According to John, he first came to Port Royal in 1898, while in the Auxiliary Naval Force. In 1899, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy at Port Royal. In 1900, John married Lillian in a little church in Port Royal. In 1901, his son, Lester, was born in Port Royal. In 1902, John was detailed to Norfolk, VA, but the family stayed in the Port Royal area. While in Norfolk, John's enlistment expired. He made his way back to Port Royal where he re-enlisted in the Navy a few months later.
In 1902, the Navy decided to close down facilities at Parris Island and move them to Charleston. However, the move wasn't completed until sometime around 1905/06. During this time, John was actively involved in transferring tugs and equipment from Parris Island to Charleston. It appears that Lillian and the children moved to Gloucester during this period as John's re-enlistment in 1907 indicates Gloucester is his home and Lillian is living there. We know that as late as Jan. 1904, Lillian was still living in the Port Royal vicinity as son Elwood was born on St. Helena Island in the area now known as Frogmore (after a plantation that was there at the time). We also know, that around the end of 1905 or beginning of 1906, Lillian's mother and father left the Beaufort area and moved to Maryland. So it may be that Lillian did not wish to stay in the area alone with John on the go so much. And it may have been that John needed time to get things squared away in the Charleston area before he could move his family there. We do know that by 1908, they are all living in the Chicora area, which is the name of the area outside the oldest section of what used to be the Charleston Navy Yard.
