Victor Dallons

Victor, was born in Kokomo, Indiana in 1893, the son of Frank DALLONS and Emelia CHAUSTEUR. He had a brother, Jules who was 7 years his elder.

The year of 1906 must have been a difficult one for Frank. His wife Emelia was in poor health so their son Victor was kept by his aunt and uncle, the Chausteurs, in Maumee, Ohio. Frank left on the train for California on November 20th to look for work after the glass factory in Kokomo closed. A year later Victor arrived in Stockton, California, to live with his father. Victor was 14 years old at that time.

After the 8th grade he went to work for Levy Bros. Department Store as a delivery boy. One of the reasons he was hired was his ability to speak French, as some of the department store's customers were French prostitutes employed in the red light district who were certainly not welcomed to shop in the store. But their business was welcomed, so someone who could speak their language had to take and deliver their orders. Quite an education for a 15-year-old boy.

Victor attended South School in 1909-10. One of his projects during this time was to build a sail plane. Avialtion was in its infancy, theWright Brothers first flight with gliders in 1902, powered flight in 1903, and regnotion of their sucess in 1906.

Victor Dallons in Stockton, California. c. 1912
Frank Dallons developed pneumonia and died on March 11, 1912. Emilia, who was in Pennsylvania at the time, moved to Stockton to be with her son.

By the age of 17 he had become the assistant window trimmer, an occupation that today is called the display department. In January 1913 he went to Chicago, Illinois to a school to further his career as a window trimmer and show card writer. His first job after attending school in Chicago was in Beloit, Kansas at the Blue Store where he met Agnes Slipke. Agnes, who was to be my mother, worked in the store as a clerk. Victor left Beloit in May, 1914 for a job at the Fair Store in Bisbee, Arizona.

In Bisbee, Victor and some companions spent Sunday afternoons hiking the mountains around the town. On one memorable day when they were on a hill top they were able to watch the battle of Naco on the Mexican side of the border through telescopes. Pancho Villa's guerrillas and the federal troops were fighting a series of battles on the Mexican side so the United States stationed troops on the border to keep the war from spilling over into Arizona and New Mexico. On March 9th 1916 Pancho Villa raided Columbus, New Mexico killing 18 Americans and looting the town. General Pershing retaliated by sending troops into Mexico but was unable to capture him. All of this military activity had the citizens of the border towns and mining camps quite concerned as Villa could cross the border at any time or point but Pancho did not cross the line again

Victor asked Agnes to join him there in December, she readily accepted and left Kansas for a life in the West. She arrived in Bisbee on the 28th. of December and the following day they went to the Cochise County Courthouse in Tombstone to obtain a marriage license and were married that evening back in Bisbee.