1940 census: Earl D. Bragdon was living with his parents, Phillip and Mary Bragdon, and his brother, Elvin (aged 14) on North Dexter Rd in Sangerville in 1940. His father was a farmer, his mother a weaver in the woolen mill (probably the one in town), and he worked part time as a cook in a lumber camp.
WWII Enlistment record: Earl D. Bragdon of Maine, living in LA at the time of his enlistment in 1943, says he has a year of college. I wonder if he went to college in California.
In 1942 City Directory, Earl is listed as living in Inglewood, LA, CA, as an aircraft worker. The aircraft manufacturer there at the time North American Aviation, who made the P-51 Mustang, B-25 Mitchell twin-engine bomber, and T-6 Texan trainer. Was he also in college at the time, I wonder?
A family tree on the father revealed Earl was the second to the last of 8 children born to Elwood Bragdon and Mary Priest. He was born 2 Nov 1923 and died in 1984.
It looks like Earl went back to college at the University of Maine and graduated in 1952. He then went on to get a Master's and PhD in History at University of Indiana. He taught History at a variety of universities and colleges, ending up at Vienna, Virginia where he died, August, 1984.
He married at some time, since he has a spouse (Sally B) listed on the 1953 Orono city directory
and also in an article about him published in 1967. The article (shown below) has him teaching at Hood College at the time.
Here is Earle's wife's obituary, which tells something about their lives. Sarah Bird was from England and met Earle in Chicago. Interesting! I think she had a beautiful smile!
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