Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Charles
I just stumbled across some information that one of my relatives sent me a while back. A photocopy of a letter was sent to me, but I never scanned it, since it wasn't a photo - I guess I subsequently forgot about it. Well, I just came across this photocopy now, and it includes a bit of information.
I've written about my great-uncle Hubert here before. He was a bit part actor, but primarily a stuntman. Here he is getting clobbered over the head by Oliver Hardy:
This is a photo of Hubert I never posted before. The letter I found today says that it was taken at the Auto Wheel Cafe:
Hubert's son Bert, the child on the right (above) is the young man on the left in the photo below, so the photo above would have been taken some time earlier.
I know that a photo of a man kneeling by an oak tree doesn't reveal much location information in a city literally called Thousand Oaks! But the letter (written by the son of Bert and the grandson of Hubert) says that he was taken to visit the tree, and that Bert said “we used to have a swing on that tree.” No date for this event is given, but I wonder if the tree outlived the cafe itself...
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While I cannot pin down the location of the actual café, I did find info as to where they lived in the area. Maybe someone who has more time can figure out the name changes in the roads and pin down the location of their home. They did live in the same place for many years.
Diltz
Emma Evertson was born in Kentucky in 1875. She married Hershel Diltz, who was born in Illinois in about 1870. They were married in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1894. Hershel is also listed as Budge Hershel and he may have also gone by Buddy. They two sons, Hubert, 1897- 1957 and David, born in 1916.
By 1920 they had moved to California and were living in Glendale, at 1664 Glendale Avenue, on rented property that is now Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Hershel was working as a house carpenter.
From 1930 onward, they are listed at RFD 1, box 63, Camarillo. The census listings show RFD 1 -Camarillo and Thousand Oaks. The 1930 Census lists Emma as being the owner of a restaurant. Budy (Buddy or Budge) is still listed as a house carpenter, son David, then 14 is living there as well. Budge’s father was also a carpenter. This census lists the place as Conejo District, Camarillo Township and Thousand Oaks School District.
Emma appears in the 1940 Census, living in Camarillo on RR 1. In that census she is listed as living with a grandson, Delmar, 14. She is 66 and there is no occupation listed. She is widowed by that time. Budge had died on April 17, 1937. Also listed as living on the same property at that time are a Jack Cavanaugh, 40, who was apparently operating the Café and his wife Betty. Joan Carney, a cousin, age 13, is also listed, as is a housekeeper Lyenn Binkley.
Emma died on May 4, 1942 in Ventura County and is buried in Ivy Lawn Cemetery in Ventura. Budge, who had died in 1937 is also buried in Ivy Lawn. Find a Grave does not have a picture of their gravesite but does have one for Budge’s father Lyman Diltz, and who served in the Civil War with the 105th Indiana Volunteers.