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North and South
Stories and Genealogy of Theodore Charles Anderson and Sara Carlene Shuttleworth
Gremlins
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You can always blame the Gremlins when everything else fails
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This page has been visited 1524 times
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When Tom was a Boy
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Sara’s father, Thomas Henderson Shuttleworth (1905-1983) was born on January 16, 1905, in Henderson, Kentucky. He loved to tell stories of his adventures as a third child, second son (after the loss of a first baby boy) in his growing family.
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"The girls got all the pretty clothes and piano lessons, but I can whistle."
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Tom’s two older sisters were Lenore Jarrett (1900-1972) and Jessemae (1903-1987). Then came the rest of his siblings: Philip Southerland (1907-1974), Eugene Gaston (1909-1991) Washburn Finley (1911-2000), and Josie Elizabeth (1913); altogether, there were three sisters and four brothers.
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"You had to be at the dinner table on time."
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He was four years old when his father Jesse Thomas Shuttleworth gave young Tom his first savings account pass book which, as it turns out, not only started him on the road of thrift but also started his travels across the country.
At that time the family was living in the small town of Coshocton which is located in the middle of Ohio about 50 miles east of Columbus. Here is the story as Tom wrote it in 1944:
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"I felt proud to walk all by myself down the two blocks to my father’s office. One day Dad said to me, "Here, son is a new savings pass book for you. A dollar – ten dimes – was put in the bank for you today. This pass book shows the money is yours. Please carry it home carefully and put it away in a safe place."
I started on my way holding the precious pass book tightly. The greatness of what had happened kept going over in my mind and the responsibility seemed enormous. Where could such a treasure be kept?
As I marched home my eyes chanced upon a familiar object – a green metal box on a stand just in front of my house. In the slot of this box I had seen Dad put all those important papers he worked on for so long at his office. Surely this was a safe place to keep valuables I thought; so, on tip-toe, I reached up and dropped the pass book into the mailbox.
When questioned, I told my parents where I had put it. They opened the mailbox but the pass book wasn’t there. The mail had already been collected. They explained, "Your Savings Book must have gone out with the mail and has been sent to the Bank in the big city."
The next morning, I was deeply concerned about my lost treasure. My childish thoughts were interrupted by a long shrill train whistle. Upon hearing it, I ran down the steps of the house and up the street one-half block to the railway station where a train was taking on passengers. Quickly, I climbed aboard one of the coaches, determined to set out for the big city and recover my lost savings book.
As it turns out the train was the express to Mississippi.
Everyone in Henderson was frantically looking for me. Finally, the Rail Road officials notified my parents that they had found a small towheaded boy down south and would send me back home, but severe rainstorms made the return trip impossible for several days.
For a long week, I stayed with a brakeman’s large family. Food was short and nights were spent sharing a big bed, sleeping sideways with all the other kids. Finally, I did get back home safe, sound and no worse for the adventure. I never did get that Saving Book back!”
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A few of Tom’s many other stories include: when he was run over by a vegetable wagon, when he and his big sisters floated shoebox “paddle-wheels boats” on the Ohio river, when he tried to scrub his best (black) friend white with lots of "soap ‘n water and yelling" and how it was his turn to watch baby sister, Josie.
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College Days
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When he was a tall (6’) skinny junior at Ohio State in 1926, he attended pre-Engineer classes and played 2nd string Half Back against University of Illinois’ famous "Galloping
Ghost", Red Grange.
Tom loved to tell how he met his wife Eloise while they were both attending Wittenberg College for their first two years. Eloise Dorothy Thompson claims the early morning TRIG classes were only possible with Tom’s help! "Tom and Tommy" became sweethearts.
Tom’s college stories are full of trials like attending the University of Illinois a few weeks during their junior year, just to be near Eloise. When he was found out, Illinois sent him back to his hometown, Springfield, to attend Ohio State, where he earned all the credits for a Civil Engineering degree.
Tom writes about a "life-changing" trip with his friend, Skeet (Dan) Milligan. Just out of High School, they decided to work their way west to Yellowstone for the summer. Adventures included working 10 hour days in the hot, dusty corn fields of Kansas, sending half their earnings of $167.00 (a fortune in those days) back home, riding an old Harley to Wyoming, ‘til it broke down, and finally reaching Yellowstone only to find tourists and hungry bears. They woke one morning after an early snow to find their two blankets nearly sizzled away by the open fire they had built to keep warn.
It was time to go home for College started again in just two weeks.
They had little money left. Hobos had stolen most of it which they thought was safely hidden in their shoes. A Survey Crew working near the Park saved them. Tom and Skeet worked on the crew to earn enough money to get back home. Inspired by these math/engineer guys, Tom decided that he would become a Civil Engineer!
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Little Sara
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From his home in Springfield, Tom worked, traveled to Illinois to see Eloise, keep two jobs, fulfilled requirements for graduation, but "I never got all the paperwork completed", he admits.
On August 11, 1928, he married Eloise Dorothy Thompson at the "Bride’s House", her Grandparent’s home in Morrison, Illinois (visit Prophetstown).
Tom, Eloise, Aunt Carlene and Uncle Joe, August 11, 1928
Exhausted from obtaining her BS in microbiology, suma-cum-laude at the University of Illinois a few months before, she was proud to be Tom’s wife. At an inadequate 125 lbs, he needed her, too. They remained sweethearts for 53 years!
Tom’s first real job was as an engineering track designer for the Rock Island Rail Road. After Little Sara Carlene Shuttleworth was born (5 pounds, 19 inches) on August 6th, 1934 in Davenport, Iowa, a ferry ride over the Mississippi from Rock Island, their families were thrilled. Eloise, tiny at less than 5’ and weighing only 80 pounds wasn’t expected to conceive. From then on it was a threesome set on adventures.
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The CCC
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One of Sara’s first memories is the big flood of 1936 in Cairo, Ill. Having lost his rail road job during the depths of the Great Depression, Tom found an exciting new job as a Lieutenant in the National Guard, fixing levies and building bridges along the Mississippi River with the Civil Conservation Corp. That’s Tom, 3rd from the left, with all the Brass.
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In a shiny new Airstream, the family of three camped together during good weather. By summer of 1936, Sara had a mosquito net playhouse designed and built by her Dad. When necessary, Eloise and daughter stayed with Grandma Grace and Grandpa Will Tuller, in Morrison, Illinois (visit Prophetstown).
By 1937, America was reviving from the Great Depression. The T.H.S. family moved into a new house, in Worthington, a new subdivision of Columbus, Ohio. Tom had something to do with the design of that first home, plans always on his drafting table. He added a beautiful birdhouse on the garage roof for his girls.
Tom, Little Sara and Eloise, 1937
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New York City
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In 1938, Tom persuaded his family to go along with his starting up PREFAB housing office in New York City. He talked his favorite professor (retired) from Ohio State, Ernest Pavey, into the idea and by autumn 1939 they began.
On their way east, the three adventurers, absent so long, visited Tom Shuttleworth's families in Ohio. Sara recalls a smiling Aunt Josie singing Scottish tunes to her 2 year old son, Jim Helm, and Fritz Holman with blond curls, both Sara’s first cousins. Grandparents "Ma" (Annye Mae Sandefur) and "Paw-Paw" (Jesse Thomas Shuttleworth) finally met Tom’s family in person.
In 1939, New York was already the Big Apple, especially for a brave young couple from the Mid-West. They "did" New York, especially the World’s Fair where new ideas were happening, even seeing themselves on TV! Tom and Ernie started a drafting office in an old Theatre storage warehouse, uptown. One magic day, he had lunch with Buckmaster Fuller; Geodesic Domes and Pre-Fab’s were the topics of conversation.
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John D. Rockefeller's Estate House
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In 1940, another move, 40 miles up river to the quaint little village of Pocantico Hills just above White Plains, NY. Their house was a two-story at 535 Bedford Road, across from the old stone church. Tom had landed his dream job, designing practical, low-cost Pre-Fab houses for Nelson Rockefeller’s. newest project. Sara walked to 1st and 2nd grades with lots of friends. She recalls a special birthday party for two of the Rockefeller children at John D. Rockefeller’s estate just before the war in 1941.
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WW II
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On Dec. 7, 1941 Sara was sitting on the floor in front of her Philco radio, listening to a favorite program when President Roosevelt‘s big voice came on declaring, "The
Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor. We are at WAR!"
All Americans became part of the war effort. Everything was rationed, including rubber tires. So, Tom, the inventor, made wood tire protectors on snow chains. Everyone complained that when he drove by it sounded like, "a thousand Dutchmen running down the street."
They had a big map of Europe up on the wall with pins where the GI’s (Government Issue) were fighting. The three Shuttleworths helped put together a safe “bomb shelter”, in their basement, with black "air raid" curtains.
Tom constantly tried to "join up", especially in the Army Corps of Engineers. "Sorry,
Sir, at 35 you are too old". Even though every year the Draft Board raised the limit, he was always just one year too old.
At last in frustration, he accepted a patriotic job as an "engineer, trouble-shooter"
for Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in San Diego, California. (Consolidated merged with Vultee Aircraft in 1943 to become Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, commonly known as CONVAIR.). Another move all the way across country was next. By sixth grade Sara had attended 5 schools!
On their way out west, Tom and Eloise dropped 9 year old Sara off at Fort Knox, Kentucky to stay with her Aunt Carlene and Uncle Joe, (General Joe A. Holly), who was the Commandant of the Fort at the time. He had graduated from West Point and was a good friend of General George Patton.
Fort Knox, in addition to being the Depository of the United States Gold Reserve, was a training and proving ground for the Army’s Armored Corps. General Patton and Uncle Joe worked together organizing and training tank units and "upgunning" the M4 Sherman tank from 75-mm to 90-mm. In July 1944, Uncle Joe was tasked by General Eisenhower to expedite production and shipment of the 90-mm versions. They even named one of the new tanks after "Little Sara".
With an I.D. tag around her neck, Sara traveled to her next relative on a Southern Pacific troop train five days to Pasadena where her Aunt Mary D. and Uncle Bart Bertoli put her in a cot under the stairs.
Three months later, her Mom and Dad came up from their new home in Coronado to retrieve a fat "Little Sara". Their trip down the El Camino Real to San Diego was like driving through a different country. San Diego then, was a growing city covered overhead with camouflage netting.
The Convair Plant, San Diego 1943, before the camouflage netting
The Shuttleworths had purchased a small hacienda at 714 Olive Ave. in Coronado. Tom traveled to his trouble-shooter job at Convair, to and fro by Trolley and Ferry.
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Coronado was a Navy town. While almost everyone else’s dad was at sea with the 7th Fleet, Tom was working hard at Convair chasing Gremlins, helping to build the best and most reliable fighter and bomber aircraft possible for our troops.
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Saving every dollar, quarter and dime possible, everyone on the home front bought WAR BONDS to help win the war.
As Tom had hoped, Eloise’s left face was less painful in the fresh sea air of Southern California. She was born with a large strawberry birthmark and, after college, accepted urgings from family and Doctors to have it removed at the Mayo Clinic based in Rochester, Minnesota. Unfortunately, she was burned by an overdose of radium (which had been discovered by her heroine, Mm. Curie in 1898), leaving a painful scar on most of her left face. In spite of the large scar, everyone loved her gentile composure. As she would explain to little children, it was “O.K.”
They made many visits from Coronado to Mexico, a distance of only 20 miles. Tom was fascinated by the culture. He still followed every reported battle on his battle map and yearned for the War to end. Sara and Girl Scout friends became Mascots at the nearby Navy WAVES base. The War was declared over in Europe on V-E Day, May 8, 1945.
VE Day Parade, Champs Elysees, Paris 1945
Then, two terrible bombs were dropped on Japan, the first on Sara’s 11th birthday, August 6th, 1945, the 2nd 3 days later on August 9th.
One week later, on August 15, 1945 (V-J Day) the Japanese surrendered and the War in the Pacific was also over.
A new life began for everyone in our country.
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Land Survey Service
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In early 1946, Tom and Eloise found their dream house, a 1 1/2 story Tudor style at 716 Bon Air Avenue in La Jolla, a gorgeous coastal town just north of San Diego.
It was O.K. to move again. Tom could take the bus from La Jolla to San Diego for his work at Union Title and Trust as a Title Searcher and Legal Land Consultant.
Tom had had lots of good experience that encouraged him to work for myself again so, in 1949 he started the "Thomas H. Shuttleworth Land Survey Service". He was also President of the San Diego Engineers Club and designed and proposed a Salt Water Processing plant for San Diego!
Sara and Ted first met in the 6th Grade at La Jolla Elementary School. They both well remember riding in the "Rumble seat" of Tom’s 1939 Willys Model 37 Coupe.
Similar to the one pictured here, except Tom’s was a dull green.
Except for Uncle Wash and his family, they never saw any of Dad’s, Shuttleworth relatives again. Tom would say “I wonder how they are doing?” and “Where’s my brother, Eugene?” Dad’s many projects, all those moves, the war, the vast distance, and Mom’s health concerns kept them from traveling to the Mid-West.
Finally, in the early ‘50ties, you could fly across the country. But big, brave Tom Shuttleworth had developed a deathly fear of flying. “Flying is unnatural” he would say, probably with memories of all those “Gremlins” he had found in the airplanes built by Convair and of flying in open-cockpit, bi-planes with college friends many years before. So, they never made the trip.
Tom valued his Rotary friends and became its long term Treasurer. A charming and efficient ECW officer, Eloise, was delighted to be active at St. James by the Sea, Episcopal Church. Sara attended La Jolla High School, majored in Music, (clarinet) and gave her class graduation speech.
Both the Anderson and Shuttleworth families were St. James parishioners. Sue Anderson sang in the choir for 30 years! Ted was Sara’s unofficial senior class “partner”. They had been going together for years.
The Shuttleworths agreed that Sara should attend Mills College in Oakland, California because, as Tom said, "If you send a woman to College, you educate a family". She had several scholarships, one from Eloise’s family membership in the DAR (See Chapter 8 - Valley Forge, Private Ezekiel Wilson).
Initially, Sara and Ted didn’t plan to attend College near each other because he had a Presidential appointment to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, due in large part to his father’s 40 years of service in the Navy. All went as expected until, at his last physical exam, Ted failed the vision test (you had to have 20-20 vision to get into the Academy at that time.). With quick help from some influential people in La Jolla, Ted managed to get accepted at Stanford University, almost at the last moment.
While Sara was away at college during the early 50’s, Tom surveyed the many new sub-divisions of rapidly expanding San Diego County, puzzling through original Spanish land grants. . According to the Engineers Club of San Diego, “Tom’s maps are works of Art”. The San Diego Surveyor’s Museum owns them now.
During the 60’s, Eloise was busy with ECW and Tom was the volunteer treasurer at St. James by the Sea for many years. One of his long time dear friends, Father Bob Waltersdorf, the retired Bishop of San Diego, officiated at his memorial service, filling the church.
Tom was an inventor, philosopher, and a quiet guy who pleased everyone. With many friends in La Jolla, life was good in their practical, little hacienda style home at the corner of Pearl and Herschel.
But later on, in the 70’s Tom became a "male nurse" for his "sweety-pie" Eloise who managed to live six years with Hotchkins disease and Lymphoma. She felt thankful to have “such a lover-husband” and passed away at the age of 76 in 1981.
It seems their deep attachment couldn’t be denied as Tom followed her within 22 months from a surprise attack, probably a stroke, on April 25, 1983; 10 jobs still on his desk. They are together and interred at the Butler-Tuller Plot 71 of Riverside Cemetery in Prophetstown, Illinois.
Eloise’s and Tom’s Headstones  ;The Tuller Portion of Plot 71
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Tune "The Little Brown Jug"
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The introductory tune used on the page is Glenn Miller's rendition of "The Little Brown Jug", which was extremely popular during the 1940's. Although Glenn Miller played it as an instrumential, it was really a well known drinking song which historians think was written by Joseph A. Winner (1837-1918).
Lyrics:
My wife and I lived all alone,
In a little log hut we called our own;
She loved gin and I loved rum,
I tell you we had lots of fun.
Chorus:
Ha! Ha! Ha!
You and Me,
Little Brown Jug
Don't I love thee!
Ha! Ha! Ha!
You and Me,
Little Brown Jug
Don't I love thee.
'Tis you who makes my friends and foes,
'Tis you who makes me wear old clothes,
Here you are so near my nose,
So tip her up and down she goes.
When I go toiling to my farm
I take little brown jug under my arm,
Place him under a shady tree,
Little brown jug, 'tis you and me.
If I'd a cow that gave such milk,
I'd clothe her in the finest silk
I'd feed her on the choicest hay,
And milk her forty times a day.
The rose is red, my nose is too
The violet's blue and so are you;
And yet I guess, before I stop
I'd better take another drop.
Click here for a rendition of the Little Brown Jug the way is was originally played.
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This page and all genealogical data contained on it are Copyrighted © 2007/2008
by Theodore C. Anderson
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