Friday, March 15, 2013

BOOK: ASSAULT LANDINGS OF LEYTE ISLAND

ASSAULT LANDINGS OF LEYTE ISLAND - Liberation Of The Philippines
Excerpts taken from the ship’s log and details of
life in the Navy as a career officer. Read daily
accounts from CWO Albert L. Croft of pivotal
times during World War II as it unfolds from
his private journal while on patrol in the South
Pacific as he participated in the landings
at Leyte under…

BOOK: FROM ICELAND TO THE US - If We Get There

FROM ICELAND TO THE US - If We Get There
Excerpts taken from the ship’s log and details of life
in the Navy as a career officer. Read daily accounts
from CWO Albert L. Croft of pivotal times during
World War II as it unfolds from his private journal
while on patrol on the high seas during the ship
convoys of the North Atlantic dodging
Nazi U-boats.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Croft, Albert Leo 1902-1992

Born 1902 Oct 9, in San Diego, California
Death 1992 Mar 4

Albert Leo Croft, Portland April, 1944
Spouse
Virginia Skuffis-Croft (1908-2002)

UNITED STATES NAVY
U.S. Navy Recruting Station
at San Diego, Cal.
Aug. 26, 1919
ENLISTMENT OF CROFT, Albert Leo
Transferred to USS Challenge
Date of birth Oct. 9, 1901;
Home address 1944 Union St., San Diego Co., Cal.
Age 17 years 10 months; Height 5 feet 3 3/4 inches;
Weight 120 lbs.; Eyes Brown; Hair Dk. Bro.;
Complexion Ruddy; Color White
Swear that I will bear faith and allegiance to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and that I will servethem honestly and faithfully against all their enemies...

Albert Leo Croft

CONSENT, DECLARATION, AND OATH OF PARENT
I Carrie Croft, residing in the City of San Diego, County of San Diego, and State of California, do consent to the enlistment of Albert Leo Croft in the Navy of the Unithed States as Apprentice seaman, to serve until October 8th, 1922, unless sooner discharged, subject to all requirements and lawful commands of officers who may be placed over him; and I do hereby relinquish all claim to his service, and to any wages or compensation for the same, and I do hereby certify he was born in San Diego, California the 9th day of October 1901. And I, the said Carrie Croft, do solemly swear-or affirm-that I am the Mother of the said Albert Leo Croft, to be enlisted
by my consent as Apprentice seaman: So help me God.

Mrs Carrie Croft

SERVICE RECORD
SURNAME CROFT
CHRISTIAN NAME Albert Leo
ENLISTED AS A.S.
Service No. 3830138
DATE OF ENLISTMENT Aug. 26, 1919

Trade or occupation
What was your last job? Newsboy
Name of employer Bill O'Farrell
How long employed? Four yrs.
Name last school attended and grade reached-
School Washington, Grade 8.

SERVICE RECORD
Enlisted Aug 21, 1919 to serve
2 years, until Aug 25, 1921.
Pay per month, pay table $32.69

BENEFICIARY SLIP

Station U.S.S. CHALLENGE
Navy Yard, Bremerton, Wash.
8/2/20
Not married.

NAME OF VESSEL
U.S.S. CHALLENGE AUG 1919 - APR 1921
RECEIVING SHIP AT PUGET SOUND APR 22 1921
SUBMARINE CHASER 295 APR 1921 - AUG 1921
RECEIVING SHIP AT PUGET SOUND AUG 25 1921

Pay at date of discharge:
Pay per month $54.--
Dicharged at Navy Yard, Puget Sound
on account of Expiration of enlistment
with Honorable discharge this 25th
day of August, 1921.
Furnsished Travel allowance to
San Diego, California
Total cost, $72.80


USS Challenge, 1921

Grandpa's first Naval assignment aboard a tugboat going up and down the coast as far down as Baja, Mexico
[wikipedia.org]




Seattle, Puget Sound map

Naval Station Bremerton and Naval Submarine Base Bangor are located in Washinton's Puget Sound. The Mission of Naval Base Kitsap is to serve as the host command for the Navy’s fleet throughout West Puget Sound and to provide base operating services, including support for both surface ships and submarines homeported at Bremerton and Bangor.


Bangor sub base, Kitsap, WA

Washington Marriage Records


First Name: Albert
Middle Name: Leo
Last Name: Croft
Gender: Male
Spouse First Name: Virginia
Spouse Last Name: Skuffis
Spouse Gender: Female
Marriage Date: Mar 4, 1927
Marriage Location: Kitsap, WA
Marriage County: Kitsap
Record Type: Marriage Record
Reference Number: psktsmc3789
Filing Date: May 11 1927
Collection: Washington Marriage Records


USS Tatnuck ATA-195

BENEFICIARY SLIP
Station U.S.S. TATNUCK
Navy Yd. Puget Sound, Wn.
14 Mar. 1927
wife Virginia Marie Croft
1120 Pleasent Ave., Bremerton, Wn.
child Dolores Antoinette CROFT

ID: I01697
Name: Virginia Evynia SKUFFIS
Sex: F
Marriage Albert Leo CROFT, b: 9 OCT 1902 in San Diego, California
Married (again): 1 FEB 1928, in San Diego, California
[wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com]

1930 US Census, San Diego, California

Highway 101, San Diego map, 1934


Hamilton (?) St.
Croft, Albert Leo, 27
Virginia, 21
Dolores, 1
Albert Leo, Jr., 1/2


101-Mission Bay, 1934

U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006
Albert Leo Croft
Virginia Marie Croft

Monday, December 12, 2011

BOOK: The Story of the Croft Family

New Publication
An ancestral history of the Kroft and Croft,
the Gartner, Skuffis and Auer families.

Gartner-Croft, Carrie 1869-1945

Birth 1869 October 8, in Bremen (?), Baden-Baden, Germany
Immigrated, Naturalized in 1875/1885, Dubuque, IA
Death 1945 December 15, in San Diego, CA




Baden-Baden, Baden-Wurttemberg Coat of Arms


Iowa, 1856 map

Spouse
Joseph Croft (1858-1938)

Married 1897 Dec 3/1898 Jan 2


Children
Frank Arthur (1898)
Bertha Amelia Massey (1900)
Albert Leo (1902)
Arthur Joseph (1904)
Harold William (1907)
Helen Rose Counts (1909)
Robert Lee (1913)

August Gartner was from the Baden-Baden area of Germany. He and his family settled in Dubuque, Iowa. His oldest daughter, Karoline, went to California where she married a Joseph Croft, from Ohio around 1900. One of their older daughters (Bertha) married a Dewey Massey.
Source:
Message Boards hughlaur Posted: 22 Jun 2001
http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.northam.usa.states.iowa.counties.dubuque



Carrie, (Grand-Uncle) Robert Croft, (Grand-Aunt) Bertha Croft-Massey, (Cousin) Alberta Massey-Carter & Harold Carter, 1940


101 Pacific Hwy & Barnett, 1942


101 Rosecrans, 1943 (Union Street was cleared to make way for the new highway)


(Grand-Aunt) Bertha Croft-Massey, (Cousins) Alberta, Ronald and twin Roberta


(Grand-Uncle) Robert Croft

Croft, Joseph 1858-1938

Birth 1858 March 22, in Iowa City, IA
Death 1938 June 29, in San Diego, CA
Joseph Croft (upper left) with relatives? date, place unknown, c. 1936


Spouse
Carrie Gartner-Croft (1869-1945)

Married 1897 Dec 3/1898 Jan 2



Children
Frank Arthur (1898)
Bertha Amelia Massey (1900)
Albert Leo (1902)
Arthur Joseph (1904)
Harold William (1907)
Helen Rose Counts (1909)
Robert Lee (1913)


Ohio map,1803


Stark County, OH

August Gartner was from the Baden-Baden area of Germany. He and his family settled in Dubuque, Iowa. His oldest daughter, Karoline, went to California where she married a Joseph Croft, from Ohio around 1900. One of their older daughters (Bertha) married a Dewey Massey.
Source:
Message Boards hughlaur Posted: 22 Jun 2001
http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.northam.usa.states.iowa.counties.dubuque


1900 US Census, San Diego, California


1327 India St.
Joseph Croft, Birth Mch 1859, 41
Born in Iowa
Birthplace Father: Germany
Birthplace Mother: Germany
Occupation: Longshoreman
Carrie Croft, Birth Oct 1870, 29
Born in Germany
Birthplace Father: Germany
Birthplace Mother: Germany
They both could read, write and speak English.


SD Trolley Union Depot, 1895


horse-drawn Bay City Market delivery wagon, Fifth & B St, San Diego, 1895-1905


Isis Theatre, San Diego, c.1902 (demolished 1928)


San Diego Carnegie Library, 1902


USS Wisconsin, San Diego, 1902

1910 US Census, San Diego, California


Joseph Croft, 50
Born in Ohio (?)
Birthplace Father: French (?)
Birthplace Mother: French (?)
Carrie Croft, 38
Born in German
Birthplace Father: German
Birthplace Mother: German
Year of Immigration: 1885


San Diego downtown map, 1917


San Diego City Hall, Southwest corner Fifth and B Streets,1909


San Diego Longshoremans Float, 7/21/1911


"The Stingaree," San Diego Union, Nov, 1912


Cassidy's Saloon, Fifth Street


The Turf, northeast corner Fourth and J Streets, saloon with "parlor house" above run by Mamie Goldstein


4th & D St, San Diego, 1913


San Diego Grant Hotel, 1913


San Diego Mission Brewery, 1912


San Diego post office, 1913


Wonderland, OB, 1913


San Diego Prado, 1914


House Hospitality const., 1913

1920 US Census, San Diego, California


1944 Union St. (demolished c. 1940)
Joseph Croft, 60
Born in Iowa
Birthplace Father: French (?)
Birthplace Mother: French (?)
Mother Tongue: French (?)
Caroline, 49
Year of Immigration: 1875, Na
Frank, 20, worked at the Dye Works
Bertha, 18, was a Box maker
Arthur, 15, was a Laborer on a Farm
Helen, 10
Robert, 6


San Diego map, 1925


San Diego Union Depot post card, 1920


San Diego Santa Fe Depot & Kettner aerial, c. 1925


Tait's Meat, India St.,San Diego, 1924


California Theatre, San Diego


San Diego El Cortez in 1937 aerial view, built 1924 (used as military lookout during WWII)


Belmont Park Big Dipper, opened 1925 (same company built one in Santa Cruz)

1930 US Census, San Diego, California


Joseph Croft, 72
Born in Iowa
Birthplace Father: Alsace-Lorrain
Birthplace Mother: France (?)
Carrie, 60
Year of Immigration: 1875, Na
Helen Counts, 21 daughter
William Counts, 1 1/2 grandson
They had two "roomers;"
Peter Garner/Gartner (Carrie relative?), from Germany
Julius Hoffman, from Hungry
They both spoke German and were bakers by trade.

1930 California Voter Registration

Counts, Mrs. Helen-1944 Union, Hw. Rep.
Croft, Mrs. Carrie-1944 Union, Hw. Rep.
Croft, Frank A.-1944 Union, Cleaner. Dem.
Croft, Joseph-1944 Union, Retired. Rep.


Highway 101, San Diego map, 1934


Soldiers on horseback Mission San Diego de Alcala, 1930