Treasure Chest Thursday: Fraudulent Conveyance!

This piece of paper is 5" x 6 1/2".  It's a dark cream in color, with one section on the back that's orangish, where something, probably a business card based on the size, was pinned previously.  It has no watermark but seems to be of decent quality.  It might be writing paper, such as people used to use when letter writing was more common, although it's perhaps a little small for that.

There is handwriting on both sides, although the writing on one side is minimal, only numbers.  That side also has some names typed on it.  The handwriting appears similar to that of Jean La Forêt from his journal entries.  It also would seem to be his writing because it refers to Emma in the third person.  As some of the writing is a little difficult to read, I'll transcribe the entire side:

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

Fraudulent Conveyance
Section 1931 - Page 564 - I -

Emma was german thru
her marriage with Petit
(Foreigner)

The mother was adminis-
tratrix – Her husband
bought and returned
property to her -

Fraudulent conveyances all
over, since the marriage of
Mrs. Shaefer with Curdt,

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

This appears to be more information that Jean had noted for his and Emma's fight against Emma's half-siblings in the dispute over the split of Elizabeth Curdt's estate.  The reference to fraudulent conveyance seems to be from The Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri, 1899, which was cited on a document discussed a month ago.  Section 1931 is "Fraudulent conveyance" and does appear on page 564 in that edition.  I don't know how useful of a tool it was going to be in the La Forêts' fight, however, as it carried only a misdemeanor conviction.

It was not necessarily true that Emma became a German citizen through her marriage to Emile Petit.  Until the law was changed in 1907, whether a woman's citizenship status changed to that of her foreign husband was decided on a case-by-base basis.  What would have caused her to lose her citizenship was leaving the country.  When the act of March 2, 1907 went into effect, Emma's divorce from Petit was already in process; it was finalized in March 1908.  But even if she was considered a foreigner based on that marriage, her subsequent marriage to Jean in 1908 (a mere two months after her divorce) made her an American citizen again, because he had naturalized in 1890.  So well before the time Emma's mother died and all these disputes over the estate arose, Emma was no longer a foreigner.

The broad overview of the Schafer estate included the information that Elizabeth had been the administratrix of her deceased husband's estate.  That same document mentioned that Louis Curdt had sold the property back to Elizabeth after they were divorced.

The accusion of fraudulent conveyances since Elizabeth married Louis Curdt is interesting, primarily because it's so open-ended.  I'm guessing he was referring to the pressure to have Emile Petit and Emma sign away their rights to the Schafer property.  It's hard to tell if the punctuation mark at the end of the sentence is a period or a comma, as Jean seems to have used them almost interchangeably.  If it was intended as a comma, this thought does not continue on the other side of the paper.

That other side doesn't have much information on it.  Typed at one end are three names:  Miss Rosita La Foret (daughter of Jean and Emma), Overland, Missouri; Miss Ethel Schaefer (first time we've seen her name; perhaps the daughter of Charles and Alvina [Curdt] Schaefer?); and Mrs. E. M. La Foret (Emma).  Nothing else is there, so there's no way to tell why the names were typed.

Written in the middle of the page and upside down from the names are some numerals with absolutely no context.  Jean must have been trying to figure out some amounts connected with the estate, but he left no clues to follow up on.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Another Insurance Policy, Another Trip for Rosita?

This 9" x 6" piece of off-white paper is a carbon copy of another insurance policy for Rosita E. La Foret.  As with last week's policy, the cost was $1.00, noted as paid in the upper left corner.  The date on the form is October 18, 1929, and Rosita was 20 years old.  Her birthdate is noted as September 4, 1909, and she again responded "no" to the questions asking whether she was totally blind or deaf, or crippled to the extent she could not travel safely in public places.

The beneficiary was Rosita's mother, Emma M. La Foret.  They both resided at 615 Indiana Street, Vallejo, California.

This form indicates that Rosita was a present reader or subscriber of the San Francisco Examiner, whereas the previous year she had been a new subscriber.  The "solicitor" (salesman, I presume) who sold the policy was Alf Harrison.

The insurance policy paper, while similar to that from last week, is not as detailed.  It is only 11 7/8" x 18 3/4", about half the size of the previous two policies, so designed to be folded in half and then thirds.  It varies between off-white and yellowish and has some greasy-looking stains.  This is a "SPECIAL Automobile Travel and Pedestrian Accident Policy."  I wonder how "special" differs from "federalized."

Again, almost everything on this policy is preprinted, including the signatures on the back page.  The date; Rosita's name, age, and address; and Emma's name and relationship as beneficiary are typed.  This policy doesn't even have the added contact information that last week's example did.

The compensation amounts in this policy don't have as much detail or variety as those in the 1928 policy, and the payment amounts have generally decreased.  Now there are six categories of injuries, with the top payments being $10,000 and $4,000 (instead of 1928's $5,000 for the lower payment).  These were for an injury in a railroad or steamboat accident.  The lowest payments, $750 and $375 (down in amount from $1,000 and $500 in 1928), were for injuries during a pedestrian or miscellaneous accident.

This is another policy from the Federal Life Insurance Company of Chicago, so the Examiner had not changed its affiliation during the past year.

The policy came with the standard acknowedgment letter, on an 8 1/2" x 11" off-white piece of paper, about 20# bond in weight, no watermark.  It is word for word exactly the same as that from 1928; even the sentence lengths are the same.  It's the same letter.  The only difference is the year in the upper right of the page.  Even the signature of the circulation manager looks the same, but this one has no texture and appears to have been printed.  Since it looks exactly the same as the one from 1928, I now suspect the earlier one was probably printed; I don't know where the texture came from.

Because this is the same letter, the Examiner still doesn't trust its salesman.  There's also the same conflicting information about being able to hold a policy as a reader but the admonition to keep one's subscription paid up.

This policy was written on October 19, 1929.  Less than a week later, on October 24, came the Stock Market Crash of 1929, which marked the beginning of the Great Depression in the United States.  I wonder how much the policy was worth at that point?  At least the company survived.

Surprisingly, this is the last document I have for Emma.  The only items pertaining strictly to her were three insurance policies.  Now I have to decide who to look at next.  Yes, I still have lots of documents left!

Treasure Chest Thursday: Rosita La Forêt Is Insured Again

This is a 9" x 6" off-white piece of paper.  It is a carbon copy of an application for a $10,000 insurance policy for Rosita La Forêt.  The policy cost $1.00, indicated as paid.  Rosita was 18 years old and still living at 615 Indiana Street, Vallejo, California.  Her birth date was given as September 4, 1909, which matches that on the emergency passport application her mother filled out in 1917.  The application included questions asking whether Rosita was totally blind or deaf (no), or crippled to the extent that she could not travel safely in public places (no).

The application was dated July 7, 1928.  This time the only beneficiary named was Rosita's mother, Emma La Forêt.  Jean La Forêt had died shortly after the date of the insurance policy I posted last week.

Now that this has surfaced, one item that Emma saved makes a little more sense.  On July 17, 1928, Emma bought a subscription to the San Francisco Examiner.  When I posted about that, I wondered why she would have bothered to keep such an apparently inconsequential item.  Even though this insurance policy was available to readers of the Examiner, as was last week's policy through the Chronicle, the fact that the subscription and the policy are dated on the same day may mean that Emma had simply kept the paperwork together.

The insurance policy itself is similar to that in last week's post.  It is again 22" x 17", designed to be folded into quarters and then thirds.  The scan is close to the paper's true colors, an off-white with some color on it.  It is labeled as a "Federalized Readers Service Travel Accident Policy."

Almost everything on this policy is preprinted.  The exceptions are the stamped contact information on the front in red; and the date, Rosita's name, age, and address, and Emma's name as beneficiary on the "title" page.  On this policy the signatures on the the third page appear to have been printed with the policy, not stamped on it later.

As with last week's insurance policy, no specific reason or travel is indicated, so we don't know why Rosita was being insured.  The details about compensation are similar to those in the previous policy.  Payment amounts are higher than those from 1926 — $10,000 and $5,000, as opposed to $7,000 and $3,500 — at least for the first classification of injuries.  This policy has four different levels, however.  The distinctions are based on how the injuries were sustained.  The lowest payments went down to $1,000 and $500.  So if Rosita had been injured during the "wrecking or disablement of a railroad passenger car" while she was traveling on it as a "fare-paying passenger", she would have been eligible for the highest category.  On the other hand, an injury via lightning, cyclone, or tornado fell into the lowest category.

This policy was from the Federal Life Insurance Company of Chicago.  The company is still in business today, unlike good old Eureka Casualty Company from last week, although it is now in Riverwoods, Illinois.

The policy also came with a formulaic acknowledgment letter.  It is on an 8 1/2" x 11" off-white piece of paper, about 20# bond in weight, with no watermark.  It was printed.  The signature has some texture and is significantly darker than the typed letter; it might be real.  The letter was not glued into the policy but was loose.

This is another fairly standard letter, but the Examiner doesn't seem to have entirely trusted its salesmen.  Why else would it be necessary to include the disclaimer that it could not "assume responsibility of verbal promises made by them"?

There's a slight conflict in some of the information in the letter.  The first paragraph states that a regular reader was entitled to a policy, and the application form includes readers as a category, but the next-to-last paragraph has "Be sure and pay your subscription regularly and do not allow your paper to stop and this policy will cover you for one year . . . ."  Maybe that was just a marketing tactic to try to keep subscribers?

Wordless Wednesday

Treasure Chest Thursday: An Insurance Policy for Rosita La Forêt

Two weeks ago I posted the last document I have that is directly associated with Jean La Forêt, a letter from his daughter Adrienne.  After going through the files I created for the other individuals in my "treasure chest", I decided the next logical person to work on is Jean's younger daughter, Rosita.  She has been discussed in some posts previously, but always as a secondary person in a document or photograph.  These documents are really about her, although I don't have many.

This is a "Travel and Pedestrian Accident Policy" for Rosita E. La Foret.  The full sheet of paper is 22" x 17", designed to be folded into quarters and then thirds, of a size to fit into a standard business letter envelope.  It's currently off-white in color with some stains that look like grease.  It's about the weight of 20# bond and has no watermarks.

Almost everything on this policy is preprinted, with the exceptions of Rosita's name, age, and address on the first full, "title", page and the date, signatures, location, and beneficiary information on the third full page.  All nonprinted information except the signatures has been typed.  The signatures appear to be stamped; they have no texture and do not appear to have been signed by hand.  Geo. A. Fisher's name has been stamped twice, with one instance offset from the other.

There's no indication of any specific event for which this insurance was bought.  Rosita was 17; maybe she was going on a trip?  It is a travel policy, after all.  The address for her and her parents is the one we have seen before, 615 Indiana Street in Vallejo.

The policy is dated July 31, 1926, less than two months before Jean passed away.

The policy itself goes into a lot of detail about how much it pays and under what circumstances.  On the first full page, I find it surprising that the amount for loss of life of the insured is the same as loss of two body parts.  You'd think it would be more if the entire body was out of commission.

And the circumstances which are covered are specifically described:  "wrecking of a railroad passenger car or street, elevated or underground railway car", "being struck by lightning or a cyclone or tornado", "collapse of the outer walls of a building Insured is therein" (but apparently not the inner walls?), "result of accidental drowning at a Public Bathing Beach during the time that a Life-Saver is on duty, and not otherwise", for a few examples.  The policy cost only $1, plus $0.25 to register it, and also depended on the insured being a "regular reader" of the San Francisco Chronicle.  I had no idea that newsapers sold insurance policies.  Since it did not specify the insured needed to be a subscriber, I wonder if I could go to the library and read the Chronicle and still qualify.

The Chronicle was pretty proud of its building.  It included an image of the building on the back of the policy.

The insurance was through Eureka Casualty Company of Los Angeles, which had a local office in San Francisco on Sansome Street.  I didn't find much information about the company online, but several of the hits from my Google search were for lawsuits against Eureka.  I guess it's a good thing that it doesn't look as though Rosita had to try to collect on the policy.

This letter is on a sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" paper.  It's a grayish white; it might have been white originally.  It is about 20# and has no watermark.  It is glued into the policy over the signature page.  It was printed, not typed.  I'm not sure if Geo. A. Fisher's signature was printed or stamped.  This version of his signature looks different from the one on the policy.  I wonder if either version was actually signed by him.

This is a pretty standard cover letter.  (Apparently not much has changed in 90 years.)  I am amused by the second paragraph:  "We are confident you will experience an increasing measure of satisfaction in possession of this policy."  That's funny, I would have thought policy-holders should experience greater security or maybe safety.  I never thought about being satisfied that I had an insurance policy.

This envelope is 6 1/2" x 3 5/8".  It scanned much yellower than it is; the true color is a medium grayish-white.  It has "Medical Matters" written on it twice, once in pencil and once in what looks like blue crayon.  This was tipped into the folded insurance policy.  It's too small for the policy to have been in it at any point, because there would be more fold marks on the policy.  I don't know what its relevance is to the policy.  Maybe it just ended up there over the years.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Jean La Forêt Announces His Life Story and Will

This 3 1/2" x 5 3/8" piece of paper was pasted onto a 3 5/8" x 5 3/4" page in a small notebook.  Both pieces of paper have taken on a little color over the years, but they were probably white when new.  No watermark is visible on either paper.  The text is cleanly and clearly typed.

The piece of paper was pasted onto the second page in the little notebook.  And nothing else about his life story or his will is in the book.  (Not much else is in the book, period.)

I don't know yet if Jean did write a will.  I decided to check right now for his name in the California death index and discovered that he died September 12, 1926 in Solano County.  This early death index does not include the individual's birthplace or mother's maiden name, but it has the age at which someone died.  Even though on the page above Jean indicated he was born in 1851, the informant, probably Emma, "youthened" him by a couple of years, and his age at death was given as 72, when it should have been 74.  I'm sure it's him, though, because the rest of the information matches up:

Jean L. (for Leon) LaForet, spouse's initial E (for Emma), and died in Solano County, where Vallejo is.  Yup, it's gotta be him.  I'll order it eventually, of course, and investigate whether a probate file exists.

But when Jean typed up this small note, he was still living in Missouri, in Maryland Heights to be exact.  That means the date when Jean and Emma moved to California has been pushed back a little more, and that Jean's list of ailments couldn't have been typed before December 4, 1921.

I noted that Jean listed only his daughter Rosita, who was Emma's child.  There's no mention of Adrienne, born in 1874, whom I believe was also his daughter.  Perhaps the "instructions and informations" were only for Emma and Rosita, but Adrienne was in the will.  I also noted that Emma was not named but was simply "His Wife."  Looks like another woman got married and lost her name!

In 1920, when the envelope discussed in last week's post was mailed to Jean, his address was in Overland, Missouri.  In 1921, when he typed this short note, he was in Maryland Heights.  According to Google Maps they're only about five miles apart, so he didn't move far.

I wonder what happened that stopped Jean from writing the will in this notebook, which it appears he planned to do.  I also wonder why he went to the trouble to type up this introduction when he was going to write the will by hand.  Maybe he did write the will but simply never put it in the notebook.  Ah, well, when I get around to seeing if Jean had a probate file, I'll find out if there was a will and if it was handwritten.

Jean also typed "His LIFE from Birth to SEVENTY."  If he intended to write about his life, that might help explain why he kept such an interesting collection of documents.  So far I have seen no evidence of his life story, but I still have more documents to go through!

Treasure Chest Thursday: A Social Note for Monsieur and Madame La Forêt in Algiers

There hasn't been that much in the documents saved by Jean La Forêt regarding his social life.  This item gives a small amount of insight.  The folded piece of buff paper, 2 3/8" x 3 13/16" as folded (no watermark) is a birth announcement.

These two business cards, each 3 13/16" x 2 3/8" on heavy buff cardstock, were in the envelope (below) with the birth announcement.  I don't know if they originally came with the announcement, but it's how I received them, and they make sense in context.

And this is the envelope in which the birth announcement and business cards were stored.  It is 4" x 2 1/2" and the same buff color as the other items.  The postmark date on it appears to be December 17, 1912.  On the observe, it was mailed with two 5 centime stamps.

First will come the transcriptions of the items, and then the translations.

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

Birth announcement:

A. P.

Monsieur Paytavin,
Officier d'Administration du
Service du Santé, & Madame
Paytavin, sont heureux
de vous faire part de la
naissance de leur fils

André.

Constantine,
le 11 Décembre 1912.


Business card #1:

[back of card]

Cher Monsieur La Forêt, Madame,

J'ai été si heureux avant hier que j'ai télégraphié la bonne nouvelle au No. 53 de la route Malakoff.  Il me semblait que chacun devait partager ma joie –

Je n'oublie pas et ma femme non plus, les bons amis laissés là bas.  Le souvenir nous restera de votre amabilité qui fut toujours parfait ainsi que de votre entiere

[front of card]

cordialité.  En cette proche fin d'année permettez-moi de vous présenter avec ce souvenir, mes voeux de santé et de bonheur pour vous et votre chère enfant

A. Paytavin
Officier d'Administration
du Service de Santé

que ma femme et moi nous aimions beaucoup.

Paytavin  Hôpital Mre[?] Constantine


Business card #2:

A. Paytavin
Officier d'Administration
du Service de Santé

pour Rosita, avec une caresse de Madame Paytavin –


Envelope:

[likely Paytavin's handwriting]

Monsieur La Forêt
et Madame La Forêt,
53, route de Malakoff,
St. Eugène
(Alger)


[postmark]

Constantine
17[?] 12 1912


[Jean's handwriting]

Paytavin
Reponder Avril 19

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

Translations

Birth announcement:

A. P.

Mr. Paytavin, Administrative Officer, Health Service, and Mrs. Paytavin are pleased to announce the birth of their son
André

Constantine
December 11, 1912


Business card #1:

Handwritten note:

Dear Mr. La Forêt, Mrs. La Forêt,

I was so happy before yesterday that I wired the good news to 53 Malakoff Road.  It seemed to me that everyone should share my joy.  Neither I nor my wife has forgotten our good friends left behind.  The memory will remain with us of your kindness, which was always faultless, as well as your complete hospitality.  As we approach the end of the year, allow me to share with you this token, my best wishes for your health and happiness for you and your dear child, whom I and my wife love very much.

Paytavin  Military[?] Hospital Constantine


Text printed on card:

A. Paytavin
Administrative Officer
Health Service


Business card #2:

Text printed on card:

A. Paytavin
Administrative Officer
Health Service


Handwritten note:

For Rosita, with a hug from Mrs. Paytavin


Envelope:

[Paytavin's handwriting]

Mr. and Mrs. La Forêt
53 Malakoff Road
St. Eugene
Algiers


[postmark]

Constantine
December 17[?], 1912


[Jean's handwriting]

Paytavin
Responded April 19

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

This is another item about someone with whom Jean was apparently friends, but nothing about Mr. Paytavin was in Jean's journal.  I find this surprising, since Paytavin took the time to include a card with a note specifically for Rosita.

In 1912 the La Forêt family lived in Saint-Eugène, the same Algiers neighborhood as did Ortety, the man who wrote a letter about Germany signing the peace agreement after World War I.  The Paytavins lived in Constantine, almost 250 miles away.  Based on Paytavin's comment about his friends left behind, he might have lived in Algiers prior to Constantine.

Even though Paytavin appears to have worked for the French government, in several Google searches I could find absolutely nothing that I was sure was about him.  Often government functionaries appear online in scanned published reports.  Maybe he was only a low-level guy.  On the other hand, I found several items that referred to a school named for André Paytavin, but I couldn't determine for what person the school was named.

Paytavin appears to be an uncommon name.  Has anyone heard of it before?  I'm curious about its origins.

If I am correct that "Mre" is an abbreviation for "Militaire" ("military"), this might be the hospital to which Mr. Paytavin was assigned.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Treasure Chest Thursday: Emma La Forêt's Emergency Passport

Last week I posted Emma la Forêt's application for an emergency passport to leave Europe in 1917.  This week we get to see the passport itself (yes, this is the real thing!).  It is a buff-colored 12" x 17 1/4" piece of paper, watermarked with the seal of the U.S. Department of State.  It has three impressed seals and one rubber-stamped seal of the American Embassy in Paris, France on the front.  On the back, there are, in succession, an impressed seal of the American Consulate in Algiers, Algeria; a rubber-stamped seal of the Département d'Alger Sûreté Départementale (Algeria Regional Police); an impressed seal of the American Consulate in Marseilles, France; a rubber-stamped seal from the Commissariat in Marseille, but I can't read most of it; and a rubber-stamped seal from the Ministère de l'Interieure (Minister of the Interior) in Bordeaux, France.  As usual, I have underlined the information that was entered onto the preprinted form.

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

Photo of Emma and Rosita                          This document expires Dec 14. 1917 unless
E. La Foret [signature]                                 renewed.  The holder has applied to the
[impressed Paris Embassy seal]                   Department of State for a regular passport

[rubber stamp of Paris Embassy seal]

Good only for

six months from date.

                                                                  The person to whom this passport is issued
                    printed Great Seal                 has declared under oath that he desires it for
                    of the United States              use in visiting the countries hereinafter named,
                                                                  for the following objects:
                                                                  Algeria  (name of country)    Residence (object of visit)
                                                                  France  (name of country)    en route (object of visit)
                                                                  ———  (name of country)    United (object of visit)
                                                                  ———  (name of country)     States (object of visit)

This passport is not valid for use in other countries

except for necessary transit to or from the countries

named, unless amended by an American

diplomatic or principal consular officer.

Embassy

of the

United States of America,

at

    Paris, France   

To all to whom these presents shall come, Greeting;

The undersigned Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

of the United States of America,

hereby request all whom it may concern to permit

— Emma La Forêt — ———

Description                                                  a Citizen of the United States accompanied
Age 50 Years ______                                   by her minor child Rosita safely
Stature 5 Feet 7 Inches Eng.                       and freely to pass and in case of need to give
Forehead   high                                             them all lawful Aid and Protection.
Eyes     blue grey   
Nose    regular                                                            Given under my hand and the
Mouth    medium                                                         Seal of the Embassy of the
Chin    round                              [impressed                        United States
Hair    dark brown                         Paris                       at   Paris, France    
Complexion    fair                       Embassy                   the  14th  day of September
Face    oval                                    seal]                       in the year 1917 and of the
                                                                                     Independence of the United States
                                                                                     the one hundred and forty second
Signature of the Bearer.
  Emma La Foret.   [signature]

CANCELED [rubber stamped diagonally]

No. 1704

Wm G. Sharp [signature]

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

CONSULATE OF THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA, AT ALGIERS, ALGERIA.
                     October 4, 1917.
 GOOD
~~~~~~            A. C. Frost [signature]
  BON           Consul of the United
                      States of America.
Service No. 214
(No fee)
[impressed           I hereby certify that
Algerian              the bearer of this
Consulate            passport is the wife
seal]                    of Jean L. La Forêt
                           Vice Consul of the
                            United States of
                            America at Algiers,
                            Algeria.
                                 A. C. Frost [signature]
                                 Consul of the
                    United States of America.


No 3454.
Vu à la PRÉFECTURE d'Alger
Bon pour se rendre = en Amérique
via Marseille - Bordeaux - New. York
Objet du voyage = rentre dans son pays.

Alger, le 4 Octobre 1917
POUR LE PRÉFET,
Le Chef de la Sûreté Départementale délégué.
[rubber-stamped
Algeria Regional Police                Imaranos(?) [signature]
seal]


BON  Consulat Général des États - Unis
          d'Amérique à Marseille, France.
          Vu le 9th of October 1917
          Le Consul Général des États- Unis
                         d'Amérique:
No fee
Service No. 838.                  John Q.(?) Moody(?) [signature]
[impressed
Marseille
Consulate
seal]


COMMISSARIAT SPECIAL DES PORTS
VU [illegible]
Marseille, le 9 [illegible] 1917.
Giraud(?) [signature]

COMMISSARIAT SPECIAL
[illegible] la Préfecture
                  VU au départ pour les
Marseille, le 9/10/17    Etats-Unis
[rubber-stamped      Pour le Préfet           via Bordeaux
Marseille                 et par délégation
Commissariat          Le Commissaire Spécial
seal]                              Morelli(?) [signature]


VU pour se rendre à New. York
Bordeaux, le 12/10/ 1917 .
P. LE PRÉFET DE LA GIRONDE,
La Commissaire Spécial délégué.
[illegible signature]
[rubber-stamped
Minister of the Interior
seal]

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

Wow!  I think this passport is very cool, and I am lucky to have it, even if it isn't for a member of my own family.  It's fairly straightforward; most of the information came directly from the passport application Emma submitted September 7.  It was processed very quickly, being dated September 14 in Paris.

The two sentences that were struck through on the front of the passport were probably for standard emergency passport procedures.  As Emma seemingly did not plan to travel again, they were not relevant for her.

The back of the passport has the same types of stamps that one might see in a passport today, and we can see Emma and Rosita's route from Algeria to Marseille to Bordeaux to New York.  I wish I could read the French signatures better, but c'est la vie!

My guess is that the "Canceled" stamp was put on the passport after Emma and Rosita arrived in New York.  As there is no date by the stamp, however, that is only a guess.

I have noticed that Emma consistently does not use the accent on Forêt.  (I wonder if that bothered Jean?)  As the passport was processed in Paris, I'm not surprised that they did include it.

When I received this gift of documents, the passport was folded and in the envelope in which it appears to have been sent:

This is pretty easy to read, so I won't transcribe it, but in the upper-right corner is a note in pencil:

Left Alger Oct 7/17

This was the only part of Emma and Rosita's trip not present on the passport.  So they left Algeria three weeks after the passport was dated.  There's no indication when they received it.

A second notation in the upper-right corner is "103" in pen.  This isn't the passport number, and no other number on the passport matches it.  It's a mystery what it refers to.

The other item that was in the envelope was Jean La Forêt's business card:

Jean L. La Forêt

Vice Consul Américain à Alger

6, Rue Henricet                 St. Eugène (Alger)

The reason it was included was because of the handwritten note on the back:

Passport

———

Emma La Foret

and minor child Rosita.

———

Issued by Embassy of

the United States at

Paris, France, on

Sept. 14-1917, for

three months, to go

from Algiers to New

York via France.

No. 1704.

——

Signed = Wm. G. Sharp

————

This writing looks similar to that of Emma's handwritten narrative, and the name of Wm. G. Sharp bears no resemblance to the signature on the passport.  So Emma wrote a short note describing the passport, even though all of the information she wrote was included on the passport itself.  I know documentation is good, but I don't understand the purpose of her note.  On the other hand, it's nice to have one of Jean La Forêt's Vice Consul business cards.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Emma La Forêt Applies for an Emergency Passport

This week's document in the life of Emma Schafer is a copy of her emergency passport application from 1917.  This is an original, marked "quadruplicate", so I believe it was her copy that she kept after sending the original to the consulate.  It is pale bluish-green, which scanned with no color; I guess copy machines still don't do blue well.  It is legal size, 8 1/2" x 14", two sided, and has four impressed seals of the American Consulate in Algiers at the bottom, only one of which kind of appears in the scans.  The paper is watermarked with the Great Seal of the United States.  In my transcription I have underlined the information that was entered onto the preprinted form.  I also have again put the descriptions of the fields in small type and placed them after the fields.

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

QUADRUPLICATE

NOTE.—This form is to be filled out in duplicate, one copy being retainedi n the files of the office by which the emergency passport is issued and the other forwarded to the Department.

Fee for Passport ............. $1.00

FORM No. 176B—CONSULAR.        Fee for administering oath and preparing   

(Corrected June, 1917.)                         passport application ................ 1.00

————————

EMERGENCY PASSPORT APPLICATION.

————————

NATIVE.

No. __________                                                   Issued ____________________ (Date.

I,   Emma La Forêt   , a NATIVE AND LOYAL CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES, hereby apply to the American   Embassy   , at   Paris   , for an emergency passport for myself, accompanied by my wife, __________ , and minor children as follows:   Rosita   , born at   Versoix,Switz.   , on the   4th   day of   Sept. 1909   (Month and year.); and __________ ; born at __________ ; on the _______ day of __________ (Month and year.); and ______________________________

I solemnly swear that I was born at   Welston   , in the State of   Missouri  . on   14 November 1866    (Date.) ;* that my {father husband}   Jean L. La Forêt   (Name.), was born in   Angevillers, Lorraine   and is now residing at   Algiers   , for the purpose of   health & Vice-Consul   ;† [that he emigrated to the United States from the port of   Southampton,Eng.   , on or about   May, 1884   (Date.) ; that he resided   25   years uninterruptedly, in the United States, from  1884  (Year.) to  1909  (Year.) , at   San Francisco, Calif   ; that he was naturalized as a citizen of the United States before the Superior   Court of   City & County of San Francisco,Cal.   at   San Francisco, California   on   March 22,1890,   as shown by the Certificate of Naturalization presented herewith];‡ that I am /   included in my husband's   the bearer of Passport No.   3343   , issued by Department of State   on   April 23, 1909   (Date.) ; that my legal domicile is in   San Francisco, California   , my permanent residence being at    San Francisco,Calif.   , and I last left the United States on   May  1909 .   arriving at   Algiers   (Town, province.) ,   Algeria   (Country.) , on   May 7, 1910   , where I am now residing for the purpose of   with husband   (Occupation.) , xxxxxxx ____________________ (Name, address, and nationality of firm, corporation, or other organization represented, if any.) ; that I have resided outside the United States at the following places for the following periods:§
   Algiers, Algeria             , from     1909        to   date      
           ---                          , from       --           to     --        
           ---                          , from       --           to     --         ;
and that I desire to remain a citizen of the United States and intend to return thereto permanently to reside and perform the duties of citizenship within   3    {months years} or when __________

I have not applied elsewhere for a United States passport or for consular registration and been refused.

I desire a passport for use in visiting the countries hereinafter named for the following purposes:
   Algeria       (Name of country.)      Residence              (Object of visit.)
   France       (Name of country.)      En route to U. S.    (Object of visit.)
   ----             (Name of country.)      -----                        (Object of visit.)

————————

OATH OF ALLEGIANCE.

Further, I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion:  So help me God.

  Emma La Foret   [signature] (Signature of applicant.)

American   Consulate   at   Algiers, Algeria.  

Sworn to before me this    7th    day of   September, 1917.   (Month and year.)

   A. C. Frost     [signature] (Name.)

[SEAL.]                                                          Consul of the United States of America.  (Title.)
Service Nos. 201-2

____________________
* A person born in the United States should submit a birth certificate with his application, or, if the birth was not officially recorded, affidavits from the attending physician, parents, or other persons having actual knowledge of the birth.
† If the applicant's father was born in this country, lines should be drawn through the blanks in brackets.
‡ It is desirable, but not absolutely necessary, that the certificate of naturalization of the father be submitted.
§ See circular instruction of July 26, 1910, entitled "Protection of Native Americans Residing Abroad."  1–91


[Stamped sideways in lower left corner:]
Fee $2 — U. S. Gold equal to Frs.
12—— paid by affixing stamps to
the original copy of this document

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

DESCRIPTION OF APPLICANT.

Age:   50   years.                                      Mouth:   medium  
Stature:   5   feet,   7   inches, Eng.         Chin:   round  
Forehead:   high                                      Hair:   dark brown  
Eyes:   blue-grey                                     Complexion:   fair  
Nose:   regular                                         Face:   oval  

IDENTIFICATION.

   September 7, 1917.    (Date.)

I,    Jean L. La Forêt    , solemnly swear that I am a {native naturalized} citizen of the United States; that I reside at    San Francisco, California  ; that I have known the above-named    Emma La Forêt    personally for   20   years and know {him her} to be a native citizen of the United States; and that the facts stated in {his her} affidavit are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

   Jean L. La Forêt    [signature]

   Algiers, Algeria.    (Address of witness.)

American   Consulate   at   Algiers, Algeria.  

Sworn to before me this    7th    day of   September, 1917.   (Month and year.)

   A. C. Frost     [signature] (Name.)

[SEAL.]                                                         Consul of the United States of America.  (Title.)

Identifying documents submitted exhibited as follows: *    Passport No. 3343; Marriage Certificate; Birth Certificate of daughter, Rosita, etc. etc.   .
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________ 1–91
* See General Instruction No. 483, circular September 28, 1916, section 4.

A duplicate of the photograph to be attached hereto should be filed with the application retained in the office by which the emergency passport is issued.

[typed to left of above instructions regarding photograph]

AMERICAN CONSULATE,
A L G I E R S , A L G E R I A.
Sept. 24, 1917.
This document is a copy of
the application upon which
an American passport, No.
1704, was issued September
14, 1917, by the American
Embassy at Paris, France.
A. C. Frost [signature]
Consul of the United Stats
of America at Algiers, Algeria.

[Photograph of Emma La Forêt and Rosita covers middle of the following paragraph:]

One photo . . . [mu]st be pasted
in this space . . . [Co]nsular officer
who takes th– . . . of his office
must be imp– . . . so as partly
to cover one . . .

E. La Foret [signature on photograph]

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

The reason for the emergency passport request would seem to be due to World War I because of the timing, although the application was submitted three years after war had broken out in Europe following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.  While I can find references to Algerians fighting during the war and battles in other parts of North Africa, the primary actions in Algeria seem to be related to independence movements.  Whatever the specific cause, travel during this period would have been difficult, so the decision to go back to the United States at this time could not have been an easy one.

From the passport application we learn that Emma now has another daughter, Rosita, who was born in Switzerland in September 1909, when Emma was almost 43 years old.  Emma registered as an American citizen in Versoix in June 1909, so she was about six months along in her pregnancy when she arrived.  That must have been a fun cross-Atlantic voyage.

There are several discrepancies in the information given on this application as compared to what we have learned previously. Here Emma said that her husband Jean was born in Angevillers, Lorraine, whereas on her registration form in Versoix she said he was born in Nancy, France.  While both locations are in Lorraine, they're almost 60 miles apart.  Maybe Nancy is the largest city close to Angevillers, but that's a pretty significant difference.

The passport application also states that Jean had lived 25 years uninterruptedly in San Francisco.  He was a U.S. Marine for several of those years, and I doubt he lived uninterruptedly anywhere close to 25 years.  I realize that while in the military you can maintain a permanent residence that is different from where you are assigned, but I'm going to be surprised if I find that he claimed San Francisco that entire period.

Another conflict is within the information on the form itself.  Emma stated that her daughter Rosita was born in Versoix, Switzerland on September 4, 1909.  She also stated that she arrived in Algiers on May 7, 1910.  Yet she later said that she had resided outside the United States only in Algiers, from 1909 to the present date (September 7, 1917).  So when she was in Switzerland she wasn't actually residing there?  I guess the consulate and embassy didn't consider that to be a problem.

A minor discrepancy is that Emma's birthplace is spelled Welston here and Wellston on the registration of American citizen form.  As spelling is still fairly fluid at this time, that's not much of a surprise and is not significant.

Emma stated that her legal residence was San Francisco, California, although there's no evidence she ever had lived there.  I'm certain San Francisco was used because it was Jean's legal residence.

Jean and Emma are still on the same passport, #3343, as listed on the registration of an American citizen, even though it is eight years later.  I'm used to passports during this time being valid for shorter periods.  Maybe Department of State passports were valid longer or were open-ended.

We have a physical description of Emma on the second page of the application.  She was 5'7", fairly tall for a woman at this time.  At the age of 50 she still had dark brown hair (naturally?).  I noticed they didn't ask for weight, though.

An interesting piece of information is in the "Identification" section.  Jean said he had known Emma for 20 years, which would be from about 1897.  At that time Emma was still married to Emile and living in Vallejo.  From the documents I have, she seems to have lived in Vallejo until she went to Missouri.  How did these two people meet?  It does make sense that they knew each other in the San Francisco area, though, because otherwise they would have met in Missouri or Florida prior to their marriage, with a small window of time.

Just because I was curious, I looked up Mr. A. C. Frost.  Among what were probably other posts, he apparently was a Vice-Consul in Genoa in 1916, Consul in Algiers from at least 1917 to 1920, Consul in Guatemala from at least 1921–1923, a consul in Havana, Cuba in 1923, and Consul General in Zurich from 1938–1939.  So he appears to have been a career diplomat.  But I didn't find what the A. C. stood for.