Tying everything together
This post summarizes the information I gathered from my research at the National Archives and from the family letters, and shares my thoughts on how much he may have known about the overall project based on his documented roles.
I found out what Mac, my grandfather, worked on within the project, and I discovered that he was involved in more than one aspect. My secondary goal, some of which is outlined here, is to see how the family letters lined up with the work he was doing on the project.
Based on records found at the National Archives at Atlanta, Mac visited Metal Hydrides, Inc., in Beverly, Massachusetts, regularly from late March into early April 1943, and again in October of 1943. These visits are weekly and in some cases daily. In a letter from mid-April 1943, my uncle comments that Mac, his father, should get a raise since he’s rarely home.
Metal Hydrides Inc, as noted in the previous post, worked with natural uranium-238 to produce a metal powder that was sent to the three nuclear facilities in Chicago, Hanford, and Oak Ridge for use in experiments.
Comparing Information in the archives to the letters
In a letter from May 1, 1943, my uncle notes that the last two letters from his father are postmarked Springfield, Massachusetts. The work by Metal Hydrides, Inc., was very different from the work done in Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield was where General Electric, Westinghouse Electric, and Chapman Valve Co. were contracted to build the parts necessary for the Calutron Cubicles, while Metal Hydrides, as noted above, was working with natural uranium-238 to produce metal powder for experiments. Given the roads that existed at the time, it is about 125 miles from Beverly to Springfield, Massachusetts. Alternatively, Beverly, Massachusetts, is 23 miles from the Stone and Webster offices located at 161 Devonshire Street in Boston, and Springfield, Massachusetts, is 84 miles from the same downtown Boston location. It would appear that Mac was traveling some distance on a daily and weekly basis in April 1943.
In early July 1943, Mac is listed as Stone & Webster’s resident inspector for Chapman Valve Company in Indian Orchard, a suburb of Springfield, Massachusetts. In the letters from July 1943, my uncle notes that “. . . Father missed dinner at his own dinner party by working late; should tell Mr. Stone and Mr. Webster that he will quit so he’ll get more money; he could find a better job at home(?); can’t win the war all by himself.” The words noting that he can’t win the war all by himself would also be echoed in the sympathy cards my grandmother would receive two years later. And a letter from later in July 1943, my uncle notes, “… Enjoyed Father’s letter explaining a bit about what he was doing in Springfield.” The work being done in the Springfield, Massachusetts, area on the project focuses on the development, fabrication, and testing of the Calutron Cubicles with General Electric, Westinghouse Electric, and Chapman Valve Company.
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4 responses to “Researching Family Secrets: The Manhattan Project Connection”
This has been amazing to read. My grandfather was an engineer at Chapman Valve and one of the employees tasked with top secret MP work. My understanding is he worked on valve designs and production. But he was also gone for a very long trip. My mom recalls her dad arriving at their home in a vehicle stripped of the exterior front body (open air driving) and a large lead box welded to the back trunk area. With the uranium work that Chapman Valve also completed along with valve work (rod production is my understanding from the USGov health settlements) a large lead box makes sense. He was home just to say good-bye with an awareness of the possibility he may not return. He was gone for quite a long time as my mom would recall. As I dig through family files, I hope to find out more information. I do have my grandfather’s Manhattan Project certificate, but I do not think we still have his atomic pin. I recall him using it as a fishing weight which is a story for another day.
Thank you for reading and for your comments. That is an amazing story to tell about the lead box and not seeing your grandfather being away with the possibility of never returning. I like how he used the A-Pin as a fishing weight too. These men did a lot and, in the end, the pin wasn’t something you could wear around the house but had many other uses.
William Bill Shackleford, received a certificate from the United States of America. Of when he helped design the Trigger mechanism of the atomic bomb. I was told that me and my siblings could received Royalties from our grandfather how do i get a copy of that certificate
Hi Cathy,
Thanks for reaching out. My research was conducted by searching through records at the National Archives. I’m not sure how you would access that certificate today. Have you reached out to the Department of Energy?
Best,
Anne