Here’s an update of what I’ve been working on.

Fiendfilms at IMDB found out Keating’s address which was 918 Evelyn Ave, Albany, CA.

I looked in the ’40 census to see who his neighbors were. There were two next door neighbors with one year old sons, which would be around the right age for this "red phantom" kid.

Here’s what I came up with:

OK, for 916 Evelyn Ave the guy that lived there was named Bennett, first name maybe Frank? It’s illegible. He was 55 and worked at an oil refinery. His son was named John, age 1.

920 Evelyn Ave, looks like Gustisen? Justersen? Dustinsen??? Alex, 76. Son named Richard.

Across the street on Evelyn there weren’t any kids in the age range.

In back the address is 919 Talbot, but that doesn’t seem to be in the same listing here, so I’ll need to do another search for that one.

Here’s the page if anyone can make it out better than me:

http://imgur.com/TWQGdlx

I got different results from a different website, that is weird.

Living at Keating’s address (918) in 1940 was the Bruno family, who had a 1 year old son named Richard. 920 Evelyn lists an elderly couple living there alone. 916 Evelyn lists a middle-aged couple and their 14 year old daughter. I looked at the rest of the block and found a 2 year old boy, John Verga, and his family at 914 Evelyn, 2 houses down from Keating’s. I also took a look at some maps, and it’s possible that the pigeon kid lived behind Keating’s and threw the spears over the fence from his back yard. There are 3 houses that it could have possibly come from on Talbot Ave. One of the houses, 919 Talbot, was not built until 1946 so there was nothing to find there. But I would like to find out who lived there right after the house was built. 923 Talbot had no children listed, and 925 Talbot had a 4 year old boy, Ronald L. Gilstrap, but he was born April 1936 and would have been a couple years too old to be our guy. Haven’t found much on John Verga yet, but he may have had a relative in San Fran. that was in a "car club" for people who collected British import cars.

Haven’t found much on Richard Bruno either. But since he lived at the same address that Keating later lived in, I’d say he an his family probably moved before 1947. I thought Bruno said "Bennett" at first, I wonder if we were looking at the same name but they were listed at different addresses??? Son of Charles and Nellan (Reffanti) Bruno, with siblings of Charlene and Barbara. Let me know if that matches what you got.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwEt_J … sp=sharing

Zoomified.

1. Click on the link above
2. Click download
3. Go to the downloaded file and unzip/decompress it.
4. Open the folder, open the web page file – "TWQGdlx—Imgur.html"

Use your mouse wheel to zoom in and out and left click n drag to move around. Or use the controls along the bottom.

Looking again now. 916 Evelyn is Frank Bennett, you’re right. His wife and a 14 year old daughter are listed, but nobody else.

Take a look… http://1940census.archives.gov/search/? … &year=1940

Right under them is the Bruno family at 918 Evelyn. The Verga family at 914 Evelyn is listed just above the Bennetts.

You’re right, those names were from the family listed above. I got them mixed up with the ones below because those things were so hard to read.

and as you can see Keating didn’t live there at the time of that census. Looks like another dead end there.

The best bet is a 1947-48 Criss-Cross directory or phone book,and see who the sorounding Neighbors were

An idea, the article stated that a note from the kid came flying over his fence. Here’s a Google Earth photo of 916 Evelyn, Albany CA. It faces a street, so I assume the note came over a fence on the side of his house, or over a fence in his back yard, so the kid likely lived at one of the surrounding houses butting up to his property. If it was the house directly behind Keating, it would likely be Talbot Ave, around the 900 block,perhaps 919-930 Talbot,likely to be the odd house numbers on Talbot. Also, in 1947-1948, Albany City was buying up homes on Talbot to build a school on those properties, and in fact, there is a school at 920 Talbot today. Maybe property sales can be found and searched

Follow up article on the pigeon kid

Looking again now. 916 Evelyn is Frank Bennett, you’re right. His wife and a 14 year old daughter are listed, but nobody else.

Take a look… http://1940census.archives.gov/search/? … &year=1940

Right under them is the Bruno family at 918 Evelyn. The Verga family at 914 Evelyn is listed just above the Bennetts.

The kid, John Verga is a head scratcher. I assume his name is indeed John Verga,as listed in the census. I know for sure, his DOB is 11/30/38, and he was born in San Fran, but I can not find any activity or records of him as an adult. Indeed, he would defintely been 9 yrs old at the time of the Pigeon letter. There are zero records of any John Vergas ever living in Solano County.

Now, the Richard Bruno kid-he’s a bit more interesting. Bruno, living at 918 Evelyn, was likely born late 1938, or sometime in 1939. How about this guy as a possible hit-
Name: Richard C Bruno Jr
Birth Date: 10 Oct 1937
Address: 142 Brockton CT, Vacaville, CA, 95687-6703 (1982)
[796 Scottsdale Dr, Vacaville, CA, 95687-5162 (1985)]
[1372 Callen St Apt B, Vacaville, CA, 95688-3050]

Like the 1940 census, he WAS a Richard Jr. BUT, his age at the time of the census does not line up. This kid would have been at least 2 during the 1940 census.

Also, his Dad’s age is close to the 1940 census, but also does not lineup:
AME: Richard C. Bruno
BIRTH: 10 Jul 1911
DEATH: 28 Apr 2004 – Pinole, Contra Costa, California, USA
CIVIL: California

Close,but no cigar I think

UPDATE:

Okay, now we are cooking with gas. Here is the interesting stuff-

The Bruno kid, these are his parents with 100% certainty:
DAD-
Richard Bruno
Birth 1910 in Woodbridge, San Joaquin, California, USA

MOM-
Lorraine Myrtle Otten
Birth 22 Apr 1915
Death 16 Oct 1986 in Solano
Of course she died in Solano County in 1986!!!!

Name: Lorraine Myrtle Bruno
[Lorraine Myrtle Otten]
Social Security #: 573166560
Gender: Female
Birth Date: 22 Apr 1915
Birth Place: Texas
Death Date: 16 Oct 1986
Death Place: Solano
Mother’s Maiden Name: Brown
Father’s Surname: Otten

Name: Richard C Lorraine M Bruno
Residence Year: 1982
Street address: 830 Regatta Dr
Residence Place: Sacramento, Sacramento, California, USA
Occupation: Retired
Publication Title: Sacramento, California, City Directory, 1982

They are NOT in the 1969 Vallejo criss cross directory. Where was the Family in 1969? More importantly, their son, Richard, born circa 1938 to 1939, needs to be looked at closer.

This leaves no doubt:
Name: Richard Charles Bruno
Birth Date: 10 Oct 1937
Gender: Male
Mother’s Maiden Name: Otten
Birth County: Alameda

He was 10 yrs old at the time of the 1947 Red Phantom letter,NOT 9, I think this is the kid!!

Richard Charles Bruno
Address Last Seen
796 Scottsdale Dr, Vacaville, CA 95687 08/2007
1372 Callen St, Apt B, Vacaville, CA 95688 08/1980
142 Brockton Ct, Vacaville, CA 95687
2684 Simas Ave, Pinole, CA 94564

I buy a beer for the 1st person to find a pic of him

This leaves no doubt:
Name: Richard Charles Bruno
Birth Date: 10 Oct 1937
Gender: Male
Mother’s Maiden Name: Otten
Birth County: Alameda

He was 10 yrs old at the time of the 1947 Red Phantom letter,NOT 9, I think this is the kid!!

Richard Charles Bruno
Address Last Seen
796 Scottsdale Dr, Vacaville, CA 95687 08/2007
1372 Callen St, Apt B, Vacaville, CA 95688 08/1980
142 Brockton Ct, Vacaville, CA 95687
2684 Simas Ave, Pinole, CA 94564

I buy a beer for the 1st person to find a pic of him

In 1966, he married a woman named, MADELINE C. WILDE. They had a Daughter together, born 1970 in Contra Costa County
Not sure if it’s the same woman, but in 1964 Santa Barbara(Domingos/Edwards case), a woman named, MADELINE WILDE was attending UC Santa Barbara, and she was from BERKELEY!

MOTHER IN LAW:
Corke, Norma of Fabens died Thursday (July 20, 2000). Services were conducted in Atlanta. Survivors include her sons, Ted Wilde, Robert Wilde, Bill Corke and Mike Lafferty; her daughter, Madeline Bruno; her sister, Dorothy Williams; and many other relatives. She was preceded in death by her husband, Willie. She retired from Mortgage Investment Co. of El Paso and was a lifelong Fabens resident.

First pic of Richard Bruno- the red phantom? Sorry not better quality

The obituary fro Richard’s Aunt, check out the Lake Tahoe connection(Lass)

Stella Charline (Bruno) Canepa Aug 8, 1915 – Dec 1, 2013 Resident of Hercules On December 1, 2013, the Canepa family lost its matriarch, Stella, after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 98 years old. Born on August 8, 1915 to Pasquale and Chiara Bruno in Stirling City, California, she was raised in both the Dunsmuir area and Richmond, California. Stella spent her early years in Richmond schools, including Richmond High School where she was a spirited cheerleader! During her working years, she held jobs at People’s Market at 23rd and McDonald where her brother Richard Bruno worked as a butcher; Remar Baking Company in Emeryville where she wrapped baked goods three times faster than anyone else; and Rancho Market, owned by her brother, where she met her soul mate Enrico Canepa when she made him the best sandwiches he had ever eaten. In 1948, Stella married Enrico and moved to El Cerrito where they raised their two daughters. In 1962, she and Enrico bought property in South Lake Tahoe. Little by little, they built their charming log cabin where they hosted countless rowdy family festivities. Together, they indulged their passion for gambling and Stella’s cooking. Although Stella traveled across the United States and to nine countries in Europe, the cabin at Lake Tahoe was always her favorite. –

Good work Morf!!! The ONLY problem with Bruno is that he lived at 918 Evelyn in 1940. Same address Keating lived at in 1947. I think the family moved sometime between 1940 and 1947, but maybe they stayed in the neighborhood. Maybe they moved over to Talbot Ave.?

The pre-school you mentioned on Talbot is directly behind 918 Evelyn and is not listed in the ’40 directory because the home wasn’t built until ’46. Bruno was NOT ten in 1947, but that doesn’t mean the paper didn’t make a mistake. Did you see Brunso’s father’s occupation on the census thingy? He was a butcher! Mother Lorraine was born in Texas, you already posted plenty of info on the parents.

John Verga’s middle initial is C. if that helps. Really can’t find much on him. Being a few houses down, he still could have got these spears into Keating’s yard. The parents were listed as living in San Fran. in 1935. The older sister, Charlene Ann Verga, was born in San Fran. on Feb. 24, 1933. Mother’s maiden name was Raffanti. Mother Nellan D. (Reffanti) Verga may have later married a man named Frank L. Senor. I wonder if Charles passed away and Nellan remarried, or maybe they were divorced. Can’t find much on John so far. Maybe he later used his mother’s maiden name or the last name of Senor if his father, Charles, passes away when he was young. This could very well be Charles’ family in the 1920 census…

familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH4S-ZSG

The other kid on Talbot, Ronald Gilstrap, was born in 1936, and from what I have found on him, I don’t like him for "Pigeon Boy."

Some addresses found on John C. Verga…

John C Verga
176 Oak Creek Blvd
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
(831) 438-6405

John C Verga
1024 San Diego Rd
Santa Barbara, CA 93103

John Verga
2902 Hidalgo Ct
San Jose, CA 95125

John C Verga
15840 Old County Hwy
Boulder Creek, CA 95006
Age 76 (Born 1938)

John C Verga
2034 Colusa Way
San Jose, CA 95130
Age 76 (Born 1938)
(408) 866-5421

John C Verga
5912 Valley Dr
Felton, CA 95018
Age 76 (Born 1938)
(831) 335-0240

Here’s a possible relative for him… Maybe an uncle.

Edward R. Verga

Veteran and Jaguar enthusiast

Edward R.Verga, a World War II veteran and an active member of the Italian-American community, died Friday, June 7, at his residence in Menlo Park, where he lived for 48 years. He was 78. A memorial service will be held at 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, at the Menlo Park Chapel of Spangler Mortuaries at 655 Live Oak Ave.
Mr. Verga, a native of San Francisco, served in the U.S. Army 75th Infantry Division during World War II, relatives said, adding that Mr. Verga returned to Europe not long ago to revisit war-time sites in Belgium and France.

He married his wife Fernanda (Fern) Ferrari in 1949 in San Francisco. They moved to Menlo Park in 1955 and he went to work for what was then called the Menlo Park Sanitary District, since renamed the West Bay Sanitary District, from which he retired in the 1980s as an assistant foreman.

Mr. Verga was a member of the Jaguar Club, a club for owners of the British cars, and he owned a white 1961 Mark III Jaguar, which he restored and which won several prizes, relatives said.

Mr. Verga belonged to the Italian-American Social Club of Menlo Park and the Italian Catholic Federation #351 of Menlo Park.

His wife, Fernanda, died in 1993. Mr. Verga is survived by his daughter Carla Fagnini of Menlo Park; his son Robert of Menlo Park; and five grandchildren.

The family requests donations be made to: Mission Hospice, 151 West 20th Ave. in San Mateo, CA 94404-1301; or to the St. Raymond School, 100 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park CA 94025.

Does Richard Bruno go by the name of Joe Fabi? The pic you posted, the full pic is here and it says "Madeline (Bruno) Fabi and her husband Joe." And there is a pic of Joe Jr. graduating from the Air Force in 1955.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gzornen/47 … otostream/

EDIT: The pic you posted is Joe Fabi. He married Madeline Bruno and the pic is from 1976. I think they were from NY. In a Richard Bruno search, you will find ‘known relatives’ as Madeline Bruno age 76 and Raquel Bruno age 44… his wife and daughter I would imagine, but that is not them in the pic.