Paul Russell Brimberry 1915 - 1941

As of this writing, 5 November 2009, I am still not certain if Paul should be on this list. His name however will remain until I find some verifiable reason why it should not. It is here because of only one reason. Early on in my search for who should be here I found a sheet at the public library that listed several of the WWII dead from the area along with their addresses. Paul's address was listed as 1340 Vane Ave which runs southward from Tallmadge Ave just east of Home Ave.

It was while searching the Beacon Journal for his obituary that I discovered when and where he had been killed. The article gave me one piece of valuable information and that was his father's name. It also gave me a conflicting address which is what started me down the road of doubt as to whether he belonged on the list. About this time I also received some assistance from the Akron Board of Education who had gone through my list and told me what schools the men had attended. I discovered that Paul had graduated from Garfield in 1933 which only increased my doubts. But since I was including all of the men who had lived on North Hill, not just grown up here or graduated from North, I left him on the list.

The question that arose from the above article was, Why was an American training at a Canadian field during the Fall of 1941 before the United States had entered the war. So far I have no answer for that other than, for whatever reason, he had joined the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The discovery of his father's name helped in the search of census records and the family did show up in the 1920 and 1930 census. In 1920, the family is living in Indian Prarie Township in Wayne County, Illinois. Family members are: Walter, 38, head of household; Ethel, 31, wife;  Paul, 4, son; and Gale, 2, son. All were born in Illinois and Walter's occupation is listed as farmer.  By 1930 the family had moved to Akron and was living at 425 Stanton Ave which is in the Firestone Park neighborhood. A daughter, Helen, had been born about 1922 but she was also born in Illinois. Paul's paternal grandmother is living with them she is 72. Her name is hard to read but it may be Bernice or Pernicie or something similar.