The Blitzkreig Bar : Moore and O'Hare

Theresa (O'Reilly) and Ralph "Bucky" Moore, and Martha (Tyler) and John Joseph "Jack" O'Hare.
"The Blitzkreig Bar." Real photo postcard c. 1943-45, New York. Collection of E. Ackermann, 2016.

This is such a great photo.

It's only been in the past year that I've been able to identify these folks. With the help of my newly discovered cousins this photo mystery has been solved!

Back of "Blitzkreig Bar"postcard.
"Taken when Jackie was home on furlough.
This was taken in New York"

Left to right we see Theresa (O'Reilly) and Ralph "Bucky" Moore, and Martha (Tyler) and John Joseph "Jack" O'Hare.

Bucky, as he was widely known, is the son of Minerva "Minnie" (Dixon) and William Moore. Jack is the son of Clara Viola "Toots" (Dixon) and John Joseph O'Hare. Minnie and Toots were sisters of my grandfather, Wallace B. Dixon.

Bucky and Jack were my grandfather's nephews, but there wasn't a great age difference between them. Wally Dixon was nineteen years younger than his sister Minnie! Bucky was four years younger than his Uncle Wally, and Jack was ten years younger than Bucky.

It makes sense that this photo was with my grandfather's collection. He must have been great friends with his nephews. In fact, Bucky named one of his son's in honor of my grandfather!

A few notes about "The Blitzkreig Bar" 

I was hoping to learn more about the photo so I did a Google search. I didn't learn much, but did find other photos with the same backdrop.

You can find one at Nelson History [scroll down to the bottom of the page] that has a group of British sailors pictured. Included is the information that the photo was taken in New York. There is another one over at Flickr with comments from people with similar photos indicating a date of 1943, and locations of New York and Coney Island.


Special thanks to the descendants of Bucky Moore and Jack O'Hare, who were key in solving this photo mystery, and in providing so much good information.

Clara Viola Dixon Marries John J. O'Hare

Wedding Bells : November 21, 1912

St. Patrick Catholic Church, Elizabeth, NJ
Collection of E. Ackermann, Karvoius Family Photos

One of the documents that I received recently from the New Jersey State Archives was a "Certificate and Record of Marriage" for John J. O'Hare and my great-aunt, Clara Viola Dixon. Just to put her in context on the family tree, she is the daughter of William A. Dixon and Mary Elizabeth Klein, and the sister of Wallace B. Dixon, my grandfather.

This document confirms that Clara V. was the daughter of William Dixon and Mary Klein. The 1900 US Census gives November of 1892 as Clara's birth date, and this marriage record aligns with that information.

Although the document that I received does not indicate specifically where they were married, an index record on FamilySearch.org gives St. Patrick Catholic Church as the "Event Place." 

Here's the transcription:

State of New Jersey. Bureau of Vital Statistics.
Certificate and Record of Marriage. No. 478

Full name of husband : John J. O'Hare
Maiden name of wife: Clara V. Dixon
Place of Marriage: Elizabeth, Union Co., N.J.
Date of marriage: November 21st 1912

Groom's
Residence: 312 Livingston St. Elizabeth, N.J.
Age: 24 yrs
Color: White
Single
Number of marriage: 1
Occupation: Driver
Birthplace: Elizabeth, N.J.
Father's name: John
Mother's maiden name: Julia Fitzgerald

Bride's
Residence: 82 Second St. Elizabeth, N.J.
 Age: 20 yrs
Color: White
Single
Number of Marriage: 1
Birthplace: Elizabeth, N.J.
Father's name: William
Mother's maiden name: Mary Kline

Witnesses: Joseph Donovan, Grace Andrews
Signature of person or officer of society officiating and P.O. address: J. P. O'Malley, 211 C[????] St.

Sources

New Jersey, Certificate and Record of Marriage, 478, John J. O'Hare and Clara V. Dixon, 21 November 1912; New Jersey State Archives, Trenton. 

"New Jersey Marriages, 1678-1985," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FZ5C-5D4 : accessed 16 April 2016), John J. O'Hare and Clara V. Dixon, 21 Nov 1912; citing 1,398,789

1900 Federal Census, Union County, New Jersey, population schedule; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 5 March 2015 ); record for Viola Dixon; FHL microfilm: 1240996.