Peter G. Blessington
Peter G. Blessingto has an entry among index cards kept by Nathaniel R. Perkins, MD, who examined thousands of men who were going into the war, 1914-1918. Given by Mrs N. R. Perkins in accordance with instructions from her late husband, Dr. Nathaniel P. Perkins of 1122 Adams St, Dorchester.
Peter G. Blessington 154 Norfolk, Dorchester
Peter Gregory Blessington. By Camille Arbogast
Peter Gregory Blessington was born on March 4, 1894, at 764 Washington Street in Dorchester. His mother, Anne E. (Lally) Blessington, immigrated from Ireland in the late 1870s and worked as a domestic prior to her marriage. His father, Peter Blessington, Sr., also immigrated from Ireland, arriving in New York in 1882. They were married in Boston in 1888 and had six other children: Charles born in 1891, Martin in 1892, Mary in 1895, Francis in 1897, James in 1899, and Anna in 1902.
Peter, Sr.was a laborer for the City of Boston. First hired in 1898, in 1900 he was working in the sewer department. He was still employed by the city in 1920; at that time he was making $4 a day.
The family frequently moved around Dorchester , living at 148 Whitfield Street in 1900, 270 Kilton Street (now Norwell Street) in 1902, and 49 Torrey Street in 1905. By 1912, they had moved a block away to 50 Norfolk Street, and then in 1916 they moved again, but only a short distance to 42 Wentworth Street. The Boston directory for that year lists Peter, Jr.working as a chauffeur.
In June 1917, the Blessingtons were living at 154 Norfolk Street. On his World War I draft registration,
Peter reported that he was a gasoline motor mechanic in business for himself at 741 Washington Street. On May 28, 1918, he enlisted in the Naval Reserve Force as an Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class. Later he was a Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class. In both positions he was probably maintaining engines and machinery. He was discharged on March 22, 1919.
After his discharge from the Navy, Peter again lived at 154 Norfolk Street with his family. In 1920, he was a chauffeur for a crockery company, possibly the Dorchester Crockery Company at 1366 Dorchester Avenue. His siblings were also still living in the family home: Charles was a plumber, Martin was a teamster for a coal company, Mary was a stenographer at a cotton house, Francis was a riveter at a shipyard, James was a salesman of woolen cloth, and Anna was a typist at a bonding company. Also part of the household was a seven-year-old boarder, Richard McCarthy. Peter remained at 154 Norfolk Street through at least 1924. During this time, directories list him as an instructor at the U.S. Veterans’ Bureau Vocational School at 1010 Commonwealth Avenue in Brookline.
In the mid-1920s, Peter moved to Michigan. In 1927, he was a defendant in a case brought by Colonial Filling Stations/Beacon Oil Company of Massachusetts, claiming he owed them $772.43. By 1930, Peter was living and working at United States Veterans Hospital 100 in Bedford, Michigan. He was the garage foreman.
On August 18, 1930, he married Sybella Estella Timbers, known as Stella, in Wisconsin. Stella was a dietician with the Veterans Administration, originally from Menomonie, Wisconsin. She was a graduate of Menomonie’s Stout Institute (now the University of Wisconsin-Stout), and received a master’s degree from Western Michigan University. Peter and Stella had a daughter, Patricia.
By 1935, the Blessingtons lived at 111 East Michigan Avenue in Galesburg, Michigan, a house that they owned. Peter worked as a machinist at nearby Fort Custer. In 1940, he earned $2,010 a year. Stella continued working as a dietician at the Veterans Hospital in Battle Creek according to her obituary, though the 1940 census lists her as a homemaker.
Peter died on August 15, 1948, at his home in Galesburg, Michigan. After returning from a drive, he did not feel well so he went to bed, and his wife called the doctor. By the time the doctor arrived around 4:45 p.m., Peter had died of “a heart ailment.” He was buried in Menomonie, Wisconsin. His wife Stella died in 1999.
Sources
Birth Record, Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911–1915. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts; Ancestry.com
Boston and directories, various years; Ancestry.com
Family Tree; Ancestry.com
1900, 1920, 1930, 1940 U.S. Federal census; Ancestry.com
Officials and Employees of the City of Boston [Document 73-1920], City of Boston: Printing Dept., 1920: 195; Books.Google.com
World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration; Ancestry.com
“United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940;” FamilySearch.org
1925 Brookline Directory, Boston: W.A. Greenough Co., 1925: 38; collection of the Brookline Historical Society
“Marshall Notes,” Battle Creek Enquirer (Battle Creek, MI) 20 Oct 1927: 19; Newspapers.com
Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration. Records of the Selective Service System, National Archives and Records Administration; Ancestry.com
“Peter Blessington,” Battle Creek Enquirer (Battle Creek, MI), 16 Aug 1948: 10; Newspapers.com
“Stella T. Blessington,” Dunn County News (Menomonie, WI) 29 August 1999: 6; Newspapers.com