Canal Zone: Postal History

spain1850 , I took the liberty of doing a little genealogy on Louis Charles Brannen to see who he was and what he did. It looks like this post card from his brother John, was mailed in 1909 when Louis was about 12 years old. Louis was born in 1897.

I found his draft WWI draft card. He was registered for the draft on June 1,1918, in Alleghany Co. Pennsylvania and the card lists the French Government as his employer. The card also notes his brother John as his nearest living relative. Louis had blue eyes, brown hair and was noted as being of medium height.


"United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-L1N1-38P?cc=1968530&wc=9F8Q-92Q%3A928312701%2C928362901 : 25 August 2019), Pennsylvania > Allegheny County no 1; A-D > image 694 of 1860; citing NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

spain1850, I also found a photo of his grave stone on Find-a-grave. It is old and looks similar to types of grave markers you see during that early 20th century time frame and of a type of stone often associated with veteran's graves. So, it is possible that he was killed in WWI, however, I did not find a record of his death and the grave stone, even when I look at it at higher magnification is almost impossible to read. I want to say that it is 1918 but there is only the vaguest hint of text on the stone just because of the material. One would have to do a rubbing in order to establish what the year of death is on the stone.

www.findagrave.com/memorial/171322178/louis-c-brannen

I wonder if his brother was in Panama as a worker on the canal or did he have a more significant role? It would be interesting to explore.

While I have been to Gatun a number of times, I once spent the night in Gatun in 1997.  The house was vacant with no furniture, but cots were provided.  By then I don't think there were any people living there.  It was a nice town, though.  Gatun existed primarily as housing for both American workers who worked in Cristobal, which was a huge logistics hub as well as home to many offices of the Panama Canal, as well as for those who worked at the Gatun locks.  In fact at one point there was need for additional housing, so the township of Margarita was created which was actually closer to Cristobal than Gatun.

Mail posted on ships would be dropped off at Cristobal.



Fort Clayton was one of the main US Army bases in Panama.  It sat practically on the banks of the Panama Canal.  
The Jesuit Ruins are known in Panama as the Arco Chato or "flat arch", because it is the first incidence of a flat arch being used to build buildings.  The entrance, which is partially obscured in the image has the flat arch.