Alda H. Auter

Other Events:

• Ethnicity: American
• Race: Black
• Name: Alda Auter
• Residence: 1900, Ward 2, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; StreetAddress: 14th; 5 Age: 5; At School Occupation: At School; AbleToSpeakEnglish: Yes; CityWard: 2nd Ward Harrisburg; EnumerationDistrict: 0047; Single MaritalStatus: Single; Daughter RelationToHead: Daughter
• Residence: 1910, Ward 2, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head: Daughter
• Probate: 11 Mar 1932, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; Family Inherits J.M. Auter Estate

Other Events:

• Ethnicity: American
• Race: Black
• Race: White
• Veteran: Civil War: Landsman US Navy. Served aboard the New Hampshire, Chenango, and Bermuda.
• Name: James M. Auter
• Name: James M. Auter Jr.
• Name: James M. Auter Sr.
• Military Enlistment: 1863, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Served aboard the New Hampshire, Chenango, and Bermuda at the rank of landsman.
• Military: 27 Nov 1863, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Race: Mulatto; Occupation: Barber; Height: 5' 8"; Age: 17; Rating: Landsman; Muster Date: 31 Mar 1864; Vessel: State of Georgia.
• Military: 31 Mar 1864, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
• Military: 27 Jul 1865, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; James Monroe Auter completed his service on the Bermuda, for the US Navy on July 27, 1865, when he was 19 years old.
• Military Discharge: 20 Sep 1865
• Residence: 1870, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Residence Post Office: Philadelphia
• Residence: 1880, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Son
• Residence: 1883, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
• Residence: 1900, Ward 2, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; StreetAddress: 14th Street; 52 Age: 52; Messenger Occupation: Messenger; AbleToSpeakEnglish: Yes; CanRead: Yes; CanWrite: Yes; CityWard: 2nd Ward Harrisburg; EnumerationDistrict: 0047; HomeMortgaged: Mortgaged; HomeOwnership: Own; OwnsFarm: H; YearsMarrie
• Residence: 1910, Ward 2, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Head
• Residence: 1920, 114 Balm street, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
• Newspaper Clipping: 21 Dec 1932, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; Joseph Whiten Named Executive Mansion Santa- Taking Place of Late James Auter _21 Dec 1932

Notes:

The son of James & Virginia (Stewart) Auter, whether he was born free or slave is as yet unknown. His family moved to Philadelphia ca. 1856, so either they escaped bondage or were free to move about. The family is not found in the 1860 census, but James may have then been working as a barber, an occupation he is shown later to have assumed.

A Civil War veteran, he enlisted in Philadelphia with the U.S. Navy sometime during 1863, although the exact has not yet been found in any online source. He served aboard the New Hampshire, Chenango, and Bermuda at the rank of landsman. He reportedly honorably discharged at term's end to date September 20, 1865, although that is as yet unverified, albeit the date is logical.

He appears to have married a Davidson and fathered James Monroe (b. 03/22/78), a future doctor, that based on the younger James' death certificate. The status of the first wife is as yet unknown, but he married the much younger Pennsylvania-born Frances E. Weaver, fathering Ethel (b. @1889 - married a Snow), Jennie (b. 08/??/92), and Helen Aida (b. 03/??/95). On July 19, 1883, he moved to Harrisburg to work as a government messenger. One obituary claims he began with the U.S. Treasury Department at the request of Sen. Matthew Stanley Quay and in 1895 took a similar role with at the Pennsylvania state house, while another says he started at the state capitol.

He died at his home from "nephritis" and "senility." Gov. Gifford Pinchot attended his funeral and provided an American flag from the capitol that draped Auter's coffin. Pinchot also published a message of sorrow in the Harrisburg Evening News that described Auter as "a man of whom we could all be proud." He had served many years as "the state's official Santa Claus" each Christmas at the executive mansion. Along the way, he joined Harrisburg's Stevens Post No. 520, G.A.R., serving at least once as its commander.

His tombstone contains two definite errors and probably a third:
1. He never held the rank of commander but was a landsman, then the lowest rank in the U.S. Navy. It was then common for veterans who rose to post-war public prominence to be granted "promotions" to ranks they never held while in the military.
2. There was no vessel in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War called the "Chernango."
3. He probably was not born in 1847. His obituaries and death certificate list a birth date of May 8, 1848, the 1880 census claims "abt. 1850," and the 1900 census says "May 1848." Tombstone birth years for those born prior to the issuance of formal birth certificates are wrong approximately 25% of the time. Unfortunately, those found in death certificates and censuses from that era are no more reliable.

Race: Mulatto
Occupation: Barber
Height: 5' 8"
Birth Year: abt 1846
Birth Place: Petersburg, Virginia
Age: 17
Enlistment Date: 27 Nov 1863
Enlistment Place: Philadelphia
Term of Enlistment: 1
Rating: Landsman
Muster Date: 31 Mar 1864
Vessel:

The 1870 census claims that he and his entire family were Pennsylvania-born, but his obituaries and death certificate say otherwise.

Contributor: Dennis Brandt (47232334) tbng@comcast.net

His middle name and the date of his marriage were added by contributor #50248686.

Inscription

Landsman on Chernango U.S. Navy

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/126703009/james-monroe-auter : accessed 14 September 2021), memorial page for James Monroe Auter Sr. (8 May 184817 Feb 1932), Find a Grave Memorial ID 126703009, citing Lincoln Cemetery, Penbrook, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by Kathie Gifford (contributor 47169336) .

Buried:
Lincoln Cemetery

James married Frances Fannie E. Weaver on 1 Oct 1888 in Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA. Frances (daughter of William H. Weaver and Charlotte Elizabeth Chester) was born in Dec 1864 in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; died on 19 Dec 1929 in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; was buried in 201 South 30th street, Penbrook, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Obituary: Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
• Race: Colored
• Name: Frances Auter
• Name: Frances Weaver Auter
• Name: Francis E Auter
• Name: Francis Weaver
• Name: Franeis E Auter
• Name: Mrs Franeis E Auter
• Name: Mrs Franeis E Weaver
• Residence: 1880, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head: Daughter
• Residence: 1900, Ward 2, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Wife
• Residence: 1910, Ward 2, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Wife
• Residence: 1920, 114 Balm street, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
• Residence: 1929, 114 Balm street, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA

Notes:

Buried:
Lincoln Cemetery

Died:
64 Age: 64

Other Events:

• Residence: 1870, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Residence Post Office: Philadelphia
• Residence: 1880, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Self

James married Virginia Jennie Stewart. Virginia was born in 1825 in Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Jennie Auter
• Name: Virginia Auter
• Residence: 1870, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Residence Post Office: Philadelphia
• Residence: 1880, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Wife

Other Events:

• Name: William Weaver
• Name: Wm Wearer
• Occupation: Shoemaker
• Residence: USA
• Residence: 1860, Ward 4, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; Residence Post Office: Harrisburg
• Residence: 1 Jul 1863, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
• Military: 1865
• Residence: 1870, Ward 2, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
• Residence: 1880, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Self

William married Charlotte Elizabeth Chester. Charlotte (daughter of George Chester and Jane Morris) was born on 14 Aug 1829 in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; died on 8 Jul 1882 in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; was buried in 201 South 30th street, Penbrook, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Burial Location: Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
• Name: Charllotta Weaver
• Name: Charlotte Chester
• Name: Charlotte Elizabeth Weaver
• Name: Charlotte Weaver
• Residence: 1850, East Ward, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
• Residence: 1860, Ward 4, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
• Residence: 1880, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Wife

Notes:

Buried:
Lincoln Cemetery

Other Events:

• Race: Black
• Name: James Chester
• Underground Railroad: 1826, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Maryland, USA; Aided his future bride in escaping enslavement in Baltimore Maryland.
• Residence: 1830, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
• Residence: 1850, East Ward, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; Age: 65; Occupation: Oysterman; AttendedSchool: 3; Industry: Fisheries

George married Jane Morris in 1826 in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA. Jane was born on 5 Jul 1801 in 38 North Gay street, Baltimore, Independent Cities, Maryland, USA; died on 19 Mar 1894 in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; was buried in 201 South 30th street, Penbrook, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Jane Aunty Chester
• Name: Jane Chester
• Name: Jane M. Chester
• Name: Jane Maria Mars
• Name: Jane Russel
• Occupation: Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; Restaurateur and Caterer
• Enslaved: 1801, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Maryland, USA; Was born in Baltimore, Md., No. 38 North Gay street, and belonged to the family of the then well known and opulent Judge George Pressbery
• Underground Railroad: 1818, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Maryland, USA; Escaped Slavery traveled from Baltimore to York, and then on to Harrisburg by Stagecoach.
• Residence: 1850, East Ward, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
• Residence: 1870, Ward 3, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
• Residence: 1880, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; Marital Status: Widowed; Relation to Head: Self
• Residence: 1894, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA
• Obituary: 19 Mar 1894, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA; Self-Emancipation, Life and Death of Mrs Jane M Chester and Mr. George Chester
• Obituary: 20 Mar 1894, Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, USA; Has names of two of her former slaveholders.

Notes:

My Contribution: Along with my husband, I contributed to the abolitionist cause through connections to The Liberator and the Underground Railroad. I catered numerous weddings, funerals, socials, and other events for all of Harrisburg, white and black. I owned my own home, where I raised children with great success, took on boarders, hosted events, and made my own taffy.
My Legacy: I escaped enslavement in Baltimore and made a treacherous journey north to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where I met the man I married, George Chester, and collaborated with him in the work of operating a restaurant and combatting slavery. After George’s death in 1859, I developed a formidable reputation of my own in Harrisburg. The home I owned on Chestnut Street served as a gathering place for the city’s organizations, churches, and changemakers, and my catering business served white and black, young and old, and policymaker and commoner. The Capital Presbyterian Church is still in existence, thanks to my support of the Elder Street Presbyterian Mite Society shortly after an 1890 fire destroyed the church building. My husband and I passed our passion for abolitionism on to our son, Thomas Morris Chester, who had a significant impact on African American history in our nation.
About Me: “No colored woman a resident of Harrisburg was better known or more highly respected than Mrs. Chester…. Her life was useful and creditable and she devoted herself to her children for whose good she made many sacrifices. Always pious, charitable and neighbourly, Mrs. Chester was never without devoted friends, and by those who survive her, death will be sincerely mourned.” The Harrisburg Daily Independent, March 19, 1894.
Full Name: Jane Maria (Morris) Chester
Birth Date: 1800-1805 (approximate, most likely 1801)
Death Date: April 20, 1894
Place of Birth: Baltimore, Maryland
Sex: Female
Race: “Colored” (1840, 1850, and 1860 Federal Censuses); Black (1870 and 1880 Federal Censuses)
Places of Residence: Gay Street, Baltimore, Maryland (while enslaved); 305 Chestnut Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Connection to the Old Eighth Ward: Resident on Chestnut street two blocks southeast of the Eighth Ward. Operated restaurant, the State Capitol Hotel, in Eighth Ward; belonged to Wesley Union A.M.E. Zion Church, connected with Elder Street Presbyterian Church.
Family Members: Husband: George Chester. Children: Charlotte Chester, Thomas Morris Chester, David Chester, Harriet Chester, Maria(h) Chester, Amelia Chester, Eliza Chester Zendricks (Note: the Chesters had several other children who did not live to adulthood).
Education: No education listed on federal census records.
Occupations: Restaurateur. Caterer. Homemaker. Boarding House Operator.
Church Membership: Wesley Union A.M.E. Zion Church (member) and Elder Street Presbyterian Church (supporter)
Activism: Involved with the distribution of the Liberator and likely the operation of the Underground Railroad; hosted the Mite Society for Elder Street Presbyterian Church.
Connections: T. Morris Chester (son), David Chester (son), Amelia Chester (daughter-in-law), Eliza Chester Zendricks, Anne E. Amos (Mite Society), and James Auter.
“Jane M. Chester,” Digital Harrisburg (blog), October 15, 2020, https://digitalharrisburg.com/jane-m-chester/.

Obituary Notes:
AN OLD EX-SLAVE
Death of Mrs. Jane M. Chester-A Bright Son
Has names of two of her former slaveholders:
--'Squire Presbury (Baltimore?)
--Sold to Dennis A Smith "when very young"
Self-Emancipated through Escape to Freedom in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Buried:
Lincoln Cemetery

Died:
Date of birth on death certificate does not match her stated age at death, which is more consistent with her records.