John Vananthrop HAMMOND Jrborn:
16 Apr 1870, Valley Jct., Monroe, WI |
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| John V. HAMMOND (Jr.) was the eldest son of John Vananthrop HAMMOND (Sr.) and Elizabeth Charlotte (BICKFORD) HAMMOND. John HAMMOND was a short, lithe man, of 5 ft 2 in. His daughter, Alta Grace (HAMMOND) MULLIN believed her father to have been born at The Dells, Wisconsin and attested as such on his death certificate, however, various documents and census records point to Valley Junction. John HAMMOND married in his home-town ( Rock Falls , WI ) to sweetheart, Etta SWAN on July 20, 1895 . They moved, along with the Swan family in 1895 to Cumberland , Barron , WI and there raised their children, Alta Grace and Neil at a house on Jackson Street . About 1918-1919 the family moved to Barber, ID and later to Seattle, WA (1920) where they lived at Crown Street with John’s sister and brother-in-law, the Etta HAMMOND COLE and William M. COLE. Eventually, due to work, John HAMMOND and his wife settled at Bremerton , WA , where they remained until their passing. In his youth he was reputed (by his daughter) to have had jet black hair. In his senior years, his hair was pure white, as many who remember him can attest to. He had very bright blue eyes and a fair complexion. His daughter claimed that in her youth her father spoke excellent Chippewa and frequently interpreted for Native Americans at the local courthouse. In payment for his services, he was rewarded with ornately beaded moccasins. His daughter also claimed that her mother, Etta (Swan ) HAMMOND tossed the moccasins out as she was not fond of the local tribe of Chippewas. It is also said by family members, that John HAMMOND never learned to drive a car and walked great distances without much thought to his inconvenient mode of travel. He was known to wander and would show up unexpectedly for a visit miles away from home. He was a man of many abilities: he was a mason, carpenter, millwright, and electrician. In 1927, he along with his daughter’s father-in-law, Hezekiah Henry MULLIN, constructed the house at 3313 5th Street in Lewiston , ID. Dolores SWAN recalls that John HAMMOND lived down the hill from her family in Bremerton . Due to his eccentric and often temperamental ways, she and other Swan cousins were instructed to stay away from him. He died, at age 96, from cerebral arteriosclerosis, in his sleep. He is buried in Ivy Green Cemetery , Bremerton , WA next to his wife Etta Swan HAMMOND. |
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