SeanPaulMurphyVille: My Family: 1st Lieutenant Charles Edward Farber, KIA

Charles Edward Farber

I have always been a student of World War II. However, I spent most of my time reading about the European theater. I didn't give very much attention to the Pacific theater, despite my grandfather Kenneth Protani's participation in it. Lately, I have been listening to a number of podcasts about the Pacific war, and I wanted to honor one of my relatives who had died in that conflict.

I always viewed my Farber relatives as being lucky in war. The Farber family arrived from Germany during the 1850s and, after a brief stay in New York, became some of the earliest settlers of what is now the Petersburg section of Scranton, Pennsylvania. However, they were just another family of immigrant laborers until the Civil War. During that conflict, my 2nd great-grandfather Joseph Farber, who was forty-two-years old at the time, and a number of his children volunteered to fight for the Union cause. Reading about them now, it seems that their military service truly Americanized them. Afterwards, they all remained active in veteran and political organizations. My 2nd great-granduncle George Farber, who famously fired the last shots of the Civil War, became a well-known local politician. Farber Court, in Scranton, is named after the family.

I felt their luck in combat continued after the Civil War. I remarked to my grandmother Margaret Robertson Murphy that I couldn't find a Farber who had died in a war. She said that wasn't true. She told me one of her cousins, Charles Edward Farber, died during World War II flying "over the hump" to bring supplies to our Chinese allies. I thought his story would be a good way to honor the men and women who fought in the Pacific theater. I decided to research him. My grandmother's memory proved correct about her cousin dying in a plane, but it wasn't over the hump. He met his fate in a much more deadly airspace.

Here's his story:

Charles Edward Farber was born on 20 November 1917 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Louis L. Farber and his second wife Ida Charlotte Sophia Mayer. Louis was born on May 16, 1867 in Scranton. He was previously married to Elizabeth Kramer and had three children with her. After she died in 1912, Louis married Ida and started a second family with her. They had two children. Charles had an older sister named Gertrude.

Here's a newspaper story about the wedding of Louis Farber and Ida Mayer:

Scranton Republican (Scranton, Pennsylvania) 29 May 1913, Thu:

Louis Farber of 1022 North Irving avenue, and Miss Ida Mayer, daughter of Mrs. Louis Mayer, of 1408 Ash street, were married last evening in the home of the bride's mother by Rev. O. H. Dietrich, pastor of the Petersburg Presbyterian German church. The couple was unattended. Following the ceremony a wedding dinner was served to forty-five guests. Mrs. George Mechler, Mrs. Augusta Thauer, Mrs. Henry Wenzel and Mrs. A. Kehsli served.

The bride made a charming appearance attired in a gown of crep-de-voile, trimmed with shadow lace and pearls. She also wore a sash of white satin trimmed with pearls.

The couple will leave Saturday for Philadelphia and Atlantic City where they will spend a ten day honeymoon. They will reside at 1022 North Irving avenue upon their return.

The bride has resided in the Petersburg section of the city since her birth and is well known there. The bridegroom is employed as a driver for Chemical company No. 3 on Ash street, and is popular with a large following of friends.

Charles was a child of old age. His father was fifty-years-old when Charles was born. His mother was thirty-six. Sadly, Louis, a retired fireman, died when Charles was only thirteen-years-old. His mother never remarried and lived to be ninety-five-years old.

Here's a story about the death of his father Louis Farber:

Louis L Farber

The Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania) 10 April 1930, Thu:

Louis Farber Expires While Dirigible Flies

-----

Retired Member of Fire Department Succumbs

to Heart Attack After Being Awakened by Wife

To See "Los Angeles" Pass Over City

-----

Stricken with a heart attack just as the Los Angeles dirigible was passing over this city around 1:30 o'clock this morning, Louis L. Farber, for twenty-five years a prominent member of the city fire department died in his bed at his home, Ash street and Irving avenue. At the time he was retired on pension, two years ago, Mr. Farber held the rank of lieutenant. He was in his sixty-second year.

Soon after the whirring of the propellers of the giant ship was heard over Scranton, Mrs. Farber, wife of the victim, awakened her husband so that he could glimpse the air Leviathan as it passed over the city on its moonlight trip. Mr. Farber complained of a slight pain and remained in bed while his wife went to a nearby window to view the ship. Minutes later when she returned to tell her husband of the inspiring sight Mrs. Farber found that he was dead. Dr. James R. Skeoch was hurriedly summoned but Mr. Farber was beyond medical aid. An acute heart attack was pronounced as the cause of his passing.

Mr. Farber retired last evening apparently in the best of health, according to members of the family. Up until one week ago, he was engaged as an attendant at the First National bank. Mr. Farber retired from the fire department with a record unmarred during twenty-five years of service. For the greater part of that time, he had been stationed at Hose company No. 1, Ash street.

Although he had been retired from the service, Mr. Farber never lost interest in the department, he was always telling his friends that he maintained a deep interest in "the boys." Only two weeks ago, he attended a meeting at Engine No. 1 rooms, Franklin avenue, at which time preliminary steps were taken to form a firemen's pension organization. Mr. Farber had planned to co-operate with present members of the department in extending the proposition to other units in the city.

He is survived by his widow, Ida; a daughter, Gertrude, at home; three sons, Frank, Detroit, Mich; William and Charles, this city; a sister and three brothers. No funeral arrangements have been made.

Charles was obviously raised in a family that valued community service. He would soon have his chance to serve his country as the storm clouds gathered. Here's his World War II draft registration card.

Charles enlisted in the Army Air Corps on 1 February 1942, but he still found time for love. Here's a story about his marriage to Miss Jean Therese Boland.

The Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania) 15 Oct 1942, Thu:

MISS JEAN BOLAND TO WED SATURDAY

The marriage of Miss Jean Boland, Washington, D.C., daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Boland, Moosic Street, to Charles Farber, Washington, son of Mrs. Louis L. Farber, Ash Street, and the late Mr. Farber, will take place Saturday at 4 p.m. in Washington.

Miss Boland is a graduate of Technical High School and was employed by the Woman's Institute. Mr. Farber is a graduate of Technical High School and is a former employee of W.A. Case & Son manufacturing Company.

The war would separate the young couple. In a couple of months, Charles would be inducted.

The Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania) 9 Feb 1943, Tue:

FARBER INDUCTED

Charles E. Farber, son of Ida Farber, 1323 Ash Street, has arrived at Miami Beach, Fla., according to word received yesterday by his mother. Aviation Cadet Farber left Philadelphia Friday, having enlisted some time ago in the Army Air Corps. He has been working for six months in the War Production Board, Washington, D.C., and was employed before that time at Chase and Company, plumbing supplies, Scranton.

Jean would return to Scranton as Charles trained for the Army Air Force in Texas. Here's a story from the newspaper when he completed his training.

The Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania) 14 June 1944, Wed:

After his training was complete, Charles was able to return home on leave to visit his wife and mother. Here's the story:

The Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania) 10 January 1945, Wed:

EAST SCRANTON NOTES

Lt. and Mrs. Charles Farber are visiting the former's mother, Mrs. Ida Farber, Ash St. Lieutenant Farber has been stationed at an Army Air Forces Field in Texas, serving as a navigator bombardier.

After his leave, it was time for Charles to put to practice the skills he learned. He was sent into aerial combat in the Pacific. He became a bombardier on a B-29 Superfortress. He was one of eleven crew members assigned to bomber #42-65295. The aircraft was piloted by 1st Lt. Marvel L. Geer of Oregon. Charles sent a letter home to his wife about his first mission and it was dutifully reported in the Men In Armed Forces section of the newspaper. Here it is:

The Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania) 15 March 1945, Thu:

Lieut. Charles Farber, son of Mrs. Ida Farber, 1327 Ash Street, and husband of the former Jean Boland, 705 Moosic Street, was a member of a B-29 bomber crew that made a twelve-hour flight on March 4 giving Tokyo a terrific pounding, according to word received here by his mother and wife. It was Lieutenant Farber's first mission over enemy territory. He said none of the 300 B-29s was lost in the raid. The bombardier-navigator was graduated from a school at San Angelo, Tex., and left for overseas duty on Feb. 14 of this year. He is now based in the Marianas.

I couldn't find any specific information about a 300 plane raid on Tokyo on March 4th. However, on the night of March 10th, Operation Meetinghouse took place. It was the single most destructive bombing raid in human history. The firebombing destroyed 16 square miles of central Tokyo and took more than 100,000 lives. I think it is safe to assume that Charles took part in that mission.

I don't know how many bombing raid Charles participated in, but three months later his family received the news that every family dreaded. He was missing in action. Here's the story:

The Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania) 31 June 1945, Wed:

2d Lieut. Charles E. Farber, husband of the former Miss Jean Boland, 705 Moosic Street, and son of Mrs. Ida Farber, 1327 Ash Street, was reported in The Times' news broadcast yesterday over WQAN to be missing since April 29 on a bombing mission over Japan. He is a bombardier on a B-29 Superfortress and was based in the Marianas.

His mother received word that he was missing in a War Department telegram delivered to her upon her return home from the Memorial Day exercises yesterday morning for East Scranton servicemen who made the supreme sacrifice.

Lieutenant Farber entered the army on Jan. 30, 1943, and was graduated from the San Angelo, Tex., Army Airfield Bombardier School and commissioned in June, 1944. He was home on leave last January and went overseas in the middle of February. A graduate of the Technical High School and the Wharton Extension School, he was employed as a salesman by the W. A. Case & Son Manufacturing Company before entering the service.

According to Findagrave volunteer Russell S. "Russ" Pickett, here's what happened:

Charles was "Killed In Action" when his B-29 was forced to leave formation when it was attacked by Japanese fighter planes while on a mission to bomb Nyakonojo Airfield, Kyushu, Japan during the war.

The B-29 was believed to have been hit by an aerial bomb and crashed in Karakama, Mobiki Village, Kimotsuki County, Kagoshima Prefecture. No parachutes were observed. He was originally interred overseas and was later repatriated here on August 8, 1949.

He was awarded the Purple Heart.

Service # O-2060689

The reason he is named on a group headstone is because when soldier's were killed in close proximity to each other they were unable, at that time, to identify them separately and interred their remains together in one grave.

Airmen who perished on B-29 #42-65295:

Allain, Joseph V ~ Sgt, Radio Operator, Illinois
Block, William R ~ M/Sgt, Engineer, Wisconsin
Farber, Charles E ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, Pennsylvania
Geer, Marvel L ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, Oregon
Hix, Carnie B ~ T/Sgt, Aerial Gunner, Texas
Middlemas, Robert C ~ Sgt, Aerial Gunner, New Jersey
Morrisroe, Robert G ~ Sgt, Aerial Gunner, New Jersey
Mueller, Emil W ~ Sgt, Radar Operator, New York
Plunge, Edward J ~ S/Sgt, Aerial Gunner, Connecticut
Sullivan, Edward J, Jr. ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, Massachusetts
Widows, Harry J ~ 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, Iowa

Charles' wife Jean later married Francis McNamara. They had two children. She died on 27 March 1999 at the age of 81. Interestingly, Charles is mentioned in her obituary but her second husband was not. His mother Ida was ninety-five when she died on 26 December 1976. She seemed devoted to keeping Charles' memory alive. He was referenced in every story about her in the newspaper.

Charles was my second cousin, twice removed. That may sound distant, but my grandmother knew him and remembered him. They lived near each other and attended the same church. She told me about his death, but I wish I asked her more about his life. She could have provided me personal details about him as a man, not just as a warrior. That would have been very fitting here. Still, even if I couldn't provide many personal details, I am happy I had the chance to honor his service to our country.

Charles Edward Farber, thank you and your fellow crew members for making the ultimate sacrifice for us. You are not forgotten!

Click here for more of my genealogical blogs:

My Family: Christmas 1967

My Family: My Granddaughter Emma Renee Schwalm

My Family: The Diaries of Mary Elizabeth McLane, Part 1
My Family: The Back River Tragedy

My Family: My Three Nuns
My Family: The Murder of Adam G. Robertson
My Family: Uncle Buzzy and The Boys In Company B
My Family: 1st Lieutenant Charles Edward Farber, KIA
My Family: Cousin Tillie's Balcony
My Family: The Public Suicide of Carl "Ernie" Stark
My Family: The Public Suicide of Frank Kostohryz
My Family: Mary Marshall Mirfin, Hero
My Family: Rita Cecilia Rosenberger Protani Pollock
My Family: Vincent Klima and the Spanish Influenza
My Family: A Festival of Fathers
My Family: The Honorable George Farber
My Family: A Celebration of Mothers
My Family: The Mystery of Frank John Murphy
My Family: Kristina Bednar Kostohryz
My Family: Great-Grandmom Assunta's Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

Be sure to check out my memoir The Promise, or the Pros and Cons of Talking with God, published by TouchPoint Press. It is my true story of first faith and first love and how the two became almost fatally intertwined.

Here are some sample chapters of The Promise:

Chapter 1 - A Photograph

Chapter 2 - My Death

Chapter 3 - Childhood

Chapter 4 - Saved!

Chapter 5 - The Promise

Chapter 6 - The Mission

Chapter 7 - Mission Accomplished
Chapter 15 - Quarter To Midnight

Be sure to check out my novel Chapel Street. It tells the story of a young man straddling the line between sanity and madness while battling a demonic entity that has driven his family members to suicide for generations. It was inspired by an actual haunting my family experienced.

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