EMILIE CRAMER		Born: 1847-01-31	Died: 1926-11-17
Father: Unspecified		Mother: Unspecified
Children: VALENTINA LIGDA, MARY LIGDA, ELIZABETH LIGDA, SIMEON LIGDA, ALEXANDER LIGDA, PIERRE LIGDA , PAUL VICTOROVITCH LIGDA, OLGA VICTOROVNA LIGDA, VLADIMIR LIGDA
Siblings: none

Emilie was one of five children born to Gottlieb and Elizabet Cramer.  She had two brothers: Karl and Julius; and two sisters: Wilhelmina and Henrietta. There is no record or account of her childhood.  Her son, Alec, says she married Victor when she was 15 (1862?), but the 1900 census lists the marriage as one of 33 years which would put it in 1867 – the same year as the birth and death of her first child, Elizabeth.  Her daughter, Val, says her parents had two ceremonies, one in Germany, ¹ where they met, and a second in Russia where they made their first home.  Alec recalls that his mother’s family considered Victor a tyrant because he forbade Emilie from seeing her family after the marriage and move to Russia.

Val says the family was well off.  They had servants, a home in Moscow, and a summer home in Niskhi Novgorod.  Victor & Emilie had nine children, the first of which, Elizabeth, died in infancy in 1867.  The first child to survive infancy was Simeon, born in 1867.  A second daughter, Mary, also died in infancy in 1869.  The second child to survive infancy was Olga, born November 14, 1870 and their second son, Paul, was born on September 1, 1872.  Alec and Val both say Simeon was sickly and that the family wanted to move to a milder climate for the benefit of his health.  Surely, after the death of two children, Simeon’s health was a serious consideration.  The family did leave Russia for Italy on August 26, 1874.  Emilie was then 27.  She had three children: 7, 3, and 2 and was pregnant with Alec, who would be born in Italy on February 21, 1875.

Val says the family moved to a villa near Naples where her father had some unofficial diplomatic status.  Alec says his father refused to toast the Czar at a diplomatic gathering and was ordered to return to Russia.  Instead, the family moved to Paris, probably in early 1879.  Their last three children: Pierre, Vladimir, and Valentina, were born in Paris.

By all accounts, the family prospered in Paris, but Alec says French law imposed very heavy taxes on aliens.  By becoming French citizens, the family would have avoided the greater taxes, but the boys would have been subject to military service during a period of unrest between France and Germany.  Emilie, who was from Germany and had family there, would hardly have wanted her sons in the French Military.  The family considered another move.

In 1887, when he was 20, Simeon was sent to the Western Hemisphere to see if it would be a good place to live.  His reports were unimpressive.  The Family was considering moving to Greece when word arrived that Simeon, while in California, had became ill and died.  Emilie took her son’s death very hard.  According to Val, she insisted the family go to California to see where Simeon was buried.  Those wishes were what motivated the family to immigrate to the United States.  They arrived in New York, as visitors, on June 17, 1889 with California as their listed destination.  Because the entire family came, it is likely they intended the more to be permanent.

Val says Simeon’s grave was in San Francisco at a Russian Cemetery on Geary Street and that Emilie and Olga visited the site frequently until, while they were away, Val accidentally set a fire to their home.  Thereafter, Emilie stayed at home.  Other family accounts are that the grave could never be located because Church officials misplaced the burial records.

According to Edith, her daughter in law, Emilie never spoke English well.  She was more comfortable with German, Russian, French, and Italian in all of which she was fluent.  Sometimes she used words from several languages expressing a single thought.  Ted, her grandson, claims Emilie spoke English well.

In the years the family lived in San Francisco, Olga, their eldest daughter, married Ephrim Alexin, a Greek Orthodox Priest.  Emilie’s first grandchild, Olga, was born on February 14, 1892.   Paul had his 20th birthday, while Alec and Pierre were in their late teens and Vladimir and Val would become school age.

In 1895, Victor and Emilie moved their family to Oakland.  Their first home was at 229 Harlan Street where they were living at the time of the 1900 census.  Victor died in 1902 when Emilie was 55 and was still raising one minor child, Val, then 16.   Her husband’s will provided her with a sixth of his estate and an income of $100/month until Val became 21.  Val recalls that her mother bought two houses in the Watts Tract of Oakland: 673 & 675 33rd Street.  Emilie moved to 675 33rd St. where she is shown as living in the 1905 thru 1911 Oakland directories.

During most of the early years after Victor’s death, one or more of Emilie’s children lived with her. ²  In 1906, Victor moved to Arizona and Paul, who was in Nevada, married.  As the wedding was in Las Vegas, Emilie was not present to see the first marriage of one of her sons.

In 1907, when Val became 21, Victor’s estate was distributed.  Olga, then living in Alaska, came to California to receive her share.  Emilie had not seen her oldest daughter in over 10 years.  Although her husband’s will provided that Emilie and each of the children were to receive equal shares, there was a dispute over the distribution which remained unresolved when Olga returned to Paris in November.  Emilie would never see Olga again.  The dispute marred Victor’s generosity in giving his share to his mother.

Emilie’s second grandchild, Victor, was born September 17, 1907.  Her third grandchild, Barbara, was born August 12, 1909.   In 1910, Pete (who was then 32) married.  On December 11, 1911, her fourth grandchild, Agnes, was born; and on January 18, 1912, her fifth grandchild, Ted, was born.

In 1912, when Emilie was 65, Val, who had been courted by two suitors, married Phil Heuer, a young insurance salesman, and rejected Dr. Hillegass, who was the principal financial backer of the family business in which her sons were engaged.   After her marriage, Dr. Hillegass withdrew his financial support and the brothers’ business collapsed.   In an attempt to help her sons keep the business afloat, Emilie may have sold her house.  She moved to 691 33rd Street, Oakland where she is listed in the 1913 & 1916 directories with Alec (then 39) and Victor (then 36), both single.  1912 was also the year Pete left his wife and daughter, moved from the Bay Area to Southern California where, after a few months, he disappeared and was not heard from again.  These setbacks were followed, in 1913, with the death of Olga, who she had not seen in six years; and in 1914 with the death of her first great-grandchild, Vladimir.  That same year, Victor left the Bay Area to take a job in Los Angeles.  Except for Alec, who continued to live at her home, Emilie was alone.  She felt increasingly lonely.  On March 22, 1915, her granddaughter, Ollie Donsky, had a daughter, Olga, Emilie’s second great-grandchild.  Both Mother and Daughter were unable to leave Russia and presumably died during the Revolution.  The anguish of unsuccessful family efforts to save them added to Emilie’s unhappiness.

On January 13, 1920, Emilie’s last grandchild, Herb, was born.  Later directories show her address as 693 33rd Street, but this was probably a change of number on the same house.  In her later years, after a stroke, she suffered from loss of use of parts of her body and needed nursing care.  In a letter of March 13, 1921, Edith wrote that Emilie was: “getting along pretty well,” and had: “almost entirely recovered use of her right arm and leg.”  But she continued to need nursing help and was bedridden on July 16, 1922 when Alec married Fannie Cohen, Emilie’s nurse.  Some of the family felt Alec married to insure his mother would have a nurse.  The marriage lasted less than a year.

In 1922, Edith was less charitable in an observation that Emilie: “sits around and mopes and studies grievances, mostly imaginary.”  On November 17, 1926, at age 79, Emilie died intestate of chronic endocorditis.  Like her husband, she was cremated.  Her remains are at the Oakland Crematorium.

Emilie’s house on 33rd Street was her only asset.  On 11/2/28, Edith observed:

“The family is having a great deal of trouble over Grandma Ligda’s estate (the house on 33rd).  She made a will and also a deed of trust at different times leaving it to Vic & Alec.  It is worth about $4,500 and has been sold recently.  The money is in Paul’s hands as executor and administrator appointed by the Court, but neither will nor deed is valid, and now the heirs cannot agree on the division, so it will have to go to Court, and, of course nobody at all will get enough to do any good.”

Emilie survived her husband by 24 years.  She lived to know of the birth of all her grandchildren and two great grandchildren, yet her life was marred by the deaths and other tragedies of so many of those near her.  One of her sons, three of her daughters, two of her grandchildren, and both of her great grandchildren, neither of whom she ever saw, died during her lifetime.  None of the family which returned to Russia survived her.  Her son, Alec, suffered permanent brain damage from a beating and required care all of his life.  Her son, Pete, disappeared.  She did not see Victor after he moved to Hawaii in 1921.  Two other children, Paul and Val, were on opposite sides of the family rift resulting from the failure of the family business.  Emilie had to be very strong to endure all the emotional upheaval these events left in their wake.

EKATERINA		Born:
Father: Unspecified		Mother: Unspecified
Children: VICTOR NICHOLAS LIGDA, VLADIMIR LIGDA
Siblings: none

Nothing is known except the name and that is not documented

SIMEON LIGDA		Born: 1867	Died: 1888-12-13
Father: VICTOR NICHOLAS LIGDA		Mother: EMILIE CRAMER
Children: none
Siblings: VALENTINA LIGDA, MARY LIGDA, ELIZABETH LIGDA, ALEXANDER LIGDA, PIERRE LIGDA , PAUL VICTOROVITCH LIGDA, OLGA VICTOROVNA LIGDA, VLADIMIR LIGDA

Simeon was the first son born to Victor and Emilie Ligda.  He was not a robust child.  His poor health was an important consideration in his parents’ decision to move the family to the milder climate of Italy in 1874 when Simeon was 7.  He probably began his formal education while living in Italy.  He would have been 11 when the family moved to France in 1879.  Almost certainly, he went to school in France which had compulsory public education for all children 6 – 13 at that time.

His brother, Alec, recalled Simeon as upright and studious; he: ” . . . always had his nose in a book.”  Alec says Simeon was apprenticed to a microscope maker in Paris and actually made a microscope for his own use.  He also recalls that in 1885 or 86, Simeon took his brother, Paul, on a three week walking tour thru Normandy.  Each boy carried a knapsack.

When Simeon was 20 and military age, his father sent him to the America to determine if there were places the family might move.  There is a record of his arrival in New York on October 17, 1887 aboard the SS La Champagne which sailed from La Harve.  On arrival, he gave his occupation as a farmer and claimed French citizenship.  Edith Ligda recalls family accounts that Simeon first visited the Midwest and wrote that he did not like the area.  He moved on to Portland, Oregon where he caught a terrible cold.  While still suffering, he traveled down the coast to San Francisco where his condition worsened into consumption (pulmonary tuberculosis).  Simeon was cared for in the Russian Community and by Dr. Russell Sizelofsky, a family friend from Paris.  He wrote his parents that San Francisco was a good place to live.

Despite the care he was given, Simeon died on December 13, 1888 while a patient in the City and County Hospital. ¹  He was buried in a cemetery belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church on Geary Street in San Francisco.  By some family accounts, the family was never able to locate Simeon’s grave because the records kept by the Church were inaccurate.  The cemetery has since been closed and the graves moved to make way for commercial development.

ALEXANDER LIGDA		Born: 1875-02-21	Died: 1945-05-15
Father: VICTOR NICHOLAS LIGDA		Mother: EMILIE CRAMER
Children: none
Siblings: VALENTINA LIGDA, MARY LIGDA, ELIZABETH LIGDA, SIMEON LIGDA, PIERRE LIGDA , PAUL VICTOROVITCH LIGDA, OLGA VICTOROVNA LIGDA, VLADIMIR LIGDA

Alec was the fourth surviving child born to Victor and Emilie.  He said he was born on Feb. 21, 1875 in Naples, Italy.  That date is confirmed by U. S. immigration records, his voter registration in 1898 ¹, and his registration for the draft in 1918.  However other records cast some doubt, e.g., the 1900 census lists his age as 23 (born 1877); his 1922 marriage license lists his age as 48 (born 1874); his 1945 death certificate shows his age as 71 (born 1874).

When Alec dictated his family memoirs in 1932, he omitted references to his own life.  He probably had some formal education while he was school age and the family lived in France (1879-89) as French law provided for compulsory education.  He is listed as 14 when the family arrived in New York in June, 1889.  There is no record of formal education in the United States.  What little we know of his life after the family settled in San Francisco is gleaned from directory listings of 1892, 1893,  and 1895 listing him as a jeweler living with his father.  In 1896, he is shown in the Oakland Directory as a molder living with the family at 233 Harlan St.  In 1898, he is again listed as a jeweler.

We know, from family accounts, that Alec was attacked and beaten with a club near 24th and Adeline Streets in Oakland.  In 1907, his Brother Paul recalled the attack as taking place, “about 10 years ago.”  His Sister Val said the attackers were caught and tried.  After his recovery, Alec was never quite the same.  For the remainder of his life, he was subject to violent seizures.  This condition limited his ability to work.  He is listed as unemployed in the 1900 census.

At the time of his father’s death in 1902, Alec was living in Belkofski, Alaska.  Val said he went there with his older sister, Olga, and Fr. Alexine, her husband, (probably in late 1900 or 1901) and that he remained in Alaska with his brother-in-law when his sister left for Paris.  We have nothing to indicate how he supported himself.  By 1905, he was back in Oakland living with his mother.  He may have returned at Paul’s request.  Before leaving for Las Vegas in 1906, Paul trained Alec as his replacement at California Engineers Supply, the family compound business.  Alec is listed in the 1907 Oakland Directory as “moved to San Rafael,” which was the site of the business.

There is frequent mention of Alec’s involvement in the family business in Paul and Edith’s correspondence and in some of Pete’s letters.  On 11/22/06, Pete wrote Paul: “Well, the Russian [a work foreman who was not getting the crews to cut enough leaves] got fired by Alec and I think Alec has profited by the lesson . . .” At the time, Pete was handling sales of the company product, a broiler compound.  Alec was responsible for the supervising the manufacturing process.  Eucalyptus leaves were one of the ingredients.  He was still working in the business a year later.  On 11/10/07, Paul wrote his wife:    “How’s Alec getting along?  Has he got many barrels?  How do the men behave?  Explain to him that I have very little time and tell him to write to me.”  Edith replied:

“Gave Alec your message about writing.  He says the men are not doing well this week.  Louis is sick or laid off.  Ponce hurt himself yesterday and is off for a day or two and Castro was drunk Monday . . .”

About this time, Alec had a seizure.  Edith wrote about it:

“Alec is all right again.  I stayed up to the hospital till Pete . . . came at 10:30 last night.  Alec was much better then.  They stayed with him all night.  This morning they unstrapped him and gave him a bath – he must have fallen in some compound . . .

“Pete came . . . here for breakfast.  Then I went back up to be there when the doctor came.  He said Alec was all right and could leave as soon as he felt able.  Then Pete came and he and I went to the hospital . . .   We paid the bills and brought Alec home . . .

“I shall put him in the front room.  He is well enough to be up in the day time and Pete says he’ll be working in a day or two.  Alec has a dreadful looking eye.  It is all swollen and bloody.  He has lots of cuts and bruises all over his body . . . He must have had one of those spasms Pete says he was formally subject to.  I think I’ll have him stay here nights right along after this if he will . . .

“We are not going to let your mother know about it of course.”

Paul replied:

“He is subject to epileptic fits caused by a blow to the head which cracked his skull about 10 years ago.  I saw three of these fits myself, one of them happened while at work at the Judson I ran when he was perfectly sober.  Of course, the fact he had been drinking made people think it was the D. T., but it isn’t.  He doesn’t drink enough for that . . . Those fits are a terrible thing to see . . . Luckily they happen at long intervals and you need not worry about their recurrence . . .”

His brother, Pete, was among those who attributed the attacks to Alec’s drinking.  He wrote Paul praising Edith for the care she had provided Alec after taking him in.  He remarked that all the Ligdas thought more of Edith for attending to Alec:  “when he was delirious,” and commented it: ”  . . . was the only good thing that resulted from Alec’s D.T.”  He added:

“Edith has come much closer to Mama’s heart . . . . as Mama greatly appreciates the way she attended to Alec when he was delirious.  Ask Edith to fix a price for Alec’s room & board . . . . I will keep it out of Alec’s wages . . .”

Edith’s decision to board Alec while caring for her two month old son, Victor, was not entirely voluntary.  On 11/22/07, she wrote:

“Valentine [then 21] was up here yesterday and said the family wanted me to keep Alec here, not just till he gets over this, which I have already offered to do, but all the time.  I am appointed his guardian until you come back . . . I assented of course; there was nothing else to do.  But the question is this – am I your wife or am I Alec’s?

“Alec feels pretty blue . . . he consented meekly enough when Valentine told him what he was to do.  Of  course, he is naturally depressed after such an attack  . . . he has not slept to amount to anything, and he is very weak and nervous . . . His eye is in such a dreadful condition that he cannot very well read or write.  He wanted to go home yesterday, but Valentine vetoed the idea . . .”

On 11/25/07, Edith wrote:  “When you come back, I think we would better try to find a little roomier quarters since we are to have Alec with us all the time.”  Paul replied: ”  . . . remember that when you take care of Alec, you take care of my interests . . .”

Within two weeks, Alec was back at the factory.  On 12/4/07, Edith wrote Paul: “Alec is getting pretty anxious for you.  He finds it hard to run the factory and the cutting . . .”

The 1908 Oakland Directory lists Alec as living with his mother and sister, Val, at 675 33^rd Street in Oakland.  In 1909, Paul and Edith left San Rafael and Paul wrote: “Alec will take my place here.”  It is not certain Alec did so.  He continued to be listed in the Oakland Directories through 1911 at his mother’s home.  His occupation is shown as foreman.

The Ligda business folded in 1912.  Thereafter Alec’s seizures limited him to occasional employment.  He continued to live with or near his mother until her death in 1926.  In 1913, he was listed as living at 691 33^rd Street in Oakland.  In 1916, he was living at 697 33^rd Street, Oakland and was listed as an engineer.  In 1918, he was back at 691 33^rd Street and employed as a driller at Moore Shipyard.  The 1920 census lists him as living with his mother at 693 33^rd Street and working as a laborer in a shipyard.  While at the shipyard where he suffered a seizure so violent he had to be put in a strait jacket.

Alec’s mother, Emilie, suffered a stroke in 1920 or 21 and was never well thereafter.  Alec was unable to care for her without nursing help family members could not provide.  Alec hired Fannie A. Cohen, an acquaintance who lived nearby at 711 33^rd Street.  Miss. Cohen served as a nurse three hours daily.  Miss. Cohen was a 48 year old widow with no occupation.  According to her, Alec proposed to her at his mother’s bedside.  She accepted and they were married on July 26, 1922.  After the marriage, she moved into Emilie’s house.

There were immediate problems in the marriage.  On October 24, 1922, Edith wrote:

“They are having trouble over there [Grandma Ligda’s home where Fannie and Alec were living] with Alec’s wife.  It is a disgusting business.  Evidently Alec married with the idea of getting a free housekeeper and nurse for his mother, while Fannie had the notion that she was going to get all of Grandma’s property immediately.  She has been hounding the old lady sick to sign over her property to Alec, but we thought that Grandma had sense enough to hold on to her house.  She said she had.  Sunday Alec had a fit and Fannie was frightened to death.  She claims she was never told that Alec was subject to such attacks and they are having a frightful row.  I understand she is planning lawsuits against Grandma, Alec, and Valentine.  I don’t know just what for, but she is certainly in a temper.”

The seizure Edith mentioned was so violent that Alec’s Brother Paul had to come to calm him.  His wife was probably terrified.  In fact, she filed for an annulment on Nov. 29, 1922. ² Her grounds were that Alec was unable to earn a living because he was subject to epileptic seizures.  In her testimony, she said they expected Grandma Ligda to die shortly.  This lends some credence to Edith’s analysis.  Fannie also complained that Alec said he would get a job after he fixed up the house.  Alec did not contest the action.  The marriage was annulled on Jan. 16, 1923.

Alec continued living with his mother at 693 33^rd Street in Oakland after the annulment.  He is shown there in the 1923 directory as a contractor; in the 1924 directory as a floor layer; and in the 1925 and 26 directories as an iron worker.  He was there when his mother died on Nov. 17, 1926.  The house was sold to settle her estate.  Alec moved to 828 Magnolia Street where he is listed in the 1927 directory as a plate worker with GE & DD Co.

The settlement of Emilie’s estate was protracted and apparently bitter.  On 7/26/28, Edith wrote Paul:

“I’m sorry about the law business and sorry you got mixed up in it though of course you thought you had to look out for Alec.  You will be misunderstood all around, even by Alec, but, of course, that is not a reason for not helping him.”

On 8/3/28, Paul wrote that he went to Val’s house to demand some of the property Alec had been given.  Alec had moved to San Francisco to work as a janitor at 1048 Union Street, but returned to Oakland before 1930 when he was living at 764 Kingston Ave. and working as a laborer.  On Nov. 25, 1930, his mother’s estate was finally settled.  Alec had a half interest in her house valued at $4,750.  After expenses Alec and his brother, Vic, each received $983.17.

His nephew, Ted, recalls that Alec, in his later years, worked as a janitor in a fashionable apartment building in North Beach, San Francisco.  He is listed in the 1935 directory as living at 1725 Pine Street and in the 1937 and 1940 directories as a janitor at 2555 Larkin Street.  The 1940 census lists him as a janitor and a lodger living at 764 Kingston Avenue in Oakland.  Ted says Alec, who spoke Italian, had many friends in North Beach, an Italian section of San Francisco.  Many of his relatives avoided him, however, because of his seizures and low station in life.

Alec was living at the Laguna Honda Home in San Francisco when he died on May 15, 1945.  He was cremated.  His remains were placed at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Colma, San Mateo County.

PIERRE LIGDA		Born: 1897-10-17	Died: 1912
Father: VICTOR NICHOLAS LIGDA		Mother: EMILIE CRAMER
Children: AGNES CHRISTINE LIGDA
Siblings: VALENTINA LIGDA, MARY LIGDA, ELIZABETH LIGDA, SIMEON LIGDA, ALEXANDER LIGDA, PAUL VICTOROVITCH LIGDA, OLGA VICTOROVNA LIGDA, VLADIMIR LIGDA

Pete was born October 17, 1879 in Paris at his family’s home on Rue Lecourse between Rue Peolet & Rue de L’Amiral.  We have no record of his early years.  He probably had some formal education in France before coming to the United States with his family in 1889 when he was 9 years old.

After his family settled in San Francisco, Pete was probably apprenticed to a printer.  The 1894 directory (when he was 14) lists him as a compositor living at 1139 Howard Street (which was not his parents’ address).  The 1895 directory lists his as a printer.  Directories for 1896 thru 1899, after the family moved to Oakland, list Pete as living at home while working as a printer for E. R. Ormsby & Co. in San Francisco thru 1897, Riordan & Co. of San Francisco in 1898, and Red Seal Printing & Publishing Co. in San Francisco in 1899.  So as a teenager, Pete lived with his parents and commuted by ferry to and from work across the bay.

According to Val, his younger sister, Pete did not attend the public schools.  There is no record of him as a student in the Oakland schools.  Val says he attended Healds Business College.  He is listed in the 1900 and 1901 directories as a student.  Val says Pete left Healds when he was hired by an English company and sent abroad. Pete spoke French and Russian.  He was friendly and outgoing.  He would have made a good representative despite his youth.    He applied for a passport that was issued on February 28, 1901 ¹.  We know he returned from Pt. Arthur aboard the SS Peru sailing from Kobe on September 8, 1902, stopping in Honolulu on September 30, 1902, en route to San Francisco.  We do not know the exact nature of his work, but he listed his occupation as a clerk on his passport application and on the ship’s manifest and listed his mailing address as 308 California Street in San Francisco.

After his father’s death in November, Pete lived with his mother at 675 33rd Street in Oakland where he is listed in the Oakland directories from thru 1910 as a boarder.  He is shown as President of Smithson Development Co., a company for which his older brother Paul worked as Manager.  This Company went out of business.  It was probably the initial family enterprise organized to manufacture and sell the broiler compound for which Paul  had the formula.

Pete was significantly involved in sales of broiler compound for California Engineers Supply, the family business.  Because the business did not produce enough income to support all of the brothers, Paul and Victor took other work leaving the business in the hands of Pete and Alec.  Alec supervised the manufacturing.  Pete sold the compound.  We have a good idea of the success of the operation from letters between Pete and Paul.  On 9/22/06, Pete wrote:

“I expect that in about a month or two, we will be quite independent of anybody as we are almost able now to get along without owing anybody, or running any bills.

“I shipped 3 bbls to H Hackfeld & Co., Honolulu, and expect in about a month or two to ship them a carload.

“The compound is working fine with the North Shore & the Scofield Construction Co. ordered 3 more barrels and things look fine for the near future.”

On 11/10/06, he wrote:

“Compound going to beat the band.  We will pass the 100 bbl mark this month by a large margin.  The C & R Dept. have put in a requisition for 12 bbl, the Steam Engine Dept. for 25 bbl – maybe 30.  The “Saturn” for 50 cases, the “Boston” will get a 6 month supply, etc.

“I am as busy as an owl and I will be well pleased when you get back.  I just waste 4 hours per day every I go to San Rafael . . .”

On 11/22/06, he wrote:

“Up to the 21, the sales amounted to over $1,350 and we expect any day now a requisition for 12 bbl for the Construction Dept., 50 cases for the U. S. Cruiser “Saturn” and maybe 100 cases for the “Charleston.”  This is not speculation either.

“I expect to make another contract for the sale of the compound with Pacific Distributing Co. (Alexander & Baldwin) of Honolulu.  They to sell “Noscale” Boiler Compound for 8 cents per lb., Grossmayer gets $5 per bbl commission & we the rest, a little over $21 per bbl.  Will let you know how things will come out in a few days.  However, I can tell you in advance there are no free samples.  These people expect to sell one car load per month & they can do it for they control 5 plantations.

“Just got another order from the North Shore for two bbl for the Steamer “Tamalpais” and expect orders from other steamers as well.  We have them all right now, and all the engineers are tickled with the stuff.  Grossmayer is now after the locomotives.

“We now have 2 or 3 choppers who understand how to cut trees on top & who are experienced in that line.  We have a new foreman to whom we pay $2.50 per day & he is the best one I think we’ve ever had.  He used to be a section foreman for the Railroad & understands just how to the men to work.  He is an extremely powerful man & all the fellows around here are afraid of him.  Where the Russian would cut enough leaves for 3 or 4 boilers per day, this new man with the same force cuts enough leaves for 8 or 9 boilers.  We have no oil on hand, just as soon as it is manufactured it is shipped and sold.  This helps quite a little itself.”

On 6/7/07, Pete opined: “if we get the S. F. Gas and Electric there will be lots of work in San Rafael and we need not worry about the future.”

Pete’s optimism lured Paul back to the business in June from Las Vegas, where he had been working.  By October, it was clear the business was still not successful enough to support all three brothers.  Paul returned to his work in Las Vegas in October.  His letters reflect a hope things would improve.  On 11/7/07, he wrote: “Pete . . . wrote a hard luck story abt. money.  The compound business would have trouble to support me now.”

Shortly thereafter, things seemed to improve.  On 11/13/07, Paul wrote:

“Pete writes that the compound business is very good, and is satisfied with the amount of work done at the shop, besides the reduction in expenses caused by my absence.”

Things looked better three days later:

“Pete writes that everything is ok.  The compound has worked marvelously at the S. F. Gas & Electric & we are sure to get all their business, a little matter of 40-50 barrels per month for which we get net about $27 per barrel.  This alone would pay dividends.  He says that we sold about $1,000 worth since the 1st.”

Pete did get the S. F. Gas & Electric account.  Edith wrote about it on 12/4/07, saying: “Pete went over to the city at once and made sure that it was so.”  Business improved.  By 1909, the brothers decided to sell stock.  They assigned all their rights to the process by which their compound was made to California Engineers Supply Company.  For that process, they took back controlling stock in the company and sold the rest.  Paul wrote about the sale of some stock in December, 1909.  Pete continued selling the compound.  He sent post cards from Coalinga and Taft where he obtained orders for the compound.

On December 14, 1910, Pete married Agnes C. Magneson. ²  He was then 32; she 22.  Both were residents of Oakland.  His Sister Val, and her fiancee, Dr. George W. Hillegass, were witnesses to the ceremony.  The couple took a honeymoon to Southern California (post cards from Taft and Los Angeles).  Their first home was at 2712 College Avenue in Berkeley, property in which her mother had an interest.  In 1911 Directory, they moved to 588 Apgar.  Their only child, Agnes Christine Ligda, was born December 11, 1911.

Toward the end of 1911, the business suffered some reverses.  A contributing cause was the steady conversion of ships from coal energy to oil burning, the first of which was done in 1908 on the U.S.S. Wyoming at Mare Island Naval Shipyard.  Oil burning ships didn’t use the broiler compound the business was producing.  To help raise needed capital, Pete and Paul put their 5,000 shares of company stock into a voting trust with a George E. Bennett, who held 2,200 shares.  The trustee, H. P. Jacobson, had to vote as directed by the majority, i.e., any two of the three shareholders.  On January 15, 1912, Pete and Paul removed Jacobson and substituted Paul as trustee.

Pete’s marriage was deteriorating with the business.  According to Agnes, he was gambling, spending what money he was making from the business on himself, and coming home under the influence of alcohol almost daily.  It is perhaps ironic that Olga, Pete’s older sister, wrote from Russia on May 9, 1912: “How are Pete and Agnes?  I suppose she is a happy mother at this time.”

On May 10, 1912, Pete left for Los Angeles.  Val says he left after a fight with Agnes in which she threw a plate at him after he came home a little drunk.  Val says Pete was spending the business into bankruptcy.  His nephew, Ted, says he had oversold the stock in the company.

Agnes says she heard from Pete for 4 or 5 months during which he sent her about $50 in support.  His attitude was reflected somewhat in a letter of 10/20/12 from his brother, Paul, to his wife:

“After the way Agnes treated him and wrote to him he is not likely to deprive himself just for the sake of supporting her especially when she’s being supported by her mother . . . I don’t approve of Pete’s way of handling whatever money he gets ahold of but I can read between the lines.  When & if I get to L. A., I will make him send her some money.”

Pete’s niece, Barbara, said it was well known that Pete simply deserted his wife and five month old daughter. ³  Edith Ligda felt so strongly about Pete’s desertion of his family that his name was simply not mentioned in her presence.  Agnes last heard from Pete toward the end of 1912.  He is last mentioned in a letter from Paul of 11/26/12 in which he says that he: ” . . . received a letter from Pete which was nothing but a sample of their new stock with no writing enclosed.”  On 12/5/12, Paul wrote:

“I have not received any telegram from Pete nor do I expect any for quite awhile.  I think that he will find it harder than he thinks to raise money by proxy.   I wrote to him to that effect & told him to depend more on his own exertions and less on promises from strangers . . .”

Agnes filed for divorce in 1916.  In her pleadings, she said his brother told her Pete was in Salt Lake City. ⁴  In 1926, at the time of his mother’s death, he is listed as “whereabouts unknown.”  On 11/2/28, Edith wrote: “Peter Ligda has not been heard from for 16 years.”

Pete’s nephew, Ted, says there was regular correspondence between Peter and Paul right up to Paul’s death in 1932, but the letters were sent to Paul’s school address because of the strong feelings Edith had after Pete abandoned his wife and child.  Ted claims he found the letters in a drawer of his father’s desk at McClymonds High School and destroyed them to prevent his mother from knowing Paul had corresponded with Pete all those years.  He says the last correspondence from Pete was from Seattle.  His sister, Val, says Pete died in New York.  I was unable to find a listing for Pete in the Directories for Oakland, Los Angeles or Seattle for 1912 thru 1914; or the Salt Lake City Directories for 1913 or 1917.  I was also unable to locate a death certificate in New York or Seattle or in the National Archives.

RICHARD WORTHINGTON LIGDA		Born: 1947-01-22
Father: MYRON GEORGE HERBERT LIGDA		Mother: EVELYN DALKE
Children: none
Siblings: VALORIE JEAN LIGDA

Richard was the only son and first child born to Herb and Evelyn Ligda.  He recalls fondly his first home in Lincoln, Massachusetts near Sandy Pond in the woods.  He enjoyed walks outdoors in a setting he described as “intensely beautiful,” particularly in the autumn when the leaves turned.  In 1954, his family moved to College Station, Texas, their home for the next four years.  Richard recalls that he enjoyed swimming and playing in the woods and that he had lots of friends.

In 1958, the family moved to Los Altos, California.  Richard attended Awalt High School in Mt. View.  He was a serious student and particularly gifted in mathematics. ¹  While in school, with his father’s help, he assembled a preamplifier for a phonograph-stereo system.  He developed a strong interest in chess and studied the Russian chess masters.  He became a tournament player against visiting chess clubs.  Richard graduated from high school on June 17, 1965.

In 1966, after qualifying for radar repair tech school, Richard joined the Air Force.  He was in the service when his father died in 1967.  He served in Thailand during the Viet Nam War.  He was later stationed in Kansas.  In 1969, while still on active duty, Richard enrolled at Wichita State University, commuting 120 miles a week on a motorcycle to complete a half-time academic load.  After his honorable discharge in 1970, he continued as a full time student, majoring in mathematics and minoring in physics.  He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1973.

Richard returned to California in 1974.  He lived at home with his mother in Los Altos.  He worked a few months, then returned to school, taking solid-state electronic courses at Foothill College and a correspondence course in communications electronics from Cleveland Institute of Electronics.  He earned a certificate of completion from C. I. E. in 1976.  He continued his education at Foothill College until 1984 when he earned his Associate of Science degree in electronics technology.  He finished two Heathkit electronics microprocessor courses by 1987.

In 1976, Richard began work as a production electronics technician for small startup companies.  He moved out of his mother’s home and began: “renting expensive apartments in Sunnyvale and Milpitas,”  coming home regularly to visit his mother and his sister Val’s family.  He is listed in the 1980 City Directory as living and working in Sunnyvale, California.  In 1988, he was living at 284 Corning Avenue in Milpitas.  In 1991, he moved to 181 Weddell Drive, Apt. 41, in Sunnyvale.  In 1997, he moved to 515 South Main Street, Apt. 10, in Milpitas.

By 1994, Richard had been working six years at Digital Link Corporation in Sunnyvale, California.  But the job he held became obsolete as microprocessors became more complex and the defense needs were reduced with the end of the Cold War.  In April, he was released.  He went to work for Denron, Inc. in San Jose in 1995 doing cable assembly work.  After eight months, he was promoted to Cable Inspector, a job he held until June, 1997 when his job was eliminated during a business slowdown.  In October, 1997, he went to work with Pantronix Corporation in Fremont as an integrated circuit test operator.  In working with many Mexican and Asian immigrants, Richard observed that he learned to understand about half of what is said in Spanish and Vietnamese.

Richard describes himself as a “dedicated bachelor since 1980.”  In a letter in 1997, he commented: “Marriage should be a result of prosperity, enabled by profit from struggles.  I have realized neither enough profit for nor a desire for marriage, not to mention children.  Still, I see a need for nonmarriage family relations.  They offer emotional support.”  He is active in computer and tournament chess, earning a “B” rating in 1994.  He is active in Heathkit electronics and computer courses, and enjoys crossword puzzles, having completed over 100 New York Times Sunday Puzzles.

MYRON GEORGE HERBERT LIGDA		Born: 1920-01-10	Died: 1967-10-22
Father: PAUL VICTOROVITCH LIGDA		Mother: EDITH F. LIGDA
Children: VALORIE JEAN LIGDA, RICHARD WORTHINGTON LIGDA
Siblings: THEODORE PAUL LIGDA, MARY BARBARA LIGDA, VICTOR WORTHINGTON LIGDA

Herb was the last of Paul (then 47) and Edith (then 36) Ligda’s four children.  At his birth, his brothers, Vic and Ted, were 12 and 8; his sister, Barbara, was 10.  The family was living at 467 Fairmount Avenue in Oakland.  His mother was hoping for another daughter, but expressed no disappointment with her third son:

“Little Herbert is a dear.  I love him most to pieces.  He is ugly, but not so much as some of the others were, so I guess he’ll turn out presentable.  He is not fat, but very large, with big hands and feet especially, not very much hair and I guess he’ll be about the same complexion as Victor, medium light.”

Herb’s brothers and sister were fond of him.  Barbara liked to play Mother and feed him.  Ted liked playing with him.  As a preschooler, he liked to wander, so his mother pinned a note to his back with his name and address  in the event he escaped her view.  He attended Kindergarten at Peralta School, later attending Claremont and Chabot Grade Schools in Oakland.  In 1928, his mother took him for a visit to her Family in Worthington, Ohio.  They visited her brother’s farm.  Herb wrote how much he enjoyed helping stack hay and riding on a hay wagon.  He was also taken on a day trip to Cleveland and treated to a baseball game between the Yankees and the Indians in which Babe Ruth played.

He was very bright.  At 7, his I.Q. measured 137 and he was taking French lessons from a neighborhood teacher.  By 9, he was proficient on the typewriter.  He was an accomplished swimmer and diver at 10.

Herb joined Boy Scout Troop SSS 103 of Oakland when he was 12 – a few months before his father’s untimely death.  On his death bed, his father urged him to be a good Boy Scout and earn lots of merit badges like his brother, Victor.  In the years following his father’s death when his mother’s depression prevented her from being too active in his life, Herb found direction and purpose in scouting.  He became absorbed by all the program offered.  He became a Sea Scout and, despite once sinking a scout boat in the Oakland estuary, developed a life long love for boating.   Herb went on to become an Eagle Scout ¹  in 1936 and earned his bronze palm in 1938..

He attended University High School ² in Oakland.  He played the school orchestra where he met Evelyn Dalke, his wife to be.  Both played the French horn.  As a student, he built a “hot rod” car with parts he salvaged from abandoned cars and scrap yards.  The car served him well until June of 1938 when he reported it, “ . . . out of commission . . . I’m going to tear it apart and it will probably take quite a while for me to save enough money to fix it . . . I can buy another engine for four dollars and fix that up.”

After his graduation in 1936, Herb enlisted in the Marines. ³  He was assigned to a camp at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California where he was in the band, a job he described as, “ . . . the best job yet.  We sit in the barracks in the afternoon when the sun is hot and watch the infantry drill and dig trenches.  Or else I go for a swim.”  His Marine career did not last.  He was eventually rejected for sea duty as his eyesight was not up to standards.  His failure to qualify remained a disappointment throughout his life.

After leaving the Marines, Herb returned to Oakland to a variety of jobs and projects.  In the summer of 1937, he was a camp counselor.  That same year he was granted an amateur radio license by the Federal Communications Commission.  He made a diving helmet with a communication system which allowed conversation between diver and the tenders.  He and some friends used the helmet in salvage work from sunken ships in the Bay and to do underwater boat repairs.  He also worked for a period with his brother, Ted, in a Linotype shop.

In 1938, at Evelyn’s urging, ⁴ Herb applied for admission to the University of California.  He spent the summer taking required subjects he had neglected in high school and was admitted in the fall.  He enjoyed the academic environment: “I really like [college life].  The variety, way you can study, schedules, etc., etc., all fit my ideas of enjoyment.”  He did not pass his physicals in time to qualify for crew, but he was a diver on the swimming team, once mentioning that he tried a two-and-a-half off the ten foot board that turned out to be a two-and-a-quarter and put him in the infirmary.  He also played French horn in the Marching Band.  He worked when he could to help pay for his education ⁵ and that probably preventing his achieving top grades. ⁶  He graduated in 1942 with an B.S., having majored in astronomy and minoring in physics.

In December, 1941, prior to his graduation, Herb took a job with the U. S. Weather Bureau as an Assistant Observer at the Oakland Airport Station at a salary of $1,620/year.  After his graduation, he was selected for special radiosonde training with the Bureau at National Airport in Washington with a salary of $240 a month.  He was given a draft deferment to complete this training.  Herb marveled that the Government would spend over $1,000 to teach him.  In June, he flew to Washington and rented what he described as a, “hole in the wall,” at 431 East Nelson Street in Alexandria.  He threw himself into the training.  In his spare time, he explored the capitol with its many sights and monuments.  He visited Mt. Vernon.  He managed weekend trips to Boston, New York, and Baltimore.  One day, when leaving the Smithsonian Museum, he witnessed a Presidential Motorcade with President Roosevelt in an open convertible.  Despite the fullness of his days, he missed Evelyn and felt it would be so much more fulfilling if she were with him.  On June 26, Herb wrote: “How’s about dropping everything and coming back here and getting married?”

Evelyn initially accepted, but then declined.  She discussed her feelings with her mother and Herb’s mother.  Both assured her they would support the marriage if she decided to go.  Yet she worried that their future was so uncertain.  She knew Herb would be drafted when his training was over.  There was no assurance that training would keep him out of a war zone where he might be killed or wounded.  Even if he wasn’t sent near a battle, there was no assurance she could join him at any other station.  She felt they should wait.  On July 7, she wrote to explain: “My heart and mind fought a bloody battle . . . I hope that my decision will bring us happiness in time to come but it really isn’t making me happy now.”  Herb phoned in an attempt to persuade her to change her decision.  She declined.  Herb was terribly disappointed.  On July 27, he wrote that he could see no reasons for her refusal except: “ . . . you apparently felt that you owed the hospital too much to leave and that my salary wouldn’t cover expenses.”  He added that he didn’t see: “ . . . how you expect me to dodge my duty to my country and be available for the duration,” and that he meant it when: “ . . . I said I wouldn’t ask you again until after the war is over and it will be up to you to talk me into it if you want to get married before then.”

On completing his training, Herb returned to Oakland and confronted Evelyn.  She later recalled that they were at the Leamington Hotel one evening.  He grabbed her and said: “I’m not asking you anymore.  I’m telling you.  You’ve got to marry me.”  Evelyn ⁷ set aside her misgivings and accepted.  They were married in Reno on August 22, 1942.  They honeymooned at Lake Tahoe which Herb recalled as: “ . . . an idle week getting acquainted – both learning things about living that we never knew before – long hours lying on the beach – tennis – bicycling – a hike up the river, a boat ride, and long hours of dreamy bliss in the quilt of our little room we liked so well.”

Herb was inducted into the Army in Oakland on August 30, 1942 and sent to the Presidio in Monterey where, after a short orientation, he was assigned to Keesler Field near Biloxi, Mississippi for basic training.   Herb scored very high on his classification examinations.  He was classified as a weather observer specialist.  He was encouraged to apply for Officer Candidate School.  On completing his basic training, Herb was promoted to corporal and assigned as a Student Forecaster to the 4th Weather Squadron at Craig Field near Selma, Alabama.  Evelyn joined him there in November.  She rented a room in Selma and, as she was unlicensed as a nurse in Alabama, took work as a waitress at the Officer’s Club.

Within weeks of Evelyn’s arrival in Alabama, Herb accepted an assignment for special advanced weather training at New York University which, if completed, would result in a commission.  By year’s end, he was in New York to begin the course.  During the initial part of that training, Herb was required to stay in quarters at the University.  When Evelyn followed a few weeks later, she stayed with friends and took work as a nurse.  She found the pay inadequate and the night hours unpleasant.  She did not want to pay $10 to take the examination for a New York nursing license.  She resigned and took work as a sales lady in a department store.

When Herb completed his initial training, he was allowed to leave the University quarters.  He and Evelyn rented what Herb described as a: “seventh heaven walkup — cold in the winter and hot in the summer, but hers and mine,” at 35 West 177th Street on Manhattan.  They enjoyed their time together exploring New York’s many attractions.  Herb completed the Program in September.  He was discharged as an enlisted man “for the convenience of the service,” and sworn in as an officer the next day.

Herb’s initial assignment as an officer was to a base at Thermal near Indio, California.  He and Evelyn joined another couple for the cross country drive.  They visited family in the Bay Area before reporting for duty in October, 1943.  Evelyn found a house in Indio which they shared with another army couple.  Within a month, Herb was told he was one of a few officers selected for special training at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey.  When he left for his new post, Evelyn returned to Berkeley to stay with her parents.

While training at Ft. Monmouth, Herb was selected as one of a very few candidates for study: “ . . . on equipment of a nature that I can’t disclose.”  Those who completed the training were to be stationed to Army weather zones around the world.  Herb was one of those who completed that training.  After a short leave, allowing him a brief visit with Evelyn in California, Herb was assigned to the Army’s Sixth Weather Squadron in Panama.  He left Miami for that post on February 8, 1944 and reported the next day after an overnight stay in Jamaica.

Herb’s assignment required the installation of radar equipment for use in detecting storms.  Herb loved his work and the responsibility it involved in coordinating jobs with his subordinates and with others.  The number of men under his command grew from single enlisted man on his arrival to 14 enlisted men by the end of his first year.  On August 8, 1944, he was promoted to the rank of 1st Lieutenant.  His work also provided opportunity to see much of the region.  In 1944, he flew to Florida for training with stops in Curacao, Trinidad, St. Lucia, Antigua, Puerto Rico, and Cuba.  In 1945, he went on an inspection tour which took him to Peru, Equador, and Colombia.  Later that year, he went on another tour which took him to Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. ⁸  He was to receive commendations for his work from his Commanding Officer and from Headquarters.

Herb liked the tropics.  He described his environment as a: “ . . . clean, beautiful post, a great job with all the comforts of home except that which makes it one – a wife.”  He once wrote that he felt: “ . . . slightly guilty at times when I know there are plenty of guys going through hell while I have it easy.”  He dearly missed Evelyn.  It was seven months before he could arrange a short trip to visit her in California after which he returned to Panama for eleven more months of duty before she was allowed to join him in August of 1945.  They shared a small home Herb was assigned near Balboa.  They took classes in the evening.  Both took Spanish and Herb took shorthand while Evelyn took typing.

While in Panama, Herb applied for membership in the Masons.  He described the experience as: “getting religion,” and told Evelyn he felt his membership would make him: “ a better man, father, and husband.”  He commented that:  “ . . . the thing about it that catches my imagination most is its worldwide organization.  The thought of visiting a Chinese, Hindu, English, Russian, or some other country’s Masonic Lodge, giving the symbols and being accepted as a brother really thrills me – it seems so manly, sensible – the way people ought to live with each other!”

At the War’s end, Herb and Evelyn remained in Panama awaiting his discharge.  His superiors urged him to reenlist and remain with the Army’s weather program.  He considered continuing a military career, but he was offered a position with the Meteorology Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology working on a “Weather Radar” project which he felt offered more opportunity.  He accepted that offer and asked that his discharge be processed.  On December 7, 1945, he was promoted to the rank of Captain. ⁹  In May of 1946, he was transferred to New York were he and Evelyn rented a room for $60 a month while awaiting his discharge which finally came on October 14, 1946.

Herb’s work at M. I. T. paid a salary of $250 a month.  That was reduced when he was accepted into the Masters Program.  He and Evelyn rented a three room apartment in a home owned by one of his coworkers at 26 Florence Avenue in Arlington Heights, Massachusetts.  They were living there on January 22, 1947 when their first child, Richard Worthington, was born.

Herb loved his work.  In 1947, with savings from his years in the Army, he joined a group of his fellow workers in the purchase of a few acres of land in Middlesex County between Lexington and Concord.  They subdivided the land into one acre lots where they worked together to build their own homes – three five room houses in all.   Herb’s house had two bedrooms and one bath.  He reveled in the experience.  The work, he said, went, “slowly, but pretty well . . . the stump pulling and ditch digging has put me in fine shape . . . Our wives and children come out on Sundays and it’s like a picnic.”   He completed work on the exterior before the cold weather; the family moved in with the idea that the interior work could be completed over the winter.  That work lagged.  In 1949, Herb commented: “The house continues along.  I am working on interior finish work which is pleasant, but keeps me broke . . . I am making better than $5,000 per year now [and] almost all of it goes into finishing the house, insurance, and food, so I don’t see much cash anymore.”  In 1950, he wrote: “The house is fairly near the stage of completion and something in the vicinity of $1,000 should do the job (floors, wallpaper, some sort of garage, trim, etc.).”  In 1952, Evelyn wrote: “We are still decorating the inside of the house.  Two weeks ago Herb papered the bedroom and hall.  This weekend he hopes to do some odds and ends and then the following weekend we hope he can put down an asphalt tile floor in the bedroom.  That will complete all the major work in the house.  It’s hard to believe that small amounts of work over the years can add up to a house.”

In 1948, Herb earned his Masters Degree in Meteorology and continued his work with the Meteorology Department at M. I. T.  He was asked to deliver a paper at a meeting in Berkeley and used the opportunity to take the family to California and show off Richard.  During his visit, Barbara and Harold invited all the Ligdas to a reunion at their home in Campbell.  On the return trip, Herb stopped in Worthington to visit his Mother’s Family as he had done twenty years earlier.  Herb and Evelyn had their second child, Carol Louise, on September 10, 1949.

In 1950, He started teaching and working on his Sci.D., majoring in meteorology at M.I.T. and minoring in astronomy at Harvard.  In 1952, Evelyn took the children to California to visit her parents and in-laws leaving Herb at home to complete his thesis. ¹⁰ Herb completed his oral examination in November of that year and was awarded his Sci.D. in February of 1953.

In June of 1953, he was retained as a consultant by the Air Force Geophysical Directorate to go to Korea to establish a storm reporting network for the combat zone.  His assignment involved work in Tokyo and Seoul.  Herb was very impressed with Japan and wrote Evelyn that he hoped one day they could visit the country together.  He described Seoul as: “a mess . . . it will be many years before the last scars of war are gone.”  His work took him to within 20 miles of the front, to a ceremony with South Korean President Sigmund Rhee, and a dinner with General Clark.  Herb noted an advantage to having his doctorate was that others seemed to take his advice seriously.  His daughter, Carol, recalls the thrill of watching her parents open the exotic smelling excelsior-filled wooden crates her father shipped from the Orient during this tour of duty.  They contained a hand painted set of china for twelve, silk scarves and kimonos, fans and toys.

In 1954, Herb accepted a teaching position with the Department of Oceanography at Texas A & M.  They sold their house in Lincoln and moved to rented quarters at 707 Cross Street in College Station while they had a new home built at 1212 Orr Street which they occupied in 1955.  Herb described it as: “ . . . more expensive than originally planned . . . but a very comfortable place in which to live.”   Their third child, Valorie Jean, was born on  March 18, 1956.

Herb’s contract with the University allowed him to continue the development of radar systems to detect storms.  On April 5, 1956, the systems under Herb’s immediate control detected a tornado moving toward Byron, Texas in enough time to allow him to broadcast a public warning credited with, “ . . . probably saving at least several lives . . .”   Carol recalls the greenish, yellowish brown of the cloud-covered sky and the high winds.  The family stayed in Richard’s bedroom until the storm was over.  Several buildings were totally destroyed, “ . . .but there was no loss of life and no serious injury to persons.”  Herb, however, returned home with a gash in his forehead sustained from his comings and goings to the rooftop laboratory while documenting the storm.  The success of the warning was reported in Life Magazine of April 12, 1956.

Herb advanced to become head of the Meteorology Department.  He was developing an international reputation for his work.  In December, 1954, he said: “Perhaps the thing which has given me the most personal satisfaction in connection with all this is that I am getting inquiries from people who have heard about my work and want to come and work for me.”  He was frequently asked to speak at professional gatherings.  Those occasions took him to all parts of the country and, in 1956, to an international weather convention in Ciudad Trujillo in the Dominican Republic where he spoke.  While he traveled, he frequently visited radar stations which were part of the national storm detection system.

Despite his satisfaction with the work, Herb disliked living in Texas: “The heat, insects, lack of availability of metropolitan life, and rather narrow circle of acquaintances all bother me somewhat.”  He was also disturbed by the practice of racial segregation in the South.  In 1958 Herb accepted an offer to manage the aerophysics laboratory at Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park.  The family moved to Los Altos, California where they bought a home at 23744 Arbor Avenue (later renumbered 1450 Arbor Avenue) in Los Altos near his brother, Ted.  Over the next few years, the two families joined for many trips to the beach, sailing, fishing, and dinners at each other’s houses.

Herb threw himself into his new work.  He called himself an “Applied Scientist.”  He was published extensively in technical and scientific journals and contributed to a number of textbooks. ¹¹  He continued in considerable demand as a lecturer.  He enjoyed traveling to give technical addresses.  Interestingly, his mother was critical of his public speaking.  She attended one of his addresses and was shocked that he read his material without regard for audience reaction.  His daughter, Carol, disagreed:

“My grandmother probably forgot that it is common for speakers on technical subjects in developing areas to read their papers.  I remember being so proud when my father came to my 5th grade class one day to be a guest speaker about the weather.  Mom said it was one of the most difficult speeches he ever had to prepare.”

Those he worked with considered him an excellent leader – able to bring out their best.  His son, Richard, said he led by setting examples:

“He would be the first to get out and push the boat out of the mud.  He’d be the first one up in the morning to chop wood, or to “get the show on the road,” when leaving a motel.  If he thought labor prices were too high, he would fix the house or car himself.   Instead of being a “born leader,” he was more like a leader from the time of his birth.”

Dr. Ligda, as he was known professionally, was one of the developers of the first operational weather observation system to use a laser beam.  With the device he could view the weather 35 miles above the earth’s surface.  He called it “Lidar.”

Herb had many other interests.  He was an avid reader and book collector.  He had coin and stamp collections to which he added during his foreign travels.  He was an enthusiastic musician.  He organized a musical quintet of fellow workers at S.R.I. ¹²  He and his brother, Ted, were members of the “Family Club,” where each played the French horn.  From time to time, he also played in local symphony orchestras.  He owned one of the first Chevrolet Corvettes which he sometimes drove a little too fast on the local roads. ¹³  He was a member of the Palo Alto Yacht Club where he berthed his teakwood sailboat – a beautiful boat into which he poured many loving hours of upkeep.  He enjoyed sailing on the Bay at night when the sky was clear and it was quiet.  Both of his daughters enjoyed sailing with him.  He collected wines.   He enjoyed gourmet cooking and hosting dinner parties.  In 1956, on his 36th birthday, a friend gave him a cook book with the inscription:

“Stuffed with oysters, wild rice, quail,
Steaks and lobsters by the pail,
Drenched with Scotch and rare old wine,
With smooth Drambuie by the stein,
All mixed well, but don’t disturb,
Don’t you see?  This is old Herb.”

 His daughter, Carol, recalls:

“He often brought home live lobsters from his business trips to New England.  Oysters Rockefeller was a favorite dish that he liked to prepare for company, and he liked to barbecue steaks.  He let me help him make cheese cakes and fruit cakes and pulverize fresh mint leaves from our yard to make sauce for roast leg of lamb.”

In 1967, Herb felt he was losing energy.  He initially attached no particular significance to the feeling, but when it lingered, he sought medical advice and was diagnosed with cancer of the colon already beyond control.  He fought the disease bravely.  His daughter, Carol, commented:

“My father chose to be optimistic in his heroic battle against cancer, purchasing a new Jaguar to replace his Corvette within days of his death.  My mom was outraged that he refused to help her by getting his life in order.  Altho as a healthy person he disliked and distrusted doctors, I believe he was basically cooperative with their efforts to prolong his life.  Dad even consented to be the model for a medical lecture on cancer.  The strong drugs that were administered to my dad for his cancer altered his personality.  He had no strength and was frequently disoriented.  He often seemed unable to focus on the outside world or even his family as he struggled to save his life.  I last saw him about 16 hours before he died.  He recognized me, but our last conversation had none of the meaning or significance that I longed for.”

His son, Richard, said: “He made considerable effort to stay alive for me.  This was while I flew in from Kansas hours before he died.  He still greeted me that night, and impressed me as having suffered in my behalf.”

Herb Ligda died on October 22, 1967.  He was cremated and his remains buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California (Sec. 2, Grave 5102). ¹⁴  He left his financial affairs in good order.  Richard commented that the family was able to, “live well for decades after his death.”    Evelyn never remarried and continued living in the family home at 1450 Arbor Avenue in Los Altos until her death on July 6, 1998.  She also was interred in Golden Gate National Cemetery.  The estate was divided among the children.

VICTOR NICHOLAS LIGDA		Born: 1832-01-31	Died: 1902-11-06
Father: Nicholai LIGDA		Mother: EKATERINA
Children: VALENTINA LIGDA, MARY LIGDA, ELIZABETH LIGDA, SIMEON LIGDA, ALEXANDER LIGDA, PIERRE LIGDA , PAUL VICTOROVITCH LIGDA, OLGA VICTOROVNA LIGDA, VLADIMIR LIGDA
Siblings: VLADIMIR LIGDA

By all family accounts, Victor was the second and last child born to Nicholas and Ekatrina Ligda.  His date of birth is well documented and, although his death certificate shows Greece as his place of birth, there is little doubt he was born in Moscow. ¹

The only accounts of Victor’s life in Russia are from Alec and Val, two of his children who were born after the family left Russia.  Both say their father was wealthy.  Alec says he worked for the Czar, traveling from city to city collecting money due the government for vodka concessions.  If so, he was in a position to demand payoffs from those in his district licensed to sell alcohol. ²  Alec says his father’s room at an inn was burglarized while he was sleeping.  The burglars entered his room and took some money, but failed to find 30,000 rubles Victor had under his pillow.  Val says her father was trained exclusively by private tutors, but this is unlikely as there were few private teachers in Russia at the time and he would have needed a diploma from the Gymnasia to become a civil servant.

Alec says his father traveled frequently.  He mentioned trips to Switzerland, Italy, and Germany.  About 1862, while on a trip to Saxony, Victor met Emilie Kramer, then 15.  They were married, first in Saxony and later in Russia.[The 1900 census shows Victor and Emilie married 33 years which would date the marriage in 1867 – probably the second ceremony in Russia.[/ref]

Victor and Emilie lived in Russia about 12 years.  In that period they had five children.  Two daughters, Elizabeth born in 1867 and Mary born in 1869, died in infancy  Olga, born in 1870, and two sons, Sismeon, born in 1867 and Paul, born in 1872, survived.  The family lived near Moscow.  Val says they also had a summer home in Niskhi Novgorod, a city on the Oka River near the junction with the Volga, they seldom used because it was so remote and Victor’s travels would have left Emilie and the children to deal with potential intruders.  Val says her father was called upon to do diplomatic errands for the government without official status.  His son, Paul, says he spent the bulk of his time managing his estate.

All family accounts, Victor wanted to leave Russia, either because of his growing dissatisfaction with the government ³  or his concern over the health of Simeon who was a frail and sickly child, or both.

Victor obtained a passport in Moscow on August 14, 1874.  He is listed as a “Candidate of Commerce,” a title of uncertain meaning.  The fact he was approved for foreign travel indicates he was recogized as a member of the Dvoriane Class – landless servants who administered the Czar’s land or property.  Perhaps the estate Paul believed his father owned was one he was actually managing for the Czar.  The family left for Italy on August 24th.  At the time Simeon would have been seven; Olga would have been three; Paul would have been two.

Both Val and Alec say that the family lived in a villa near Naples.  At the time, Italy was united and politically stable as a constitutional monarchy under the rule of Victor Emmanuel II.  The Pope was Pius IX.  Victor and Emilie’s third son, Alexander, was born in Naples on February 21, 1875.

Both Val and Alec indicate there was a diplomatic gathering in Naples at which their father refused to toast the Czar.  Alec says that, as a consequence, Victor was ordered to return to Russia and his passport was revoked. ⁴ and that any citizen who returned after a longer period faced penalties.  Five years would have elapsed in August of 1879.  His passport contains a single six month extension issued in paris on October 23, 1879.  It seems Victor remained in France without Russian approval after April 23, 1880.

While in Paris, Victor and Emilie had three more children: Pierre born October 17, 1879; Vladimir born October 11, 1881 (when the family was living a 4 Rue Halle (1st Dist.); and Valentine born July 31, 1886 (when the family was living at 20 Rue Arbalet (5th Dist.).  Paris was a cosmopolitan city – home to Degas, Monet, Caillebotte, Pissarro, and Gaugin and the Impressionist art movement.  Construction began on the Eiffel Tower.  In 1886, French children began donations to build the Statue of Liberty.  The Ligda children may well have been among those contributors.

It was also a period of lingering tension between France and Germany from the fallout of the Franco-Prussian War that ended in 1871 with a Prussian victory.  In 1887, the Germans arrested M. Schnaebele, a French official.  Russia, a French ally, moved troops to the German border.  In the Reichstag, Bismark threatened, if attacked, to: ” . . . make France incapable of attacking us for 30 years.”  The crisis passed with the release of Schnaebele. ⁵  Emilie could not have been comfortable with the possible outbreak of a war in which her sons could be conscripted to fight against her country of birth where she still had family. ⁶  Both Alec and Paul said their father did not want his sons in the military.  To evade their possible conscription, Victor felt the family had to leave France.  In 1887, Victor and Emilie sent Simeon, then twenty, to America to assess the possibility of the family relocating there.  During that trip, Simeon became ill and died in San Francisco, California,

In 1888, tensions between Germany and France again increased when General Boulanger, French Minister of War, advocated a policy ol revenge against Germany.  Emilie, who also wanted to see where Simeon was buried, insisted the family go to California.  Victor agreed.  The Ligdas left from La Harve on the La Normandie, traveling second class, thus avoiding the crowded steerage conditions typical of the period of mass immigration from Europe to the United States.  They arrived in New York at Castle Clinton ⁷ on June 17, 1889. ⁸.

The contrast between the settled cultures of Europe and the turbulence of a young nation still filling its borders must have shocked the Ligdas.  It is not clear they intended to stay.  The record of their entry states their intention was travel to California as visitors rather than immigrants and both Paul and Olga had expressed misgivings about leaving France.  Val says her parents came to San Francisco ⁹  because that was where Simeon died  Victor rented a house at 722 Bay Street.  They joined the small Russian community that worshipped at the Greek Orthodox Church despite the strained feelings towards the church officials who had misplaced the records of Simeon’s grave site.  It was through the Church that Olga met and married Ephrim Alexin in 1890.  There is a picture of Paul as a member of the church choir in 1891.

Paul bought a four volume English dictionary which he used daily to help everyone in the family learn English.  He preferred speaking Russian, but Val recalls family conversations in Greek, German, Italian, and French as well.  Victor did not work.  He is listed as a capitalist in the city directory of 1891.  Val says he enjoyed watching ships enter the Golden Gate with a telescope he had in his library.  The library, according to Val, contained over 2,000 volumes.  After Val accidentally started a fire that destroyed part of the Bay Street house, the family moved to 2109 Jones Street.  City directories show later addresses of 910 1/2 Vallejo Street (1892) and 614 Lombard Street (1893).  The sons lived at home and worked in the trades.  Paul became a carpenter.  Alec was a jeweler.  Pete was a printer.  All contributed to the household expenses.

On February 14, 1892, Olga Alexin, the first grandchild, was born.  This was certainly an event of considerable joy.  The next grandchild would not be born until 1907, long after Victor’s death.

Victor became a naturalized citizen on July 25, 1894, taking the oath of allegiance in San Francisco before Superior Court Judge Charles Slack. ¹⁰  He registered to vote on October 9th ¹¹.

The family moved to Oakland in 1895.  Victor’s investments included a loan secured by property at 233 Harlan Street in Oakland. ¹²  When the borrower defaulted, Victor foreclosed on the property and moved his family into the house.  Emilie liked the house, so they stayed.  Victor then purchased the ajacent property at 229 Harlan for his sons.  The 1898 Oakland Directory shows his address as 233 Harlan with Alec, Paul, Pete, and Vladimir living at 229 Harlan.

Little is know of Victor’s life in Oakland.  He continued to be listed as a capitalist in the city directories.  He is shown as the head of the family in the 1900 census with all members in the household.  He prepared his will leaving his estate in trust to be divided equally between his wife and six children when Valentine, the youngest, became twenty one; meanwhile allowing $100/month to support the family.

Victor died in Oakland on November 6, 1902.  His resentment of the Church for misplacing the records of Simeon’s burial led to his insistence that his body be cremated despite church opposition to the practice.  He did not want the Church to have the opportunity of misplacing the records of his burial too.  The family honored his wishes.  Funeral services were held at a German Lutheran Church.  His body was then cremated as he instructed. ¹³

ALAN SCOTT LIGDA		Born: 1942-06-04	Died: 2008-01-09
Father: THEODORE PAUL LIGDA		Mother: MILDRED SCOTT
Children: none
Siblings: none

Alan was Ted Ligda’s only child, born of his marriage to Mildred.  His youth was marked by frequent family moves as his parents drived much of their income from the purchase of homes in need of repair, fixing them, and selling at a profit.  After his parents divorced, Alan lived with his mother who speculated in real estate, often moving into houses she purchased.  By age seventeen, Alan recalled living in seventeen different homes including a year spent living with his Grandmother Ligda at 2132 Haste Street in Berkeley.  He claimed never to attend the same school for two years in succession although he did attend a few more than once.  His last complete school year was in 1957-58 at Carlmont High in Belmont.  He was then living with his father at 1662 Laurel Street in San Carlos.  When he moved back with his mother in Palo Alto, he enrolled at Palo Alto High for his sophomore year, but dropped out after a few weeks.  Alansays he is “justifiably modest” about his early academic career.

Alan enlisted in the Marine Corps on his 17th birthday in 1959 and served four years leaving with the rank of Lance Corporal.  His military service took him to MCAS, El Toto, California, the American Embassy in Oslo, Norway, Marine Corps School, Quantico, Virginia, the USS Long Beach (CG(N)-9), the USS Wasp (CVS-18), and into the Second Marine Division at Camp Lejune, North Carolina.  During his service, he qualified as a rifle expert.

In February of 1966, Alan went to Copenhagen, Denmark to study.  There he met Inge Jansen ¹ and fell in love.  They were married on April 6, 1968 in Strandmarkskirk, Hvidovre and made their first home in Denmark, but moved to Los Altos, California later in the year.  They returned to Denmark in 1970.  The decision to relocate was based on a number of things, among them United States involvement in the Viet Nam War.  Neither he nor Inge wanted to raise a family if their sons would be subject to conscription.  Both felt Danish society was more peaceful, predictable, orderly, and safer than what existed in the United States at the time.  Before leaving, they purchased a house sight unseen at Blegivij 65 in Odder.  After settling in, Inge took a job at a home furnishings store in Asrhus; Alan became manager of a record store doing work similar to work he had done in California.  He was later hired to work at a larger store in Randers, a 35 mile commute from Odder. ²

In 1972, the Ligdas sold their house in Odder and bought a larger home in Randers.  During the few weeks the former owners needed to vacate, Alan and Inge came to California to visit his mother.  On arrival, they learned she was suffering from cancer in the terminal stages – a condition she had kept from them.  On sensing her needs, they returned to Denmark, cancelled the purchase contract, gave notice to their prospective employers, and shipped their possessions to California.  On August 15, 1972, they left Denmark for New York and took the train to Philadelphia where they picked up a car for delivery to California.  Alan described the cross country trip as memorable.  The car lacked air conditioning and a radio.  Alan had a portable tape player and a single tape – the Beatles Golden Oldies  with songs both had committed to memory long before the journey’s end.

Alan and Inge bought his mother’s house at 146 Hawthorne Avenue in Los Altos and assumed responsibility of caring for her until her death on August 15, 1973.  Alan also used the time to pursue his education, enrolling at Foothill College where he studied history, drama, commercial art, geology, and music.  He made the Dean’s List.  He became quite adept at hand composition and letterpress printing, skills he later put to use commercially to help support the family.

Alan assumed management of Hermes Publications, a company his mother owned.  He described it as: ” . . . probably the smallest publishing company in the State, if not the Nation.”  He published a successful hard cover reprint edition of Earth Abides by George R. Stewart, Fundamentals of Book Collecting by Maurice Dunbar, one of Alan’s professors at Foothill College, and a limited edition of In Search of Steinbeck ³  He had considerable faminiarity with films, many of which he watched repeatedly.  Additionally he always read and sometimes memorized the names in the film credits.  He said this gave him: ” . . . the ability to project a knowledge of motion pictures I didn’t actually have.”  The Seattle Times of May 18, 1986 named City Lights, ” . . . the best stocked video store in the Seattle area.”

On April 11, 1983, Jeffrey Scott Ligda, their second son was born..  Despite the demands of parenthood, Inge made the time to work part time at the store.  Kenny helped.  By 1985, Inge was working full time and, by 1987, the store had again outgrown its location.  Alan got new quarters with 6,000 square feet at 82 Front Street South.  City Lights had become one of the largest video stores in the Pacific Northwest.

Despite his success, Alan was uncertain the demand for video rentals would continue.  He was quoted in the Seattle Times of July 23, 1991 as visualizing a system where movies would be distributed to homes by satellite forcing outlet stores to concentrate primarily on specialty videos.  City Lights began its decline when the City of issaquah converted Front Street from two way to a single arterial street that became choiked with bumper to bumper traffic twice daily.  Regular customers fround it difficult to get the the store.  It was difficult to attract new customers.  Alan’s lease did not allow him to move the business.  This impediment, coupled with his own concerns for future growth, led him to the decision to close the business.  On September 1, 1995, City Lights held a sale of its stock of nearly 13,000 films.  When Alan opened the doors at 7 a.m., he found a line of customers stretching more than two blocks.  Some had come from as far as Los Angeles.  Some had waited all night.

Afte closing the business, Alan went to work as the video buyer for Movieola Video in Redmond, Washington.  When Anne, Brandy, Duke, and I visited him in January of 2000, he considered himself semi retired, taking part time openings that interested him.  He had one experience at a hardware store where his employer put him out on the floor without any training.  He resigned, confessing he knew less about home repairs than most of the customers and, in attempting to answer their questions, probably did them more harm than good.  At that time, Inge was working at the Bright Horizons Preschool.  While she was at work, Alan took a day to show us the surrounding area and some of his favorite haunts in Seattle which included the Mighty Mouse Toy Store, the Northwest Gallery of Fine Woodwork, and the Elliot Bookstore.

I never saw Alan again.  We traded emails from time to time as well as cards at Christmas.  His diabetes worsened to the point his feet had to be amputated.  I spoke with him by phone after the operation.  He was in good spirits, seemed to be adjusting to his condition without complaint, and even managed to joke about it a bit.  His 2007 Christmas contained a note that he and Inge were expecting to become grandparents, “December 30 or so.”  Rosalind arrived a day ahead of schedule in Palo Alto.  Alan came to California to see and hold her.  He died on January 9, 2008, shortly after returning home.