Felix was born in Canada. He grew up in Maine. Felix served in the Army. He’s buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Who was Felix? He was the middle of five Vayo brothers, born just over two years after great-grandpa George Vayo.

Of the five brothers, four were born in Maine. Felix, however, was born in Canada. Try as I might, I can’t figure out why. His mother, Olive, was born in Maine. His father, Joseph, was born in Quebec but relocated to Maine in time to marry Olive on Christmas Day 1871.

Finding records isn’t always easy. Especially when names are misspelled, such as on this “vague” 1880 Census form:

Let’s start with the family’s surname:

The census taker was told Vayo, but wrote down “Vague,” which is sort of funny I guess. Poor little Felix, his first name ends up as Phelix.

Dad Joseph is 30 and works in a sawmill. He was born in Canada. Mama Olive was born in Maine (Orono) and was 27 when the census taker knocked on their door. In 1880, four of her five sons had been born, and she listed her job as “keeping house.” The youngest son at the time? Franklin Paul.

Those last three columns on the right: the first lists Country of Birth, with Joseph and Felix’s listings as Canada. The other two columns are for Father’s Country of Birth followed by Mother’s Country of Birth.

The family lived in Brewer at the time, which is near Bangor, Maine.

Felix worked at a sawmill like his father for a few years, but was injured:

The very next year, Felix enlisted in the Army for a three-year hitch. He wrote to a friend back home, who passed along the update to the local newspaper for its March 26, 1903 edition:

Sidebar: The spelling of Porto Rico in the above article is not a typo. For several decades, the island’s name was, indeed, spelled that way, according to this article in the Warren, Ohio, Tribune Chronicle.

Older brother George also liked to submit ideas to the local paper.

It seems one letter to Felix took a long while to arrive:

Felix did quite a lot of traveling in his career with the Army: the Philippines, Cuba, Porto Rice, Mexico, and China. During World War I, he was a cavalry instructor at Camp Dix in New Jersey.

Felix married Edith Grace Grout in Burlington, Vermont, on December 9, 1915. Their ready-made-family included Edith’s 12-year-old daughter, Beryl.

In 1923, he made one more trip home to Maine to visit family and friends. He may have known then his remaining years were limited, as he was treated for chronic myocarditis the final five years of his life.

Felix passed away on September 1, 1928 in the hospital at the Old Soldier’s Home and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He was just 50 years old.

I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for any photos of Felix, Edith, or Beryl that may exist. We’ll always be on the lookout for the story of Felix’s Canadian birthplace, too.

Rest in peace, Master Sergeant Felix Vayo.

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