8.11.2015

EDWARD GRAY GAR WOOD AND ELMER LESUER: INFORMATION NEEDED

The boat wells behind my parents and grandparents?

Dear Kim...

Found your page searching for information on who might be Evangeline Cote-Dahlinger’s brothers. My grandfather worked for Edward Gray, Ford’s chief engineer from 1909 to 1914. He started working with him in Oil City, PA at Riverside Engine- my grandfather (on my mother’s side) Elmer Allen LeSuer, listed at the bottom working for Riverside Engine, Edward Gray at the top
 

When Edward Gray moved to Detroit, grandpa (Elmer LeSuer) went with him. 1912 City of Detroit Directory (image below), now in Detroit working for Gray, NOT Ford.


During this time Edward Gray divorces first wife Nina Myer Gray and then marries Agnes G McGuigan, she is listed as a maid then an actress in city directories.

Agnes and Edward Gray have one child that dies at birth. In Gray’s biography listed in the City of Detroit list of important people it mentions one daughter from his first marriage, Mildred. And this is where Evangeline comes in... another ‘Ford high level marriage’ according to one former Ford employee- (I’m ‘cutting and pasting’ this from a pdf file so there will be some errors but…)


And a better view of the concrete boat wells (top left in photo) behind my mother leaning on Phil Wood’s boat, one of Gar Wood’s eight brothers. Apparently Gray was very concerned about the fire hazards of all that fuel and wooden boats.

My interest is in seeing if there are any descendants of Edward Gray with info and photos...

Apparently Mayo looked after the larger engineering projects. In fact, I think he called himself chief engineer. He took over the job that Edward Gray started originally. Edward Gray developed a combination steam and diesel engine for Mr. Ford, he eventually got out for some reason or other and got into this boat well business at the Detroit River.

His WWII draft card

I just mentioned him because he was still there when I left Highland Park. Later I met him again when he was running the boat well business. I already bought a speedboat and I kept it at his place on Ray Dahlinger’s suggestion. (Later, I found out that one of the Gray girls and Evangeline Cote Dahlinger's brother married. I didn't know that at the time but I found out later.) It was a nice well. I found too much concrete in it and I bumped it a couple of times, which didn't do my boat any good.

He had pretty good ideas on how to accomplish things.

I thought this might be interesting in your research. My interest is in seeing if there are any descendants of Edward Gray that would have any photos of those days. He died in 1939 and there not much of a ‘trail’ after that. Nothing on Agnes that I can find, nothing on Mildred either.


WWI card showing how he continued to work for Gray after Gray left Ford- June, 1917.


My grandfather left Detroit in 1919 but returned in 1937 at Edward Gray’s request for grandpa to come and interview with Gar Wood, the speed boat racer. Gray died soon after so Grandpa LeSuer stayed on with Gar Wood until his death in 1945 while he was working on projects for Wood for a WWII landing craft to be used in the invasion of Japan (which of course never happened.)

And Gray’s boat that he named after the one daughter I know of, Mildred- (I confirmed grandma’s notes, it is Gray’s boat)

 And finally, a bio on Gray from around 1920s

If you have any information on Edward Gray and Elmer LeSuer please email me at Retrokimmer@gmail.com

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