Biography

William Frederick Hafft was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 28 June 1891, to [unknown] and Hermina Hafft. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

He sometimes went by the name 'William Westerman'. ^[4]

In 1900, he was living at 2951 Reese Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with his mother, stepfather, and siblings. He was attending school. ^[4]

In 1910, he was a boarder, living at rear 4853 Umbria Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a teamster on a coal wagon. He had been unemployed 0 months in 1909, and was not unemployed on 15 April 1910. ^[5]

He married Laura Kennedy on 3 February 1914, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a machinist, living at 827 E. Hilton Street, Philadelphia. She was a mill hand. ^[6] They had two children:^[7][8]

His half-brother, Henry Westerman, died on 18 March 1916. William was the informant on the death certificate. He signed as 'William Westermann Junior', and was living at 827 East Hilton Street, Philadelphia. ^[9]

On 5 June 1917 [?], they were living at 827 East Hilton Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a machinist, and an acting leadingman at the US Navy Yard, in Philadelphia. He was 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighed 168 pounds, and had brown eyes, and black hair. ^[2]

William died in the influenza pandemic at the end of World War I.

In the last month of the war the horrors of wholesale death moved from the remote battlefields of Europe to the streets and houses of Philadelphia. The worldwide influenza epidemic of 1918 struck particularly hard at the city. Schools, theaters, movies, and saloons were closed for nearly four weeks during October in an attempt to hold back the spread of the infectious germs. Few measures seemed to have any effect; at its peak the flu claimed more than 700 lives each day. Corpses accumulated faster than they could be buried. Mass interment took place on city land at Second and Luzerne. The city government eventually guaranteed to pay funeral expenses up to seventy-five dollars to ensure prompt burial. Before the epidemic had run its course in early November it had claimed many more Philadelphia lives than the guns of World War I. ^[10]

Philadelphia's death rate was exceptionally high, at least in part because Philadelphia started responding late, and did not consistently enforce social isolation. They even had a public parade on 28 September 1918, to help the city meet its Liberty Loan quota. Days after the parade, every hospital bed in the city was filled, and thousands of people died in the next several weeks. Perhaps William went to the parade. ^{[11] [12]}

He died of bronchopneumonia (contributory cause influenza) on 3 October 1918, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a machinist, and lived at 827 East Hilton Street, Philadelphia. He was buried on 8 October 1918, in Greenmount Cemetery, in Philadelphia, in his grandmother's family plot. ^[3][13]

Research Notes

Records give three different names to his father:

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Birth Register, October 1890 to September 1891, page 337, Wm John H Hafft; Family History Library, microfilm 1,289,330.
   Wm John H Hafft, b. 28 June, to Geo and Wilhimina Hafft, 2947 Reese St., 33rd ward, physician Pauline Weinberger, 2848 Reese St
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} United States, World War One draft registration record, no. 1649 (5 June 1916 [?]), precinct 32 33W Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, William F Hafft; ; image copy, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-G1VW-9MTX : accessed 16 November 2019); citing National Archives, microfilm publication M1509, roll no. not given.
   William F Hafft, 25, 827 E Hilton, b. 28 June 1891, Philadelphia, machinist-act leadingman for government at US Navy Yard Philadelphia, has wife and 1 child, 5'7", 168 lbs, brown eyes, black hair
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Pennsylvania, Department of Health, Death Certificate, no. 144289 (3 Oct 1918), William Hafft; image copy, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/5164/41381_646933_0661-00875/834390 : accessed 16 November 2019); citing Record Group 11, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
   William Frederick Hafft, b. 28 June 1891, Pennsylvania, to Fredk and Wilhelmina Hafft, machinist, married, 827 E Hilton St, 33rd ward, informant Laura Hafft same address, d. 3 Oct 1918, of bronchopneumonia, influenza secondary, bur Greenmount Cem 8 Oct 1918, undertaker EB Steelman, 3033 Kensington Ave
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} 1900 U.S. census, ward 33, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, population schedule, enumeration district 863, p.114 B stamped = sheet 6B penned, family 119; image copy, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DZWS-87F : accessed 16 November 2019); citing National Archives, microfilm series T623, roll 1475; 'William Westerman'.
   2951 Reese St, owned, free of mortgage

   family 118

   head Wilhelmina Hafft, white, female, born Apr 1842, widowed, 7 children, 5 living, born Germany, immigrated 1871

   daughter Pauline, white, female, born Mar [?] 1880, single, born Pennsylvania, occupation crossed out, perhaps 'Home work' 0 months unemployed

    

   family 119, rented

   head William Westerman, white, male, born Apr 1867, married 6 years, born Germany, unknown immigration, [illegible] weaver, 0 months unemployed

   Aimie [?] Westerman, b. Nov 1871, PA, married 6 years, 3 children, 3 living, born Pennsylvania

   son William Westerman, b. June 1891 PA, at school for 9 months, born Pennsylvania

   son Henry, white, male, born April 1897, single, born Pennsylvania

   son Herman, white, male, born April 1897, single, born Pennsylvania
5. ↑ 1910 U.S. census, ward 21, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, population schedule, enumeration district 381 B stamped, page 44 = 5 B penned, family 93; image copy, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RKV-W4V : accessed 16 November 2019); citing National Archives, microfilm series T624, roll 1395; 'William Heff'.
   boarder William Heff, male, white, 20, single, born Pennsylvania, teamster on coal wagon, worker, not unemployed 15 April 1910, 0 months unemployed in 1909
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Marriage License Application and Certificate, no. 307815 (2 February 1914), William H Hafft and Laura Kennedy; Clerk of Orphan's Court, Philadelphia.
   William F Hafft, machinist, b. Philadelphia, 28 June 1891, 827 E Hilton St Philadelphia, parents William and Hermina Hafft, father dead, mother in Mont Co Pa, both b. Philadelphia

   Laura Kennedy, mill hand, b., Philadelphia, b. 8 [?] June 1892; mother Margaret Kennedy nee Wood; father John Kennedy (both deceased)

   William F Hafft m. Laura Kennedy on 3 Feb 1914 by Geo A Scheer of St Mark's Ref Church
7. ↑ personal information, Harry F Ide, communicated at various times to Harry A Ide; notes in possession of Harry A Ide.
8. ↑ 1920 U.S. census, ward 28, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, enumeration district 885, page 9 recto stamped = 9 A penned, family 204; National Archives, microfilm series T625, film 1637; this image is not available on FamilySearch or Ancestry (accessed 25 July 2019); a PDF of it has been uploaded]
   1419 W. Dauphin Street, rented

   head Louis Hafft, male, white, 45, married, born Pennsylvania, stripper, cloth mill

   wife Isabella -, female, white, 50, married, immigrated 1893, unknown naturalization status, born Ireland, no occupation

   brother August -, male, white, 43, married, born Pennsylvania, wevaer, carpet mill

   sister-in-law Clara -, female, white, 34, married, born Pennsylvania, no occupation

   niece Laura -, female, white, 12, single, attended school, born Pennsylvania

   nephew John Wesley -, male, white, 10, single, attended school, born Pennsylvania, no occupation

   nephew Henry Louis -, male, white, 7/12, single, born Pennsylvania, no occupation

   sister-in-law Laura -, female, white, 27, widowed, born Pennsylvania, housekeeper, bakery

   nephew William -, male, white, 5, single, did not attend school, born Pennsylvania, no occupation

   niece Mabel -, female, white, 2-11/12, single, born Pennsylvania, no occupation

   lodger Addie Long, female, white, 39, single, born Pennsylvania, hat finisher, hat factory
9. ↑ Department of Health, Pennsylvania, death certificate, no. 38294 (18 March 1916), Henry Westerman; image copy, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/5164/41381_645856_0517-00362] : accessed 24 June 2017).
   Henry Westerman

   male, white, single, moulder

   born 25 April 1897, PA, to Wm Westermann (born Germany) and Hermenia Hafft (born at sea)

   usual residence 172 W. Atlantic Street, 33rd ward

   informant Wm Westerman Jr, 827 E. Hilton St.

   died 18 March 1916, Episcopal Hospital, Philadelphia, of diffuse peritonitis, with acute appendicitis

   buried 23 March 1916, Greenmount
10. ↑ Lloyd M Abernathy, 'Progressivism 1905-1919', in Russell F Weigley, ed., Philadelphia: a 300-year history (New York: W W Norton & Co., 1982), pp.524-565, at page 561.
11. ↑ Markel H, Lipman HB, Navarro JA, Sloan A, Michalsen JR, Stern AM, Cetron MS. 'Nonpharmaceutical interventions implemented by US cities during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic'. JAMA 2007 Aug 8;298(6):644-54. Erratum in JAMA 2007 Nov 21;298(19):2264.
12. ↑ 'Philadelphia Threw a WWI Parade That Gave Thousands of Onlookers the Flu', Smithsonian Magazine (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/philadelphia-threw-wwi-parade-gave-thousands-onlookers-flu-180970372/ : accessed 24 March 2020).
13. ↑ Greenmount Cemetery Office (Philadelphia) to Harry A Ide; providing copy of lot record for section M lot 398

    'Feb. 1892 Fred Hafft F G E [handwritten note:] First grave east'

    'Mar. 1896 Annie F. D. Westerman F G W [handwritten note:] west'

    'Oct. 1901 William L. Westerman "'

    'Nov. " Wilhelmina Hafft Centre'

    'June 1904 Edward Dager "'

    'Mar 1916 Henry Westerman F G W'

    'Oct 1918 William F Hafft F G E'