Harvey McGrath Dandurant was born in Sherbrooke, Guysborough County, on June 13, 1927, to Harvey Sr. and Elizabeth Grace (McGrath) Dandurant. Harvey Sr. was a native of Warroad, Minnesota, a small town on Lake of the Woods, several kilometers south of the Manitoba border. Grace was the daughter of Thomas M. “Tom Matt” and Henrietta “Ettie” (McDaniel) McGrath, Sherbrooke. The 1901 Canadian census lists Tom Matt’s occupation as “engineer.” Later documents state that he worked at a local sawmill and garage.
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| Harvey McGrath Dandurant (left) and his father Harvey Sr. |
Born on May 15, 1895, Grace McGrath was the second child and oldest daughter in a household that eventually included six children—two sons and four daughters. In August 1913, 18-year-old Grace crossed the United States border at Vanceboro, Maine. Records identify her occupation as “nurse” and indicate she was heading to New Haven, Connecticut, where Ruth Lawlor, another Sherbrooke native and nurse, awaited her arrival.
Grace’s name is not among the McGrath household residents in the 1921 Canadian census, suggesting that she was still in the United States. Sometime after arriving in New Haven, Grace relocated to New York, NY, where she met Harvey Dandurant. Born on March 29, 1905, to Edmond Dandurant (1875 - 1962) and Louisa Lachapelle (1886 - 1922), Harvey was living in Minnesota at the time of the 1920 United States census, but sometime afterward moved to New York, where he met Grace. The couple married in Manhattan, NY, on June 30, 1926.
In the spring of 1927, Grace returned to her Sherbrooke family home, where she gave birth to her first and only child. On September 20, 1927, Grace and three-month-old Harvey Jr. arrived in New York City aboard SS Silvia. The following year, mother and child travelled to Sherbrooke, once again returning to the United States in late September.
At the time of the 1930 US census, the Dandurants were living in Queens, NY, where Harvey Sr. was employed as a gasoline salesman. Throughout the following decade, the family remained in the same borough. At the time of the 1940 United States census, Harvey Sr. was working as a “route man” for a milk distributor. Following the American government’s implementation of a military draft, he completed the required registration card, listing his address as 35th Avenue, Flushing, Queens, NY, and his employer as “Flushing Tourist Service.”
Harvey Jr. spent his formative years in Queens, where he attended Bayside High School. In April 1944, he was a member of the school’s fencing team, which captured the city crown. One of Harvey’s team-mates won the overall individual title, while he placed second.
On the day he celebrated his 18th birthday—June 13, 1945—Harvey registered for the United States military draft, as required by law. At the time, he stood an impressive six feet and weighed 170 pounds. Information on his registration card also stated he was employed at “Sperry’s, Nassau, NY,” a local company that manufactured gyroscopes for navigational use.
On August 24, 1945, Harvey enlisted with the United States armed forces at New York. By that time, he had completed two years of high school. While no branch of service is identified on his enlistment information, he was later assigned to 3113 Signal Company, Signal Corps, where he held the rank of “T/4”—Technician 4th Grade, the equivalent of infantry Corporal. The rank was awarded in recognition of soldiers who possessed “specialized technical skills” that justified higher pay than regular enlistees.
The United States Army Signals Corps was responsible for “creating and managing communications” for American armed forces. The Corps traced its roots to 1860, when the American Army adopted an “aerial telegraphy” system developed by Albert James Myer, who became its first and only Signal Officer at that time.
A regular Signal Corps was established in 1863 and became a regular branch of the United States Army. The Corps played an important role in the Spanish-American War (1898) and expanded its role considerably during the First World War.
By the 1930s, the Signal Corps was working with FM radio and radar technology, dramatically expanding its communications capacities. Its recruits completed basic training at the Eastern Signal Corps Training Center, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.
At an unknown date, Harvey proceeded overseas, where he served with 3113 Signal Company as part of the Allied “army of occupation” in Germany. A news item from the New Glasgow Evening News, dated October 7, 1946, informed its readers of tragic news the Sherbrooke McGrath family had received from overseas:
“Mrs. T. M. McGrath has been advised of the accidental death in Germany of her grandson, Harvey Danderaund [sic], Jr., of New York. The youth was popular and widely known throughout this community where he was a frequent summer visitor. He was serving with the United States Army of occupation at the time of his death. The deceased was the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Danderaund [sic], formerly of New York, who are currently motoring to Seattle and have not yet been contacted in connection with their son’s death.”
According to family sources, Harvey was killed in a motor accident on September 26, 1946. Further details on the incident are currently unavailable. At the time of his passing, his parents were actually on their way to San Francisco, where they planned to live. On November 27, 1946, Harvey’s remains were interred in Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, on the outskirts of San Francisco.
According to the 1950 United States census, Harvey Sr. and Grace were still residing in San Francisco. Harvey was working as an electric welder in a sheet metal shop, while Grace operated an “Introduction and Escort” business. Seven lodgers also resided with the couple. The Dandurants spent their final years in the California city. Grace passed away there on August 19, 1978, while Harvey died on April 2, 1982.
Special thanks to Winn Campbell, Meadowvale, NS, for providing a photograph of Harvey McGrath Dandurant and information on the Dandurant family.
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