Le Roy Warren Swift

Le Roy Warren Swift was born on 19 March 1869 at Mt. Olivet, Algiers, in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, the son of Leroy E. Swift and Rachel T. Warren, and was christened there in 1878. ^{[1] [10]} In 1880 he was living in New Orleans in the household of Emma Swift, his father's widow. ^[2]

On 13 June 1894, at New Bedford, Massachusetts, he married Fannie Harrison Winter, daughter of Richmond C. Winter and Elizabeth Arden. ^{[3] [4]} Their daughter Rachel Winter Swift was born at New Bedford in 1896, and their son Leroy W. Swift in 1899. ^{[7] [8]} The family lived in New Bedford in 1900 and in Fairhaven by 1910. ^{[5] [6]} In 1912 he was assistant treasurer of the Atlas Tack Company of Fairhaven, ^[12] and in 1918 he and George E. Barrows were the Barrows-Swift Printing Company, printers at 93 North Second Street, New Bedford. ^[13] Fannie died at Fairhaven on 22 January 1914, ^[9] and Le Roy died there on 5 February 1919, aged 49. ^[10]

Family memory

The family remembers that he and Fannie had two children, Rachel and Leroy Jr., as the birth records show. ^{[7] [8]} Carol remembers a story of how her great-grandparents met: "a Perry or a Swift" came off a whaling ship, took his clothes to be cleaned and mended, and met Fannie, who was mending. ^[14] It is unproven. The likeliest couple is Le Roy and Fannie, but no crew list confirms that he ever sailed on a whaler. ^[15]

Open questions

• His birthplace: the Louisiana record gives Algiers, New Orleans; ^[1] the 1900 census gives Massachusetts, ^[5] and FamilySearch's tree New Bedford.
• The family's documents give his death as 1914; ^[11] that is the year his wife Fannie died. ^[9] His own death record gives 5 February 1919. ^[10]
• His mother's middle initial is T. in three records and G. in one marriage index. ^{[3] [4] [10]}