Hubbard article from the Historical Room
Charles Ernest Hubbard Jr.- Went to War But Never Made It
By Karen Cuccinello
Charles Jr. mostly went by Ernest; he is even buried as Ernest. He answered the call for the Great War and was to serve at Handley Paige Training Depot in London but never got the chance.
In my quest to honor veterans I happened to find this photo of Ernest in the Stamford Village Library history room. One of the first bits of information I found about him was that he died in service. I was surprised and sad to be looking at the picture of a guy that I just found only to discover that he was never allowed to live out his life.
Ernest was born in Stamford to Charles Ernest Sr.(1864-1935) and Hestelle “Minnie” (Hickok) Hubbard on April 29, 1892. He had three siblings, Leslie, Helen and Ruth. Charles Sr. was a house painter and decorator by trade and Minnie was a dressmaker. Ernest followed in his father’s footsteps as a painter until about 1917 then his WWI Registration Card lists his occupation as a mechanic for Warren & Bennett of Stamford.
On August 31, 1898 Ernest was involved in a major calamity of nature.
September 1, 1898 (Jefferson Courier)- Destructive Storms- …The storm in Stamford did much damage, Charles Hubbard’s house was badly wrecked by lightning (The 1898 enumeration list for Stamford Village places him on River St.). Of this the Recorder says: There were nine people in the house at the time. They were all stunned by the stroke. A clock on the mantle was stopped, the hands registered 5:03. The lightning struck near a window on the southeast corner of the house. Mrs. Hubbard with her four children, Miss Alice Canfield and Florence McMullen, a niece of Mrs. Hubbard, were sitting in a room on the first floor just under where the lightning entered. They were blinded by the flash and rendered temporarily unconscious. Mr. Hubbard and H.A. Hickok were in the back kitchen at the time and were blinded and badly shaken up. When they recovered they ran to the assistance of the women and children, who were lying on the floor of the sitting room. Mrs Hubbard, Miss Canfield and three of the children recovered from the effects of the stroke almost immediately, but Florence McMullen, aged about ten years, and Ernest Hubbard, aged five years, remained unconscious and seemed to be badly injured. The entire family were removed to the house of H.A. Hickok. Soon after, both children began to recover and are now considered out of danger. The interior of the house was badly wrecked by the shock. Many of the timbers were wrenched from their places and the whole structure weakened. The plaster was torn from the walls in nearly every room. In a number of rooms the lathe was splintered and the floors torn up. Hardly a pane of glass remains unbroken in the building. As before stated, the lightning struck on the south east corner, ran down and through the sitting room, tearing up the floor and escaping into the cellar. Crowds of people ran to the scene with the fire companies and the terrible destruction wrought and miraculous escape of the inmates excited much interest. Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard received the hearty sympathy of everybody in their loss. The firemen took charge of the house and did excellent work in cleaning up the debris and keeping sightseers out. The damage to the house is about $500. It was insured for $1,000. The storm caused destruction in the whole area; I just listed the story related to Stamford.
During 1902-04 Master Ernest is often mentioned in the Jefferson Courier as visiting Mrs. E. C. Hamilton.
The 1917-18 WWI Registration Card lists him as Chas. E. Hubbard, age 25, single, tall, slender, gray eyes and dark hair.
The NYS WWI Veterans Service Data for Ernest Hubbard- Enlisted as a mechanic in the Aviation Service March 9, 1918 and was sent to Kelley Field No.1 Antonio, TX. About April 15 he was ordered North to receive further instruction at Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh whereupon completing the course of study, he was sent to Rantoul, IL as instructor on aeroplane motors. There he remained until about September 15, when he came to Mitchell Field, LI and sailed October 26, 1918 expecting to further his mechanical education for service at the Handley Paige Training Depot in London.
On the sea he was taken ill with pneumonia living only four days after landing at Liverpool. He died in the Military Hospital No. 4 on November 12, 1918. His body was returned to his home town August 19, 1920, where it rests only two miles from that of his great great grandparent, David Guernsey, a soldier of the Revolutionary War.
The American Legion Organization at Stamford, NY is called the Ernest Hubbard Post No. 290 in honor of his memory.
The NYS Abstract of WWI Military Service- Charles E. Hubbard serial # 1,061,585, inducted at Walton on March 13, 1918, age 25y 10m, served overseas October 27, 1918 to death.
After a visit with Sandy Ferris at the Stamford Cemetery I discovered that Mrs. C.E. “Minnie” Hubbard purchased the plot in 1919.
The February 7, 1919 Catskill Mt. News states that Ernest Hubbard recently died in France while fighting for his country. I do not believe that there is a town of Liverpool in France.
The American Legion Ernest Hubbard Post #290 formed with 15 members during September 1919 just before the First Annual Legion Convention was held in Walton. Post #290 disbanded in 1930 and the Utsayantha Post #1379 was formed in 1946-47.
One more interesting tidbit is that E. Henry Miller (1897-1963) is inscribed on Ernest’s gravestone. I could not find information on him. His sister Helen Salisbury Hubbard’s (1889-1968) ashes are also buried in the Hubbard plot along with his parents. All are posted on findagrave.com.