Etta H. Earl

Etta H. Earl

• Father: Samuel B. Earl b. 10 February 1852, d. 1913
• Mother: Evelyn J. Young b. 3 November 1863, d. 20 February 1900

• Etta H. Earl was born on 25 July 1892 in New Jersey.
• Samuel B. Earl appeared in the US federal census of 1 June 1900 in Long Branch, Monmouth County, New Jersey, at 120 Westwood Avenue. Other members of the household included Etta H. Earl, Samuel Wallace Earl, John Earl, Joseph Burtis Earl, Henry Earl, Elmore S. Earl and Margaret A. Cathie.
• William Phillip Adams and Margaret A. Vierfelder appeared in the US federal census of 15 April 1910 in Asbury Park, Monmouth County, New Jersey, at 702 Cookman Avenue. Other members of the household included Etta H. Earl.
• She was employed as a telephone instructor, according to the 1915 census.
• The following appeared on 4 December 1918 in the Buffalo Evening News: The marriage of Miss Florence Boulding, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Boulding, to Mr. Elmer S. Earl, was solemnized yesterday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock at the parsonage of the Plymouth Avenue Methodist Episcopal church, the Rev. William S. Mitchell officiating. The attendants were Miss Etta H. Earl and Mr. Henry Brown.
• William Phillip Adams and Margaret A. Vierfelder appeared in the US federal census of 1 January 1920 in Buffalo, Erie County, New York, at 359 Lafayette Avenue. Other members of the household included Etta H. Earl.
• She was a vocational teacher, according to the 1920 census.
• William Phillip Adams and Margaret A. Vierfelder appeared in the New York state census of 1 June 1925 in Buffalo, Erie County, New York. Other members of the household included Etta H. Earl. Etta is identified as their niece.
• She was employed as a telephone instructor, according to the 1925 census.
• The following appeared on 10 July 1927 in the Buffalo Courier-Express: Among those who have recently entertained in honor of Miss Earldene L. Hudson whose marriage to Ward L. Conklin took place July 9th are Mrs. R. C. Fisher of Voorhees avenue, who entertained at bridge; Miss Norma Schaefer of Linwood avenue a handlerchief shower; Mrs. Oliver Clark Eyeington of Crestwood avenue at dinner; Mrs. S. M. Gaylord of Roble avenue at bridge; Mrs. H. G. Southall who gave a linen shower and garden party at her summer home at Bay Beach; Mrs. Clark M. Fleming entertained at dinner; Mrs. Allen J. Bundy a dinner at her home at Angola-on-the-Lake; Mrs.W. P. Adams and Miss Etta Earl of Lafayette avenue, a dinner of 20 covers; Miss Pearl Block of Anderson place a luncheon; Miss Edith Rogers of Ashland avenue a luncheon; Mrs. F. S. Nelson of Beverly road a kitchen shower; Mrs. William J. Ennis of North Park avenue a treasure hunt; Miss Mildred Henry and Miss Florence Stevenson who gave a dinner of twelve covers at Hotel Touraine; Mrs. E. E. Cavagnaro a dinner at the Westbrook; Mrs. Charles G. Berry, dinner and Mrs. Norman C. Sprickman, bridge.
• William Phillip Adams and Margaret A. Vierfelder appeared in the US federal census of 1 April 1930 in Buffalo, New York, at 359 Lafayette Avenue. Other members of the household included Etta H. Earl.
• Etta H. Earl appeared in the US federal census of 1 April 1940 in Buffalo, New York, at 359 Lafayette Avenue. Other members of the household included William Phillip Adams and Margaret A. Vierfelder. Etta is identified as head of household, and William and Margaret Adams as cousins.
• She was employed by the telephone company as a toll chief operator, according to the 1940 census.
• She officially witnessed the death of Margaret A. Vierfelder on 15 April 1948 at 359 Lafayette Avenue in Buffalo, New York; at her residence.
• The following appeared on 17 May 1953 in the Buffalo Courier-Express: Dial "O" for operator, dial Long Distance or Information, and a feminine voice responds. A telephone operator can forge ahead as fast as ambition urges and ability permits, free of the threat of male competition. There's a field from which males virtually are excluded. Probably no vocation offers greater opportunity to the young woman without a college degree than that of telephone operator. A one-time New York operator now is a vice-president of the New York Telephone Co. Here in Buffalo, a number of chief operators command higher salaries than those of high school teachers.
       For the telephone operator, the company provides complete vocational training. Today, high school seniors are receiving part-time instruction, for which they are paid, at the Buffalo telephone office. Come graduation, they will go on the payroll as full-time employes. Training in the technique of telephone operation, speech and leadership is made available by the company during working hours.
       For the working wife, the position of operator offers several advantages:
       She can work evenings or nights if such a shift is preferable to days.
       A six-month leave of absence may be obtained for maternity.
       If her husband is moved to another city, the satisfactory operator can arrange a transfer and continue her work.
       When Miss Etta Earl, senior chief operator of the Buffalo Toll Office, which handles long distance calls, left school at the age of 16 to become a telephone operator, her parents feld deep disappointment. They wanted her to become a teacher. Through the work of her choice, Miss Earl was able to fulfill her parents' wish.
       For several years, as instructor of toll operators, she was a teacher of hundreds of long-distance operators in communities as far east as Albany. Today, as chief operator in the Toll Office, she is constantly perfecting the training of nearly 200 long distance operators. With a true teacher's understanding, Miss Earl discovers and develops the abilities of many young operators. Many of those who have attained the coveted post of chief operator are grateful for the high standard of work she required of them and her confidence in their ability to make good.
       Five years after she became a telephone operator for the Bell Co. of New Jersey, Miss Earl moved with her parents from Asbury Park to Buffalo. A transfer to the New York Telephone Co. readily was arranged for her and she continued her work without interruption. Her first promotion was to the post of service assistant, in charge of 15 operators.
       She has been chief operator of the Buffalo Toll Office since 1929. At that time, she was the only person holding that position. Today, the Buffalo Toll Office requires four chief operators.
       When she leaves the office Miss Earl is on call at her home at 1785 Hertel Ave. Chief operators in charge of evening and night shifts are responsible to her. Although her work week is theoretically 40 hours, every important holiday and every emergency such as a severe storm finds her at her post. She was on the job Mother's Day to make certain of maximum efficiency in handling the approximately 22,000 calls that passed through the office here that day. Several came from service men stationed in Japan.
       Indicative of the importance of the Buffalo Toll Office, of which Miss Earl is chief operator, is the large number of its direct circuits to major United States cities.
       A little known advantage incidental to the position of chief operator is a home telephone for which the company pays the entire bill. The chief operator may place a call to any city in the country and talk free of charge. Rarely does Miss Earl take advantage of this opportunity for cross-country conversations. For her, talking on the phone is the proverbial busman's holiday. She prefers to write letters to faraway friends and relatives. . . .
• The SSDI lists Buffalo, New York, as the last residence of record of Etta H. Earl.
• Etta H. Earl died on 15 November 1970 at age 78.
• She was interred at Greenlawn Cemetery, West Long Branch, Monmouth County, New Jersey, although there are no dates on the marker. Apparently there was no one left to have the stone finished.
• The following appeared on 17 November 1970 in the Buffalo Courier-Express: [Died] Etta H. Earl, Nov. 15, 1970; of the Niagara Lutheran Home; daughter of the late Samuel and Evelyn Earl; sister of the late Elmore S. Earl; aunt of Helen T. Earl of Asbury Park, New Jersey, and Elmore S. Earl Jr. of Phoenix, Arizona. Funeral service from the Lester H. Wedekindt Inc. Funeral Home, 3290 Delaware Ave., Wednesday afternoon at 1:00. Friends are invited. Miss Earl was a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America. Those desiring may contribute to the Heart Association of Western New York. Interment in Long Branch, New Jersey. Family will be present Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
• A single grave marker identifies the graves of William Phillip Adams and Margaret A. Vierfelder and Etta H. Earl, Sarah Jane Potter, Catherine Adams and William P. Adams.

• Last Edited: 7 Nov 2015