Marriage of William Edmond Petitjean

William Edmund

Married

BIRTH: 12 Mar 1896, England

BIOGRAPHY:

Winnie married William Edmund Petitjean 1921, in England. They arrived in the United States, 22 Feb 1921 on the S. S. Aquitania out of Southampton, Southamptonshire, England, UK. Winifred was 24 yrs 10 months, William was 27 yrs 4 months, old. They lived with William's Aunt, Rose Beck, on Coe Street, Waterbury, CT, until moving to 14 Catherine Avenue in 1923. Winnie was a secretary in Waterbury from 1921 to about 1926. In 1926, Winnie gave birth to twin daughters, Gwen and Joan. Joan died a few days later.

At the time of the 1930 Census, Winifred (32 ), was living with her husband, William (36) and daughter Gwen (3 yrs 11 months), at 14 Catherine Avenue, Waterbury, CT. (1-WD - Series: T626; Roll: 279; Page: 115; District: 209). William was an estimator at a clock factory. Winnie worked at the Waterbury Clock Company for about eighteen months during WWII, probably 1942 - 1943, making Sperry gyroscopes for the War effort. She worked the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift.

Winifred and William moved to 88 Woodland Avenue, Waterbury, CT, in 1959, and continued to live there for the remainder of their married lives. They were members of the First Congregational Church and the Harmony Lodge of Masons.

William died, at the age of 80, on 8 Feb 1974, in Waterbury, CT. Their daughter, Gwen, came home on emergency leave from her post in Athens, Greece. Winnie returned to Greece with Gwen, where she loved seeing the Parthenon. She lived there for a year, before entering the Masonic Home in Wallingford, CT.

DEATH: Winifred died at the age of 87, on 6 Jan 1984, at the Masonic Home and Hospital, in Wallingford, CT.

BURIAL: Winifred is buried with her husband, William, at Pinegrove Cemetery, Waterbury, CT. The Bailey Funeral Home, 273 South Elm Street, Waterbury, CT, was in charge of arrangements.

Child

Gwen Petitjean

BIRTH: 3 May 1926, Waterbury, CT (twin sister, Joan, died a couple of days after birth.)

BIOGRAPHY:

        At the time of the 1930 Census, Gwen was 3 years, 11 months old, and living with her parents, Winifred (32), and William (36), at 14 Catherine Avenue, Waterbury, CT. (1-WD - Series: T626; Roll: 279; Page: 115; District: 209). Her Father, William, was an estimator at a clock factory.

        When her grandparents, Charles and Florence Petitjean, visited from England in 1934, they stayed with Gwen's family for a while. Gwen and Charles would rise early and walk to Aunt Rose's house for breakfast. He loved the honey dew melons, ripe at that time of year. Aunt Rose and her husband, Charles, sometimes baby sat for Gwen. They played pinochle on the kitchen table, and would let her win.

        Gwen graduated from Wilby High School, Waterbury, CT, in 1943. During 1942 and 1943, she spent Saturday mornings as an aircraft spotter, on the roof of City Hall. She worked for the Office of Price Administration (OPA) in 1943 and 1944. In September 1944, she enrolled at the University of Connecticut at Storrs, CT, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1948. She then worked for fifteen months in the office of the Scovill Mfg. Co. in Waterbury, CT. In August 1949, she went to Washington, D.C. to join the State Department, Foreign Service, and was on a boat bound for Lima Peru, three weeks later.

        She worked in the Consular section of the American Embassy in Lima Peru from 1949 to 1951. Highlights included taking a passport application from actress, Joan Fontaine, and dancing a mean Mexican hat dance with actor, Rory Calhoun. There were earthquakes every two months, at least. Gwen took her first airplane trip on a DC-4.

        From 1952 to 1955, Gwen was the general factotum at the American Consulate in Colon, Panama. A good friend there had been one of Churchill's night secretaries during WWII. She went to Greece, Hyde Park, Quebec and Yalta with him. She appeared on PBS TV's, "The War Years", in the 1990's. Panama was very hot and humid.

        Gwen was Secretary to the Minister for Economic Affairs, at the American Embassy in Bonn, Germany, from 1956 to 1960. Her first winter there, the Rhine River froze, and had to be dynamited to clear passage for barges. She traveled all over Europe, visited relatives in London, went to music festivals in Salzburg and Bayreuth, and visited all the art galleries. Bonn was a small, quiet, provincial city.

        From 1960 to1964, Gwen was Secretary to Ambassador, Political Counselor, and Deputy Chief of Mission, during her tour at Ottawa, Canada. She was able to visit home frequently, and they also visited her in Ottawa. She enjoyed the cold weather, ice-skating on canals, and playing golf after work, until 10:00 p.m., although a -30° F temperature was a bit much. She loved Ottawa, and found it to be an ideal sized city.

        Gwen was Secretary to Ambassador in Rabat, Morocco, from 1965 to 1969. She traveled extensively around Morocco, Spain, and Portugal. She loved the country: the snowcapped mountains, and skiing, sandy beaches, the Sahara Desert, palm trees, and exotic culture, the French roads, hotels and cuisine. It was a great four years.

        From 1969 to 1975, Gwen was Secretary to Ambassador in Athens, Greece. She traveled throughout Greece and its islands, and through the Middle East. While she was there, Greece had a revolution. Tanks rolled down the street outside the embassy, and gunfire was heard in the distance. When Gwen's Father died, in 1974, she flew home on emergency leave. When she returned to Greece, she took her Mother, Winnie, with her. Winnie lived there for a year, before returning to the U. S. and entering the Masonic Home in Wallingford, CT. Gwen loved Greece and its archeological sites.

        Gwen was Secretary to Ambassador in Brasilia, Brazil, from 1975 to 1978. Brasilia is a sterile, boring city, designed by a communist, in self-contained communities. It is shaped like an airplane, with government ministries and buildings located down the fuselage, and living areas out off the wings. It has very modern, ugly architecture, except for the Cathedral. Brazil is a huge country, as big or bigger than the U. S. It was not a favorite post.

        From 1978 to 1981, Gwen was Secretary to Ambassador in Bangkok, Thailand. She loved traveling in the Far East, including India, Nepal, China, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Hong Kong. She also worked hard, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. She didn't like the heat, but loved the country and oriental art, decor, furniture and culture, and wishes that she had had more Far East posts. Bangkok has three seasons: dry, wet, and flood.

        In 1981, Gwen bought a condo apartment in North Virginia and worked at the State Department in Washington D.C. until she retired in 1985. She was able to visit her Mother frequently, until Winnie died, on 6 Jan 1984. Since retiring, Gwen has traveled in the U.S., and has taken up bird watching (she regrets not seeing all those exotic birds abroad that she was unaware of during her postings), which has taken her to places off the beaten tourist track.

Trip to Canopy Tower - Ecolodge & Nature Observatory, Panama

        Gwen has also done volunteer work at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, since 1985, in the archeology and botany sections. She has maintained her interest in classical music, with tickets to the symphony, opera, Emerson String Quartet, etc. She plays golf regularly and takes several mulligans and improved lies. She also attends water aerobic class twice weekly and takes at least one trip yearly, visiting Canada, Costa Rica, the Galapagos, Ecuador, Iceland and Greenland, Dry Tortugas and cruises to North Europe and Russia, and the Mediterranean.

        Traveling is in the Petitjean blood, so her Foreign Service career was ideal and gave her a fabulous life experience. Next trip: Alaska, Bering Sea cruise to Russia, summer 2005.

Gwen Petitjean - 2005

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