Can You Help the Apollo 1 Team, the Worldwide Disasters Project and Collaborative Profile of the Week?

Question

The Worldwide Disasters Project and the Collaborative Profile of the Week Present

The Apollo 1 Team
Virgil I "Gus" Grissom, Edward H White II, Roger B. Chaffee.

January 27, 1967. During a simulated countdown, in preparation for a low orbital test, Feb 27, 1967, three American astronauts, Virgil I "Gus" Grissom, Edward H White II, Roger B. Chaffee, were killed by a flash fire inside the Apollo 1 space capsule.

 

All three profiles need the collaborative help of WikiTree members. Unfortunately at the moment Roger Chaffee's profile is public and won't allow us to work on him, but you can add information to an answer and it can be added later.

1. Sources.
2. Parents, siblings, spouses, children.
3. Connections to the global tree.
4. Public domain photos.
5. Categories.
6. Biographies. What did they do besides being astronauts?

Perhaps you'd like to concentrate on one of these profiles. There's plenty to be done. Let us know what you'd like to help with by posting an answer here first (to prevent duplication of effort.) Then put information directly on the profiles.

The Worldwide Disasters Project

Natural and manmade disasters shape history and affect the everyday lives of all involved. The mission of this project is to memorialize those who were victims of or survived those events, as well as to honor those rescue workers who bravely ran towards danger to help others.

Thank you

 Gus Grissom
 Edward White
 Roger Chaffee

Comments

The seeds planted that week continue to grow. The profiles of the Apollo 1Team looked great at the end of the week but they keep looking better and better with each improement..

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I'd noticed that also Pat.

Answer 1

I'll check Family Search for sources on Roger Chaffee and add what I find to his profile.

Comments

Thanks Pat, You'll have to put the information in the public comments or here, for the moment. I'm working on getting the profile opened.

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Find A Grave Memorial# 186 contains birth, death, parents, sibling, picture, grave marker and short bio. <ref name=RGBMemorial />

Reference Note:
* Memorial for Roger Bruce Chafee <ref name=RGBMemorial> Find A Grave Memorial# 186 [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=186] maintained by Find A Grave Record added: Jan 01, 2001 </ref>

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1940 US Census for the Harland C Chaffee Household contains household address and members including  ages, education, birthplace, 1935 & 1940 residences <ref name=HCC1940USCensus />

UPDATE: Also includes father's ocupation/industry/hours worked/income data

== Reference Note  ==
1940 Residence for Roger B Chafee <ref name=HCC1940USCensus>"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4GV-T6W : accessed 29 August 2016), Roger B Chaffee in household of Harland C Chaffee, Ward 1, Greenville, Greenville City, Montcalm, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 59-18, sheet 3A, family 53, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1793.[[https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9M1-J8YP?i=3&wc=QZX1-DCC%3A790103601%2C798261801%2C798299101%2C798299102%3Fcc%3D2000219&cc=2000219| See image1]] for HOH and [[https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9M1-J8YL?i=4&wc=QZX1-DCC%3A790103601%2C798261801%2C798299101%2C798299102%3Fcc%3D2000219&cc=2000219| See image2]] for rest of household </ref>

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Anne, Not sure why these comments are posting different than on a profile! I'll be offline for awhile. Coffee is gone and it's daily choretime!

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Wikitree code doesn't work here.

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1967 death record for Roger contains death date, place <ref name=FL1967DEATH />

== Reference Note  ==
1967 death record for Roger <ref name=FL1967DEATH>"Florida Death Index, 1877-1998," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VV8X-SCJ : 25 December 2014), Roger Bruce Chaffee, Jan 1967; from "Florida Death Index, 1877-1998," index, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : 2004); citing vol. 2905, certificate number 230, Florida Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, Jacksonville. Indexed record only No image. </ref>

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Also found his NASA bio:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/chaffee-rb.html

Note: the 1940 US Census lists his 1935 residence as Ward 1, Greenville, Greenville City, Montcalm, Michigan, United States. Greenville is in a neighboring county and according to their wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_Michigan) "residents can residents can commute to jobs in the nearby Grand Rapids metro area.

 

I did not find any birth record.

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Here's some other online sources ( not sure how reliable some of these are):

http://www.robinsonlibrary.com/technology/motor/astronautics/biography/chaffee.htm

http://history.nasa.gov/Apollo204/zorn/chaffee.htm  - the source for this link is the book:Chrysler, C. Donald. On "Course to the Stars: The Roger B. Chaffee Story". Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1968, which I haven't located a site to read it online yet.

http://www.americaspace.com/?p=76882

Not sure how to do the sourcing on these. I'll just leave that for the experts and sit back and "watch and learn".

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1958 birth record for Roger's daughter contains spouse and Sheryl Lyn's birth date/place <ref name=1958SLCbirth />

 

== Reference Note ==

1958 birth record for Roger's daughter <ref name=1958SLCbirth>"Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VDP1-BVH : 5 December 2014), Roger Bruce Chaffee in entry for Sheryl Lyn Chaffee, 17 Nov 1958; from "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Texas Department of State Health Services. Indexed record only. No image available </ref>

 

 

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Great job Pat. I'm really surprised that Texas has 1958 birth records online.

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Couldn't locate any birth record for Stephen  he was probably born in the early sixties.

You won't believe what I discovered just a few minutes ago on the relationship finder: "Roger and Pat are 10th cousins once removed" Our common ancestor is Thomas Bliss-5.

Moments like this make the seemingly endless searching, finding, cutting, pasting and ...  all worthwhile!

Answer 2

I adopted Ed White's profile, it will remain open, and will add some sources as well as parents and siblings and also a spouse. Others could work on the Biography and add pictures if they wish.

Comments

Thank you very much Dale.

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I have done everything I have time to do at this time to Ed's profile. Now how about someone else fleshing out the biography. I should have time to try and find more sources later.

Answer 3

I do have a personal connection to one airplane disaster.  My brother Richard was killed in the Marshall University football team crash. I would be willing to do some work of it.  There is lots of material available (including a couple of movies).  I didn't see it among the handful of crashes listed.

Comments

If a page doesn't already exist for the plane crash, you can create a free-space page for it and/or a category. You can touch base with John Beardsley the project coordinator about naming the category correctly.

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Dave, We did not create pages for each plane crash, I am sorry to say.  However if you are interested in creating a free-space page on the Marshall U football team crash.  Please contact any of us working on the Worldwide Disasters Project.  We would be happy to help you.  ~ mary

 

Answer 4

I'm excited that Virgil Grissom is getting some attention, and should probably reiterate what I said before: if anyone wants to adopt his family tree, I'd be perfectly happy to hand over the responsibility for it.

Greg

Comments

I will take you up on that and send a trusted list request ASAP.

Answer 5

I'm going to add some sources to Gus' profile.

Comments

It is Open and should stay that way. I also added the Notables Project to the trusted list,

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Helpful information on Ancestry.com website has "All Associated Press, Name Card Index to AP Stories, 1905-1990 results for Virgil Grissom". 172 index that lead to articles. Example August 13,1969 Index, Honored Special Medal  at Apollo 11 State Dinner = Article, President awarded all three men with medal for "Courage and dedication to duty". (I am new to helping, correct me if need be; if more needed)

Answer 6

Sources have been entered into Roger Chaffee's profile. Skeleton of profile started. Some sources need citations added. Data and Biography sections can be improved. Volunteers desired!

Comments

Thanks Pat

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Is it ok if I add links in the body of the bio (e.g.: the names Gus Grissom and Ed White could be links to their profiles)?

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Oh please do

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Gilbert,

Thank you for catching this oversight. I just did a few links to other Wiki Tree profiles. You can add links to the profiles of the other crew members. They are already listed in the last paragraph of the bio. Thank you for helping to improve my cousins profile.