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Angus MacDonald Babcock (1901-1978) was born in Michigan on October 25th, 1901 to John Newton Babcock (born ~ 1873 in Michigan, Married ~ 1898 ~ died 1914 in Michigan) and Minnie Estelle MacDonald (Born 27 May 1875 in Michigan, died 18 August 1954 in San Mateo County, California). Angus had a sister named Helen Babcock (born ~1899).

In 1900, his mother, father and sister lived at 600 N. Madison Ave in Bay City (Bay County), Michigan. His father was a practicing homeopathic physician in Bay City who graduated in 1898 from the University of Michigan. The September 18, 1902 issue of the Pinckney Dispatch report’s, "Dr. J. Newton Babcock a young M.D. of Howell, is now in an asylum—he used cigarettes too freely." also sometime in the early 1900’s Angus’s sister Helen died of unknown causes.

In 1910, his father was a prisoner at the Michigan Reformatory at Easton (Ionia County), Michigan. In 1914 his father died of a reported suicide, during that time Angus lived with his mother's sister, Minnie and his widowed maternal grandmother (Margaret MacDonald -maiden name Huff) at 119 N. Thayer Street in Ann Arbor, a boarding house ran by his grandmother.

In the 1920's, he and his widowed maternal grandmother Margaret were living alone in an apartment at 432 S. Division Street in Ann Arbor. Angus attended The University of Michigan and graduated sometime between 1924 and 1925.

The Bentley Historical Library does have an alumni record for Angus MacDonald Babcock. It contains his student directory cards, receipts for his A.B. and A.M. diploma fee, several updates from the University of Michigan Alumni Association, and updates from the Les Voyageurs newsletters. On his 1921-1926 directory cards, he indicates his grandmother’s and his address is 515 Monroe St. in Ann Arbor. A 1931 alumni newsletter update reports that he spent six months in Chicago after graduation, then became the Assistant Art Director of Fireside Industries in Adrian, MI, “work[ing] with wood, brass, iron, directing tutors and correspondents and contributing to monthly publications. The roof at the University Hospital at Ann Arbor is decorated by Mr. Babcock. He lives at RR No. 2, Palmyra, Michigan, is married, and has one daughter, Barbara Jean.” During graduate school in 1934-1936, his address is listed as 1212 East University Ave, although his grandmother remained listed at the Monroe St. address. Again, there are a handful of clippings from the Les Voyageurs newsletters describing his activity post-graduate school.

In the early 1940's Angus lived in Bernalillo, New Mexico where he worked as a commercial artist, and while he was there, he enlisted with the US Army as a private during WWII. After the war Angus moved to California, and lived at 514 Idaho St in Santa Monica, working in the motion picture unit/visual aids group for the Douglas Aircraft Corporation.

Throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s Angus worked as an illustrator for different publications, including the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the Journal of Organic Chemistry, and Golden Gate Junior Books in San Carlos California.

Angus died on August 4th, 1978 in San Carlos (San Mateo County), California. On August 8th, 1978, his obituary ran in the Redwood City Tribune, a newspaper that closed in 1979 and became the Peninsula Times Tribune, a newspaper that closed in 1984.


References

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Katherine R. Willson Genealogist

Diana Bachman Reference Assistant -- Access and Reference Department Bentley Historical Library 1150 Beal Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2113

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