John Greenwood

from Simply Saratoga Summer 2022

Carol Godette

Eleanor Anne KRESSE

Photo (right): Eleanor Roosevelt, Mrs. Lucille Kresse, her husband Al Kresse holding baby Eleanor, Mrs. William J. Patten, mother of Mrs.Kresse; and Rev. Ralph W. Kelly. In the background is Mrs. Charles J. Kresse, mother of Al Kresse. They are standing on the steps of the First Methodist Church on Washington St.

WRITTEN BY JOHN R. GREENWOOD | PHOTOS PROVIDED

Eleanor Anne Kresse was born on November 8, 1940, at the Saratoga Hospital.

On June 7, 1941, she was baptized at the First Methodist Church on Washington St. The Saratogian documented the event with a photograph. Why was this christening a newsworthy event? The caption beneath the photo explains it best, and reading it led me to this story: Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, extreme left, stops outside the Methodist Church after coming to Saratoga Springs for the christening of seven-month-old Eleanor Anne Kresse, held by her father, Al W., as Mrs. Kresse, the former Lucille Madeline Patten, looks on. Also in the picture are Mrs. William J. Patten, mother of Mrs. Kresse, and the Rev. Ralph W. Kelly, who performed the ceremony. In the background is Mrs. Charles J. Kresse, Higginsville, MO., mother of Mr. Kresse. (Gurtler Photo) I stumbled upon the photograph while researching a story related to the Civilian Conservation Corps. Knowing Eleanor Roosevelt had visited Saratoga during her husband, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's term, I had to learn more. I found a more detailed Saratogian article written the day after the event. Here are a few excerpts: Eleanor Anne Kresse, the seven-month-old daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Al W. Kresse, 91 White St., will have something to tell her friends about when she grows up. In the first place, she is named in honor of the nation's First Lady. Secondly, she broke the traditional custom of baptisms; she didn't cry. The President's wife held the baby during the ceremony performed by the Rev. Ralph W. Kelly and afterward said, "The baby is the most beautiful I ever saw." After the christening, Mrs. Roosevelt signed autograph books for Betsy Elmore, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus B. Elmore, and Mary Ann Kelly, daughter of the minister and Mrs. Kelly, who also attended the event. Mrs. Roosevelt, who motored here from Hyde Park with her secretary, Miss Malvina Thompson, was dressed in a twotone orchid and purple crepe silk costume with a matching picture hat. A few guests sat in the rear of the church while Detective Walter F. A'Hearn, in plain clothes, stood guard at the door. News of the event spread quickly, and a sizable crowd gathered on Washington St. to watch the group exiting the church. After discovering this snippet of history, I couldn't help but wonder if little Eleanor Anne was still alive, and if she was, could I find her? I would soon have the answers to both questions. I will never forget that January 3, 2022, phone call; it was noon in Saratoga Springs, 9 am in Tacoma, Washington, 2,892 miles away. When I dialed Eleanor Bailey's number, the time difference never occurred to me. An internet search provided the name, address, phone number, and estimated age of Eleanor Anne Kresse. Eleanor Bailey was her married name. If she were still alive, she would be over 80 years old. What were the odds that the number I'd found on the internet was still active or that Eleanor Anne Kresse Bailey would answer the phone if it were? I was about to hang up the phone when a pleasant voice answered, "Hello." "Hello, my name is John Greenwood. I'm calling from Saratoga Springs, New York. Is this Eleanor Bailey?" "Yes, I'm Eleanor." "Were you born in Saratoga Springs? "Why yes, yes I was." "Are you the Eleanor Kresse whose godmother was Eleanor Roosevelt?"

Grainy newspaper memento from 1962 of Eleanor Bailey’s and her daughter Lucy looking at the birthday check.

"Yes, Mrs. Roosevelt was my godmother; what a surprise, nobody's mentioned that in years!"

I was so stunned to be talking to that baby girl from the 1941 photograph that it took a minute for me to gain my composure. Next, I needed to assure Eleanor of my intentions. I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable talking to a stranger about her past. She must have sensed my sincerity, and within seconds we were talking like two old friends from the neighborhood. It was the most exciting conversation you could imagine. I jotted down notes at a feverish pace. I finally asked Eleanor if she would consider doing a recorded interview with me. She agreed without hesitation. She said her daughter Lucy would be stopping by shortly, and she'd have her call me to set up a day and time. She also wanted a day or two to collect some memorabilia that might interest me. The call was getting better by the sentence. Three days later, Eleanor, Lucy, and I got on the phone and did a cross-country interview. From this point forward, I will refer to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt as ER and Eleanor Kresse Bailey as Eleanor. I wanted to know the relationship between the Roosevelts and the Kresses that would result in ER being godmother to one of the Kresse children. According to Eleanor, her father Alfred (Al) Kresse was in charge of the Civilian Conservation Camp at the Saratoga Battlefield in 1940 when President Roosevelt and First Lady ER visited Saratoga Springs. When ER discovered Al and his wife Lucille were expecting a baby, the First Lady said she'd like to be the baby's godmother. A month later, Eleanor Anne Kresse was born, and when the baby was christened the following June in 1941, ER was there. When I asked Eleanor if her middle name was Ann, Anne, or Anna, she chuckled. When ER asked her father Al what they named the baby, she said he told her Eleanor Anne after her. ER replied, "Well, you know my real name is actually Anna Eleanor." The First Lady handled the couple's understandable error with style and grace. This attribute is what made her such a beloved figure. Eleanor said her parents became close friends with the President and First Lady. She said after the Saratoga Battlefield, her father was assigned to manage another CCC Camp, and the family found themselves without a place to stay between moves. The Roosevelts insisted they come and stay at the Whitehouse in the interim. Eleanor was twoyears-old at the time. Eleanor's mother told her that security guards would be standing along the pea stone driveway when she would play outside the White House quarters where they were staying. They would remain at attention with their hands folded behind their backs. Little Eleanor would bend down, select a pretty stone, and place it in their hands. They would remain statue-still until the little girl was safely back inside the Whitehouse, and only then would they drop the little gift back into the drive. In November of 1962, Eleanor Kresse's christening photograph reappeared in The Saratogian. In bold letters above the photo, it said, "Mrs. Roosevelt remembered godchild in spite of serious illness." The article explained that Mrs. Roosevelt would send a check or a gift to her godchild on her birthday every year. Eleanor Bailey, now twenty-two, married with children, knew Mrs. Roosevelt had been ill, so she did not expect a gift. Sadly, Mrs. Roosevelt passed away the day before her godchild's birthday. The family was stunned when a check post-dated November 8 arrived in the mail after ER's passing. The postmark on the envelope dated November 6, 1962. The First Lady died on November 7. In true Anna Eleanor Roosevelt's character, she had not forgotten her goddaughter. News of the check traveled across the country. I've included a grainy Tacoma News Tribune photograph of Eleanor Bailey's daughter Lucy handing her the check. Amazingly, Eleanor Bailey still has the original and gladly sent me a photo to prove it. Eleanor told me another delightful story about her experiences as ER's godchild. In the fourth grade, she received a beautiful sweater set from ER for her birthday. The excited fourth-grader couldn't wait to wear it to school the next day. When she entered the classroom, the teacher commented on the sweater and asked who'd given her such a lovely gift. She replied, "Mrs. Roosevelt sent it to me for my birthday." The teacher bristled at being lied to and became angry. Years later, after reading the news about her former student receiving her birthday check, the teacher realized that Eleanor had been telling the truth. It was then, over a decade later, that Eleanor received an apology phone call from the embarrassed educator. Further research revealed that Eleanor's father, Al was the National Park Service Superintendent at the Spa State Reservation in 1937 when Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt had dinner with his men. Days before Christmas that same year, the men received their annual Christmas present marked, "Not to be opened until Christmas." Superintendent Kresse indicated the men would be sending a letter of thanks to the White House. Al Kresse's next assignment was the CCC Camp at the Saratoga Battlefield. In the October 9, 1940 edition of Eleanor Roosevelt's "My Day," the First Lady writes of her and the President stopping at the Watervliet Arsenal. New York Governor Herbert Lehman joined them. The group then drove north to the Saratoga Battlefield and met with Al Kresse and his staff to tour the sites being considered for the Battlefield's Administration Building. "They sat in the car at the top of the hill. The entire staff working on the development of Saratoga Battlefield Park was with them and discussed all that would be done in the surrounding fields to make this battlefield of historical interest to the public." This story encouraged me to research more about First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. That is what history does to you. I want to thank Eleanor Bailey and her daughter Lucy for their time and generosity in sharing their family's relationship and history with the Roosevelts.