Ernest Cheyne

     

Ernest Cheyne was born, 10 January 1901, in Ashton-Under-Lyne Parish, Lancashire, England. His birth was indexed in the 1st quarter of 1901.^1,2,3 He was the son of John Park Cheyne and Sarah Sophia Armitage.

Ernest Cheyne and Margaret Cheyne were listed as children in the household of John Park Cheyne and his wife, Sarah Sophia Cheyne on the 1901 British Census, at 60 Quail Street, in Clarksfield, Oldham Parish, Lancashire, England. Ernest was listed as three months of age.²

The attached is a studio photo of the John Park Cheyne family, taken in Fraserburgh, about 1908. From the left Sarah, Margaret, Alexander, Ernest and John Park Cheyne; the older boy was Laurence Armitage, nephew.

The John Park Cheyne family, studio photo taken at Fraserburgh, Fraserburgh Parish, Aberdeen, Scotland, about 1910. The oldest boy was Laurence Armitage (676).

The attached photo taken about 1910 of Margaret Cheyne and brothers, Alexander, left, and Ernest.

Ernest and his family would sometimes visit his uncle James at his farm. James had many children and at meal times he would prepare each with their serving and then call out their name to come to get it. One of James' children fell from a farm wagon and was impaled by a pitchfork. The mother pulled the pitchfork from the boy and nursed him back to health.⁴

He graduated from the Public School System, Fraserburgh, Scotland in 1912. He later attended the Fraserburgh Academy.

The attached is a studio photo of Ernest, Margaret and Alexander Cheyne, taken in Fraserburgh, about 1914.

Both he and his father worked at Mechans Limited, Scotstoun, Glasgow from January 1915 until January 1917. They worked 12 hour shifts during the War. Times were very hard and the family had little to eat.

Ernest Cheyne recorded the death of his father, John Park Cheyne, on 12 February 1917, at 18 Windeer Cottages, Scotstoun, Scotstoun & Yoker Parish, Lanark, Scotland; at 12 midnight, of pulmonary tuberculous.⁵

The attached is a photo of Ernest, Sarah Sophia, Margaret and Alexander Cheynes, taken at Workingham, about 1919, probably just before Ernest and Alexander departed for the USA.

After his father died the family moved to England. From February 1917 until January 1920, he worked at Workington Iron and Steel Company, Workington, Cumberland, England.

Ernest Cheyne and Alexander Cheyne were found on a passenger list, dated 23 February 1920, at Portland, Maine, USA. They were on a Manifest of Alien Passengers aboard the Canada, out Liverpool. The brothers were sponsored by their cousin, listed as half-brother, L. C. Armitage, who resided at 698 Pennsylvania Avenue, Detroit, Michigan. Detroit was their final destination. Alex was 15 years of age and an apprentice printer; Ernest was 19 and a clerk. Their closest relative in England was their mother, S. S. Cheyne (27), 55 Hardy Street, Oldham, England.¹

He was employed at Paige Detroit Motor Car Company, Detroit, Michigan, from March 1920 until December 1923.

It has often puzzled me as to why did so many Fraserburgh Cheynes (and others) when immigrating to the US go directly to Detroit? During my 1991 visit to Fraserburgh, I found that the parent company of the Pneumatics Plant in Fraserburgh is in Detroit. Did Ernest, and the others, have a job in the U. S. through this connection?

The attached is a postcard photo of Alexander, Margaret and Ernest Cheynes, with Laurence Armitage, taken in the mid 1920s, probably in Detroit.

He was often hospitalized with TB in the 1920s and he had one of his lungs removed during one of them.

He worked at Packard Motor Car Company from January 1924 until February 1942. He completed courses in radio in 1929 and welding in 1935. During that eighteen year period he worked in the Industrial Engineering and Tool Engineering departments. Last position was Group Leader, Process Engineering. During this time Packard introduced spot arc welding to the automobile assembly line.

Ernest Cheyne was naturalized on 2 May 1927 at Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA, Certificate number 2418429.⁶

Ernest Cheyne was listed as a resident in the household of Margaret Ortwine on the 1930 US Census at 524 Montclair, in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA. This was the household of his brother Alexander Cheyne's (32) wife's mother. Also present was their mother, Sarah Sophia Guymer. He was also listed as employed as an engineer at an auto factory and that he immigrated in 1920 and that had become a naturalized citizen of the US in the interim.⁷

Ernest Cheyne married Alpha Mae Eaton 3 July 1937, at Metropolitan Methodist Church, in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA.⁸

The attached photo taken of my father, Ernest Cheyne and me, taken about 1939, in Detroit.

Multi family photo taken at Grafton Dam, West Virginia, USA, about 1940.

He resigned Packard to accept more essential War work. From March 1942 to July 1943 he was the Assistant Manager of the Tool Engineering Division of Goodyear Aircraft Corporation in Akron, Ohio. His duties were to supervise the planning, design, procurement and liaison of all tooling for the plant. Goodyear had a licence from the government and Vought Aircraft to build the Corsair F4U-1 (through F4U-4), the Goodyear versions were identified as the FG-1 (through FG-4).

Corsair would be the first aircraft to make extensive use of a new spot welding technique developed jointly by Vought and the Navel Aircraft Factory (F4U Corsair).

My dad was an expert in assembly line spot welding. Goodyear's new contract required his expertize. As soon as Corsair was certified as airworthy, he was transferred to their new aircraft plant in Arizona, where they were modifying and making stronger wings for the PBY2 and B-24, probably using similar techniques.⁹

The first FG-1 and its Engineering Team taken at Goodyear Aircraft, Akron, Ohio, in April 1943, Ernest is in the dark suit.

In July 1943, he was transferred to Arizona. He was the Manager of the Tool Engineering Division at Goodyear's new Litchfield Park Plant. His duties were the similar as to those in Akron, except he was in complete charge. He had 720 employees under his supervision. This plant was making stronger wings for the B-24 Liberator bomber and the PBY-2. At the end for the War, he terminated to start his own business. He worked at the State of Arizona Unemployment office from 1946 until his death. During that time he was also trying to form a company to manufacture aluminum lawn furniture and specialty leather items, to be called Arizona Art Crafts.

The attached image is of Ernest taken June 9th, 1945 at his desk at Goodyear Aircraft, Arizona Plant.

The attached photo is of Ernest taken about 1946 on the front porch of his residence at 2810 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, USA.

Ernest Cheyne died 21 December 1948 at 2810 North Central Avenue in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, USA.

His funeral was held 26 December 1948 at Palm Chapel, Grimshaw Mortuary in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, USA. The Reverend Dr. Charles S. Kimball officiated. He was cremated at Greenwood Memorial Park in Phoenix and his ashes taken in Rosicrucian Park, San Jose, California to be placed in the garden there. He was a long time Rosicrucian.¹⁰