry Albert Shenette (1916-1985), served in the Civilian Conservation Corps from 17 April 1934 until 30 September 1935. According to his Certificate of Discharge he serve as a "laborer" from 17 April 1934 until 25 June 1935 at Campton, NH.  He continued to serve as a "Cook--Assistant Leader" from 25 June 1935 until 30 September 1935 at Thornton, NH.  

Apparently the military style structure of  CCC camp life must have agreed with him.  When his time in the CCCs was up he spent the next few years in the Army and then enlisted in the Navy after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  He remained in the Navy until he retired from the military in 1957.

Since this month marks the 80th anniversary of the CCCs I thought it would be a good time to post photos from my dad's CCC photo album.   I have about 60 photos in my dad's collection so posting all of them will take a bit time.  

If an ancestor or relative of yours served in the CCCs in Campton or Thornton, NH or the CCCs in general or if you recognize any of the young men in my photos I'd love to hear from you!

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Happy Birthday, Mom

Christine (Szerejko) Shenette and Antonina (Bulak) Szerejko

Christine (Szerejko) Shenette

Left to Right: Robert Szerejko, Helene (Dingle) Szerejko,
Antonina (Bulak) Szerejko, Christine (Szerejko) Shenette

Christine (Szerejko) Shenette

Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, Henry A. Shenette

Henry A. Shenette, Christine (Szerejko) Shenette 

(Digital Images. Photographs Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Photographs and Text, Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette) Happy Birthday, Mom.  I miss you, especially today...

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Christine (Szerejko) Shenette and Henry Shenette, June 13, 1953

(Digital Image.  Photograph Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette.  Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette)


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Cynthia Shenette and Henry Shenette

(Original Images and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) What the heck is going on with that tree?  It kind of reminds me of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree except bigger.  I look as if I'm about two in the photo. We didn't have any pets at time so I can't blame the mess with the tinsel on a cat or a dog. Hmm.  I wonder what got into the tree?  Me perhaps? That might explain the grumpy little look on my face.  An attitude adjustment definitely seems to be in order.

Clearly I am much happier in this photo.  There's nothing like a new set of wheels to put a smile on one's face!


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Photo Story: A New Career for Dad

Henry A. Shenette, 1960 Yearbook Photo 

(Stockbridge School of Agriculture Yearbook Privately Held by Cynthia Shenette; Text Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) Dad fought in 11 major battles during World War II and managed to come out unscathed.  After all he had been through during the war, ironically he was severely injured in a training accident while teaching at the Naval School in Newport.  While working with a new recruit Dad got his hand almost completely torn off in a piece of gun machinery on ship.  Thankfully, there was a doctor at the Newport Naval hospital who my mom praised as one of the pioneers of reconstructive surgery.  The doctor managed to reattach the torn part of my dad's hand, and despite a infection and long hospitalization Dad recovered use of his hand.  Unfortunately, he did not recover enough to be able continue as a gunner with the Navy.

Dad retired from the military in 1957 after six years in the U.S. Army and 15 years in the Navy.  Mom said Dad was somewhat at a loss as to do with the rest of his life.  While he was in the Navy my mom had encourage him to complete his high school equivalency.  Dad decided to continue his education at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture where he majored in floriculture.  He graduated in 1960 and became the first person in his family to obtain a college degree.  He eventually operated his own successful landscaping business.  He was still actively working as a landscaper when he died in 1985 at the age of 69.


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Photo Story: Mom and Dad Get Married

Left to Right: Antonina (Bulak) Szerejko, Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, Henry Shenette, Marie (Comeau) Shenette

(Original Images and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette)  My parents met through mutual friends while my mom was working for the United States Department of Agriculture in Worcester.  The other secretary in the USDA office, Shirley Johnson, was a good friend of my mother, and her husband Wallace was a childhood friend of my dad.

Left to Right: Unidentified, Margaret Chenette, Unidentified, Rosalie (Wagner) Massey, Edward Chenette,
Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, Henry Shenette, Wallace Johnson?

Mom and Dad were married on June 13, 1953 at Our Lady of Czestochowa in Worcester, MA.  A reception followed at the Sterling Inn in Sterling, MA. There was some question as to whether the reception would go on as scheduled, because a massive tornado blew through town four days before my parents wedding, devastating the northern end of the city.  Guests managed to find a route around the destruction, and the reception went on as scheduled.  After the wedding my parents took a honeymoon to Montreal and visited relatives on their trip home.

Left to Right: Unidentified, Helen Bulak, Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, Henry Shenette

My mom moved from Worcester to Newport where Dad was stationed with the Navy.  Mom said they were lucky, because they didn't have to move every two years like most Navy families.  Dad was an instructor at the Naval School in Newport, so they stayed in Newport until he retired from the Navy in 1957.


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Photo Story: Seeing the World

USS Charles R. Ware in Port, Rouen, France

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) I am certain my love of travel comes from my parents.  I was always fascinated by my dad's stories about his travels with the Navy.  He traveled everywhere--Australia, the Far East, Africa, Europe, Cuba, South America.  Everywhere.  After World War II Dad served on the destroyer, USS Charles R. Ware (DD-865) which traveled to the Arctic circle, Europe, and the Mediterranean.  For a photo of my dad on ship in the Arctic, see here.

My mom also loved to travel, though her travels were less exotic than my dad's.  Mom would save up her vacation until she accrued a total of three or four weeks time and take a trip somewhere in the United States.  One time she traveled by train in a sleeper car to New Orleans with my aunt Helen Bulak, but most of the time she went by bus by herself.  She took a bus across country stopping in Chicago and Salt Lake City.  Mom slept on the bus which made a rest stop each morning for people to freshen up. Apparently travelers could rent a pillow on the bus to make sleeping more comfortable.  From Salt Lake she continued on to California where stayed with friends of my grandparents and visited Yosemite National Park. On the way home she stopped in Arizona at the Grand Canyon.  You can see a photo of her riding to the bottom of the canyon with a mule train here.


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My Mother's Cousin Celina (Szerejko) Gzell and Son, Warsaw, Poland, Late 1940s 

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) Cynthia Shenette) For the family in Poland post World War II was a time of change and upheaval.  My grandfather Adolf's brother Feliks and his wife were civilian casualties of the war.   Their children survived however.  One son served in the Polish Army and was captured by the Germans.  He eventually ended up in a DP camp in Germany after the war and stayed there until he was allowed to immigrate to the United States.

My grandfather's brothers Henryk and Jan survived the war.  Jan lost one son to Soviet violence shortly after the war.  The Soviets were not friends of the Polish people.  A letter from one of  my grandfather's relatives said that to remain in Soviet occupied Poland would be "a slow starvation." Given the family letters that I've read I've always felt that post traumatic stress disorder was probably epidemic within the civilian population after World War II and not just a problem for those in the military.

My Dad and his three brothers who served overseas returned to the United States.  Their father Frank Shenette died in June of 1945 just before the end of the war.  My mom told me that my dad participated in one of the ticker tape parades in New York City.  Apparently he was qualified to operate a tank from his training in the Army and was chosen to drive a tank during the parade.  After the war Dad reenlisted into the Navy where he served until he retired from the military in 1957.

Mom's job at the Ration Board ended with the conclusion of the war.  She found work at the local office of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the Federal Building in downtown Worcester where she worked until she married my dad in 1953.


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Henry A. Shenette

Certificate Awarded to Third Fleet Landing Force, Task Force 31

(Certificate Privately Held by Cynthia Shenette; Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) At the end of World War II my dad was attached to the United States Marines and served with the United States Third Fleet's Task Force 31 which was involved in the occupation of Tokyo Bay.  He was part of the Yokosuka landing force which was deployed on August 30, 1945. My dad was a gunnery expert and his role was to dismantle the guns the Japanese had hidden in the caves in and around the Yokosuka Naval Base.  

The Indiana was part of the occupation force of  Tokyo Bay after the formal Japanese surrender on the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. The USS Indiana sailed for the States on September 9, 1945.  She arrived in San Francisco Bay on September 29, 1945 and was the first ship to return to the States from Tokyo Bay.


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The USS Indiana Bombarding Kamaishi, Japan, July 14, 1945

Plank Owner's Certificate for the USS Indiana

(Photo of the USS Indiana is available at Wikipedia and is in the public domain. Plank Owner's Certificate Privately Held by Cynthia Shenette; Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) Dad joined the Navy in February of 1942.  He was assigned to the battleship the USS Indiana and served in the Pacific Theatre.  It may sound naive to say I knew a battleship was big, but I had no idea how big until I started researching the Indiana to learn more about my dad.  Five thousand, six hundred, fifty-three (5, 653) men served on the Indiana.  To put it into perspective the total number of sailors on the Indiana was one third the entire population of the town I currently live in.  For more information about the USS Indiana check out the USS Indiana BB-58 Homeport website which has wonderful photos and information, including the ship's log, about the ship.  You can also see a photo of my dad with other members of the Gunnery Department here.

My dad received the plank owner's certificate above on April 30, 1942 as one of the 2,109 men on board when the ship was put into commission.   Plank owners didn't actually "own" a plank of the deck.  It was an honorary title and part of a tradition which dates back to the time of wooden sailing vessels.  The Homeport website has a list of the plank owners.  My dad's name appears here.

My dad participated in 11 major battles in the Pacific Theatre.  He spoke very little about the actual battles, but I do remember him talking about a major fire on the ship.  When I started researching the Indiana I learned that the fire was caused by a collision between the Indiana and another ship, the USS Washington, which you can read about here.

My dad received two silver stars and two bronze stars for his service. Again, he never talked about what he did to receive his honors.  While he was proud of his service he never bragged about what he had done. He didn't "trot out his glory bars" as he use to say.  He was just doing his job. I did learn from someone years ago that he received one of his silver stars for throwing a live shell that had misfired off the deck and into the ocean. He was just doing his job.


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Mom's 1940 Yearbook Photo

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette)  The end of the 1930s and the early 1940s was a time of change for my family.  In 1939 my grandfather's brother Feliks was killed in the bombing of Warsaw on the first day of World War II, and my great-grandfather Antoni died during the winter of 1940.  Mom graduated from high school in the spring of 1940 and went on to continue her education at a two year business college.  

After college Mom worked at the Worcester War Price and Rationing Board for the duration of the war.  She enjoyed working at the Ration Board and said it was the best job she ever had.  She must have done a pretty good job, because she was eventually put in charge of the food and shoe departments.  

Dad returned from the Philippines and was separated from the service in California on November 19, 1941.  Pearl Harbor was bombed eighteen days later on December 7, 1941.  Dad knew it was a matter of time before he was drafted, so he reenlisted in February of 1942.  This time around he chose to serve in the Navy.  He figured if he reenlisted he would get to choose which branch of the military to serve in.  If he waited for the draft he would be assigned to a branch.  He always said if worse came to worse he'd rather go down with the ship than die in a foxhole.  He was in the Navy for 15 years and never learned how to swim...  


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(Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) Dad spent 21 years in the military and served in the United States Army from 1936 to 1941.  He was with  Company "H" 66th Infantry (Light Tanks) when this photo was taken in 1937.  By the time he parted from the army in 1941 he had achieved the rank of corporal.


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Photo Story: The Great Depression, Dad, and the CCCs

Henry Shenette (age 18) Left, Unidentified Friend Right, 1934

(Original Images and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) My mom's family managed to get by during the Great Depression with my grandfather working three jobs and my grandmother taking in sewing to help support the family.  My mom said they never went hungry, because my great-grandfather Antoni Bulak had moved from Worcester to a farm in Oxford, MA.  My mom's family always had food from the farm.  Life was harder for my dad.  He left school as soon as he was legally able and found work to help support his family.

Civilian Conservation Corps Camp, Campton, NH

Dad joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in April of 1934.  He enrolled at Fort Devens, MA and was sent to work on a dam project in Campton, NH. These photos are from my dad's scrapbook from his time in the CCCs. The scrapbook contains quite a few photos, many of them probably taken to give to the young men as a remembrance of their time in the CCCs.  I was rather surprised to discover very few photos of this particular CCC camp online.  I've decided to devote some time, probably in January, to posting photos from my dad's scrapbook for other researchers interested in the camp.

Breaking and Gathering Rocks for the Dam

According to my dad's Certificate of Discharge he served as a laborer with the CCCs from April 17, 1934 until June 25, 1935, and as a cook from June 25, 1935 until September 30, 1935.  He was honorably discharged at the end of September in 1935.  He didn't have much time off after his discharge.  He joined the United States Army in January of 1936.

Construction of the Campton Dam by the Civilian Conservation Corps

Campton Dam, Campton, NH

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