Elmer Rankin (1918 - 1987)

Born 2 Sep 1918 in Amherst, Hancock, Maine, United States

Ancestors

Died 2 Feb 1987 at age 68 in Maine, United States

Biography

An unnamed male child was born on 2 September 1918 in Amherst, Maine, the son of Lewis Rankin and Pearl C. Watts. The Rankin family lived in Amherst, Maine. This baby was the eighth child born to Lewis and Pearl Rankin. Lewis Rankin, a farmer, was born in Maine. Pearl C. Watts was born in Amherst, Maine.^[1]

The baby was later named Elmer S. Rankin.

In 1920, the Rankin family lived in a rented house in Amheart, Hancock, Maine. All members of the household were born in Maine. All could read and write except for the youngest three children. The household included Lewis A. Rankin, 49, a wood chopper in the lumber industry, whose parents were born in Maine; his wife Pearl R., 38, whose parents were born in Maine; their six children, Maude E., 22, a housekeeper for a private family; Percy L., 17, a teamster in the lumber works; Wesley E., 14, in school; Alice J., 7, in school; Carl M., 3; and Elmer S., 1. ^[2]

In 1930, the Rankin family lived on Maine Road in Mariaville, Maine. They rented their property for $10 per month. All were born in Maine, and all could read and write. The household included Lewis A. Rankin, 69 (59), parents born in Maine, a farmer, not a military veteran, who married at 26; his wife Pearl W., 48, parents born in Maine, who married at 15; their five children: Maude E., 32; Wesley E., 25; Alice J., 17; Carl M., 13, in school; and Elmer S., 11, in school.^[3]

In 1940, the Rankins lived in Amherst, Maine. The household included Lewis A. Rankin, 70, a widow, who had completed the 8th grade, a laborer who had not worked in 1939. Lewis was not a veteran. He rented the home for no charge; and his son, Elmer, 21, who had completed 8th grade, a laborer who worked 48 weeks in 1939 and had earned $172.^[4]

Elmer S. Rankin, born in Maine in 1918, single and without dependents, enlisted as a Private in the US Army on 4 September 1942 in Bangor, Maine. He had a grammar school education level. His civilian occupation category was “unskilled lumbermen, raftsmen and woodchoppers.”^[5]

Elmer S. Rankin married Mabel C. Grant on 11 June 1946 in Maine. They were both residents of Brewer, Maine.^[6]

Elmer Rankin, Horn 2 September 1918 in Maine, died, aged 69, in February 1987 in Maine. His last residence was in Levantine, Penobscot, Maine.^[7]

Burial: Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Belgrade Road, Augusta, Maine ^[8]

Elmer S. Rankin, 2 September 1918 ~ 2 February 1987, served as a PFC in the US Army during WWII. Elmer died, aged 68, and is buried at Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Augusta, Kennebec, Maine.^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921 (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q24N-BTSK)
2. ↑ 1920 US Census, Amherst, Hancock, Maine (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFZJ-TLJ)
3. ↑ 1930 US Census, Mariaville, Hancock, Maine (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XM8Y-QGH)
4. ↑ 1940 US Census, Amherst, Amherst town, Hancock, Maine (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KMMD-9L1)
5. ↑ US WWII Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K85R-1DB)
6. ↑ Maine Marriages, 1892-1966 (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KCN6-3R1)
7. ↑ US Social Security Death Index (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VM6X-XZP)
8. ↑ Maine, J. Gary Nichols Cemetery Collection, ca. 1780-1999 (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKXM-H52Q)
9. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #48374708