Does anyone know what happened to Rube's brother Johnson Foster?

Rube's other brother Johnson Foster, I can't find him after the 1900 census, but ran across an interesting article today in the April 12, 1907 Yakima Herald, that mentioned First Baseman J Foster of the Yakima Black Stockings. It seemed strange, so many Foster's in the world and all. I would have dismissed it as a peculiarity, but Rube's half-brother Willie Foster founded another black baseball team in Yakima Valley, the Washington Browns in 1937. Just curious if anyone can help me with this subject, thanks in advance, respectfully, Ty

[vthobby]

Ty,

I don't think Johnson had a bball connection like Rube as references to him are rare.
I found a SABR reference:
only he and two of his siblings, Christiana (born 1877) and Johnson (born 1884) survived until adulthood. The lives of Foster’s other siblings were taken by tuberculosis, a disease that undoubtedly impacted young Andrew’s interest in baseball. Foster himself said that “if it hadn’t been for playing ball and living outdoors, I don’t suppose I’d (be) here today.” [4] Physicians during Foster’s childhood indeed felt that spending time outdoors was the only way to avoid catching tuberculosis, a belief that only affirmed Foster’s interest in baseball.
Found a pic of Rube's gravestone in hopes to see Johnson on it also but no luck.
Good luck, mike

This is not the first time I have run across a baseball team and wondered "Why have I never heard of them?". Got the answers to two questions after a quick visit to Yakima Public Library. A bit of a drive, but I made a day of it.

First, who is 1907 Yakima Black Stocking firstbaseman J. Foster? He was L. James Foster a "bus driver" for the owner of the Washington Hotel in Yakima, Charles Connell, according to the 1907 & 1908 City Directory. Not Johnson Foster, oh well.

Second, why have I not heard of the Black Stockings? I'm sure people in Yakima would like to forget this team, as star pitcher William M. Knox was convicted of manslaughter according to September 21, 1910 Yakima Herald. Strangely he was not sentenced, perhaps determined to be self-defense. He registered for WW1; occupation on his registration was Minister/Janitor in Chicago 1917.

All in all a fun day at the library! Many interesting characters on this team including William Clark Lytle, longtime Oakland barber. I'll list players, positions, and personalities after another week of microfiche. Thank you all.

This took a while longer than originally anticipated but here's a social history of the 1907 Yakima Black Stockings. Like many of these very early Washington state black baseball teams very few games are recorded, so I did more research on people rather than boxscores.

First mention off the Yakima Black Stockings occurs April 12, 1907 in the Yakima Daily Republic, the article includes a crude roster with many misspellings. They played a game versus the Outlook Haymakers shortly before May 1, as a thank you letter from Black Stockings manager IB Turnell is printed in the YDR, without mention of his team or results of the game, only that Outlook played a fine brand of ball. On May 15, 1907 in the Yakima Herald, a new roster was released by the team. I managed to cobble together their lineup from Yakima City Directories 1906-09, and articles on the opening of a black fraternal order, Baptist and AME church and those related to players on the 1907 Yakima Black Stockings roster.

Players were a cross section of the overall black population in Yakima which numbered about 250; porters, miners, a horse trainer, a steel worker, students, a barber, and other blue-collar laborers. The team consisted of younger men in their teens to older men in their mid-thirties. Some were victims of crime and others were criminals. Some had been in the area for more than a decade, and others had only recently come to town, much like any town team of the day. Many did not stay long, and only one man on the original roster stayed in town his entire life, 1907 Black Stockings centerfielder Herbert H. Jones (1878-1948).

1907 Yakima Black Stockings:

LD Thompson, Catcher and Captain; Thompson was a Roslyn miner for nearly a decade before he relocated to Yakima in 1907. He was also a member of the local black fraternal order and appointed "Esteemed Lecturing Knight of BPOE Lodge 108" (3-28-1907, Yakima Daily Republic). He was presumably replaced as catcher for the Roslyn Stars by a 14 year old Jimmy Claxton and William "Biscuits" Henry. Claxton's story is well-known, but not "Biscuits" According to Roslyn historian Joyce Craven, "His family was very poor, and the nickname referred to the burlap sack stuffed with biscuits he used as a catcher's mitt." (Interview of Joyce Craven by Ty Phelan and Mark Nitchman, 11-13-2012) William "Biscuits" Henry played in Roslyn until at least 1930.

L. James Foster, First Base and Alvin Price, Extra; These two ballplayers were involved in separate physical confrontations off the field with members of a "well dressed" gang of black pimps in Yakima hilariously known as the "dude brigade". Foster's assailant Arthur Caldwell was charged with attempted murder (3-18-08, Yakima Daily Republic), while Price beat the heck out of Julius Pendleton (8-17-07, Yakima Daily Republic), the incident was considered self-defense.

William Clark Lytle, Left Field; Lytle owned a barber shop in Yakima located in the oldest building downtown, the Guilland house built in 1878. In a remarkable chain of events, he was arrested after the Price/Pendleton scuffle when Pendleton sought refuge in his barbershop. When the police arrived to arrest him, they also took Lytle into custody when the shop owner insisted they have a warrant to arrest his patron. The barber was allegedly holding a razor and one can see how this probably escalated quickly. He was charged with interfering with an officer and fined $10. (8-17-07, Yakima Daily Republic) Then his barbershop mysteriously burned. (9-9-07, Yakima Daily Republic) And, after a particularly fiery speech by South Carolina Senator "Pitchfork" Tillman in Yakima about the 'the negro problem' and the repealing of the 15th Amendment his shop was again set afire for a second time in a month.(9-28-07, Yakima Daily Republic)He had enough and relocated to Northern California and later Oakland, California.

William M. Knox, Pitcher; As mentioned above Knox was convicted of manslaughter for the July 1910 murder of a man named Plaza in a downtown saloon. (9-21-10, Yakima Herald) Strangely he was not sentenced, and he moved on to a relatively quiet life as a "minister/janitor" in the Chicago area.

Herbert H. Jones (1878-1948), Centerfielder; An excellent horse trainer, born in Kentucky who moved to Ellensburg, and later Yakima as a very young man. He won one of the first derby races held at the Washington State Fair in Yakima in 1908. He broke horses for the US Army during World War I at Camp Lewis, returned and remained in the Yakima Valley after his service. His 1948 obituary reads, "In the death of Herbert H. Jones, for all his life a humble toiler, Yakima loses one of its workers to whom fidelity to duty was an unvarying rule..... For a quarter century he worked for the Northern Pacific, as a red cap and freight handler. From the day he entered the NP's employ, Jones considered himself an integral part of the rail line. It was his railroad. He was interested in anything that touched it and in all its workers. It is no wonder that when his funeral services were held yesterday they were attended by some of the railroad executives for whom he had worked. There are not many workers of Jones' type, high as regard in which they are always held." (8-10-48, Yakima Daily Republic)

Other players to be studied later, but amazing what you can find out about a team without a single box-score. Just a little time and research....

[tjb1952tjb]

........for the interesting read. Looking forward to more "details" of the other players.Nice job!

[Shoebox]

Originally Posted by tjb1952tjb

........for the interesting read. Looking forward to more "details" of the other players.Nice job!

+1

[seattlerainiers]

Fantastic research Ty, thanks for sharing!

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Thanks for sharing this information. I love learning about the history of the game. Oddly enough I had not heard of Jimmy Claxton.