Arthur Earl Dunham
2 May 1895 - 19 Jan 1964
Arthur Earl was born in Downs, Osborne, Kansas on 2 May 1895 to Arthur Leslie and Estella Addie Dunham. He was Arthur and Estella's fourth child. His oldest brother, Edwin Harris died shortly after birth and his two older sisters, Catherine Elizabeth and Eleanor Anna died when they were 7 and 9. His two younger brothers, Archibald William and Charles Raymond both lived to adulthood.
Arthur never finished the 8th grade. Instead he became a machinest apprentice near Eldon, Missiouri then he went on to become a boomer machinest. During this time, Arthur travedled by rail hoping a freight train to get where he was going. He said that the railroad had a habit of getting men to move thier families to an area then lowering thier pay so they would have to stay. That is the reason that the union got a good hold on the Railroad industry.
In 1916 Arthur joined the navy being enlisted as a machinist 2nd class. The captain came down to the engine room and started to ask him about the different parts and what they did; Arthur didn't know the captin was testing him. Since Arthur liked to show off he explained everything thourally and the captain was so impressed he promoted him to machinest 1st class.
During his service he was stationed on two boats, the Osceola II At-47 and the Fishhawk. The Osceola was first commissioned during the Spanish American war in 1898 and brought out of retirement for WWI when the need for naval ships was apparent. The fishhawk was a fish hatchery ship that was converted for military use during WWI. Both ships were on patrol duty near Santiago, Cuba. They also brought crewmen from other ships to shore because they had a smaller draft.
Arthur was close to his brother Charlie during his life. They ended up dating and then marrying sisters, Beatrice and Helen Kottmann on 20 June 1923 in Fall City, Nebraska.
Helen and Arthur bought a place in Sioux City, but only lived there a short time. They always had plans to go back, but never made it.
Their first child, Marjory Earline was born 21 July 1924 in Atchison, Kansas.
During WWII Arthur moved his family to Kansas City were he worked on aircraft. The family bought a two story house and rented out the second story.
After the war, the family moved back to Eldon Missouri and the farm.