1914 Apperson Jackrabbit Wooldridge Family History
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I am always looking for any information or parts for 1914 Apperson Jackrabbit.
This a little bit of my history and a lot of the Apperson history. I would never have dreamed that I would be able to find so much history on my Apperson. It has been a honor to bring the Wells and Baum family history with the Apperson to light.
My family the Wooldridge's purchased the Apperson in 1977-8. We took it to several local mall shows in Pinellas County where we met Lawrence Baum from Hastings Michigan, who found the car in 1954 running a wood working shop in Woodbury Michigan on the Wells farm. The drive shaft was disconnected at the transmission and a pulley installed to drive the overhead belt system for the wood working machines. He paid $150 for it and spent additional $1,500 restoring the dilapidated but rare Apperson in 1954-6. He and his wife took it all over Michigan on tours and shows in the 1950's and 60's.
In 1978 or 79 we had to park the Apperson because a tire blew out just setting in the garage . The tires had been on the cars since 1955. My Dad passed in 1980 and I got promotion at work and started traveling across the country. Then got married in 1988. I never thought it would 30 years before I would get it back on the road in 2010.
We moved to Melbourne FL in 2000 to be near my wifes Mom and Dad so we could help them. My Mom also moved with us. My wife and I separated in 2006 at that time I found out that my Mom had Alzheimer's and I was her care giver for two years. She passed in November 2008 and in October 2008 my devoice was final. At that point I went from not knowing which way to go, to the only one I had to answer to was myself.
In 2009 I decided to get the Apperson Back on the road. In 2010, after repair of a fan failure that went into the radiator. I was lucky I had the hood off or it could have been worse. I was able to get the radiator fixed locally since it was just nicked in three or four placed but the fan was shot. I had to get parts a fan, form a 1913 REO I think, the blades were almost a perfect match but the hub was a little off so I had my hub mated to the blades and had one built to match mine.
I also replaced the tires which had been on the Apperson since 1955 over 55 years. They were dry rotted and not flexible any more so removal was very big job. I had to cut one to get it off.
After the fan was repaired and new tires installed I have been doing local tours with it. It threw a rod bearing on one of the tours I was on. I got it repaired enough to take on my (trip) up north, but determined that the engine would need to be rebuilt. I have it a shop in St Petersburg who is doing the work. More to come in the rebuild pages.
In 2011 I got an email from the granddaughter of Lawrence (Karen Pederson) asking if my Apperson was the one her grandfather had owned. It turned out that it was and that started me on quest to find out as much history about my Apperson as I could.
March 2015 I got an email from Curt Wells. He said his Grandfather W.R. Wells and Father Irol Wells had owned the Apperson before Lawrence Baum and he still has the original owners manual to this Apperson. So I am slowly filling more history on this Apperson.
The Apperson starting with the Wells family to the Baum (Pederson) family and then the Wooldridge family is shown on the Wells and Baum family pages.
I got in touch with Lindley Kessler from Gresham Nebraska who has parts for at least 4 or 5 Apperson 3 of which are 1914's. He was kind enough to loan me parts that I needed for the starter system and spare tire brackets, all of which I was able to get cast and use on my car. Thanks to him and his advice and knowledge of Apperson's my car will be on the road many more years.
My next goal is to make the trip again in 2017 after the Apperson is back on the road. I want the Wells family to see the Apperson and see that what their family started and the Baum family keep going. Is still and being keep alive by me.
I owe thanks to so many people who have helped and encouraged me showing so much hospitality where ever I have gone with the Apperson. I will never be able to thank them enough for all they have done for me.
My family the Wooldridge's purchased the Apperson in 1977-8. We took it to several local mall shows in Pinellas County where we met Lawrence Baum from Hastings Michigan, who found the car in 1954 running a wood working shop in Woodbury Michigan on the Wells farm. The drive shaft was disconnected at the transmission and a pulley installed to drive the overhead belt system for the wood working machines. He paid $150 for it and spent additional $1,500 restoring the dilapidated but rare Apperson in 1954-6. He and his wife took it all over Michigan on tours and shows in the 1950's and 60's.
In 1978 or 79 we had to park the Apperson because a tire blew out just setting in the garage . The tires had been on the cars since 1955. My Dad passed in 1980 and I got promotion at work and started traveling across the country. Then got married in 1988. I never thought it would 30 years before I would get it back on the road in 2010.
We moved to Melbourne FL in 2000 to be near my wifes Mom and Dad so we could help them. My Mom also moved with us. My wife and I separated in 2006 at that time I found out that my Mom had Alzheimer's and I was her care giver for two years. She passed in November 2008 and in October 2008 my devoice was final. At that point I went from not knowing which way to go, to the only one I had to answer to was myself.
In 2009 I decided to get the Apperson Back on the road. In 2010, after repair of a fan failure that went into the radiator. I was lucky I had the hood off or it could have been worse. I was able to get the radiator fixed locally since it was just nicked in three or four placed but the fan was shot. I had to get parts a fan, form a 1913 REO I think, the blades were almost a perfect match but the hub was a little off so I had my hub mated to the blades and had one built to match mine.
I also replaced the tires which had been on the Apperson since 1955 over 55 years. They were dry rotted and not flexible any more so removal was very big job. I had to cut one to get it off.
After the fan was repaired and new tires installed I have been doing local tours with it. It threw a rod bearing on one of the tours I was on. I got it repaired enough to take on my (trip) up north, but determined that the engine would need to be rebuilt. I have it a shop in St Petersburg who is doing the work. More to come in the rebuild pages.
In 2011 I got an email from the granddaughter of Lawrence (Karen Pederson) asking if my Apperson was the one her grandfather had owned. It turned out that it was and that started me on quest to find out as much history about my Apperson as I could.
March 2015 I got an email from Curt Wells. He said his Grandfather W.R. Wells and Father Irol Wells had owned the Apperson before Lawrence Baum and he still has the original owners manual to this Apperson. So I am slowly filling more history on this Apperson.
The Apperson starting with the Wells family to the Baum (Pederson) family and then the Wooldridge family is shown on the Wells and Baum family pages.
I got in touch with Lindley Kessler from Gresham Nebraska who has parts for at least 4 or 5 Apperson 3 of which are 1914's. He was kind enough to loan me parts that I needed for the starter system and spare tire brackets, all of which I was able to get cast and use on my car. Thanks to him and his advice and knowledge of Apperson's my car will be on the road many more years.
My next goal is to make the trip again in 2017 after the Apperson is back on the road. I want the Wells family to see the Apperson and see that what their family started and the Baum family keep going. Is still and being keep alive by me.
I owe thanks to so many people who have helped and encouraged me showing so much hospitality where ever I have gone with the Apperson. I will never be able to thank them enough for all they have done for me.
The links below are since the Wooldridge family owned the Apperson.
