Arthur Deane Dawson (1889 - 1984)

Born 14 Sep 1889 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Bird (Smith) Dawson — married 18 Nov 1916 in Brooklyn, New York, USA

Descendants

Died 25 May 1984 at age 94 in Eastport, Suffolk, New York, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Marion Ceruti [send private message]

Biography

Arthur Dawson has Welsh ancestors.

Arthur Dawson has English ancestors.

Arthur Dawson has French origins.

Descendant of Sir Anthony Deane, MP. Sir Anthony Deane, MP was a noted naval architect.

Arthur was a Telephone Repairman.

Arthur Deane Dawson was the son of George Adams Dawson and Blanche Deane Dawson. His father passed away when he was 9 years old, so he went to work to support the family. This was not easy to do. For lunch, he brought with him a piece of bread and bought a banana for one penny. Eventually, he worked his way into a good job as an electrician for the Long Island Rail Road, where he worked for about 56 years.

According to the seniority document cited below, Arthur joined the railroad on 1 Sep. 1916 and was number 1 in seniority by 1960. Arthur's job with the railroad was to change the telegraph system to a telephone system. He was on call 24 hours a day. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen. On the day of his 50 year award, his official title was "Signal Maintainer." The Long Island Railroad's Vice President and General Manager Goodfellow presented the award with Bird S. Dawson, Arthur's wife, in attendance.

Arthur loved to work outside and refused promotions offered to him because he would have had to have taken a desk job. He also did not want to retire because he enjoyed his job. One of the benefits of working for the railroad was a lifetime pass to be used on the Long Island Railroad. After he retired, he made many trips from Eastport to New York City for shopping and other amusements, sometimes with family members.

Arthur invented some work-related tools that facilitated the repair of telephone lines mounted on telephone polls. One of these tools was a portable, molten-solder reservoir designed to be worn on the belt to provide solder to an electrician on top of a telephone pole, before electric soldering irons were used. The insulated reservoir contained a sufficient quantity of solder to keep it molten during the job. Whereas the use of a portable solder reservoir of molten metal made jobs easier and more efficient, its use required more coordination from the electrician to avoid spillage.

Arthur also invented the rotary lawn motor, but he is not known to have patented any of his inventions. He used to mowed the lawn at his home in Eastport, New York, using an electric motor turned upright with the spinning part facing down. Attached to it was the blade that cut the grass. This assembly was mounted on a set of wheels and electricity was supplied via a long cable.

In the winter, Arthur enjoyed bowling competition, an indoor sport that did not depend on weather. However, in the spring, summer and fall, Arthur was an avid bicyclist, having won many century (100 mile) races, weather permitting. As a young man of about 20, he was photographed with a fellow member of the club, both wearing their official Century shirts in Morris Park Long Island. Another photo shows Arthur standing with his bicycle in an unknown location, probably Brooklyn or Long Island, wearing what appears to be an official Century jacket with two century bicycle medals. While he was actively involved in competition, he was an officer in the Century Road Club of America, New York State Division, which was organized 14 June 1981 and incorporated 19 Dec. 1895. He was the chairman of the membership committee when he lived in Richmond Hill, New York, USA. Each year, the club would award members certificates according to how many miles they rode in races. For example, in 1901, Arthur was awarded a certificate for riding 5636 miles. After he retired from competition, Arthur continued to ride his bicycle well into his 90s.

When Arthur died, his wife of 68 years survived him, along with his daughter, two grandchildren, and one great granddaughter, and his sister. Funeral services were held at Herrmann's Funeral Home, Center Moriches, Long Island, New York, with the Rev. Diego Flores of the Westhampton United Methodist Church officiating. Arthur's remains are buried the next day at Cypress Hills, Queens County, New York City, New York, USA.

Arthur's heirs donated his racing bicycle to the museum in Riverhead, New York. His Century award medals are in a private family collection in Eastport, New York, USA.

Research Notes

According to John Bevan's source, and Arthur passed away on 25 May 1984. This date later was corroborated with the discovery of his obituary in the estate of his daughter, Lucille Bird Dawson Ceruti. The date of 31 May may have been the date of a memorial service, or it simply may have been an error.

Sources

• Family records, DAR records
• Letterhead on stationary of the Century Road Club of America, which names Arthur D. Dawson as Membership Committee Chairman.
• Long Island Railroad Seniority Roster of Employees Covered by Agreements, between the Long Island Railroad Company and the Telegraph and Signal Department Employees of the Long Island Railroad Company, 22 Jan. 1960.
• Obituary, Arthur Dawson, Southampton Press, written by his daughter, Lucille Dawson Ceruti, published about May, 1984.
• Letter from the Suffolk County Historical Society, 300 Main St., Riverhead, New York USA, dated 25 Sep. 1990 to Mr. and Mrs Raymond Ceruti acknowledging the receipt of Arthur Deane Dawson's 1906 fixed-gear bicycle, ridden by Arthur in the 1914 Memorial Day road race in New Jersey. The bicycle was accompanied by stories, photographs, membership cards, and news articles, which together made the donation of the bicycle "truly an interesting piece of Suffolk County history."
• Letter dated 4 March 1992 from John Bevan, on the official letterhead stationary of The Historical Diving Society, to Raymond i. Dawson, Jr. regarding the descendants of Charles Anthony Deane. The enclosures to the letter include a four-page update consisting of the genealogy of recent Deane descendants, and a copy of the U.S. Census report of 1870 proving the existence of Renue A. Deane, a family member previously unknown to us.
• Personal recollections of family members
• Certified copy of Marriage license & marriage certificate of Arthur & Bird Dawson, among private family archives
• Picture and newspaper article about Arthur Dawson when he received his 50-year pin awarded by V. P. and Gen. manager Goodfellow commemorating 50 years of service to the Long Island Railroad.