Name/Title
Captain Joseph F. Johnson ExperiencesEntry/Object ID
chs-020016Description
Handwritten letters dated August 2013, from Joseph Burns and Arthur Joseph (AJ) Burns about the experiences of Captain Joseph F. Johnson, Joseph's father and AJ's Grandfather. One letter discusses Captain Johnson's maritime career and the other about a trailer of possibly a show that has the house he grew up in.Subject Person/Organization
Burns, Arthur Joseph (A.J., Joe), 1934-Subject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
Baltimore (city) - Maryland, Chester (Town) - Orange County - New YorkContext
A historical account of Captain Joseph F. Johnson of Chester NY.Category
Chester History, Genealogical, Families
Letter Details
Letter Date
Aug 2013 - Aug 2013Postmark
Date and Time of Postmark
August 14, 2013Postmark Place
* Untyped Postmark Place
Sebastian, FloridaSender
Name
A.J. BurnsAddress
549 Carnival Terrace Sebastian, FLAddressee
Name
Clifton Patrick, Town HistorianAddress
119 Brookside Avenue Chester NYTranscription
First Letter
August 2013
From Joseph Burns
RE: Captain Joseph F. Johnson experiences
My grandfather Captain Joseph F. Johnson, the captain was his rank in Maritime language mainly he had captain papers allowing him to act as a ships captain on all seas as well a captain on any ship on the Great Lakes.
During WWII he worked for the Maritime commission as a head inspector in the building [of] liberty ships at that time he was a retired ships captain.
While working in Baltimore, I believe, [illegible] WWII he told me a liberty ship was being readied for sea. He was curious about the rafts on board. He told me they were made by a firm that was near water, i.e. ocean or river
He requested the raft be cut loose after a [illegible] has cut loose it broke upon hitting the water. Then they had to get another builder of rafts a firm that was not near any water supplied a raft that worked perfectly they were selected to supply.
I’ve read that thanks to rafts crew men were saved as their ship sank.
As always,
Joseph Burns
PS after years ago there was a TV series on the liberty ships. I haven’t found copies of this series. Hopefully it’s out there somewhere.
Anyhow there was a statement on a program talking about how ships were made Kaiser in California believed in welding the ships and one broke apart when it was floated.
On the program it was stated a retired ships captain on the East Coast working for the Maritime commission believed the only way to build a ship was by riveting it together that was my grandfather as he told me riveting was the only way to build ships.
AJ Burns.
Second Letter
August 2013
Cliff -
Notes on film.
I had trailer put on DVD first then film [illegible] I have extra copies.
This copy has ad for guy I had to do the DVDs
Trailer shows the house I grew up in. It’s on the right side coming down the hill.
At the beginning it shows the Catholic Church. There is no garage at the house now as it was burned
In video it shows an open door on garage and you can see the back of a 1937 terra plane Hudson that belong to my grandfather Captain Johnson. I drove this car until I had an accident coming home from OCC in 1955 I believe
The video [illegible] the sheriff goes over to a pinball machine, which was probably owned by Russ Carpenter of Chester
I hope everything works out well
Arthur Joseph Burns
PS in the near future I hope I send my scout uniform for the museum as I believe I was the third Eagle Scout [illegible] badge. Sash is modernized due to my grandson being in scouts now. [illegible]Create Date
March 6, 2025Update Date
July 13, 2025
