BeeLines - February 15, 2017
By Marybelle Beigh, Westfield Town & Village Historian
Do You Remember WWI Veteran, Harold Webster… or The Last Man’s Club?
Last winter, another history mystery search for photos and information was launched, by a grand-niece, for any information or photos of her Great-Uncle Harold Webster, a former Westfield Resident. Since your Westfield Historian was having a most delicious dinner at The Bark, when the phone call was received, and since, at that time (2017), the American Legion Post (formed after WWI) was located just across the street, that seemed to be the best location to start searching. A kind member of the Legion guided me to the bar where the information request was given to the bartender, who immediately began checking with the few members there at the time (none remembered Webster).
As often is the case, notes get mislaid, and minds forget – and as the old saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” Such being the case - with changes in phones, computers, and office locations - it took another recent phone call to restart the investigation. But THIS time progress is being made with the help of improved archives at the Patterson Library, and their curator, Nancy Nixon Ensign.
The John W. Rogers American Legion Post of Westfield, and the William L Travis American Legion Post in Mayville have been contacted and are trying to locate photos and information in their archives. Webster was the first Commander of the Mayville Post when he lived there, and also served as Post Commander in Westfield on several occasions after he moved here.
According to the November 12, 1965, page 5 Westfield Republican obituary of Harold Hamilton Webster, he was born April 25, 1895 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and died November 6, 1969 at Westfield Memorial Hospital. He resided in Mayville for “some time” prior to moving to Westfield, after marrying Miss Marion Volker on November 7 1923. Interestingly, the first related photograph found at the Patterson Library was a Sherman Collection portrait of Marion Volker Webster!
The obit also noted that Webster was a member of the Last Man’s Club of Westfield, and of the Loyal Order of Moose 118. “He served as a Town and Village [of Westfield] Assessor for over 30 years, resigning this position last December [1968] … Mrs. Webster died October 29, 1968.” Both Harold H. and Marion (Volker) Webster are buried in Westfield Cemetery, section K1. Since Harold H. Webster was a member of “The Last Man’s Club,” this provided leads to locating more information and photos.
Another WWI Veteran, the late Walter Falvay, in addition to being a well-known local grape farmer, was also a life-long musician and writer of many stories and history articles. In February 1989, he gave a presentation to the Patterson Library at the invitation of the late Mary Small “Billie” Dibble, and my immediate predecessor as Westfield Historian, “to represent a generation of American War Veterans, now almost extinct because of the march of time… to present [a segment of] Westfield’s history…” The library has on file Falvay’s hand-written 17-page document in which he describes his part in the US entry WWI, some “highlights” (?) of the war itself, and the return to life and formation of previously non-existent organizations following the war.
Quoting from Falvay’s presentation: “One by One we returned home to Westfield. No American Legion awaited us! No Veteran Administration to lick our wounds. So we sought mutual comradeship and in some cases medical care. Other Veterans, over in Paris, organized The American Legion and so we in turn organized our own John Rogers Post…Among our members was a Harry Laughlin of sufficient financial means to devote full time to helping distressed Veterans and hold develop the future Veterans Administration.”
Falvay continues: “The [local American Legion] Post had no home, but grew in size… I started and directed an American Legion band which lasted several years…” The Post was offered the McClurg Mansion as a potential “home…[which] was not to be as the men insisted that liquor and beer flow freely and continuously, a pastime enjoyed by the men while in Service. This would not be permitted and the Veterans settled on the McAllister house on East Main Street, where the new [Assembly of God] church now stands…”
Apparently, the Legion “fell on hard times… and went ‘belly-up’ much to the distress of those of us who formed it originally. We originals broke away and formed the “Last Man’s Club” in 1949 with 69 local members and from adjoining towns.” According to several other articles about the Last Man’s Club, the Club purchased a bottle of wine and locked it in a wooden chest, not to be opened until all but one club member had died. This one surviving member – The Last Man – would then drink the wine in memory of the rest. In the early days of the club, each man had a place at the banquet table, and when one died, his chair was left vacant, with memorial flowers to be later presented to a widow or other surviving family member.
When the ranks thinned to only five members, Falvay decided that rather than continue the tradition of the members to attend funerals, since distance and physical limitations were becoming a barrier for those remaining, the divided up the money remaining money to be used to provide a memorial book to the Patterson Library based on the inclinations and interests of the deceased. The bottle of wine was given to the Historical Society for perennial display, rather than to be drunk by the Last Man – who turned out to be Walter Falvay, by the way.
It is now, February 2018, over 100 years since US entered WWI, and all the local WWI Veterans have passed on, as has The Last Man’s Club. But the American Legion Posts are still, or again, active, with members being honorably-discharged veterans of an American-involved war. The purpose of the Legion is to promote Americanism and to provide a service to the community, such as assistance for needy veterans and families, support of young people and contests. And it continues maintain social clubhouses to members, have dances, and Turkey Raffles.