John Francis Mooney (1890 - 1968)

Born 26 Feb 1890 in Columbus, Franklin, Ohio, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Verna May (Pressly) Mooney — married 15 Mar 1913 in Indianapolis, IN

Descendants

Died 10 Mar 1968 at age 78 in Columbus, Ohio

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Gordon Clark [send private message]

Biography

Christened John Francis but never went by either name. During his army years (WWI, ambulance driver in the American Expeditionary Forces), he was called Jack. Everyone else always called him Frank. Very few of his friends knew what his name really was. Life-long resident of Columbus, OH, where he co-founded Mooney & Moses Insulation Co.

From Frank Mooney: "Serving in the AEF in France, World War I [sergeant in the 333 AMBULANCE CO], I took a convoy of trucks to the mammoth supply depot outside Bordeaux to pick up supplies. All work was done by German prisoners of war, guarded by US Marines. Arriving at the proper warehouse loading dock just as the noon whistle blew, we paid no attention to the rush of hundreds of prisoners to their mess halls. It was a planned prison break. We woke up [to that fact] when they jumped us, 20 of us. They swept past us but left several behind. We were shaken up but all on our feet. When control was established, those who had been stopped were taken care of. I picked up a drag scraper handle from the dock after being knocked down a couple times and rolling toward a broken bundle of them. They were oak, about 3 feet long and twice the diameter of a baseball bat. When I was jumped by another big Kraut, I swung for keeps and down he went. It was about three weeks before he came to in the hospital. I was called before a court of inquiry and saw his dog-tag. It read 'Heinrick Henneke from Syke.' Was he a relative of mine?" [Frank's maternal grandparents were Claus Bauermeister and Anna Henneke from Syke, Germany]

In 1949, Frank Mooney and a partner founded Mooney & Moses Insulation Co. of Columbus, Ohio. After his death, the company was sold and today (2019) operates as Edwards/Mooney & Moses.

Sources

• Recollection of Marilyn Mooney
• Recollection by John Francis Mooney