The Bureau of Pictures

In 1918, William Waddell was working as the Director of the American Red Cross Bureau of Pictures, part of the Red Cross' public relations effort. He assembled teams of photographers and cameramen and sent them to war torn and recovering regions where the American Red Cross had relief efforts. The footage was then shown in theaters for the American public to understand the work of the Red Cross.

Moving Picture World, 1918, via Google Books.

NY Tribune, 19 Jan 1919.

Source: IMDB. 

For one of the films released in 1918, Of No Use to Germany, William was quoted in The Moving Picture World. He said, "Of No Use to Germany, a single reel film about to be released by the Red Cross Bureau of Pictures, tells in striking scenes the story of Evian, refuge of homeless France and Belgium. It portrays the wonderful redemption work of the American Red Cross doctors and nurses. It will fire the patriotism and harden the will of Americans to right the terrible wrongs inflicted upon innocent and defenceless people by a barbarism without parallel in the world's history."

In 1919, the Bureau distributed a series of single reel films featuring various locations in Europe.

Brooklyn Times-Union, 18 June 1919.

 

Source: IMBD. 1919.

With this background on William's role with the American Red Cross, I'll next turn to his passport applications, and travels in Europe with Luella.

Luella's Passport

 

Ancestry. US Passport Applications. 1921.

In 1921, Luella Taylor Waddell accompanied her husband on a voyage from New York to Europe, as part of his job producing film footage for the American Red Cross. Her passport application indicates they were departing on the New Amsterdam on 26 March 1921 for France and the British Isles. The second page includes a photo and physical description of Luella at age 39.

Ancestry. US Passport Applications.

The application also included a letter from the American Red Cross explaining how Luella was traveling with her husband while he was working for the Red Cross.

Ancestry. US Passport Applications.

The First 3D Motion Pictures

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 13 June 1915.

William Waddell secured his place in motion picture history by displaying the first 3D film in 1915 for an audience with red-green glasses. He has an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for showing a 3D film at the Astor Theatre in New York on 10 June 1915.

William and Luella appear in the 1915 New Jersey Census in Keansburg. His occupation is listed as inventor.

Ancestry. NJ Census, Keansburg.

A New Movie House

 

Asbury Park Press, 28 Aug 1914.

In 1914, William Waddell, husband of Luella Taylor, went into partnership with Peter Curley on a new theater in Keansburg, New Jersey, an amusement community across the bay from Staten Island, New York. The article above provides important detail on William's employment prior to opening the theater, stating that he worked for Thomas Edison on various moving picture projects. The article hints at another bit of history that William pioneered, the first 3D motion pictures.

I have reached out to the Edison archives at Rutgers University, as there are several letters written by and to William on file among the Edison papers, but not available for viewing online. William was employed by Edison at least between 1910-1913. 

Keansburg can be seen in the Google Map below.

Keansburg, NJ. Google Maps, 13 Jan 2022.

A Thanksgiving Bride

 

NY Evening World, 28 Nov 1901

As the article above shows, Luella Taylor married William Elliot Waddell in Orange, New Jersey on 27 November 1901. William was ten years older, born on 10 February 1871 in Greenfield, Ohio. He would have been 30 when they married, she was 20.

Luella's parents were quite wealthy. Their home was called "Palm Lodge" in the article, and in the 1900 US Census, they had a coachman, two gardeners, and two servants living in the household. Her father, Thomas J. Taylor, was the son of Irish immigrants. He married Ella Garner in Manhattan on 3 November 1880. Ella's mother, Mary A. Garner, was living with the family in the 1900 US Census. I will have more on Mary in a future post.

The article indicates that Luella and William moved to Cincinnati, but they did not stay there long. The couple were back in New York a few years later. In 1908, Luella and William journeyed with her parents to Europe. They returned to New York on the RMS Mauretania, arriving on 17 July 1908.

Luella and William traveled quite extensively over the years, and they appear in the US Passport records on Ancestry. According to William's passport application, he was six feet tall. Luella was five foot ten, with gray blue eyes. I will have much more on their travels, and on William's fascinating occupation.

The scan above was from GenealogyBank. I found the same article on Newspapers.com, and the image of Luella is much better.

Luella Taylor.