Kenora Great War Project

 

Personal Details
Date of BirthAugust 30, 1887
Place of BirthRat Portage (Kenora), Ontario
CountryCanada
Marital StatusSingle
Trade / CallingConstruction Labourer
Service Details
Regimental Number3649687
ForceAmerican Expeditionary Forces
Branch166th Depot Brigade
Address at Enlistment2708 15th Avenue South, Seattle, Washington
Date of EnlistmentJuly 25, 1918
Age at Enlistment31
Theatre of ServiceUnited States of America
Prisoner of WarNo
Survived WarYes
Death Details
Date of DeathAugust 15, 1966
Age at Death79
Buried AtMountain View Cemetery, Auburn, Washinton, USA

McDonald, Wallace

Wallace McDonald was born on 30 August 1887 in Rat Portage (later renamed Kenora) in northwestern Ontario. Both of his parents, James McDonald and Margaret Connell, were from Canada but likely married in 1882 in the States. Their first child, daughter Mabel, was born in 1884 in Jamestown, North Dakota. From there the family moved briefly to Rat Portage and then back to the States by the time of the birth of daughter Juanita in 1889 in Washington. When the 1900 census was taken, the family was living in Seattle where James was working as a railroad conductor. Other children born in Washington were John (1892) and James Boyd (1899). Sadly, Boyd died in 1904.

Wallace was living in Seattle when he signed his WW1 Draft Registration card on 5 June 1917. At the time he was working as a labourer for the Doyle Construction Company. Wallace was described as medium in height and stout in build. He was inducted into service at L #10 at Seattle on 25 July 1918. On the same day he applied for a Petition for Naturalization that was granted on 6 September at Camp Lewis in Tacoma. His WW1 service card indicated that he served as a Private with the 166th Depot Brigade and was honourably discharged on 7 December 1918.

At the time of his marriage record of 30 August 1926 in Tacoma, Washington, Wallace was living in Solano, California. According to her various marriage records, his wife Bessie was born in 1884 in Oregon, the daughter of Dan and Mary (Hedgepeth) Mackey (Mackie). She had married John Faux in 1901 in Hamilton, Montana, and when she married Otis Scott in 1908 in Spokane, Washington her name was given as widow Bessie Heublein.

The 1930 census listed Wallace and Bessie living with Wallace’s parents in Burien, just south of Seattle where Wallace was working as a labourer on road construction. Bessie died in Seattle on 5 March 1936 of influenza/pneumonia, address at the time given as Rt 7 Box 192A Seattle. For the 1940 census Wallace was staying at the Ford Hotel, Rt 7 Seattle, and was no longer working. When he signed his WW2 Draft Registration card on 25 April 1942, he was living with his mother, address given as Rt 7 Box 1920 in Seattle.

According to the US Social Security Death Index, Wallace died on 15 August 1966, last residence given as Auburn, Washington. Interred in an unmarked grave in the Mountain View Cemetery in Auburn, the cemetery’s records has the date of death as 1 August.

By Judy Stockham

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