James F. McCartney

James Francis McCartney, son of a James Francis McCartney, served in WWI where he was gassed. After that injury he had to work outdoors for air. He worked as the Gate Keeper at the gate of Thomas Edison's laboratory in West Orange New Jersey. This is the same gate and gatehouse you can see there now at the Edison National Park. One day he was talking to his neice Betty, who was a little girl there, when Mr. Edison drove up. Later Mr. Edison fired him for talking to the girl while working! I told this story to the National Park tour guide and was told they had heard many stories about how mean Edison was! Betty remembered him as such because of this. After this job James got another Gate Keeper job, due to his war wound. This was working for Erie Railroad (who his father had also worked for at one time). The work was raising and lowering a gate at a rail road crossing. They were not automated then and Jimmy would be in a small house by the tracks and would go out and lower the gate manually when a train was coming. Later in life Jimmy moved to Virginia to live with his Daughter Peg who had married a University Professor named Ray Quance. Also had a son named Raymond Mom says. He worked for some kind of an advertisement company. He lived in Monmouth County. Mom now thinks Quance was the President and not just professor of the school, University of Virginia. Not sure. She also says I was mistaken when I said she had said he moved to Virginia with his daughter. 1930 Census shows him as McCarthey and a Gardener, one mistake and possibly two (Guard). Or maybe he was also the gardener there or instead.

He registered for the draft on June 5, 1917. This gives his birth date as January 3, 1896, He is described as being of tall and of medium, with grey eyes and black hair without balding. His address is listed merely as 43 Ashland Ave, West Orange, NJ. His place of birth is given as West Orange, NJ. He lists no specific next of kin, and notes that he is single. His employer is given as Mr. Beasley at Llewellyn Park where he works as a gardner. He lists no prior military experience and claims no exemption from the draft. He signs his name himself as James McCartney.

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WWII Draft card has him working for Erie Railroad (gate guard?), hair grey eyes grey.