James Monroe Auter, II

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• Name	James Monroe Auter  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]
  Suffix	II
  Born	8 May 1846 Petersburg, Independent Cities, Virginia, USA [1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13]
  Gender	Male
  Military Enlistment	1863 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA [14]  –  Served aboard the New Hampshire, Chenango, and Bermuda at the rank of landsman.
  Military	27 Nov 1863 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA [7]  –  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 [6, 7]
  Military	27 Jul 1865 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA [7]  –  James Monroe Auter completed his service on the Bermuda, for the US Navy on July 27, 1865, when he was 19 years old.
  Ethnicity	American [2]
  Military Discharge	20 Sep 1865 [14]
  Residence	1870 Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA [10]  –  Residence Post Office: Philadelphia
  Residence	1880 Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA [5]  –  Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Son
  Residence	1900 Ward 2, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA [2]  –  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 [4]  –  Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Head
  Residence	1920 114 Balm street, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA [8]
  Residence	1930 104 Balm, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA [12]  –  Marital Status: Widowed; Relation to Head: Head
  Died	17 Feb 1932 Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA [1, 15, 16]
  Newspaper Clipping	21 Dec 1932 Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA [17]  –  Joseph Whiten Named Executive Mansion Santa- Taking Place of Late James Auter _21 Dec 1932
  Race	Black [2]
  Race	White [2]
  Veteran	Civil War: Landsman US Navy. Served aboard the New Hampshire, Chenango, and Bermuda. [7, 14, 18]
  Name	James M. Auter [2, 7, 9, 19]
  Name	James M. Auter Jr. [13]
  Name	James M. Auter Sr. [20]
  Buried	​ 201 South 30th, Penbrook, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA [1, 14, 21]
  	Lincoln Cemetery
  Notes	The son of James and 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. James M. Auter My Contribution: I served under nine chief executives of Pennsylvania as a messenger for the Governor’s Office. I was an elder at Capital Street Presbyterian Church. I also advocated for the appointment of Edward T. Hooper as Color Sergeant under Pennsylvania’s Adjutant General, who served as the first African American in this kind of position in Pennsylvania. My Legacy: In acting as an honorable and trustworthy man, I gained love and respect and earned a positive reputation in the city. As a messenger for ten governors, I made friends with many individuals. I was also one of the founders of the Citizens Republican Club of Philadelphia, through which I helped to break the color lines in several official positions. With my help, African Americans of the Seventh Ward gained positions as the Recording Secretary for the Republican City Committee, policemen, and city councilmen. About Me: “By his death also Capitol Hill is poorer by the absence of one of its best known and most appreciated figures.” - Governor Gifford Pinchot, The Evening News, February 19, 1932. Full Name: James Monroe Auter • Birth Date: 1848 • Death Date: February 17, 1932 • Place of Birth: Petersburg, Virginia • Sex: Male•Race: Black (1870-1910 Federal Censuses), “Mulatto” (1920 Federal Census), and “Negro” (1930 Federal Census) • Places of Residence: 1113 Rodman Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1880); 245 S. 14th Street (1900), 305 S. 14th Street (1910), and 114 Balm Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (1920-1930); Petersburg, Virginia. • Connection to the Old Eighth Ward: As messenger to the governor’s office, knew the Eighth Ward well; active community member in Capital Street Presbyterian Church. • Family Members: Brothers: Castine Auter, William Auter, and Gaston Auter. Wife: M1: Laura V., m.unknown-1885. Wife: M2: Fannie E. Weaver, m.1888-1930. Children: Jennie Auter Roche, Ethel B. Auter Snow, Alda H. Auter, Dr. Nelson H. Auter, Mr. James Auter Jr., Dr. Milton H. Auter, and Virginia H. Auter. Granddaughter: Frances Evans.•Education: could read and write according to federal census. • Occupations: Barber. Sailor in the U.S. Navy. Messenger for the Governor. Appointed title of Colonel. • Church Membership: Elder at Capital Street Presbyterian Church (Harrisburg Telegraph, August 21, 1931) • Activism: Harrisburg NAACP (treasurer); Masonic Home of Linglestown (first superintendent); David Stevenson Post 520 (commander); Citizens Republican Club (founder and president). • Connections: Jane Chester (host at wedding); Robert Nelson (co-worker).” ([“One Hundred Voices: Harrisburg’s Historic African American Community, 1850-1920”, 2020, p. 41](zotero://select/groups/4761904/items/UNY7DXVB))
  Person ID	I439 SOALsearch
  Last Modified	1 Nov 2024

  
  
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  Father	James M Auter, I (Age 74 years) b. Abt 1822, Virginia, USA d. 17 May 1896, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 74 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Virginia Jennie Stewart b. 1825, Virginia, USA
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F1588 Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Frances Fannie E. Weaver (Age 64 years) b. 1 Jan 1865, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA d. 19 Dec 1929, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 64 years)
  Children	1. Ethyl B. Auter (Age 84 years) b. 29 Mar 1889, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA d. Apr 1973 (Age 84 years)  [natural]   2. Virginia H. Jennie Auter (Age 38 years) b. Aug 1892, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA d. 14 Mar 1931, Manhattan, Kings, New York, USA (Age 38 years)  [natural]   3. Alda H. Auter b. Mar 1895, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA  [natural]   4. James Monroe Auter, III (Age 81 years) b. 12 Jul 1900 d. 1982, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 81 years)  [natural]
  Last Modified	1 Nov 2024
  Family ID	F151 Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Children	1. Milton H Auter (Age 39 years) b. 22 Mar 1878, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA d. 17 Jan 1918, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 39 years)  [natural]
  Last Modified	1 Nov 2024
  Family ID	F1589 Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 3	Laura Davidson b. Abt 1852, Virginia, USA
  Children	1. Milton H Auter (Age 39 years) b. 22 Mar 1878, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA d. 17 Jan 1918, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 39 years)  [natural]   2. John R. Auter (Age 52 years) b. Abt 1875, Pennsylvania, USA d. 19 Dec 1927, Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana, USA (Age 52 years)  [natural]
  Last Modified	1 Nov 2024
  Family ID	F1602 Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos		James M Auter Newspaper Photo Date:9/14/2021 7:17:56 PM
  		James M Auter Photo_pennsylvania-negro-business-directory-1910-page-88

  
  

• Sources

  [S3] U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;). Record for James Monroe Sr Auter https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=60525&h=78953079&indiv=try [S37] 1900 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2004;), Year: 1900; Census Place: Harrisburg Ward 2, Dauphin, Pennsylvania; Page: 9; Enumeration District: 0047; FHL microfilm: 1241402. Record for James M Auter https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=7602&h=51981317&indiv=try [S67] U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2020;), Harrisburg Telegraph; Publication Date: 26/ Aug/ 1912; Publication Place: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/39855797/?article=29c26b9c-83c4-479f-a2e1-193255b64b45&focus=0.018741075,0.6783203,0.16373058,0.7088097&xid=3398. [S5] 1910 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2006;), Year: 1910; Census Place: Harrisburg Ward 2, Dauphin, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1336; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 0057; FHL microfilm: 1375349. [S47] 1880 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2010;), Year: 1880; Census Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: 1170; Page: 82B; Enumeration District: 120. [S1036] U.S., Naval Enlistment Rendezvous, 1855-1891, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2014;). [S1035] Web: US, African American Civil War Sailor Index, 1861-1865, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2014;). [S45] U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2011;). [S1033] Illinois, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1800-1940, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2016;), Various Illinois County Courthouses; Various Illinois County Courthouses; Marriage Records; Collection Title: Marriage Records. [S69] 1870 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2009;), Year: 1870; Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 7 District 19, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: M593_1392; Page: 372B. [S2] Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1967, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2014;), Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission; Harrisburg, PA; Pennsylvania (State). Death Certificates, 1906-1968; Certificate Number Range: 003041-006380. [S27] 1930 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2002;), Year: 1930; Census Place: Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0038; FHL microfilm: 2341760. [S35] Pennsylvania, U.S., Marriages, 1852-1968, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2016;). [S4] Findagrave, (Location: Penbrook, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, USA; Date: 1885;), James Monroe Auter Sr. 17 Feb 1932. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/126703009/james-monroe-auter [S96] Newspapers.com - Harrisburg Telegraph - 17 Feb 1932 - Page 1, (Name: Harrisburg Telegraph; Location: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Date: 17 Feb 1932;), Obituary for JAMES M. AUTER (Aged 84) 17 Feb 1932. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85339991/obituary-for-james-m-auter-aged-84/?xid=637 [S1034] Newspapers.com - Harrisburg Telegraph - 18 Feb 1932 - Page 8, (Name: Harrisburg Telegraph; Location: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Date: 18 Feb 1932;), Death of James M. Auter _Harrisburg Telegraph _18 Feb 1932 18 Feb 1932. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/92718302/death-of-james-m-auter-harrisburg/?xid=637 [S977] Newspapers.com - The Evening News - 21 Dec 1932 - Page 7, (Name: The Evening News; Location: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Date: 21 Dec 1932;), Joseph Whiten Named Executive Mansion Santa- Taking Place of Late James Auter _21 Dec 1932. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91768673/joseph-whiten-named-executive-mansion/?xid=637 [S5320] One Hundred Voices, Jackson Jr., Calobe, Katie Wingert McArdle, and David Pettegrew, eds. One Hundred Voices: Harrisburg’s Historic African American Community, 1850-1920. The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota, 2020. Page 41. James M. Auter My Contribution: I served under nine chief executives of Pennsylvania as a messenger for the Governor’s Office. I was an elder at Capital Street Presbyterian Church. I also advocated for the appointment of Edward T. Hooper as Color Sergeant under Pennsylvania’s Adjutant General, who served as the first African American in this kind of position in Pennsylvania. My Legacy: In acting as an honorable and trustworthy man, I gained love and respect and earned a positive reputation in the city. As a messenger for ten governors, I made friends with many individuals. I was also one of the founders of the Citizens Republican Club of Philadelphia, through which I helped to break the color lines in several official positions. With my help, African Americans of the Seventh Ward gained positions as the Recording Secretary for the Republican City Committee, policemen, and city councilmen. About Me: “By his death also Capitol Hill is poorer by the absence of one of its best known and most appreciated figures.” — Governor Gifford Pinchot, The Evening News, February 19, 1932. Full Name: James Monroe Auter • Birth Date: 1848 • Death Date: February 17, 1932 • Place of Birth: Petersburg, Virginia • Sex: Male•Race: Black (1870-1910 Federal Censuses), “Mulatto” (1920 Federal Census), and “Negro” (1930 Federal Census) • Places of Residence: 1113 Rodman Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1880); 245 S. 14th Street (1900), 305 S. 14th Street (1910), and 114 Balm Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (1920-1930); Petersburg, Virginia. • Connection to the Old Eighth Ward: As messenger to the governor’s office, knew the Eighth Ward well; active community member in Capital Street Presbyterian Church. • Family Members: Brothers: Castine Auter, William Auter, and Gaston Auter. Wife: M1: Laura V., m.unknown-1885. Wife: M2: Fannie E. Weaver, m.1888-1930. Children: Jennie Auter Roche, Ethel B. Auter Snow, Alda H. Auter, Dr. Nelson H. Auter, Mr. James Auter Jr., Dr. Milton H. Auter, and Virginia H. Auter. Granddaughter: Frances Evans.•Education: could read and write according to federal census. • Occupations: Barber. Sailor in the U.S. Navy. Messenger for the Governor. Appointed title of Colonel. • Church Membership: Elder at Capital Street Presbyterian Church (Harrisburg Telegraph, August 21, 1931) • Activism: Harrisburg NAACP (treasurer); Masonic Home of Linglestown (first superintendent); David Stevenson Post 520 (commander); Citizens Republican Club (founder and president). • Connections: Jane Chester (host at wedding); Robert Nelson (co-worker).” ([“One Hundred Voices: Harrisburg’s Historic African American Community, 1850-1920”, 2020, p. 41](zotero://select/groups/4761904/items/UNY7DXVB)) https://doi.org/10.31356/dpb017 [S74] U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2019;), Harrisburg Telegraph; Publication Date: 16 Mar 1931; Publication Place: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/41513608/?article=84d252c8-557d-45c5-a5eb-5ab1a1158e19&focus=0.2694435,0.202226,0.3856623,0.31509826&xid=3355. [S74] U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2019;), The Evening News; Publication Date: 20 Dec 1929; Publication Place: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/63182994/?article=e36ddccd-daa1-4472-8e9c-5a0fff8973fb&focus=0.74914026,0.53713816,0.8707778,0.6588764&xid=3355. [S632] Lincoln Cemetery Grave Markers, Rachael Williams, (Name: SavingOurAncestorsLegacy; Location: Pennsylvania; Date: 2021;), Auter Family Monument. Block C Section #16 Plot #444. SOAL Restored 2022. http://www.lincolncemetery.org/