Three generations of CFD FFs with the same name

 

I recently came across a fascinating historical note sent to Firegeezer.com by Thomas Parquette from Branson, Missouri, and I’m happy to share it with you with his permission.

Hi ‘Geezer’,

I thought you might find this story interesting. The photo was taken around 1885 and shows Engine Company 11 of the Chicago Fire Department. The article that featured this image was published 40 years later in 1925 in an obscure fire-related publication.

The second firefighter from the left is George Geis, my great-grandfather. He died in the line of duty around 1902 when a wall collapsed during a fire. His father, also named George Geis, was one of the original firefighters for the Chicago Fire Department and was killed during the Great Chicago Fire in the 1870s.

George Geis, the son of the man in the photo, was my grandfather. He became a firefighter in Chicago and lived through the transition from horse-drawn to motorized fire apparatus. He was part of the last call for Buck, Beauty & Dan, the final horse-drawn team in the city. (I actually have a photo of that as well.) Tragically, he was seriously injured when a drunk driver T-boned the ladder truck he was driving. He passed away from his injuries in the early 1930s, but due to the early stage of the union, he never received any compensation from the city.

All three generations of the Geis family were career firefighters. They all shared the same name, except for their middle initials. Each of them died in the line of duty or because of it. All served with the Chicago Fire Department. My uncle, Stephen Geis, went on to become Chief of the Downers Grove Fire Department in the 1950s, and his son, my cousin, is still a full-time firefighter today.

I thought this history might be of interest to your readers. I’d like to thank the Fire Museum of Chicago for their help in researching and verifying the details mentioned here. This photo is sourced from their archives. Keep up the excellent work—your coverage is engaging, informative, and always a pleasure to read.

Thomas Parquette
Branson, Missouri

 

Chicago Fire Department photo from 1885

Calcium DNA

DNA calcium magnesium zinc benefits,Body supplement ingredients,Sports health supplement raw materials

Ruijiming (Shandong) Biotechnology Co., Ltd , https://www.mgpdrn.com