Dick's Genealogy & History Corner

This biography is in honor of one of the patients that were injected with plutonium in Rochester, NY during WWII.

Harry W. Slack was born 29 Jan. 1877 in Waterloo, NY as the only child of Edward and Adelia (Cooper) Slack.

Harry enlisted in the Army 17 June 1898 in Rochester, NY for the Spanish-American War. He served as a Private in Co. A in the 3rd NY Infantry. He was discharged on 30 Nov. 1898 in Rochester, NY.

Harry married on 22 Aug. 1900 in Rochester. She was known as Louise in many Rochester city directory records but the online Rochester marriage index says that her name was Minnie F. Colby of Alexander, NY. Her parents were listed as Frank E. Colby and Alice Nelson.

Going through the Rochester directories there are many times when Harry and Louise are not listed and they seem to move around Rochester often. Plus Harry’s occupation changed almost as often. He is a grocer on his marriage record, driver in 1898, clerk in 1902, actor in 1904, ticket clerk in 1912 and a driver again in 1914. Then from 1917 to 1924 he is working for a railroad; first as a baggageman and then as a messenger. By 1930 Harry and Louise have moved to the Sea Breeze area of Irondequoit, NY. From 1935 to 1946 they would be living at 99 Lake View Ave. in Sea Breeze.

Harry's tombstone

When Harry was admitted to the hospital, his records state that he was a janitor at the YMCA suffering from malnutrition, alcoholism and cirrhosis of the liver. He was injected on 20 Feb. 1946 with .398 microcuries of plutonium at Strong Memorial Hospital. That is 56 times the radiation that a person would receive in a lifetime. Harry was the last of the patients that were injected in Rochester and he lived the shortest amount of time after the injection. Harry died on 26 Feb. 1946 at aged 60 of bronchopneumonia. He is buried in a veteran’s section of Irondequoit Cemetery, Irondequoit, NY.  His obit in the newspaper says he leaves a wife, Louise.

This biography is in honor of one of the patients that were injected with plutonium in Rochester, NY during WWII.

Daniel Nelson

Daniel H. Nelson was born 31 Oct. 1893 in Rochester, NY. He was the son of John W. Nelson. In the 1900 census Daniel, aged 7 was living with his father, John at 1 Pine Alley in Rochester. The father was aged 42 and born in Georgia. Also living them was John’s wife, Fannie (age 36). The census record states that they were only married 5 years so Fannie is probably Daniel’s step-mother. John Nelson died 15 July 1904 of consumption aged 41 and was buried on 17 July in the Single Grave section of Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester. Fannie Nelson died 12 Jan 1909 at age 43.

Daniel served in the Army during WWI as a PFC from 3 Aug. 1918 until 19 Jan. 1919. He would find that military service valuable later in life.

From 1919 to 1945 Daniel lived mostly in Newark, NJ working as a cook according to later government records. His family says that he was a janitor and plasterer. While in Rochester in March 1946 to visit family members, he suffered a heart attack and was admitted to Rochester Municipal Hospital and moved on 7 July to Strong Memorial Hospital. Daniel was injected on 16 July 1946 with .374 microcuries of plutonium. That is 53 times the amount of radiation that a person receives in a lifetime. When discharged 15 Aug. 1945 from the hospital, he had no place to convalesce so he went to a veteran’s facility at Mount McGregor, NY.

Government records said he was “like a rolling stone” and they lost track of him for years. Daniel died 2 June 1957 at aged 63 of heart failure in Philadelphia, PA. He was buried in the Beverly National Cemetery (a veteran cemetery) in Beverly, NJ.

This biography is in honor of one of the patients that were injected with plutonium in Rochester, NY during WWII.

Frederick C. Sours was born 18 Aug. 1881 to Henry Lowell and Mary J. (Wilson) Sours. An online source says that Henry Sours died of tuberculosis on 3 Nov. 1885. The same online source says that Fred Sours was baptized 4 Sept. 1881 at Our Lady of Victory Church as “Clarence Frederick Sours.” Fred also had a sister, Edna E., born in 1884. She was a stenographer until her untimely death on 3 Sept. 1914.

Fred Sours

Fred lived with his widowed mother until her death on 25 May 1927. The first time that Fred shows up in the Rochester city directories was in 1901 and he was a manager at the Armstrong Piano Company. He worked there until 1908. Then in 1909 he is a clerk at Ryan and Sours Saloon on West Main Street in Rochester. The “Sours” that owned the saloon was Fred’s uncle, William H. Sours, who also owned the Newport House on Irondequoit Bay. In 1913 the saloon was changed to Sours and Sours Liquor Store. The owners in this case were Fred with his uncle William. This business only survived until 1920 when it had to be closed because of national prohibition. From 1922 to about 1941, Fred owned and operated Young’s Shell Oyster and Fish Market on West Main Street in Rochester.

Fred was married to Lulu A. Ryan in 1928 in Rochester. They moved to Chili Avenue in Gates soon after that. It was also about time that Fred took an interest in politics. He was first a member of the Highway Committee. Then as the Republican candidate he was elected as the Supervisor of the Town of Gates; a position that he would hold from Jan. 1936 and for the rest of his life. The picture  of Fred is him opening, for the first time, a new Gates Town Hall on Buffalo Road in December 1939.

He was a life member of Rochester Lodge of Elks and a member of the Grange, the Gates Exempt Fireman’s Association, the Rochester Exempts and the Men’s Club of St. Helen’s Church.

Tombstone for Fred & his sister

Fred was admitted to Strong Memorial Hospital with a history of general dermatitis and weakness. Then on 3 April 1946 he was injected with .386 microcuries of plutonium. That would be 55 times the amount of radiation that a person would receive in the average lifetime. Fred would remain sick until he died 2 July 1947 at aged 65 of bronchopneumonia at Strong Memorial Hospital. His funeral was held at St. Helen’s Church and he was buried in the family plot of Section D of Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rochester. His widow, Lulu, survived until 7 Oct. 1969.

Then on 18 May 1978 Fred’s body was exhumed. The cemetery was closed and employees were forced to leave during the exhumation. It would July or August 1981 before Fred’s remains were returned to Holy Sepulchre Cemetery where he still rests peacefully.

This biography is in honor of one of the patients that were injected with plutonium in Rochester, NY during WWII.

Janet Stadt

Janet J. (Joseph) Stadt was born 9 Sept. 1904 to Max and Rebecca Joseph. The parents were both born in Russia.

Janet married Emmett J. Stadt in 1925 in Rochester. He was born 24 Mar 1899. His parents, Charles and Alvina lived in Webster, NY. Emmett and Janet first show together in the 1925 Rochester directory. Emmett was first a mechanic and then worked as a “truckman.” For some reason, Emmett and Janet are not living together in the 1930 census. Emmett is living with his mother in Webster. Janet is living in Greece with her sister, Rose, and her husband Louis J. Gandy. Emmett and Janet had one son, Milton C. (1 July 1934 – 25 May 2009). In 1935 Emmett and Janet are living on Dewey Avenue in Greece. They lived there for many years before moving to Stonewood Park, also in Greece. Emmett was a chauffeur for a while in the 1930s and then after that worked for Rochester Gas and Electric. Janet shows up in the Rochester directory in 1940 as a hairdresser on East Main Street in Rochester.

Janet went to Strong Memorial Hospital in 1946 suffering from scleroderma, a chronic skin disease.

Emmett & Janet's tombstone

Then on 9 March 1946 she was injected with .396 microcuries of plutonium. That is 56 times the radiation that a person just in an average lifetime. She refused to take part in follow-up studies in the 1970s.

Emmett died in September 1975 in Rochester and was buried 9 Sept. 1975 in Range 7 of Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester. Janet died just a few months later on 22 Nov. 1975 in Rochester of malnutrition caused by cancer of the larynx.  She was buried next to her husband.

This biography is in honor of one of the patients that were injected with plutonium in Rochester, NY during WWII.

A young Edna

Edna J. (Mayne) Bartholf was born 7 May 1886 to John W. and Phoebe M. Mayne. John was born in England and Phoebe was born in NY State.

Edna graduated from Geneseo Normal School (now SUNY Geneseo) and was listed as a teacher in the 1910 census but she was still living with her parents in the hamlet of Morganville (Town of Stafford), Genesee County, NY

About 1923 Edna married James H. Bartholf (born 22 Mar 1885). James’ father, Louis, was born in NY State and his mother, Matilda, was born in England.

Edna was active in the Morganville Congregational Church, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the Ladies’ Aid Society an other civic groups.

James & Edna's tombstone

Edna was admitted to the hospital suffering from rheumatic heart disease and thyroid problems. Her husband, James, was told that Edna would be undergoing an experimental procedure but not what it was. Edna was injected on 8 Feb. 1946 with .386 microcuries of plutonium at Strong Memorial Hospital. That is 55 times a normal lifetime dosage of radiation.

Edna died on 27 Oct. 1946 at aged 60 in Stafford, NY of pulmonary failure. She was buried in the Morganville Cemetery, Town of Stafford, NY. Next of kin refused exhumation in 1973 and 1977. That was probably her husband, James, as he died in Dec. 1980. He is also buried in the Morganville Cemetery.

Edna Bartholf

This biography is in honor of one of the patients that were injected with plutonium in Rochester, NY during WWII.

Rose & John

John B. Mousso was born 14 Nov. 1901. He was one of 12 children of Peter and Laura Mousso. In the 1920 census John is age 15 and living with his parents at 805 Garfield St. in East Rochester, NY. It was about that time that John began working at the car shops in East Rochester and he worked there for 20 years.

In 1922 John married Rosalia C. “Rose” Winterhalter (born 23 Nov 1901) in Rochester. They lived on West Ivy Street in East Rochester. They only had one son that was born in 1937.

John liked to hunt and fish and played cards with the neighbors. He also volunteered at the Fire Department and in 1936 was the Assistant Chief. Somewhere around 1940 he began working at the piano factory in East Rochester.

John was admitted to Strong Memorial Hospital suffering from Addison’s disease. Then he was injected on 1 Feb. 1946 with .325 microcuries of plutonium. That dosage is 46 times the amount of radiation a person would receive in a lifetime. John would return to Strong from 21 June to 1 July 1973 for follow-up studies. It appears that he never was told of his injections. John continued working and in 1960 he is a maintenance man for the Village of East Rochester.

John's tombstone

John’s wife, Rose, died 4 Aug. 1980 and was buried in White Haven Memorial Park in Perinton, NY. Then John died 6 May 1984 at aged 82 in East Rochester of “natural causes” according to funeral home records. He was buried along side of his wife, Rose.

Rose and John

This biography is in honor of one of the patients that were injected with plutonium in Rochester, NY during WWII.

Paul Galinger

Paul R. Galinger was born 4 Jan. 1889 to Henry and Elizabeth Galinger. Paul had a younger sister Mable E. Galinger. The family is living in Waterloo, NY in the 1900 census. Also living with the family is Elizabeth’s mother Elizabeth Sharp, aged 67.

About 1910, Paul marries Allena B. —–, born about 1891. They have just one son, Paul A. Galinger that was born about 1912 and was said to be handicapped.

Paul and his family first show in the Rochester City directories in 1919 as living at 483 Lyell Ave. The 1920 census states that they lived in a rear apartment at that address. Paul is first a mechanic and then a foreman in the machine shop of American Laundry Machine on Buffalo Road. About 1926 they move to a home on Glide Street. The young Paul A. Galinger dies on 14 Aug. 1944.

In 1945 Paul is admitted to Strong Memorial Hospital suffering from pneumonia and ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). He was described as a tall, thin man with trembling hands and slow speech. Then on 30 Nov. 1945 he was injected with .31 microcuries of plutonium. That was 44 times the amount of radiation that a person receives in their lifetime. Paul was released but didn’t live much longer. He died on 29 April 1946 at aged 57 of bronchopneumonia as a complication of his ALS. He is buried in Waterloo, NY. In 1973, Paul’s next of kin (probably his widow) refused government permission to have him exhumed.

His widow, Allena, lived for at least 10 more years on Glide Street and then on Fillmore Street and eventually moved to Hilton, NY. She died in Hilton on 16 April 1985 and she was also buried in Waterloo, NY.

Jean Daigneault

This biography is in honor of one of the patients that were injected with plutonium in Rochester, NY during WWII.

Jean E. Daigneault was born 9 Feb. 1927 to Ulysses L. and Ethel M. Daigneault. The parents were both born in Rhode Island. Jean’s older brother, Robert, and older sister, Ruth, were both born in Rhode Island. The family moved to Rochester about 1924 where Ulysses was a gold plater. The family would move to a new address every couple of years. Eventually the family would move to Geneseo in Livingston County.

As a teenager, Jean had won the western NY women’s breast stroke championship. Then she contracted Cushing’s syndrome which made her face take on an oval shape plus she gained weight. Doctor’s would put her on a diet of rice and raisins to lose weight. The diet would do nothing except make her frustrated.

Jean was the youngest of the patients to be injected with plutonium at Strong Memorial Hospital. She was only 18 when on 27 Nov. 1945 she was injected with .30 microcuries of plutonium. That is 43 times the amount of radiation that a normal person would receive in their lifetime.

Jean would only live a year and a half more. She died 29 April 1947 of Cushing’s syndrome and was buried in the Temple Hill Cemetery in Geneseo, NY. On her tombstone is the inscription; “A Martyr to Medical Science.”

In 1973 the older sister, Ruth, was asked if Jean’s remains could be exhumed. She thought that was to help on research into Cushing’s syndrome. She wasn’t told anything about plutonium even at that time so she approved the exhumation. On 24 Sept. 1973 Jean’s remains were exhumed and sent to Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, Illinois. She would not be returned until July 1975.

When I went to the Temple Hill Cemetery to take a photo of her tombstone, the man in the office said that there were two people buried there by the name of Jean Daigneault. In fact it was Jean being buried twice; once in 1947 and again in 1975.

A Martyr to Medical Science

This biography is in honor of one of the patients that were injected with plutonium in Rochester, NY during WWII.

A young Eda Lach

Eda Wilhelmina (Lach) Schultz Charlton, born 1 April 1897, is the youngest of four daughters born to August Lach and Henrietta Olsowsky. August and Henrietta were probably married in Germany and came to the US in the late 1890s. They were living in Geneva, NY in 1920 but couldn’t be found in earlier census records.

Eda married Luther F. Schultz about 1917 (1930 census) and they had only son, Luther Frederick Schultz Jr. who was born 4 Mar 1920 (SSDI). He was almost always referred to as Fred Schultz. The family was living in Geneva in 1920 and 1930.  They show up in the 1941 Rochester city directory living at 387 Sawyer Street and with Luther as a tool maker. In 1942 they are living at 899 Chili Avenue and Luther is listed as an inspector. They don’t show up in any Rochester directories after that but family members say that Luther died in 1944 and that after he died Eda worked for a short time at Kodak.

Eda

Eda was admitted to the Strong Memorial Hospital suffering from a rash, hepatitis and hypoproteinemia (a condition with very small amounts of protein in blood plasma). In the medical records, she is described as having dark eyes and wavy brown hair. She was injected 27 Nov. 1945 with .30 microcuries of plutonium. That is 43 times the radiation that a normal person would get in their lifetime. She was released from the hospital 20 Dec. 1945. On 25 July 1946 she fell down her basement steps and suffered from vertigo for the rest of her life.

Eda marries (Joseph) Howard Charlton and they lived in Canandaigua for many years. Howard died 24 May 1962 at aged 67 in Canandaigua but was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Penfield, NY.

An older Eda

Eda was asked to return to Strong Memorial Hospital for follow-ups and she remained there from 28 Jan. – 28 Feb. 1973. Either at that time or within the next year, Eda was told that she had some radioactive material injected in her in 1945 but probably not told that it was plutonium. From that time until she died, Eda had a fear that she had cancer. Still, she returned to Strong for even more follow-ups 23 – 24 Jan. 1979.

Late in her life, Eda moved into Elm Manor Nursing Home in Canandaigua where she died 24 Jan. 1983 at aged 85 of acute cardiac arrest. She was buried in lot SM 41 of White Haven Memorial Park in Perinton, NY.

Eda's tombstone

This biography is in honor of one of the patients that were injected with plutonium in Rochester, NY during WWII.

William in his hospital bed

William Purcell was born 5 Aug. 1897 to Michael M. and Sarah A. Purcell. His father was an immigrant from Ireland that in 1900 was working for a railroad in Westfield, NY. By 1909 the family had moved to 601 Hawley Street in Rochester where the father, Michael, was working for a street car company as a “road master.”

William and his younger brother, Garrett, both had hemophilia. They also had 4 younger sisters, Mary, Catherine, Joan and Alice.

When William was admitted to Strong Memorial Hospital in 1945, his parents had both died and he had been living with his sister, Joan, on Earl Street. William had to the hospital 38 times for blood transfusions. He was well known at the hospital. He frequently attended hospital lectures and was interested in a new Red Cross blood program that might help other hemophiliacs. On 23 Oct. 1945 William was injected with .31 microcuries of plutonium. Which is 44 times the amount of radiation that a person gets in an average lifetime.

William's tombstone

William only lived just over two more years. He died 4 April 1948 at aged 50 of brain damage and complications from his hemophilia. His death certificate says that he was a proprietor of a cigar store but he never had any occupation listed in the Rochester city directories. He was buried in the Purcell family plot in Section One South in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rochester.

In 1973 William’s sister Joan was asked by a government official if she would allow William to be exhumed for further tests. She refused the request.