Charles was the oldest son of Martin Delahay and Jennie Slocum.
His father, Martin Delahay, was a mechanic and railroad construction engineer from Waco, Texas. His mother, Jennie Slocum, was the daughter of a US Army Calvary officer, Capt John D. Slocum, who settled in New Mexico Territory after the Civil War and married a Mexican woman, Lucia Jesus "Jesusita" Lopez.
His father Martin had fled into Mexico in 1887 after a murder near El Paso. He took work with the Veracruz & Pacific Railroad and married Jennie Slocum in Chihuahua in 1892. The couple had four children, Charles, Jennie, Bennie, & Hebert, all born in Mexico.
Charles grew up in Tehuantepec, dealing with the challenges of being a fair haired, blue eyed boy in southern Mexico. His friends called him "El Gringo". He grew up bilingual and often had to defend himself against physical violence from other kids.
When Charles was eight years old his father took a work assignment to another town and never returned. Later he discovered that Martin had purposefully abandoned his family. Charles and his younger brothers had to work to support their mother and younger sister, taking whatever jobs they could find. Charles worked at a brewery, licking and applying labels to the beer bottles for 25 cents a day. He learned to swim when bigger kids threw him into the river. It was a tough childhood, but he was a physically imposing young boy, and his large size kept him out of most trouble.
In 1916 he left home to look for his father. The 21 year old crossed the border into the United States and eventually tracked down Martin in Nogales, Arizona where he was running a cattle ranch. Charles worked for his dad on his ranch, apparently willing to forgive him for what he had done to the family. According to his son, that was Charles' nature, as later in life he was easy going and even tempered.
Charles filled out a WW1 draft registration card in Philadelphia in the summer of 1917. His address was 2307 E. Norris, Philadelphia, PA. He lists his date of birth as Jan 9, 1895, and location as Galveston, TX. His occupation is "engineer" at the Keystone Wagon Works.
With the U.S. entry into WW1 in 1918, Charles enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Machinist's Mate. He had just completed training before being diagnosed with a defective heart and given a medical discharge, against his wishes. He was discharged in Philadelphia. He bounced between jobs in Philadelphia, including the Naval shipyards.
Eventually he found employment with the Otis elevator company. In the early 1920's Charles traveled to Mexico City as part of an Otis elevator installation team, no doubt getting the assignment in part due to his bilingual skills. While on the job, he met a young telephone operator, recently divorced, named Elena Munoz. They fell in love, and were married in a civil ceremony on 14 November 1924. Charles had to quit his job to stay with his new bride in Mexico.
Elena brought two sons from her previous marriage, Francisco and Raul. Charles found work with the division of highways in Mexico, serving with the crew building the main road from Acapulco to Mexico City. His crew travelled by ship to Acapulco and worked inland towards a second crew originating in Mexico City.
Charles and Elena had five children, raising them together with Elena's sons Francisco and Raul. Charles and Elena's children were:
Margarita D., (Velez) ("Margaret") b. 1924 d. 2000
Maria Elena (Ocampo) ("Mary Helen") b. 1928 d.2000
Lillia (Martinez/Lehane) ("Lily") b. 1934 d. 2016
Anita b. 1935 d. 1937
(son, b. 1942 still living)
The family settled in a small apartment in Mexico City, located on the top floor of a very old two story colonial building. The apartment was accessed through an old masonry carriage way, and Charles raised chickens on the roof. Charles lost his highway job during the Great Depression, and began picking up whatever odd job he could find. The family fell on extremely hard times in the late 1930's, and lost their infant daughter Anita to malnutrition and disease.
With the U.S. entry into WWII, Charles traveled to the Texas to look for work. His brother Herbert was living in San Francisco at the time and told him that the local shipyards were hiring. Charles rode freight trains to make his way to San Francisco and began working at Hunter's Point. He sent money home to the family in Mexico City.
In 1945 he sent tickets home for the family to come to California "for a visit", because Elena was opposed to the idea of emigrating from Mexico. Margaret was married by that time, and stayed in Mexico. Once they arrived in San Francisco, Elena fell in love with the Bay Area and agreed to immigrate.
Charles bought a small house at 115 Topeka Ave. in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco. He worked at Hunter's Point for the rest of his life, serving in a variety of jobs. At the end of his career he managed a tool room. He retired in 1963 at age 68. In 1969 he and Elena moved to San Mateo to be closer to their children.
Charles loved all things mechanical, and enjoyed repairing items around the house. He was constantly working on his car, sometimes taking things apart just for the fun of it.
His father, Martin Delahay, was a mechanic and railroad construction engineer from Waco, Texas. His mother, Jennie Slocum, was the daughter of a US Army Calvary officer, Capt John D. Slocum, who settled in New Mexico Territory after the Civil War and married a Mexican woman, Lucia Jesus "Jesusita" Lopez.
His father Martin had fled into Mexico in 1887 after a murder near El Paso. He took work with the Veracruz & Pacific Railroad and married Jennie Slocum in Chihuahua in 1892. The couple had four children, Charles, Jennie, Bennie, & Hebert, all born in Mexico.
Charles grew up in Tehuantepec, dealing with the challenges of being a fair haired, blue eyed boy in southern Mexico. His friends called him "El Gringo". He grew up bilingual and often had to defend himself against physical violence from other kids.
When Charles was eight years old his father took a work assignment to another town and never returned. Later he discovered that Martin had purposefully abandoned his family. Charles and his younger brothers had to work to support their mother and younger sister, taking whatever jobs they could find. Charles worked at a brewery, licking and applying labels to the beer bottles for 25 cents a day. He learned to swim when bigger kids threw him into the river. It was a tough childhood, but he was a physically imposing young boy, and his large size kept him out of most trouble.
In 1916 he left home to look for his father. The 21 year old crossed the border into the United States and eventually tracked down Martin in Nogales, Arizona where he was running a cattle ranch. Charles worked for his dad on his ranch, apparently willing to forgive him for what he had done to the family. According to his son, that was Charles' nature, as later in life he was easy going and even tempered.
Charles filled out a WW1 draft registration card in Philadelphia in the summer of 1917. His address was 2307 E. Norris, Philadelphia, PA. He lists his date of birth as Jan 9, 1895, and location as Galveston, TX. His occupation is "engineer" at the Keystone Wagon Works.
With the U.S. entry into WW1 in 1918, Charles enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Machinist's Mate. He had just completed training before being diagnosed with a defective heart and given a medical discharge, against his wishes. He was discharged in Philadelphia. He bounced between jobs in Philadelphia, including the Naval shipyards.
Eventually he found employment with the Otis elevator company. In the early 1920's Charles traveled to Mexico City as part of an Otis elevator installation team, no doubt getting the assignment in part due to his bilingual skills. While on the job, he met a young telephone operator, recently divorced, named Elena Munoz. They fell in love, and were married in a civil ceremony on 14 November 1924. Charles had to quit his job to stay with his new bride in Mexico.
Elena brought two sons from her previous marriage, Francisco and Raul. Charles found work with the division of highways in Mexico, serving with the crew building the main road from Acapulco to Mexico City. His crew travelled by ship to Acapulco and worked inland towards a second crew originating in Mexico City.
Charles and Elena had five children, raising them together with Elena's sons Francisco and Raul. Charles and Elena's children were:
Margarita D., (Velez) ("Margaret") b. 1924 d. 2000
Maria Elena (Ocampo) ("Mary Helen") b. 1928 d.2000
Lillia (Martinez/Lehane) ("Lily") b. 1934 d. 2016
Anita b. 1935 d. 1937
(son, b. 1942 still living)
The family settled in a small apartment in Mexico City, located on the top floor of a very old two story colonial building. The apartment was accessed through an old masonry carriage way, and Charles raised chickens on the roof. Charles lost his highway job during the Great Depression, and began picking up whatever odd job he could find. The family fell on extremely hard times in the late 1930's, and lost their infant daughter Anita to malnutrition and disease.
With the U.S. entry into WWII, Charles traveled to the Texas to look for work. His brother Herbert was living in San Francisco at the time and told him that the local shipyards were hiring. Charles rode freight trains to make his way to San Francisco and began working at Hunter's Point. He sent money home to the family in Mexico City.
In 1945 he sent tickets home for the family to come to California "for a visit", because Elena was opposed to the idea of emigrating from Mexico. Margaret was married by that time, and stayed in Mexico. Once they arrived in San Francisco, Elena fell in love with the Bay Area and agreed to immigrate.
Charles bought a small house at 115 Topeka Ave. in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco. He worked at Hunter's Point for the rest of his life, serving in a variety of jobs. At the end of his career he managed a tool room. He retired in 1963 at age 68. In 1969 he and Elena moved to San Mateo to be closer to their children.
Charles loved all things mechanical, and enjoyed repairing items around the house. He was constantly working on his car, sometimes taking things apart just for the fun of it.
Charles was the oldest son of Martin Delahay and Jennie Slocum.
His father, Martin Delahay, was a mechanic and railroad construction engineer from Waco, Texas. His mother, Jennie Slocum, was the daughter of a US Army Calvary officer, Capt John D. Slocum, who settled in New Mexico Territory after the Civil War and married a Mexican woman, Lucia Jesus "Jesusita" Lopez.
His father Martin had fled into Mexico in 1887 after a murder near El Paso. He took work with the Veracruz & Pacific Railroad and married Jennie Slocum in Chihuahua in 1892. The couple had four children, Charles, Jennie, Bennie, & Hebert, all born in Mexico.
Charles grew up in Tehuantepec, dealing with the challenges of being a fair haired, blue eyed boy in southern Mexico. His friends called him "El Gringo". He grew up bilingual and often had to defend himself against physical violence from other kids.
When Charles was eight years old his father took a work assignment to another town and never returned. Later he discovered that Martin had purposefully abandoned his family. Charles and his younger brothers had to work to support their mother and younger sister, taking whatever jobs they could find. Charles worked at a brewery, licking and applying labels to the beer bottles for 25 cents a day. He learned to swim when bigger kids threw him into the river. It was a tough childhood, but he was a physically imposing young boy, and his large size kept him out of most trouble.
In 1916 he left home to look for his father. The 21 year old crossed the border into the United States and eventually tracked down Martin in Nogales, Arizona where he was running a cattle ranch. Charles worked for his dad on his ranch, apparently willing to forgive him for what he had done to the family. According to his son, that was Charles' nature, as later in life he was easy going and even tempered.
Charles filled out a WW1 draft registration card in Philadelphia in the summer of 1917. His address was 2307 E. Norris, Philadelphia, PA. He lists his date of birth as Jan 9, 1895, and location as Galveston, TX. His occupation is "engineer" at the Keystone Wagon Works.
With the U.S. entry into WW1 in 1918, Charles enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Machinist's Mate. He had just completed training before being diagnosed with a defective heart and given a medical discharge, against his wishes. He was discharged in Philadelphia. He bounced between jobs in Philadelphia, including the Naval shipyards.
Eventually he found employment with the Otis elevator company. In the early 1920's Charles traveled to Mexico City as part of an Otis elevator installation team, no doubt getting the assignment in part due to his bilingual skills. While on the job, he met a young telephone operator, recently divorced, named Elena Munoz. They fell in love, and were married in a civil ceremony on 14 November 1924. Charles had to quit his job to stay with his new bride in Mexico.
Elena brought two sons from her previous marriage, Francisco and Raul. Charles found work with the division of highways in Mexico, serving with the crew building the main road from Acapulco to Mexico City. His crew travelled by ship to Acapulco and worked inland towards a second crew originating in Mexico City.
Charles and Elena had five children, raising them together with Elena's sons Francisco and Raul. Charles and Elena's children were:
Margarita D., (Velez) ("Margaret") b. 1924 d. 2000
Maria Elena (Ocampo) ("Mary Helen") b. 1928 d.2000
Lillia (Martinez/Lehane) ("Lily") b. 1934 d. 2016
Anita b. 1935 d. 1937
(son, b. 1942 still living)
The family settled in a small apartment in Mexico City, located on the top floor of a very old two story colonial building. The apartment was accessed through an old masonry carriage way, and Charles raised chickens on the roof. Charles lost his highway job during the Great Depression, and began picking up whatever odd job he could find. The family fell on extremely hard times in the late 1930's, and lost their infant daughter Anita to malnutrition and disease.
With the U.S. entry into WWII, Charles traveled to the Texas to look for work. His brother Herbert was living in San Francisco at the time and told him that the local shipyards were hiring. Charles rode freight trains to make his way to San Francisco and began working at Hunter's Point. He sent money home to the family in Mexico City.
In 1945 he sent tickets home for the family to come to California "for a visit", because Elena was opposed to the idea of emigrating from Mexico. Margaret was married by that time, and stayed in Mexico. Once they arrived in San Francisco, Elena fell in love with the Bay Area and agreed to immigrate.
Charles bought a small house at 115 Topeka Ave. in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco. He worked at Hunter's Point for the rest of his life, serving in a variety of jobs. At the end of his career he managed a tool room. He retired in 1963 at age 68. In 1969 he and Elena moved to San Mateo to be closer to their children.
Charles loved all things mechanical, and enjoyed repairing items around the house. He was constantly working on his car, sometimes taking things apart just for the fun of it.
His father, Martin Delahay, was a mechanic and railroad construction engineer from Waco, Texas. His mother, Jennie Slocum, was the daughter of a US Army Calvary officer, Capt John D. Slocum, who settled in New Mexico Territory after the Civil War and married a Mexican woman, Lucia Jesus "Jesusita" Lopez.
His father Martin had fled into Mexico in 1887 after a murder near El Paso. He took work with the Veracruz & Pacific Railroad and married Jennie Slocum in Chihuahua in 1892. The couple had four children, Charles, Jennie, Bennie, & Hebert, all born in Mexico.
Charles grew up in Tehuantepec, dealing with the challenges of being a fair haired, blue eyed boy in southern Mexico. His friends called him "El Gringo". He grew up bilingual and often had to defend himself against physical violence from other kids.
When Charles was eight years old his father took a work assignment to another town and never returned. Later he discovered that Martin had purposefully abandoned his family. Charles and his younger brothers had to work to support their mother and younger sister, taking whatever jobs they could find. Charles worked at a brewery, licking and applying labels to the beer bottles for 25 cents a day. He learned to swim when bigger kids threw him into the river. It was a tough childhood, but he was a physically imposing young boy, and his large size kept him out of most trouble.
In 1916 he left home to look for his father. The 21 year old crossed the border into the United States and eventually tracked down Martin in Nogales, Arizona where he was running a cattle ranch. Charles worked for his dad on his ranch, apparently willing to forgive him for what he had done to the family. According to his son, that was Charles' nature, as later in life he was easy going and even tempered.
Charles filled out a WW1 draft registration card in Philadelphia in the summer of 1917. His address was 2307 E. Norris, Philadelphia, PA. He lists his date of birth as Jan 9, 1895, and location as Galveston, TX. His occupation is "engineer" at the Keystone Wagon Works.
With the U.S. entry into WW1 in 1918, Charles enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Machinist's Mate. He had just completed training before being diagnosed with a defective heart and given a medical discharge, against his wishes. He was discharged in Philadelphia. He bounced between jobs in Philadelphia, including the Naval shipyards.
Eventually he found employment with the Otis elevator company. In the early 1920's Charles traveled to Mexico City as part of an Otis elevator installation team, no doubt getting the assignment in part due to his bilingual skills. While on the job, he met a young telephone operator, recently divorced, named Elena Munoz. They fell in love, and were married in a civil ceremony on 14 November 1924. Charles had to quit his job to stay with his new bride in Mexico.
Elena brought two sons from her previous marriage, Francisco and Raul. Charles found work with the division of highways in Mexico, serving with the crew building the main road from Acapulco to Mexico City. His crew travelled by ship to Acapulco and worked inland towards a second crew originating in Mexico City.
Charles and Elena had five children, raising them together with Elena's sons Francisco and Raul. Charles and Elena's children were:
Margarita D., (Velez) ("Margaret") b. 1924 d. 2000
Maria Elena (Ocampo) ("Mary Helen") b. 1928 d.2000
Lillia (Martinez/Lehane) ("Lily") b. 1934 d. 2016
Anita b. 1935 d. 1937
(son, b. 1942 still living)
The family settled in a small apartment in Mexico City, located on the top floor of a very old two story colonial building. The apartment was accessed through an old masonry carriage way, and Charles raised chickens on the roof. Charles lost his highway job during the Great Depression, and began picking up whatever odd job he could find. The family fell on extremely hard times in the late 1930's, and lost their infant daughter Anita to malnutrition and disease.
With the U.S. entry into WWII, Charles traveled to the Texas to look for work. His brother Herbert was living in San Francisco at the time and told him that the local shipyards were hiring. Charles rode freight trains to make his way to San Francisco and began working at Hunter's Point. He sent money home to the family in Mexico City.
In 1945 he sent tickets home for the family to come to California "for a visit", because Elena was opposed to the idea of emigrating from Mexico. Margaret was married by that time, and stayed in Mexico. Once they arrived in San Francisco, Elena fell in love with the Bay Area and agreed to immigrate.
Charles bought a small house at 115 Topeka Ave. in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco. He worked at Hunter's Point for the rest of his life, serving in a variety of jobs. At the end of his career he managed a tool room. He retired in 1963 at age 68. In 1969 he and Elena moved to San Mateo to be closer to their children.
Charles loved all things mechanical, and enjoyed repairing items around the house. He was constantly working on his car, sometimes taking things apart just for the fun of it.
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