Ezra Isaac Hutchinson (1879-1949) - Week 2

Ezra Isaac Hutchinson - Date Unknown

Ezra's signature as it appears on his WWI Draft Card.

This week I'm taking a look at my great-grandfather Ezra Isaac Hutchinson.
 

Ezra was born on August 8, 1879 in Nelson Wisconsin, the oldest of three children from his father Charles Bruce Hutchinson and his mother Rebecca E. Hutchinson (nee: Butler). His two brothers were, Hiram Charles Hutchinson born August 24, 1881 in Wisconsin and Edmund Alanson Hutchinson born May 8, 1886 also in Wisconsin.

Ezra also had three half-siblings from his father and his father's second wife Augusta Mary Hutchinson (nee: Zabel/Heller). Of the three Verona Hutchinson, born February 1895 in Wisconsin was the oldest followed by Esther Marie Kraft (nee: Hutchinson) born on June 4, 1899 in Onalaska Wisconsin and Frank Bruce Hutchinson, born September 3, 1907 in Stratford, South Dakota.

Following his birth Ezra first appears in the 1880 United States Census in Nelson, Wisconsin where he's only 10 months old living with his dad and mom.

By 1895 Ezra's father was remarried and no records indicate where his mother Rebecca has gone. Whether she died or if his parents got a divorce is unknown to me at this time. Also in 1895 in the Minnesota Territorial and State Census Ezra is living in Glasgow, Minnesota, he's only 15 years old and it doesn't appear any of his family is living with him; he's labeled as a student.

In 1902 Ezra makes his first appearance in St. Paul, Minnesota working as a hostler for J.W. Owens; doing this for a few years through 1903.

Ezra was married on September 3, 1903 to Edna Sarah Hutchinson (nee: Gagnier) in St. Paul, Minnesota. Edna was born in St. Paul, her father was French-Canadian and her mother was part White Earth Ojibwe.

In 1904, one year after his marriage Ezra was working as a teamster for Jameson & Hevener Co. which was a grain and farm goods company.

When Ezra was 24 years old his first child was born on May 30, 1904, Charles Alfred Hutchinson. Charles was followed by their only daughter Violet Hutchinson who was born on April 17, 1906 also in St. Paul, Minnesota.

 
 Ezra & Edna Hutchinson - Date Unknown

Around 1909 it appears Ezra and family moved from St. Paul to Aberdeen, South Dakota as on December 21, 1909 their second son Clyde Arthur Hutchinson was born.  It's safe to say that Ezra moved to South Dakota to be near his father and step-mother. On December 21, 1910, exactly one year after Clyde's birth, Ezra's father passed away in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Ezra and his brothers Hiram and Edmund on the farm in South Dakota.

Following the death of his father in 1911, Ezra and his family have moved to Canada, living in Alberta, Calgary. Presumably there was family up there as his wife's father was from the region.

Somewhere between 1911 and 1915 Ezra and the family moved from Canada to Bejou, Minnesota where my grandfather Kenneth Eugene Hutchinson on April 1, 1914 and his brother Carson Esra Hutchinson on May 28, 1912 were born. It's possible the family moved to Bejou to be near Edna's family. The entire county of Mahnomen, where Bejou is contained is located within the White Earth Indian Reservation.

In 1915, the family has moved back to South Dakota where Ezra and his brother Hiram own Hutchinson Bros. Garage in Aberdeen. Whether the garage was a failure or their skills were best suited elsewhere, Ezra spends the rest of the years he was in South Dakota being a farmer.

L to R: Edmund, Ezra, and Hiram on the farm in South Dakota.

In the 1920 Census of the United States Ezra is living on a farm in Bath Township, South Dakota. The farm is quite full with him, Edna, his five kids, his two brothers Hiram and Edmund and one laborer Charley Bunnell.  Ezra and family lived in South Dakota until 1921 where they then moved back to St. Paul, Minnesota.

  

The Hutchinson children - L to R: Kenneth, Carson, Clyde, Violet, & Charles - Presumably taken on the farm in South Dakota

In 1924 Ezra is living at 140 S. Wasbasha just south of St. Paul, across the Mississippi. In 1925 the family has moved once more, still in St. Paul but now to a house on 69 E. Rose Ave., west of 35E and south of Maryland Ave.

Despite having moved three times in the past few years there was one more move that Ezra and the family took. In 1926 they move into 1087 Mississippi Ave. which is just east of 35E from where they previously lived. This house would be the residence they stayed at least until Ezra's passing.
 

 

Hutchinson Family Home - 1087 Mississippi Ave.

The home on 1087 Mississippi Ave does not exist today in our current time, nor does the plot where it once stood. According to my dad, the houses along that corridor were taken down to expand and widen 35E at some point.

From 1924 to at least 1935 Ezra works as a driver for the Ramsey County Tool House.

Ezra was a member of the Ancient Landmark Lodge No. 5 A.F. & A.M. On October 23, 1930 he petitioned for membership with recommendations from a Brother B. E. Nye and Brother R. J. Roberts.  Ezra was officially accepted for the degrees of Freemasonry on December 12, 1930 and began his degree work on December 18, 1930 where he was initiated into the fraternity of Freemasonry as an Entered Apprentice.  On January 15, 1931 he was passed to the degree of a Fellow-craft followed closely by him be raised to Master Mason on February 5, 1931.

On May 21, 1934, Ezra and Edna lost their only daughter Violet who miscarried and died as a result of a toxic infection having to do with the miscarriage, she was only 28 years old.  My aunt told me once that Edna used to have a set of dishes that were painted on by Violet and when they were moving them she recounted who they were from and it made her tear up all those years later. It's believed that those same dishes, or a portion of them, may still be in that same aunts collection somewhere.


Ezra and his sons. L to R: Clyde, Carson, Ezra, Kenneth, and Charles. 

From 1939 to 1944 Ezra worked as a fireman for the Great Lakes Coal & Coke Company.  Coke isn't the type of Coke one now a days would think of. Coke is a type of fuel that is made from coal that is high in carbon with very little impurities, dirty work to be sure.

 

Ezra and Edna used to watch some of their grand children on occasion as told by one of my dad's cousins. She also mentioned that she had heard from her half-sister, one of Clyde's kids, that Ezra wasn't a very nice man. I've not been able to talk to this cousin of my dad's yet to confirm the story but she is still alive and last reports have her living in Superior, Wisconsin.

On August 19, 1949 at the age of 68 Ezra passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage.

 

 

Both Ezra and his wife Edna are interred at Acacia Park Cemetery in Mendota Heights with a good view of the planes landing at the MSP Airport. As noted on the funerary notice the funeral's graveside services were under the auspices of the Ancient Landmark Lodge No. 5, the same lodge Ezra had been a mason of for many years.

After the funeral and his laying to rest, my great-grandmother Edna wrote a kind note to the Brothers of the Lodge thanking them for service they provided.  I'm hoping to get a copy of the letter if it's within the abilities of the Lodge to send me one some time.