This Thursday we continue on with Jean La Forêt's diary. Since only a small portion of the next page was needed to finish the last entry translated, I'm counting this week's first page (above) as a complete one. Remember, as of last week's episode, Jean is no longer in the U.S. Army but has joined the Marines.
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Janvier 15 – 92
Changeons de quartier – Caserne nouvelle bâtie trés confortablement.
Avril 5 – 1897
Pars de Sitka et d'Alaska avec "Topeka" – Arrive a Victoria Avril 11 – 97 Seattle – Avril 11 – 12 – 13/97 Retourne a Victoria 13/97 Arrive à San Francisco Avril 18 – 97 – a Vallejo même jour
A Mare Island Avril 20 – 97 – 3h. P. M.
A l'"Independence" Mai 24 – 1897 ——
May 25 – 99 – Quitte Independence and report for duty at Mare Island.
Juillet 1 – 99 – Prend charge de l'office de Quartier Maître.
Août 31 – Prend in[s]cription pour Gunner – Passe examen Sept. 1 – 99;
Sept. 1st 1900 – Décharge
Oct. 3 – " – Prend saloon à San Francisco.
Nov. 19 – " – revends
Nov. 30 – " – Rentre dans Marine Corps. Congé 6 semains.
Jan. 15 – 01 Report for duty at Mare Island, Cal.
Febr. 4 – 01 U.S.S. "Wisconsin" put in commission – Reported aboard as 1st sergt of Marine Guard — In commission at 2 P.M.
March 9 – 01 Left at noon for Magdalena Bay (Mexico)
March 15 – 01 Passed "Philadelphia" off Guadaloupe Island
March 17 – 01 Arrived in Magdalena Bay
March 28 – 01 Arrival of "Mohican"
April 11 – 01 Left about 4 P.M. for San Francisco
April 15 – 01 Arrived in San Francisco Bay 1 P.M.
May 28 – 01 Left San Francisco Bay for Puget Sound, Wash.
June 1 – 01 – Bremerton at 5 AM.
June 12 – 1901 – San Francisco.
June 29 – Port Angeles, Wash.
July 2 – 01 – New – Whatcom –
July 23 – 01 – Bremerton
Oct. 23 – 01 – Honolulu
Nov. 1 – 01 – Passe l'équateur.
Nov. 5 – 01 – Tutuila Island
Nov. 20 – 01 – Pago-Pago – Apia – Samoa
Dec. 1 – 01 – Honolulu
Dec. 25 – 01 – Noel – Acapulco Mexico —
Jan. 3 – 02 – Passed under Equator again
Jan – 7 – 02 – Callao, Peru
Jan. 9 – 02 – A Lima
Jan. 20 – 02 – Valparaiso Chile
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January 15, 1892
We change quarters – new barracks built very comfortably.
April 5, 1897
Leave Sitka and Alaska with the Topeka – Arrive in Victoria April 11, 1897 Seattle April 11-12-13, 1897 Return to Victoria [April] 13, 1897 Arrive in San Francisco April 18, 1897 – in Vallejo the same day
In Mare Island April 20, 1897 3:00 p.m.
On the Independence May 24, 1897 ——
May 25, 1899 – Leave the Independence and report for duty at Mare Island.
July 1, 1899 – Take charge of the Quartermaster's office.
August 31 – Apply for Gunner – Pass exam September 1, 1899;
September 1, 1900 – Discharged
October 3 " – Buy a saloon in San Francisco.
November 19 " – Resell it
November 30 " – Return to the Marine Corp. Six weeks leave.
January 15, 1901 Report for duty at Mare Island.
February 4, 1901 U.S.S. Wisconsin put in commission – Reported aboard as 1st Sergeant of Marine Guard – in commission at 2:00 p.m.
March 9, 1901 Left at noon for Magdalena Bay (Mexico)
March 15, 1901 Passed Philadelphia off Guadaloupe Island
March 17, 1901 Arrived in Magdalena Bay
March 28, 1901 Arrival of Mohican
April 11, 1901 Left about 4:00 p.m. for San Francisco
April 15, 1901 Arrived in San Francisco Bay 1:00 p.m.
May 28, 1901 Left San Francisco Bay for Puget Sound, Washington
June 1, 1901 – Bremerton at 5:00 a.m.
June 12, 1901 – San Francisco.
June 29 – Port Angeles, Washington
July 2, 1901 – New Whatcom –
July 23, 1901 – Bremerton
October 23, 1901 – Honolulu
November 1, 1901 – Pass the Equator.
November 5, 1901 – Tutuila Island
November 20, 1901 – Pago-Pago – Apia – Samoa
December 1, 1901 – Honolulu
December 25, 1901 – Christmas – Acapulco Mexico —
January 3, 1902 – Passed under Equator again
January 7, 1902 – Callao, Peru
January 9, 1902 – To Lima
January 20, 1902 – Valparaiso, Chile
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This man surprised me again. He enlisted in the Marines on August 26, 1890. He was discharged on September 1, 1900, one year after he passed the Gunnery Sergeant exam and with a little more than ten years service. He didn't stay out even three months before he re-upped (but at least he had six weeks leave before reporting again). I'm sorry, but I just don't understand. He had the saloon in San Francisco for only a month and a half before selling it. Maybe he just had a love-hate relationship with the military and couldn't stay out.
He seemed to be pretty successful in the Marines. He was in charge of the Quartermaster's office; he passed the Gunnery Sergeant exam.
Jean apparently became more comfortable with English during this period, because about half the entries are in that language. He still goes back and forth, though.
He definitely saw a lot of the world while he was in the Marines. Up and down the Pacific coast, around the Pacific Ocean — that's a nice travelogue.
I was very disappointed to see the gaps in dates in these pages. Whatever the reason, Jean did not write between November 1890 (from last week's installment) and January 1892, January 1892 and April 1897, and May 1897 and May 1899. That's eight years we don't know what he was doing, the bulk of this tour in the Marines. Who knows where else he went during that time? Maybe he was on classified missions and couldn't write. I hope those periods are documented in his service file.
Thinking again about Emma La Forêt's 1917 emergency passport application, where she said that Jean had lived uninterruptedly in San Francisco from 1884 to 1909, we now have more data. Based on these diary entries, Jean appears to have been in Sitka from 1890–1897. He wasn't in San Francisco an entire day before he went to Vallejo. The longest he might have been in San Francisco was while he owned the saloon, not even a month and a half. Emma was certainly stretching things when she filled out that application. Or maybe she really meant "the San Francisco Bay area."
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