Junction City Musicians

Seven young kids look into the camera for a snapshot of their school orchestra. A photo postcard not all that different from similar photos posted today on the internet or sent as email attachments. But this one was saved from deletion and ended up on an antique dealer's stocklist. And what makes it unique is on the back.

Meet Theodore Hogan -that's him on clarinet. His sister Emily Hogan, holding the rolled music, is the pianist. His buddies Dwight Aultman and Jack McBlain play violin; John Montgomery is on drums; Roy Moore [sic] on trombone; and Robert King on cornet.

Theodore sent his note and souvenir in an envelope, so with no postmark or address we will never learn who "Everybody" is. But one clue added by the antique dealer does help identify everyone else. Ks ? Junction City translates as Junction City, Kansas a place where I too once lived from ages 6 to 9.

 A search through the internet archives available on Ancestry.com provides all the background (and more) on these 7 children.

Theodore was born in Junction City, Kansas, on 18 January 1903 and his sister Emily in 1902. Their father Thomas Hogan was an immigrant from Ireland and owned a flour mill in Junction City. Their mother J. Abbie Hogan was a music teacher on violin according to the 1910 US Census and later in 1920 was listed as a public school music teacher. This photo may be her small group of private music students.

Dwight Aultman Jr.was born in 1902 and his father Dwight Aultman was a captain in the US Army at Ft. Leavenworth KS in 1910 . His dad later reached the rank of general and Dwight Jr. went into the US military academy.

John or Jack McBlain born in 1901 lived in Ft. Riley KS in 1910 where his mother was the postmistress. Ft. Riley is a very large army post outside of Junction City and I too once called it  home. John F. McBlain Jr. is now buried in Arlington National Cemetery somewhere near his father who died in 1902 and was a captain in the 9th US Cavalry.

John Montgomery was born in 1901 and his father was editor of the Junction City newspaper. Roy C. More (not Moore) was born in 1902, the son of a store clerk. And Robert King was born in 1901, the son of a physician.

The older quarters provided to officer's families in Ft. Riley were made of great limestone blocks, not dissimilar to the stone work on this porch. It may be a school but it has the look of a home to me.  Given the birth dates of everybody, I would estimate this photograph was taken around 1913-14.

In 1920 Theodore and Emily were was still living at home in Junction City, and Theodore listed his occupation as Engineer, Roadwork.

In 1922 he applied for a passport to go abroad with the wave of young Americans who wanted to tour Europe after the war. The first page of the application describes him as a student wanting to visit BI (British Isles) England, Switzerland, Italy for the purpose of pleasure. Belgium, Holland also for pleasure; and France, Germany for  pleasure Novel. Perhaps there was an ambition to be be a writer? Here is the second page of the application with the 19 year old Theodore.

He left Galveston, TX on 15 July 1922 on the Elkhorn and returned on the Maurtania from Southampton on 2 Sept 1922. A short trip but no doubt a memorable one. Perhaps he finally got to see everybody.