10 Hartje/ Harvey Laverne Hartje

The 1940 Census is the most recent census available.  A Census is released to the public after 70 years.  The thinking was seventy years was the average lifetime so that would help ensure privacy for those still living.  So we can expect the 1950 Census soon.  It has to be scanned, transcribed and added to the online database.  In the mean time, I have a few items that happened between 1940 and 1950.

 If you remember in 1940 Harvey was 19 years old, their father was unemployed, they had lost their farm and moved.  Harvey was working for the Civilian Conservation Corp1.  According to the 1940 Census2 he had been doing emergency work for 28 weeks as of the date of the Census, April 6, 1940.  I have requested his records from NARA3 in St Louis.  We may be able to find what projects he worked on at the time.  Fingers crossed, maybe we will get lucky.  It looks like the North Dakota State historical society has quite a bit of information about the CCC from that time period so maybe when we go on a genealogy trip to North Dakota we can look up more.  It seems a Peace Garden was built in Fargo during the time Harvey was in the CCC, maybe he worked on that.

The U.S. didn't officially enter WWII until after Pearl Harbor was bombed December 7, 1941.  Harvey was ahead of the game as he enlisted in the Navy on November 13, 19404.  I have found two records so far with Harvey listed.  The first is from March 31, 1942.  The Heading for this document says "Muster Roll of the XXXXX Patients of the U.S.S. RELIEF.5"  This makes me think he must have been injured at some point.  My husband doesn't remember hearing anything about Harvey being injured in the War.

Muster Roll from U.S.S. RELIEF
March 31, 1942

Here are the important parts enlarged.

Muster Roll edited

It does make me wonder why the XXXXX!  I sent for his service records.  I asked for his medical records and if there were any awards as well.  Hopefully we will get answers.

I have partial family trees on several sites, you can find different information on each site and you never know who will be there.  I was contacted by someone on the Family Search6 site recently.  He had some dog tags for a Harvey Laverne Hartje and wondered if we could be related.  I told him that was my father-in-laws name and he had been in the Navy.  The man who contacted me was sorting through his father-in-laws things and had found Harvey's dog tags!  He had no idea why his father-in-law had them but it turns out they were both on the same ship The U.S.S. Arkansas7.  He was so sweet, he offered to send them to us!  How cool is that to find something so personal and take the time to find the family and send it to them.  Very much a good human moment.  (I covered his service number, not sure if that was necessary but I had to have that number to request his records.)

Harvey Hartje dog tags9

He also sent a copy of the page from this book that is about the ship Harvey was on.  We have a copy of the book too which is how we knew what ship he served on in the Navy.  It's similar to a high school year book.  The spine says 1945.

U.S.S. Arkansas Pacific War Diary8

This is the page in the book with his name.  I have to admit I don't recognize him but if you go to the second row the seventh man, as the names are listed....

8th Division, 2nd and 4th Sections
U.S.S. Arkansas

He is directly in front of the two officers.

8th Division, 2nd and 4th Sections
U.S.S. Arkansas

The other document I found is called "Addenda Report of Changes of U.S.S. Arkansas for the month ending 31st day of March, 1943.10"  I'm not really sure what this is either.  Hopefully we will find out more when we get his records.

Addenda Report of Changes
U.S.S. Arkansas

I know his release date from the Navy was December 13, 1946.  I don't know if he was on the Arkansas the whole time he served or if he was added in 1943 as the document above suggests.  It will be interesting to see what we get of his records.  This photo is from the war diary.

U.S.S. Arkansas

Happy Discoveries to you from one Ancestral Explorer to another,
Janet

Sources:

1.  "Civilian Conservation Corps in North Dakota," CCC and WPA - 1930's in North Dakota  - NHD in ND - 
          Archives,  https://www.history.nd.gov/nhdinnd/turningpoints/CCCandWPA.html

2.  "Harvey Hartje,"  1940 United States Census, [database on-line] Provo, UT, USA; Sixteenth Census of the United States,
          1940.  Washington, D.C.:  National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.  Page: 2A, 
           Enumeration District: 50-13 Line: 13.

3.  "National Archives at St Louis," https://www.archives.gov/st-louis

4. "Harvey Hartje enlistment date" U.S., Department of Veteran Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010.  Ancestry.com, 
         Published 2011, Provo, UT, USA.

5.  "U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949," National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland, United 
          States; Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, 01/01/1939- 01/01/1949; Record 
          Group: 24, Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, 1798-2007; Series ARC ID.  Ancestry.com. Published: 2011. 
          Provo, UT, USA. 

6.  FamilySearch.org

7.  "U.S.S. Arkansas" Naval History and Heritage Command, 
          https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/battleships/arkansas-bb-33.html

8.  "U.S.S. Arkansas Pacific War Diary" family historical artifacts of the Hartje family.

9.   "Harvey Laverne Hartje dog tags" family historical artifacts of the Hartje family.

10.  WWII Navy Muster Rolls, "Addenda:  Report of Changes of U.S.S. Arkansas for the month ending 31st day of March
          1943"  Fold3 page 113. Fold3.com.