'Al' Alphonse Metz
1891-1976



family,links:
ancestors
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father: William Metz
mother: Margaret Baldus
spouse: Mary 'May'Speller
siblings:
Al, Lolly, Doc, Real, Marcy & Art.
"Alphonse (Al) was born in 1891. He married Mary (May) Speller, born in 1891. She lived at 433 Warner St. in Fairview. I remember uncle Al's nickname "Fairview". May, before marriage, made men's suits - don't know the company name. They first lived on Warner St., but moved to 1887 Montrose St., near St. Francis Hospital. Al first worked at the farm. Eventually got a cart and horse and peddles fruits and vegetables from the commission houses. Kept his horse on Clifford St. near the Hospital. Muffy lent him money for a truck to use to peddle. Before this, he had worked in a machine shop called Bayanems. Bought a house at Taylor and Wesselman, but eventually lost it because the peddling business was bad. They moved there in 1927. He then worked for a bootlegger, Frank Boomer, who moved the family to a farm, that was rented, in Blue Jay near the entrance of Miami Whitewater Park. He made whiskey in the barn and received pay for this. Then the bootlegger used the family as a front for the operation. They received lodging only. They moved to a house on the hill near the farm, possibly Bergers. In 1931 they moved to a street off Queen City, to the left before Sunset Ave. In 1932, they moved to Race Road. These places were used only to store the whiskey. Then prohibition ended and Uncle Al got a job with Florsheim, where he worked until he retired. They then lived at 538 Klotter Street. Aunt May made men's suits when they lived at Wesselman, but other than that, did not work. Uncle Al was a very soft spoken, kind man. He must have been very similar to his father, according to Real's description of Grandpa (George) Metz. Uncle Al died in 1976, age 84, and Aunt May in 1977, age 86. This information was supplied by Angela in January 1992." by Vivian Riestenberg




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