Gary Ashwill, on his fantastic blog, agate type, wrote about Negro League player Bruce Petway and his role as a Designated Hitter. I'd never heard of Bruce Petway before yesterday. Which, of course, set me off to find out more. I searched through ancestry.com and Chronicling America and found some documents and stories.
Bruce Petway was born in Tennessee in 1885. He came from a large family. In 20 years of marriage his folks, David and Lizzie Petway, had 13 children, with nine of them surviving in 1900.
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| Year: 1900; Census Place: Nashville Ward 3, Davidson, Tennessee; Roll: 1563; Page: 18B; Enumeration District: 76; FHL microfilm: 1241563.Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. |
Just five years later we find that Bruce is a laborer in Nashville, still living at home. The * before the name indicates a person of color.
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| 1905 Nashville, Tennessee City Directory Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. |
In 1906, he's a driver. Still at home.
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| 1906 Nashville, Tennessee City Directory Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. |
That same year, we find Bruce on the manifest of the ship Merida. The ship is sailing from New Havana, Cuba, to New York City. He's traveling with Clarence Williams, Harry Buckner, William Bowman, Harry Moore, John Hill, John Hill Jr., Andrew Winston, and Andrew Gateward. Most of them were members of the 1906 Cuban X Giants.
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| Year: 1906; ; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_803; Line: 18; ; Page Number: 86.Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; (National Archives Microfilm Publication T715, 8892 rolls); Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; National Archives, Washington, D.C. |
We next find Bruce in Philadelphia. He played for the 1909 Philadelphia Giants.
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| 1909 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City Directory Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. |
He makes the same directory the next year.
And also the Nashville directory. He's back home, living with dad. I have not located Bruce Petway in the 1910 US Census.
Bruce was a catcher and a center fielder for most of his career.
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| 1910 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City Directory Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. |
And also the Nashville directory. He's back home, living with dad. I have not located Bruce Petway in the 1910 US Census.
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| 1910 Nashville, Tennessee City Directory Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. |
Bruce was a catcher and a center fielder for most of his career.
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| The Bee (Omaha) - April 26, 1915 |
Bruce is back on the boat in 1916 with some more ball players. This time he's on the Chalmette, departing Havana, Cuba, and arriving in New Orleans. He's traveling with Melton O. Dell, Clarkson Brazelton, Harry Bauchman, Tullie McAdoo, John P. Hill, Edward Gans, John H. Lloyd, and Frank Duncan. Several of them were his team mates from the 1916 Chicago American Giants.
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| Ancestry.com. New Orleans, Passenger Lists, 1820-1945 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006.Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New Orleans, Louisiana, 1903-1945. Microfilm publication T905. 189 rolls. Record Group 85 |
But in a 1917 article he is referred to as a pitcher. And he's married.
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| The Broad Ax (Chicago) - February 3, 1917 |
Apparently he was a public speaker.
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| The Broad Ax (Chicago) - April 28, 1917 |
As many a man did, Bruce registered for the Draft in 1918. We see that he has a wife, Mamie, who lives in Seattle, Washington. This would be the woman in the hair pulling incident of 1917.
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| Registration Location: Cook County, Illinois; Roll: 1452467; Draft Board: 5. Ancestry.com. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. |
In the 1920 US Census, we find Bruce in Chicago. He's listed as Single.
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| Year: 1920; Census Place: Chicago Ward 2, Cook (Chicago), Illinois; Roll: T625_307; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 89; Image: 69.Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. |
We find a marriage record. Lake County, Indiana, is in the northwest corner of Indiana, just southeast of Chicago. Perhaps this is Bruce's second marriage.
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| Title: Lake County Indiana, Index to Marriage Record 1850 - 1920 Inclusive Vol, W. P. A. Original Record Located: County Clerk's O; Book: 37; Page: 532.Ancestry.com. Indiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. |
According to the 1930 US Census, Bruce and his wife, Emma, have been married for 10 years. He's lost a few years from his age. He should be 44.
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| Year: 1930; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 419; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 110; Image: 992.0; FHL microfilm: 2340154.Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. |
Finally, Bruce passes away.
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| Ancestry.com. Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. |
Apparently he and his wife had friends.
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| Chicago Defender - July 26, 1941 |
Bruce Franklin Petway is buried at Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois. Andrew "Rube" Foster is also buried there.
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