Just this week, another snippet of genealogy history for my family has made its way to my inbox. Yes, another kidnapping has happened. Ok, so it happened in 1782. However, the tale easily brought thoughts of horror at the events that took place on the CLOCK farm outside of present day Pittsburgh.
History reveals to the readers of today the struggles of the Indians as the white settlers moved west. As the western part of Pennsylvania became open for settlement, many Scot-Irish, including those who share my blood, moved to the area. Times were tough for these settlers. They had to clear the land, and build crude cabins. They had to plant crops and wait for a harvest. They had to be on the lookout for trouble, which usually came in the form of Indian attacks. They had to survive.
Who can blame the Indians? Treaties with them were routinely broken by the government. Their world was rapidly changing as more and more settlers came to claim the land while Indians believed the land belonged to no one person.
The settlers had to watch daily for Indian attacks. Usually these attacks were confined to the warmer months when living off the land was easier. The Indians had been made promises by the British if they would assist them in the Revolution in fighting against the patriots who so wanted their freedom from the power across the pond. This alliance proved quite deadly for the early settlers. Now, the Indians could savagely attack and butcher said patriots without fear of retaliation from the British. Unfortunately, for the Indians, the retaliation from mad-as-a-hornet Scotsmen or Irishmen or Frenchmen whose families were slaughtered seemed much worse.
Here is a snapshot of the newest Indian kidnapping and slaughter to come to my attention, thanks to cousin Susan.
Henry POTTER's young 10 year old daughter, Isabella, had gone to visit neighbors as was oft the case of the times. Women and children had a habit of banding together when the men were off from their hastily constructed cabins. Some roving Indians heard the men felling some trees and quickly killed them. They then went to the cabin with the women and children around and either killed them or took them captive. The gory details of the attack has been preserved by historians and can be read in full.
What horrors did young Isabella see as she watched her friends' heads being dashed against rocks or trees or brutally slaughtered? What horrors did she and her mother endure as they were kidnapped by these Indians and held for 18 months? The history books say they lived a life of drudgery. No doubt that is putting it mildly.
A search party led by George VALLANDIGHAM followed the events of that tragic day. While this particular search had to end when the Indians crossed over the Ohio River, other treks led by George VALLANDIGHAM were successful.
Why the interest of this story to me? The names POTTER and VALLANDIGHAM are intertwined with my beloved genealogy.
I have a cousin, Rachel DICKSON b. 1820 who married a Robert POTTER b. abt 1815. The DICKSON family lived in the same little area as the Henry POTTER family and others who share my blood. I suspect that the young Isabella could have been a cousin of Robert.
Robert is listed as the son of Adam POTTER (1788-1870) whose name is mentioned on several public family trees on Ancestry.com. By the time of the 1850 census which lists the names of the house occupants, Robert is gone and living with his bride. The 1820 census for Adam does show one male below the age of 10, so it is conceivable that Robert is this child. More evidence to support Robert being the son of Adam is found in Cushing's book where it states that Adam POTTER with sons Robert and Adam are remembered as residents before 1820 in North Fayette.
Adam POTTER was an attorney in the area and his name is listed as an executor for the will of Henry POTTER. I will speculate they were brothers. After all, how many POTTER families living in the general area of Noblestown in the late 1700s thru the 1800s weren't related?
Just to make these snippet shots even more interesting in my research, Isabella later married Robert BIGHAM (1805-1893). Robert married Jane GLENN (1812-1889), a cousin of mine through her grandfather who we share.
On to the VALLANDIGHAM connection----
My grandpa fought in the Washington Co Militia under the command of George VALLANDIGHAM. This is documented through the PA Archives. Other stories have surfaced over the years where my grandpa was also part of the group of men that hunted Indians that raided the area and massacred the settlers. The VALLANDIGHAM family were friends of my family as Clement, son of George VALLANDIGHAM and Elizabeth NOBLE, and Rebecca LAIRD (Clement's wife) raised my cousin after the untimely death of Rebecca's sister.
Rebecca's sister, Eleanor LAIRD, died shortly after the birth of her only child, Margaret Eleanor Laird Vallandigham HENRY. Margaret was the daughter of Samuel Smith HENRY who later becomes an Ohio State Representative. An old letter details how Samuel would visit his child and provided for her and her future education. Ahh, but that is another story for another day.
Now you can understand why the story of Isabella's kidnapping caught my attention. Perhaps her story will give you pause to reflect on the blood shed in the making of our great country.
Ahh, genealogy. Life flows on and on through our blood of the past.
Sources:
Cushing, Thomas. History of Allegheny Co, Chicago: A Warner Company, 1889
Larimer, Rev Bob. A 200th Anniversary of Noblestown
Allegheny County Will Book 3
Probate Index, Holmes Co, OH
©2012 AS Eldredge
Ahhh, genealogy. A glimpse of the past shows of what I am made.....
Friday, March 16, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Wordless Wednesday: On Living and Dying in Old Pittsburgh Area
Two years and folks are still dying to get in the index!
My favorite brainchild genealogy project recently celebrated its 2nd anniversary as the volunteers from our Allegheny County Rootsweb mail list are still feverishly working to index the deaths, marriages and divorces from old Pittsburgh area newspapers. I've wondered just how many bottles of Visine we have purchased since then?
The wonderful volunteers deserve a huge pat on the back as over 85,000 death entries and over 24,000 marriages have been indexed and placed online for all to dig through.
During the last two years, our adventures have expanded to include a World War I military personnel index which has over 73,000 entries. Also added was a great 1893 article on the boys of Co. E from the "Recent Unpleasantness" that some of my readers might call the Civil War.
In addition, we've added a number of articles on World War I which provide an everyday look in to the lives of wartime Pittsburgh men and women as they served overseas during the 1918-1919 timeframe.
And just to really make you fall on your knees and pray for those children who were sent to the House of Refuge which later became Morganza, we've been searching for articles on the institution and for as many names as we can locate and placing it online. Some of the tales are just so heart wrenching.
Check out all we've done here: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/index.html
You can also find the indexes here: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/death-index.htm
Note while the date of last update reflected on the main index page is November 2011, the individual updates were last completed in mid February 2012.
Ahh, genealogy. What great volunteers there are to make old news "new" for us and to render genealogy buffs "wordless" in appreciation.
©2012 AS Eldredge
My favorite brainchild genealogy project recently celebrated its 2nd anniversary as the volunteers from our Allegheny County Rootsweb mail list are still feverishly working to index the deaths, marriages and divorces from old Pittsburgh area newspapers. I've wondered just how many bottles of Visine we have purchased since then?
The wonderful volunteers deserve a huge pat on the back as over 85,000 death entries and over 24,000 marriages have been indexed and placed online for all to dig through.
During the last two years, our adventures have expanded to include a World War I military personnel index which has over 73,000 entries. Also added was a great 1893 article on the boys of Co. E from the "Recent Unpleasantness" that some of my readers might call the Civil War.
In addition, we've added a number of articles on World War I which provide an everyday look in to the lives of wartime Pittsburgh men and women as they served overseas during the 1918-1919 timeframe.
And just to really make you fall on your knees and pray for those children who were sent to the House of Refuge which later became Morganza, we've been searching for articles on the institution and for as many names as we can locate and placing it online. Some of the tales are just so heart wrenching.
Check out all we've done here: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/index.html
You can also find the indexes here: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/death-index.htm
Note while the date of last update reflected on the main index page is November 2011, the individual updates were last completed in mid February 2012.
Ahh, genealogy. What great volunteers there are to make old news "new" for us and to render genealogy buffs "wordless" in appreciation.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Upcoming Genealogy Workshop in York, PA Set for April 14
One of my dear sweet cousins who shares my McCLAIN blood called recently to chat about some of our dearly departed kin and to share his news.
Dear sweet Frank tells me he has become extremely active with the local genealogy folks as a volunteer at the Family History Center located in York. Not only that, but dear sweet Frank is also a speaker at the upcoming Susquehanna Valley Family History Conference in York, PA on April 14, 2012!
Here is Frank's topic:
Creating Your Own Book Using PAF – Frank Long – This presentation will equip a genealogist/researcher with the tools to convert a bland set of facts and images into an exciting and attractive book. A step–by–step process will be covered with suggested dos and don’ts.
Dear sweet Frank also tells me that keynote speakers Don and Jeanine Hartman are great presenters who will talk about Genealogy on a Shoe String. Boy, don't we all want to know those secrets! Since I am unfamiliar with the speakers, I took a quick peak at their family website which contains something like 719,000 individuals.
Local newspaper editor Jim McClure is an accomplished historian who has published many books on the York area and is also scheduled to speak.
All this fun stuff is making my mouth water. Wish I could go, but perhaps dear sweet Frank will take notes for me?
In the event you are planning to be in the York area in mid April, or if you are looking for a fun weekend trip, head on out to the conference.
Oh, and thanks Frank for the kind words you said to me on the phone. You see, dear sweet Frank gives me a heartfelt hug for really jump starting his research and being his sounding board over the years. Keep on and never give up.
Ahh, genealogy. Those tidbits of information that come in from time to time are our lifeline to the past and give us hugs from our dearly departed.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Dear sweet Frank tells me he has become extremely active with the local genealogy folks as a volunteer at the Family History Center located in York. Not only that, but dear sweet Frank is also a speaker at the upcoming Susquehanna Valley Family History Conference in York, PA on April 14, 2012!
Here is Frank's topic:
Creating Your Own Book Using PAF – Frank Long – This presentation will equip a genealogist/researcher with the tools to convert a bland set of facts and images into an exciting and attractive book. A step–by–step process will be covered with suggested dos and don’ts.
Dear sweet Frank also tells me that keynote speakers Don and Jeanine Hartman are great presenters who will talk about Genealogy on a Shoe String. Boy, don't we all want to know those secrets! Since I am unfamiliar with the speakers, I took a quick peak at their family website which contains something like 719,000 individuals.
Local newspaper editor Jim McClure is an accomplished historian who has published many books on the York area and is also scheduled to speak.
All this fun stuff is making my mouth water. Wish I could go, but perhaps dear sweet Frank will take notes for me?
In the event you are planning to be in the York area in mid April, or if you are looking for a fun weekend trip, head on out to the conference.
Oh, and thanks Frank for the kind words you said to me on the phone. You see, dear sweet Frank gives me a heartfelt hug for really jump starting his research and being his sounding board over the years. Keep on and never give up.
Ahh, genealogy. Those tidbits of information that come in from time to time are our lifeline to the past and give us hugs from our dearly departed.
©2012 AS Eldredge
Friday, November 18, 2011
What Secrets are in her Death?
The wind is blowing as I sit and watch the beautiful day unfold before me. As the branches on the trees sway, the leaves fall. In addition to the leaves, the nuts are also falling. Now, these nuts are big and can cause one to slip if they get underfoot.
Just like genealogy. Shake the trees and see what falls that can trip you up in your research.
I have a handwritten note by my grandmother which gives a little information about my grandfather's family. The note tells us that my grandfather's grandparents, Robert Coleman POSTON and Hester Leggette COX, were rice planters and lived in Georgetown. Grandmother also names six children of the couple with names of the females who did not marry.
Like every good genealogist, I now have to confirm all these leaves falling into my lap. It's rather easy to trace the location of the farm and document some of the children through the census records. The first moment of a stray nut is the 1910 census which says the couple had ten children but only six were living. I've been able to document nine of them who also have some mysteries of their own.
What is more interesting is how some marriage stats change with the census records. While my grandmother said two of the girls did not marry, there is evidence that makes me scratch my head. One example is Aunt Wash. Grandmother said she did not marry, and I would tend to think that Grandmother knew if she was or not. Aunt Wash's death certificate suggests otherwise.
The 1910 census also shows Aunt Wash as being single at the ripe old age of 39 with no children of her own, and living with her widowed mother.
I have found a JW POSTON with wife, Martha, in the 1930 census in Chesterfield Co, SC. However, this census indicates they married around 1890, and they have several children.
According to the death certificate, Martha Washington POSTON was born November 1, 1870, in Florence Co, SC. She dies five days after her 71st birthday in 1941. The parents listed are what I suspected, but the surprise is that she is listed as a widow of James POSTON. Who? How? When? The informant is listed as Mrs. R C WHITE of Charleston. Who?
I have seen a photo of her grave at Riverview Memorial Park in Charleston which says she was a loving mother. Hmmm. When did that happen? Did she marry late in life? Did she raise children for a widower?
I'll be interested in seeing the 1940 census when it becomes available. Perhaps, I will be able to trace who this Mrs WHITE is. Perhaps, that will lead me in another direction.
Maybe I can get to Charleston and find her obituary. Perhaps, that would help to clear the path. In the meantime, watching the trees sway on this cool day seems just the perfect way to reflect on the past.
Ahh, genealogy. Those unexpected secrets in the family tree are just so, well, gone with the wind. Eh?
©2011 AS Eldredge
Just like genealogy. Shake the trees and see what falls that can trip you up in your research.
I have a handwritten note by my grandmother which gives a little information about my grandfather's family. The note tells us that my grandfather's grandparents, Robert Coleman POSTON and Hester Leggette COX, were rice planters and lived in Georgetown. Grandmother also names six children of the couple with names of the females who did not marry.
Like every good genealogist, I now have to confirm all these leaves falling into my lap. It's rather easy to trace the location of the farm and document some of the children through the census records. The first moment of a stray nut is the 1910 census which says the couple had ten children but only six were living. I've been able to document nine of them who also have some mysteries of their own.
What is more interesting is how some marriage stats change with the census records. While my grandmother said two of the girls did not marry, there is evidence that makes me scratch my head. One example is Aunt Wash. Grandmother said she did not marry, and I would tend to think that Grandmother knew if she was or not. Aunt Wash's death certificate suggests otherwise.
The 1910 census also shows Aunt Wash as being single at the ripe old age of 39 with no children of her own, and living with her widowed mother.
I have found a JW POSTON with wife, Martha, in the 1930 census in Chesterfield Co, SC. However, this census indicates they married around 1890, and they have several children.
According to the death certificate, Martha Washington POSTON was born November 1, 1870, in Florence Co, SC. She dies five days after her 71st birthday in 1941. The parents listed are what I suspected, but the surprise is that she is listed as a widow of James POSTON. Who? How? When? The informant is listed as Mrs. R C WHITE of Charleston. Who?
I have seen a photo of her grave at Riverview Memorial Park in Charleston which says she was a loving mother. Hmmm. When did that happen? Did she marry late in life? Did she raise children for a widower?
I'll be interested in seeing the 1940 census when it becomes available. Perhaps, I will be able to trace who this Mrs WHITE is. Perhaps, that will lead me in another direction.
Maybe I can get to Charleston and find her obituary. Perhaps, that would help to clear the path. In the meantime, watching the trees sway on this cool day seems just the perfect way to reflect on the past.
Ahh, genealogy. Those unexpected secrets in the family tree are just so, well, gone with the wind. Eh?
©2011 AS Eldredge
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Dotting the I's, Crossing the T's and Reading Ye Olde Documents
True genealogy buffs know what it is like to struggle to read old documents. Not only can the microfilm be scratched or faded, the writing can be akin to a different language. I've seen "s" written as "f". And the slant? Oh my, however did they read their own writing?
Just when you're ready to throw your hands up in the air and run out to purchase even more eye drops for the inevitable eye strain, there's hope in our wonderful age of technology.
Did you realize you can get rid of the neck cricks from angling your head to one side as you try to decipher the old handwriting? Tis easy, I say.
Let's take this document as our example.
This is an 1852 affidavit of William Shaw providing details of Robert COLEMAN and his wife, Prudence. The lovely widow Prudence had applied for a Revolutionary War pension and this document is part of the packet held by NARA. You will note it's easier to make out some words if your squint and hold your head to the left.
Now, take a look after a little stroke of the keyboard.
The effect used on the document is found on Photoshop. After opening Photoshop, go to image on the toolbar. Go to "transform" in the drop down menu and choose "skew." Then, grab the top of the document and head left until you are happy with the slant. This is a great tool to use. I image that other photo editing programs also allow for skewing.
What fun this is, and just think how much it will save you on eye drops and aspirin!
Ahh, genealogy. Reading old documents is a sure fire way to find your past, one skew at a time.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Just when you're ready to throw your hands up in the air and run out to purchase even more eye drops for the inevitable eye strain, there's hope in our wonderful age of technology.
Did you realize you can get rid of the neck cricks from angling your head to one side as you try to decipher the old handwriting? Tis easy, I say.
Let's take this document as our example.
This is an 1852 affidavit of William Shaw providing details of Robert COLEMAN and his wife, Prudence. The lovely widow Prudence had applied for a Revolutionary War pension and this document is part of the packet held by NARA. You will note it's easier to make out some words if your squint and hold your head to the left.
The effect used on the document is found on Photoshop. After opening Photoshop, go to image on the toolbar. Go to "transform" in the drop down menu and choose "skew." Then, grab the top of the document and head left until you are happy with the slant. This is a great tool to use. I image that other photo editing programs also allow for skewing.
What fun this is, and just think how much it will save you on eye drops and aspirin!
Ahh, genealogy. Reading old documents is a sure fire way to find your past, one skew at a time.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tombstone Tuesday: Sleep Little Angels, Be Not Forgotten
When researching old cemeteries, it quickly becomes obvious that among the expected deaths of the old and sick are the high numbers of infants. How many infants are lying with their mothers who soon followed them or lying alone with no headstone? How many infants are listed as being the "infant section"?
To feed my genealogy addiction, I tend to search around for any new information that has been placed online. Recently, a new collection of deaths in Pittsburgh, PA, has been placed online by the Family Search crew. The dates range from 1870-1905.
I looked for some of my surnames and was disappointed. Then, I looked some more and found a couple of names. Then, I found a new name, an infant daughter of Cassius M LEA and second wife, Mary Ellen HICKEY.
This sweet angel, Elizabeth LEA died on August 5, 1882, after living for a brief period of time. She was the second child of the couple and is buried at the old St Clair Cemetery in Mt Lebanon, Allegheny, PA.
This sweet angel was not the first child that Cassius had lost so close to birth. His first wife, Maggie, died a couple of days after the birth of their only child and daughter in 1872.
While there was a small headstone placed for Cassius at some point, we have yet to uncover one for Maggie or the two sweet angels. I wonder if the sweet angels are close together in death. I rather suspect they are as Cassius is buried with the family of Maggie.
So a new name is entered into the family tree and will now be remembered in the future. Rest sweetly, little angel.
Ahh, genealogy. The angels of the past touch my heart in such a tender way.
Source:
Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh City Deaths, 1870-1905, V 32, p47
©2011 AS Eldredge
To feed my genealogy addiction, I tend to search around for any new information that has been placed online. Recently, a new collection of deaths in Pittsburgh, PA, has been placed online by the Family Search crew. The dates range from 1870-1905.
I looked for some of my surnames and was disappointed. Then, I looked some more and found a couple of names. Then, I found a new name, an infant daughter of Cassius M LEA and second wife, Mary Ellen HICKEY.
This sweet angel, Elizabeth LEA died on August 5, 1882, after living for a brief period of time. She was the second child of the couple and is buried at the old St Clair Cemetery in Mt Lebanon, Allegheny, PA.
This sweet angel was not the first child that Cassius had lost so close to birth. His first wife, Maggie, died a couple of days after the birth of their only child and daughter in 1872.
While there was a small headstone placed for Cassius at some point, we have yet to uncover one for Maggie or the two sweet angels. I wonder if the sweet angels are close together in death. I rather suspect they are as Cassius is buried with the family of Maggie.
So a new name is entered into the family tree and will now be remembered in the future. Rest sweetly, little angel.
Ahh, genealogy. The angels of the past touch my heart in such a tender way.
Source:
Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh City Deaths, 1870-1905, V 32, p47
©2011 AS Eldredge
Monday, November 14, 2011
Confirmed: Grandpa Fought with Francis Marion
Revealing new evidence of rumors gone wild can be frustrating or it can be a shot of adrenaline. As a teenager, I remember seeing the evidence from my dad's bloodline that documented a patriot in the American Revolution. That name and line was drilled into my memory banks. At the time, my mother also said her family fought in the American Revolution as well and, it was under Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox.
Fast forward to the present. I had followed my mother's bloodline and not found any evidence to support this wild rumor. Sure, her family lived in the general area of the Swamp Fox and they were certainly there at the time, but that was it.
Until a couple of weeks ago....
I was looking at her family once again just because I hadn't for some time. I have found that stepping back and giving time to the many thoughts can sometimes assist me in opening my eyes. Opening eyes and new ways of thinking can also lead to new evidence.
Viola!
This time, I found a pension for the lovely widow, Prudence COLEMAN (d. 1841). Now, I've known about Prudence for some years as she is my 4g-grandmother. I had painstakingly traced the lines back with as much documentation as I could locate. I have yet to find her maiden name, but there is still hope in my heart.
There it was from NARA. A pension applied for by the widow of Robert COLEMAN (1755-1825). Who knew this process would continue after her 1841 death? The record group is No. 15, W23858. This wonderful pension supplied the date of marriage and verified the names of the children. Yipee, this confirms my research.
According to the affidavits found in the pension application, grandpa Robert served the American interests under the command of Captains Simonds and Witherspoon. He also served in Brandon's Regiment in Marion's brigade. He was in several skirmishes including the memorable Battle of Fort Moultrie near Charleston. Grandpa was also sent by Francis Marion as a scout in pursuit of the British and Tories around Monck's Corner.
With my blood soaring again, I read each page of the pension application and used it to further document the line. How much more fun can a genealogy buff have?
Another day, another super find. Mama's words are proven true yet again.
Ahh, genealogy. If only I could hear them from her lips again.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Fast forward to the present. I had followed my mother's bloodline and not found any evidence to support this wild rumor. Sure, her family lived in the general area of the Swamp Fox and they were certainly there at the time, but that was it.
Until a couple of weeks ago....
I was looking at her family once again just because I hadn't for some time. I have found that stepping back and giving time to the many thoughts can sometimes assist me in opening my eyes. Opening eyes and new ways of thinking can also lead to new evidence.
Viola!
This time, I found a pension for the lovely widow, Prudence COLEMAN (d. 1841). Now, I've known about Prudence for some years as she is my 4g-grandmother. I had painstakingly traced the lines back with as much documentation as I could locate. I have yet to find her maiden name, but there is still hope in my heart.
There it was from NARA. A pension applied for by the widow of Robert COLEMAN (1755-1825). Who knew this process would continue after her 1841 death? The record group is No. 15, W23858. This wonderful pension supplied the date of marriage and verified the names of the children. Yipee, this confirms my research.
According to the affidavits found in the pension application, grandpa Robert served the American interests under the command of Captains Simonds and Witherspoon. He also served in Brandon's Regiment in Marion's brigade. He was in several skirmishes including the memorable Battle of Fort Moultrie near Charleston. Grandpa was also sent by Francis Marion as a scout in pursuit of the British and Tories around Monck's Corner.
With my blood soaring again, I read each page of the pension application and used it to further document the line. How much more fun can a genealogy buff have?
Another day, another super find. Mama's words are proven true yet again.
Ahh, genealogy. If only I could hear them from her lips again.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Friday, November 11, 2011
Our Heroes of World War I Remembered Every Day
Veterans Day is upon us. As we stop and take time to reflect on those wonderful heroes of the past that we call grandpa, cousin, brother, or uncle, be sure to thank the wonderful men and women who place their lives on the line for our freedoms today and everyday.
The Pittsburgh area newspaper project that I have been involved with for almost two years now is still growing. Just this week, more than 4300 names were added to the death index. As it has been from the beginning, this is a tremendous resource for those who are searching for our past. The value to genealogy buffs for Pittsburgh area is priceless. Of course, some of us want to find even more names on the index. It's interesting to think about how many people have lived and died in our little area of the world.
An added feature to this project has been the transcribing of old newspaper articles about the World War I military personnel from the Pittsburgh area. There are a series of articles describing everyday life in France with our doughboys as one reporter lived and traveled with them over a period of months in the fall of 1918 and through the winter of 1919.
These articles, which appeared in the Pittsburgh Gazette can be read at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/ . For those who are interested in their Pittsburgh area roots, one of our awesome volunteers also took the time to index the names of the military personnel that were mentioned in the newspapers. There are over 73000 names on the list. Perhaps, you too will be find your loved one's name and the description of the battle in which they were wounded. Perhaps, you will find tears running down your face as you realize what they went through for you and me.
So, say a prayer today for our military personnel and say a prayer for those brave warriors who believed in our country enough to fight for it and for us.
Ahh, genealogy. A snapshot of the past has me on my knees praying for our military today.
©2011 AS Eldredge
The Pittsburgh area newspaper project that I have been involved with for almost two years now is still growing. Just this week, more than 4300 names were added to the death index. As it has been from the beginning, this is a tremendous resource for those who are searching for our past. The value to genealogy buffs for Pittsburgh area is priceless. Of course, some of us want to find even more names on the index. It's interesting to think about how many people have lived and died in our little area of the world.
An added feature to this project has been the transcribing of old newspaper articles about the World War I military personnel from the Pittsburgh area. There are a series of articles describing everyday life in France with our doughboys as one reporter lived and traveled with them over a period of months in the fall of 1918 and through the winter of 1919.
These articles, which appeared in the Pittsburgh Gazette can be read at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/ . For those who are interested in their Pittsburgh area roots, one of our awesome volunteers also took the time to index the names of the military personnel that were mentioned in the newspapers. There are over 73000 names on the list. Perhaps, you too will be find your loved one's name and the description of the battle in which they were wounded. Perhaps, you will find tears running down your face as you realize what they went through for you and me.
So, say a prayer today for our military personnel and say a prayer for those brave warriors who believed in our country enough to fight for it and for us.
Ahh, genealogy. A snapshot of the past has me on my knees praying for our military today.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
How is There a Heckler in the Group?
Last spring, I finally found the death date and final resting spot of William Wiley HUNNEWELL, the brother of my 2g grandmother. With excitement growing by leaps and bounds, I asked a really cool friend of mine who lives in Pittsburgh to go and find the grave. My sweet tea buddy, JR, sent the picture to me, and now, I am left with more questions.
There's a HECKLER among us. What?
Let's jump back to what I do know through many slow hours of documentation, and with the assistance of another HUNNEWELL blood cousin of mine, Larry.
William Wiley HUNNEWELL was born Sept 19, 1848, in Pittsburgh. He was a son of Benjamin F HUNNEWELL (abt 1806-1849) and Sallie Ellen (Helen?) BYLES. Benjamin died when a cholera outbreak happened in the area, and the lovely widow was left to raise her seven children. We find her having farmed out the older children in the 1850 census, leaving just her and only two of the younger children with her. They were Mary Jane and William Wiley.
William joined the Union forces and served in the Co. E, 102nd PA Infantry. He was wounded in March 1865 when Lee attacked Fort Steadman.
After the war, he goes to Wisconsin for a bit. He marries Alice G in 1884 and has one son, William B HUNNEWELL. William B is living in Philadelphia in the 1920 census with a wife and two daughters.
As noted in a previous entry, William Wiley was a member of the GAR Post #3 in Pittsburgh. Read more about it here .
William Wiley marries Emma (1873-1931). He then dies in October 1931 and is buried at Homewood Cemetery in Allegheny Co.
From the Pitt Post Gazette Oct 5, 1931
HUNNEWELL- At West Penn Hospital, on Saturday, October 3, 1931, at 11 am, William W, husband of the late Emma Hunnewell of 301 York Way. He was a member of the Post No. 3 GAR. Remains at the home of the Ferguson Wood Co., Forbes St at McKee Place, Oakland. Services will be held on Tuesday, October 6, at 2:30 pm. Post No. 3, GAR and all other members of GAR and friends invited.
The obituary tells us that his wife, Emma, departed earlier, while the gravestone tells us the year. What is odd is the other name on the stone-- H H HECKLER. Who the heck is that?
My best guess is that Harry H HECKLER is the brother of Emma.
There was a Emma HECKLER born about 1872 that had a younger brother, Harry living in Skluylkill Co, PA in the 1880 census. However, there is still a Harry HECKLER living in Pottsville in the 1930 Federal Census with a wife, Cora MILLER, so that pretty much eliminates this line of thought.
What is odd about it is that the Harry H HECKLER found living in Allegheny Co, PA, in the 1910 Federal Census is married to a Laura M. So where is she?
I have yet to determine exactly who the H H HECKLER is on the tombstone. Obviously, it was important enough for the name to be on the stone. As there is no death date, I don't know if the body is there as well. I am curious as to who this HECKLER is among us.........
Ahhh, genealogy. Just thinking of the puzzles and the Hecklers makes me smile.
Sources:
1850 Federal Census, Pittsburgh 9th Ward, Allegheny, PA pg 549
1850 Mortality Index
http://cwdpa102ndregimentvolinf.com/histpa102ndneibaum1.htm
1920 Federal Census, Allegheny, PA
1880 Federal Census, Pottsville, Schuylkill, PA, pg 387
1910 Federal Census, Pittsburgh Ward 13, Allegheny, PA
Veterans Burial Card from Ancestry.com
Grave photo courtesy of JR Jamieson, May 2011
Update: I was asked if I had thought about the possibility of Mr Heckler being the first husband of Emma. The thought crossed my mind, but I think there would have been a death date on the stone if that was the case. I also had found evidence of Mr Heckler's wife being named Louise. Good idea, though. Keep 'em coming.
©2011 A S Eldredge
There's a HECKLER among us. What?
Let's jump back to what I do know through many slow hours of documentation, and with the assistance of another HUNNEWELL blood cousin of mine, Larry.
William Wiley HUNNEWELL was born Sept 19, 1848, in Pittsburgh. He was a son of Benjamin F HUNNEWELL (abt 1806-1849) and Sallie Ellen (Helen?) BYLES. Benjamin died when a cholera outbreak happened in the area, and the lovely widow was left to raise her seven children. We find her having farmed out the older children in the 1850 census, leaving just her and only two of the younger children with her. They were Mary Jane and William Wiley.
William joined the Union forces and served in the Co. E, 102nd PA Infantry. He was wounded in March 1865 when Lee attacked Fort Steadman.
After the war, he goes to Wisconsin for a bit. He marries Alice G in 1884 and has one son, William B HUNNEWELL. William B is living in Philadelphia in the 1920 census with a wife and two daughters.
As noted in a previous entry, William Wiley was a member of the GAR Post #3 in Pittsburgh. Read more about it here .
William Wiley marries Emma (1873-1931). He then dies in October 1931 and is buried at Homewood Cemetery in Allegheny Co.
HUNNEWELL- At West Penn Hospital, on Saturday, October 3, 1931, at 11 am, William W, husband of the late Emma Hunnewell of 301 York Way. He was a member of the Post No. 3 GAR. Remains at the home of the Ferguson Wood Co., Forbes St at McKee Place, Oakland. Services will be held on Tuesday, October 6, at 2:30 pm. Post No. 3, GAR and all other members of GAR and friends invited.
The obituary tells us that his wife, Emma, departed earlier, while the gravestone tells us the year. What is odd is the other name on the stone-- H H HECKLER. Who the heck is that?
My best guess is that Harry H HECKLER is the brother of Emma.
There was a Emma HECKLER born about 1872 that had a younger brother, Harry living in Skluylkill Co, PA in the 1880 census. However, there is still a Harry HECKLER living in Pottsville in the 1930 Federal Census with a wife, Cora MILLER, so that pretty much eliminates this line of thought.
What is odd about it is that the Harry H HECKLER found living in Allegheny Co, PA, in the 1910 Federal Census is married to a Laura M. So where is she?
I have yet to determine exactly who the H H HECKLER is on the tombstone. Obviously, it was important enough for the name to be on the stone. As there is no death date, I don't know if the body is there as well. I am curious as to who this HECKLER is among us.........
Ahhh, genealogy. Just thinking of the puzzles and the Hecklers makes me smile.
Sources:
1850 Federal Census, Pittsburgh 9th Ward, Allegheny, PA pg 549
1850 Mortality Index
http://cwdpa102ndregimentvolinf.com/histpa102ndneibaum1.htm
1920 Federal Census, Allegheny, PA
1880 Federal Census, Pottsville, Schuylkill, PA, pg 387
1910 Federal Census, Pittsburgh Ward 13, Allegheny, PA
Veterans Burial Card from Ancestry.com
Grave photo courtesy of JR Jamieson, May 2011
Update: I was asked if I had thought about the possibility of Mr Heckler being the first husband of Emma. The thought crossed my mind, but I think there would have been a death date on the stone if that was the case. I also had found evidence of Mr Heckler's wife being named Louise. Good idea, though. Keep 'em coming.
©2011 A S Eldredge
Monday, May 30, 2011
New for Memorial Day: Relive World War I History Thru 1919 Articles
Last month, my genealogy buddy, Lynn B, sought my opinion on whether she should transcribe some World War I newspaper stories. She sent a sample and I responded with a resounding "yes."
With the assistance of our favorite Rootsweb Web Files Manager, Ellis Michaels, on the Allegheny County PA GenWeb Archives site, these articles are now available for viewing.
The transcription is taken from the 1919 Pittsburg Press. The article series is A History of Pittsburg and Western Pennsylvania Troops in the War written by John V Hanlon.
I will say my world came to a screeching halt as I read about the battles and the events which described how and where my grandfather was wounded and severely gassed. After I took a few moments to say a prayer of thanks for his service and that of his fallen doughboy comrades, I eagerly read the other chapters.
In reading the 21 chapters, you will undoubtably gain a new appreciation for the sacrifices made by our World War I veterans. Relive the joy, the pain, the sorrow and the tragedies of the day.
You can find these wonderful articles here: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/military/wpa-ww1/contents.htm
Ahh, genealogy. Read, weep, and take a moment to say your word of thanks to all our veterans, past and present.
©2011 AS Eldredge
With the assistance of our favorite Rootsweb Web Files Manager, Ellis Michaels, on the Allegheny County PA GenWeb Archives site, these articles are now available for viewing.
The transcription is taken from the 1919 Pittsburg Press. The article series is A History of Pittsburg and Western Pennsylvania Troops in the War written by John V Hanlon.
I will say my world came to a screeching halt as I read about the battles and the events which described how and where my grandfather was wounded and severely gassed. After I took a few moments to say a prayer of thanks for his service and that of his fallen doughboy comrades, I eagerly read the other chapters.
In reading the 21 chapters, you will undoubtably gain a new appreciation for the sacrifices made by our World War I veterans. Relive the joy, the pain, the sorrow and the tragedies of the day.
You can find these wonderful articles here: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/military/wpa-ww1/contents.htm
Ahh, genealogy. Read, weep, and take a moment to say your word of thanks to all our veterans, past and present.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Friday, May 27, 2011
Day 5- Remembering World War I : Victory First
Every day as I read the stories written by Doyle of the daily life of our veterans in France in the fall and winter of 1918, I have to decide which story to use. They are all so wonderful and serve to bring the old ways of fighting military to mind.
Our doughboys were terrific. Hope you've been enjoying reading the articles printed almost 100 years ago....
THE GAZETTE TIMES
Oct 20, 1918, page 24
OFFICER TELLS THRILLING TALE OF BATTLE
Lieut. Lewis Describes a Bayonet Clash – Small Yank Kills Giant Hun.
BOCHE BARBAROUS
Washington, Pa., Oct. 19. – Buried alive half an hour in a trench along the Marne River and alive to tell the tale is but one of the thrilling experiences of Lieut. James A. “Pud” Lewis, of Elizabeth, Pa., and former Washington and Jefferson college student, recently returned from the French battle front.
Lieut. Lewis left college in his senior year at the declaration of war in April, 1917, and enlisted as a private with Company H of the old Tenth Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard. In his company he was promoted to corporal, sergeant and mess sergeant. He was then sent to the officers’ training school, won a second lieutenancy, and was assigned to Company B of the One Hundred and Ninth Infantry, a Philadelphia regiment, with which he has won high honor and promotion to first lieutenancy. He tells a story of a marvelous bayonet fight.
Lieut. Lewis wears the ribbon of the French Croix de Guerre, awarded for valor in action, but modestly declines to wear the medal itself. During the second battle of the Marne his company was sent to take and hold a difficult position. The company became divided in the battle and Lieut. Lewis found himself in command of 92 men, with whom he held the position for two days and two nights without food or water, until relief came. For this feat the French general in command awarded the cherished cross. He also has medals for services with the English and the French and the ribbon indicating participation in the second battle of the Marne when the Hun was thrown back in retreat to Germany.
We’re Fighting A Barbarous People
The 300-members of the Washington and Jefferson Student Army Training Corps assembled in the gymnasium last night to hear Lieut. Lewis drive home the meaning of and reason for military discipline. He told of the atrocities of the Huns which had come before his eyes, and by the valor of the American soldiers.
“We are not fighting merely the German government, we are fighting the German people,” declared Lieut. Lewis. “They are the same uncivilized race that sacked the City of Rome centuries ago and I cannot agree with some of the things I read in the press of this country after meeting them face to face. The race which has pillaged and burned unprotected French and Belgian towns, tortured and murdered innocent children in cold blood and carried young women into slavery with no military advantage accruing, is not to be dealt with as a member of this world’s civilization. And they are not. All these things I saw with my own eyes.”
Lieut. Lewis was in more or less constant touch with the One Hundred and Tenth Infantry, being in the same brigade. July 3 the brigade was billeted 13 miles behind the front line. The Allied high command anticipated a new German drive either July 4 of July 14, the French holiday. The German expected to find his enemy celebrating.
Discipline Prevents Mutiny
Of all this the junior officers were ignorant. The Pennsylvania boys had prepared baseball diamonds and tracks for a big field day on the Fourth. Lieut. Lewis describes what happened.
“About 3 o’clock in the morning, I wakened and heard some one climbing to the top floor of the French home in which Lieut. Warren, my company commander, and I were sleeping. A knock at the door and a voice said, ‘Lieut. Warren, I have orders for you.’
“Those orders were to go to the front immediately with the usual two-day iron rations. The brigade was formed, hiked to the front, skirmished for about three hours, and was ordered back over that same 13 miles. The boys wanted to stay there and fight, and I thought there would be a mutiny in camp. All were tired, restless and talking among themselves. Where was the discipline and obedience of the eight months of training at Camp Hancock.
“Lieut. Warren stepped in front of the company and called ‘Attention.’ Every man clicked his heels together and straightened his tired back. But two words were spoken to those men at that time and they went away quietly when dismissed. Lieut. Warren said ‘VICTORY FIRST.’ Such discipline is not to be found with ray recruits.”
Is Buried By a Shell
Washington boys have written home that July 4 would never be forgotten, but this is the first time the story has been told.
Only of his experiences in being buried alive would Lieut. Lewis speak of himself. His other stories are of his men. The expected German attack came July 14 and the Pennsylvania boys were there to meet it. From that time until August 11 when he was ordered to the United States as an instructor at Camp Logan, Tex., Lieut. Lewis said the Iron Division was under fire.
“I was sitting in a trench,” he related, “telling two of my sergeants of the attack we were about to make, when a shell it a bit too close and caved in the trench. I was bent over, but sufficient air space remained to keep me alive for the half hour it took the boys to dig me out.
“On another occasion I was sitting talking to Lieut. Tom Bridges of Washington, when we were unexpectedly ordered into the fight. Tom and I both had on trench boots and no time to change them. When we got to the firing line I was surprised to find a remarkable concentration of fire in my direction and caught a machine gun bullet in the leg. Then I discovered the boots, which indicated to Fritz I was an officer. I soon got them covered with the wrapped leggings of a man who had fallen. I believe Tom was wounded the same day and for the same reason.”
Sees a Brother Killed
“When the battle started July 14 the boche planes bombed us at will, for there was not an Allied plane to be seen. He would swoop down within 100 years of the ground, tip over and let go one of the ugly black bombs. Our machine guns were our only defense.
“My platoon was within a few hundred yards of the 110th headquarters building when it was bombed by a German plane. It was there that Leonard Whitehill of Washington was killed. I sent one squad of my men to move the men from the debris and learned later that 18 of the 60 in the building were killed. Little did I think at the time that a college fraternity brother had paid the price before my eyes. My platoon was ordered forward immediately.
“We started up a hill one day and not a shot was fired until he had passed the edge of a road which ran around the hill. Then the machine guns broke loose. The road was our only protection, and not much at that. We hung in behind it while other organizations cleaned up the woods at the top. That night there was not a mess pan in my whole platoon that would hold the good old army beef stew the cooks had for us. Those machine gun bullets had been grazing over the backs of my men and had filled their haversacks with holes. We got new mess kits. In fact, whenever we come out of the line we can get everything new from head to foot if we want it.
Beautiful Bayonet Fight
“The tiredest [sic] man I saw in France was ‘Pete’ Redinger, from Washington. I found him one day trudging along, 10 miles away from his company, which he had lost. He slept with me that night and started out bright and early to catch up with his company.
“The best story I can tell, and it must be about the last,” Lieut. Lewis continued, “is of a little hand-to-hand skirmish we had with Fritz and the clever work of the smallest man in my company. It was a bayonet fight and there the American soldier is supreme. My pistol was empty when I saw this powerful six-foot Dutchman making for our 130-pounder. It was David against Goliath. The boy stood in an easy position. His rifle was broken and there was no time to grab another. The German made his deadly bayonet lunge and our boy caught the bayonet with the outside edge of his right hand, throwing the blade past his shoulder. He grabbed the German’s rifle and gave it a couple of little clever twists we learned in camp. The German fell dead on his own bayonet. It was the gamest thing I ever saw.”
Lieut. Lewis said that while he did not see many of the Washington boys he heard always of their various fortunes and tried to keep in touch with them because he started his career with them. He knew nothing more about any of them than has already been learned here. He did not talk of peace, but of getting back to France, to be there to help put the finishing touches on the enemy. His company was composed entirely of Philadelphia men.
This article brings the efforts of my grandpa more to light as he was in the 110th and was wounded. Was he in the building at the time of the bombing? I don't know.
Ahh, genealogy. Remembering our veterans is always in style- so take time to sit, reflect, and then pray for our brave warriors.
Special thanks to Lynn B for her gracious permission to have her transcriptions included here.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Our doughboys were terrific. Hope you've been enjoying reading the articles printed almost 100 years ago....
THE GAZETTE TIMES
Oct 20, 1918, page 24
OFFICER TELLS THRILLING TALE OF BATTLE
Lieut. Lewis Describes a Bayonet Clash – Small Yank Kills Giant Hun.
BOCHE BARBAROUS
Washington, Pa., Oct. 19. – Buried alive half an hour in a trench along the Marne River and alive to tell the tale is but one of the thrilling experiences of Lieut. James A. “Pud” Lewis, of Elizabeth, Pa., and former Washington and Jefferson college student, recently returned from the French battle front.
Lieut. Lewis left college in his senior year at the declaration of war in April, 1917, and enlisted as a private with Company H of the old Tenth Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard. In his company he was promoted to corporal, sergeant and mess sergeant. He was then sent to the officers’ training school, won a second lieutenancy, and was assigned to Company B of the One Hundred and Ninth Infantry, a Philadelphia regiment, with which he has won high honor and promotion to first lieutenancy. He tells a story of a marvelous bayonet fight.
Lieut. Lewis wears the ribbon of the French Croix de Guerre, awarded for valor in action, but modestly declines to wear the medal itself. During the second battle of the Marne his company was sent to take and hold a difficult position. The company became divided in the battle and Lieut. Lewis found himself in command of 92 men, with whom he held the position for two days and two nights without food or water, until relief came. For this feat the French general in command awarded the cherished cross. He also has medals for services with the English and the French and the ribbon indicating participation in the second battle of the Marne when the Hun was thrown back in retreat to Germany.
We’re Fighting A Barbarous People
The 300-members of the Washington and Jefferson Student Army Training Corps assembled in the gymnasium last night to hear Lieut. Lewis drive home the meaning of and reason for military discipline. He told of the atrocities of the Huns which had come before his eyes, and by the valor of the American soldiers.
“We are not fighting merely the German government, we are fighting the German people,” declared Lieut. Lewis. “They are the same uncivilized race that sacked the City of Rome centuries ago and I cannot agree with some of the things I read in the press of this country after meeting them face to face. The race which has pillaged and burned unprotected French and Belgian towns, tortured and murdered innocent children in cold blood and carried young women into slavery with no military advantage accruing, is not to be dealt with as a member of this world’s civilization. And they are not. All these things I saw with my own eyes.”
Lieut. Lewis was in more or less constant touch with the One Hundred and Tenth Infantry, being in the same brigade. July 3 the brigade was billeted 13 miles behind the front line. The Allied high command anticipated a new German drive either July 4 of July 14, the French holiday. The German expected to find his enemy celebrating.
Discipline Prevents Mutiny
Of all this the junior officers were ignorant. The Pennsylvania boys had prepared baseball diamonds and tracks for a big field day on the Fourth. Lieut. Lewis describes what happened.
“About 3 o’clock in the morning, I wakened and heard some one climbing to the top floor of the French home in which Lieut. Warren, my company commander, and I were sleeping. A knock at the door and a voice said, ‘Lieut. Warren, I have orders for you.’
“Those orders were to go to the front immediately with the usual two-day iron rations. The brigade was formed, hiked to the front, skirmished for about three hours, and was ordered back over that same 13 miles. The boys wanted to stay there and fight, and I thought there would be a mutiny in camp. All were tired, restless and talking among themselves. Where was the discipline and obedience of the eight months of training at Camp Hancock.
“Lieut. Warren stepped in front of the company and called ‘Attention.’ Every man clicked his heels together and straightened his tired back. But two words were spoken to those men at that time and they went away quietly when dismissed. Lieut. Warren said ‘VICTORY FIRST.’ Such discipline is not to be found with ray recruits.”
Is Buried By a Shell
Washington boys have written home that July 4 would never be forgotten, but this is the first time the story has been told.
Only of his experiences in being buried alive would Lieut. Lewis speak of himself. His other stories are of his men. The expected German attack came July 14 and the Pennsylvania boys were there to meet it. From that time until August 11 when he was ordered to the United States as an instructor at Camp Logan, Tex., Lieut. Lewis said the Iron Division was under fire.
“I was sitting in a trench,” he related, “telling two of my sergeants of the attack we were about to make, when a shell it a bit too close and caved in the trench. I was bent over, but sufficient air space remained to keep me alive for the half hour it took the boys to dig me out.
“On another occasion I was sitting talking to Lieut. Tom Bridges of Washington, when we were unexpectedly ordered into the fight. Tom and I both had on trench boots and no time to change them. When we got to the firing line I was surprised to find a remarkable concentration of fire in my direction and caught a machine gun bullet in the leg. Then I discovered the boots, which indicated to Fritz I was an officer. I soon got them covered with the wrapped leggings of a man who had fallen. I believe Tom was wounded the same day and for the same reason.”
Sees a Brother Killed
“When the battle started July 14 the boche planes bombed us at will, for there was not an Allied plane to be seen. He would swoop down within 100 years of the ground, tip over and let go one of the ugly black bombs. Our machine guns were our only defense.
“My platoon was within a few hundred yards of the 110th headquarters building when it was bombed by a German plane. It was there that Leonard Whitehill of Washington was killed. I sent one squad of my men to move the men from the debris and learned later that 18 of the 60 in the building were killed. Little did I think at the time that a college fraternity brother had paid the price before my eyes. My platoon was ordered forward immediately.
“We started up a hill one day and not a shot was fired until he had passed the edge of a road which ran around the hill. Then the machine guns broke loose. The road was our only protection, and not much at that. We hung in behind it while other organizations cleaned up the woods at the top. That night there was not a mess pan in my whole platoon that would hold the good old army beef stew the cooks had for us. Those machine gun bullets had been grazing over the backs of my men and had filled their haversacks with holes. We got new mess kits. In fact, whenever we come out of the line we can get everything new from head to foot if we want it.
Beautiful Bayonet Fight
“The tiredest [sic] man I saw in France was ‘Pete’ Redinger, from Washington. I found him one day trudging along, 10 miles away from his company, which he had lost. He slept with me that night and started out bright and early to catch up with his company.
“The best story I can tell, and it must be about the last,” Lieut. Lewis continued, “is of a little hand-to-hand skirmish we had with Fritz and the clever work of the smallest man in my company. It was a bayonet fight and there the American soldier is supreme. My pistol was empty when I saw this powerful six-foot Dutchman making for our 130-pounder. It was David against Goliath. The boy stood in an easy position. His rifle was broken and there was no time to grab another. The German made his deadly bayonet lunge and our boy caught the bayonet with the outside edge of his right hand, throwing the blade past his shoulder. He grabbed the German’s rifle and gave it a couple of little clever twists we learned in camp. The German fell dead on his own bayonet. It was the gamest thing I ever saw.”
Lieut. Lewis said that while he did not see many of the Washington boys he heard always of their various fortunes and tried to keep in touch with them because he started his career with them. He knew nothing more about any of them than has already been learned here. He did not talk of peace, but of getting back to France, to be there to help put the finishing touches on the enemy. His company was composed entirely of Philadelphia men.
This article brings the efforts of my grandpa more to light as he was in the 110th and was wounded. Was he in the building at the time of the bombing? I don't know.
Ahh, genealogy. Remembering our veterans is always in style- so take time to sit, reflect, and then pray for our brave warriors.
Special thanks to Lynn B for her gracious permission to have her transcriptions included here.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Remembering WWI- Thru the Eyes and Words of 1918 Warriors- Day 4
The wonders of our great World War I doughboys continues-
Today is Day 4 of my journey to remember our veterans who have fought for our country. Memorial Day is just around the corner, so start preparing now for how you will remember our grandpas.
American veterans are just, well, all heroes in my book.
THE GAZETTE TIMES
Nov. 14, 1918
Charles J. Doyle
Special Correspondent of The Gazette Times in France
TALES OF HEROIC ACTS ARE TOLD AS ARMISTICE HALTS RUSH OF LEGIONS
Battle Stories Show Great Achievements of Western Pennsylvanians and West Virginians in Desperate Fighting During Closing Hours of War – Bullet Fails to Stop Determined Preacher.
With The American Expeditionary Forces, Nov. 11 – (Delayed)- Although the armistice which has ended the great war has silenced the guns and stopped the steady push of the American armies and their Allies, it is hard to realize that fact. Especially at night one still listens for the bombardment to commence and thinks in terms of war. One still hears little except battle yarns and incidents, and stirring charge, stubborn advance or study resistance to counter-attack, are what are most talked about. These, too, are the most vivid recollections.
Details are coming out regarding the recent operations of the Three Hundred and Nineteenth and Three Hundred and Twentieth Regiments, splendid young chaps from Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Keeping right up to the dashing (deleted) division on their immediate right, some 5,000 of these boys “jumped off” from the temporary stopping place on a farm along the Somme. Closely following their barrage they swept through the German defense line, captured the town of Imecourt, and gained their objective at Buzaucy.
And these are the boys who only about a year ago were hard at work in the mills and offices, the stores and fields of the old Keystone State, spending their leisure time largely in neighborhood athletics. Their admirable work in this sector, which led to some of the greatest open fighting in which the Yanks have yet participated, was their second great operation. As a result the One Hundred and Sixteenth Brigade, made up of the regiments named and under the command of Brig. Gen. Lloyd M. Brett, was given special mention by the commander of the First Corps.
There were remarkable deeds of daring during this plunging rush over wide rolling fields plowed and pitted with shell holes. The hero of one of them is a real fighting parson, Capt. T. W. Hooper, a Methodist minister from Culpepper, Va. While leading his company, K of the Three Hundred and Nineteenth, a machine gun bullet grazed his neck, inflicting a slight wound. The nervy parson flatly declined even to hesitate in his advance, but kept right up with his men, largely Allegheny and Mercer county Pennsylvanians. Needless to say his boys are devoted to him.
I heard the story – not from him however – when I came up with the regiment resting. I met him in a shell hole taking pot luck with his men when he could easily have been taking his well-earned rest in a safer spot. It was thoroughly typical of the men.
The Gazette Times correspondent spent one night at the headquarters of the Eightieth Division, barely a quarter of a mile back of the artillery line. There was not much sleep during the early part of the night because of the intermittent bombardment and we had just settled down when a vicious barrage was laid down. By 3 o’clock in the morning the ground fairly shook with the fury of the guns and the darkened horizon flared into brilliant flame. The doughboys crouched for three hours under the shelter of the protective fire of the American batteries and then, the two arms co-operating splendidly, the advance started.
By 7 o’clock I saw the first prisoners coming back, the wearied Boches trudging down the road guarded by two proudly grinning Yanks. In less than two hours the improvised cage held several hundred Fritzies, many of whom were openly rejoicing at their good luck in being captured. Before night more than 700 prisoners, including 30 officers, had been reported to the division headquarters.
Those of the boys whose duties took them near the cage did a thriving business in souvenirs. Nearly every Heinie had some souvenir that he was only too ready to “swap.” Bits of chocolate were the favored medium in these trades, the Germans taking them eagerly in exchange for trinkets, pictures, etc.
THE GENEROUS DOUGHBOY
“Unbeatable and uncomplaining.” That accurately describes the great American doughboy. And he is as generous as he is daring and resourceful. I came up with one company a few evenings ago. They were in open country, getting such shelter as they might in shell holes and a few old dugouts after a victorious drive of three miles, which included a good deal of open field fighting. The Yanks were hungry and cold, but there was no complaining.
Stumbling along with a lieutenant, who was acting as my guide, I met Private Brown. Not so long ago he was a member of a fast independent baseball team at Woodlawn, Pa. Now he is just as good an infantryman, with the same spirit that characterized his former sizzling battles for supremacy on the diamond.
The big field in which we met had been riddled with shells and Jerry was still sending over a good many. Most of the boys were sleeping in shell holes or darkened dugouts, where they were safe enough except for a chance direct hit, but Brown was pacing about the muddy field.
“Why don’t you lie down and get some rest?” the lieutenant asked. “Haven’t you had enough exercise today?”
Brown grinned cheerfully, but replied softly: “I’d rather walk, Sir. I’m tired and hungry and the dugout seems a bit oppressive. I feel better here.”
As it happened I had some chocolate in my bag. It was only a little piece; a baby would have made a mouthful of it. Yet when I have it to him Private Brown promptly broke it in half and wanted me to take one piece, saying:
“Probably you are hungry yourself.”
And he had had nothing to eat for 24 hours, the advance having been so rapid that the boys outran their supplies.
That’s the American doughboy.
Ahh, genealogy. Remembering our veterans is always in style- so take time to sit, reflect, and then pray for our brave warriors.
Special thanks to Lynn B for her gracious permission to have her transcriptions included here.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Today is Day 4 of my journey to remember our veterans who have fought for our country. Memorial Day is just around the corner, so start preparing now for how you will remember our grandpas.
American veterans are just, well, all heroes in my book.
THE GAZETTE TIMES
Nov. 14, 1918
Charles J. Doyle
Special Correspondent of The Gazette Times in France
TALES OF HEROIC ACTS ARE TOLD AS ARMISTICE HALTS RUSH OF LEGIONS
Battle Stories Show Great Achievements of Western Pennsylvanians and West Virginians in Desperate Fighting During Closing Hours of War – Bullet Fails to Stop Determined Preacher.
With The American Expeditionary Forces, Nov. 11 – (Delayed)- Although the armistice which has ended the great war has silenced the guns and stopped the steady push of the American armies and their Allies, it is hard to realize that fact. Especially at night one still listens for the bombardment to commence and thinks in terms of war. One still hears little except battle yarns and incidents, and stirring charge, stubborn advance or study resistance to counter-attack, are what are most talked about. These, too, are the most vivid recollections.
Details are coming out regarding the recent operations of the Three Hundred and Nineteenth and Three Hundred and Twentieth Regiments, splendid young chaps from Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Keeping right up to the dashing (deleted) division on their immediate right, some 5,000 of these boys “jumped off” from the temporary stopping place on a farm along the Somme. Closely following their barrage they swept through the German defense line, captured the town of Imecourt, and gained their objective at Buzaucy.
And these are the boys who only about a year ago were hard at work in the mills and offices, the stores and fields of the old Keystone State, spending their leisure time largely in neighborhood athletics. Their admirable work in this sector, which led to some of the greatest open fighting in which the Yanks have yet participated, was their second great operation. As a result the One Hundred and Sixteenth Brigade, made up of the regiments named and under the command of Brig. Gen. Lloyd M. Brett, was given special mention by the commander of the First Corps.
There were remarkable deeds of daring during this plunging rush over wide rolling fields plowed and pitted with shell holes. The hero of one of them is a real fighting parson, Capt. T. W. Hooper, a Methodist minister from Culpepper, Va. While leading his company, K of the Three Hundred and Nineteenth, a machine gun bullet grazed his neck, inflicting a slight wound. The nervy parson flatly declined even to hesitate in his advance, but kept right up with his men, largely Allegheny and Mercer county Pennsylvanians. Needless to say his boys are devoted to him.
I heard the story – not from him however – when I came up with the regiment resting. I met him in a shell hole taking pot luck with his men when he could easily have been taking his well-earned rest in a safer spot. It was thoroughly typical of the men.
The Gazette Times correspondent spent one night at the headquarters of the Eightieth Division, barely a quarter of a mile back of the artillery line. There was not much sleep during the early part of the night because of the intermittent bombardment and we had just settled down when a vicious barrage was laid down. By 3 o’clock in the morning the ground fairly shook with the fury of the guns and the darkened horizon flared into brilliant flame. The doughboys crouched for three hours under the shelter of the protective fire of the American batteries and then, the two arms co-operating splendidly, the advance started.
By 7 o’clock I saw the first prisoners coming back, the wearied Boches trudging down the road guarded by two proudly grinning Yanks. In less than two hours the improvised cage held several hundred Fritzies, many of whom were openly rejoicing at their good luck in being captured. Before night more than 700 prisoners, including 30 officers, had been reported to the division headquarters.
Those of the boys whose duties took them near the cage did a thriving business in souvenirs. Nearly every Heinie had some souvenir that he was only too ready to “swap.” Bits of chocolate were the favored medium in these trades, the Germans taking them eagerly in exchange for trinkets, pictures, etc.
THE GENEROUS DOUGHBOY
“Unbeatable and uncomplaining.” That accurately describes the great American doughboy. And he is as generous as he is daring and resourceful. I came up with one company a few evenings ago. They were in open country, getting such shelter as they might in shell holes and a few old dugouts after a victorious drive of three miles, which included a good deal of open field fighting. The Yanks were hungry and cold, but there was no complaining.
Stumbling along with a lieutenant, who was acting as my guide, I met Private Brown. Not so long ago he was a member of a fast independent baseball team at Woodlawn, Pa. Now he is just as good an infantryman, with the same spirit that characterized his former sizzling battles for supremacy on the diamond.
The big field in which we met had been riddled with shells and Jerry was still sending over a good many. Most of the boys were sleeping in shell holes or darkened dugouts, where they were safe enough except for a chance direct hit, but Brown was pacing about the muddy field.
“Why don’t you lie down and get some rest?” the lieutenant asked. “Haven’t you had enough exercise today?”
Brown grinned cheerfully, but replied softly: “I’d rather walk, Sir. I’m tired and hungry and the dugout seems a bit oppressive. I feel better here.”
As it happened I had some chocolate in my bag. It was only a little piece; a baby would have made a mouthful of it. Yet when I have it to him Private Brown promptly broke it in half and wanted me to take one piece, saying:
“Probably you are hungry yourself.”
And he had had nothing to eat for 24 hours, the advance having been so rapid that the boys outran their supplies.
That’s the American doughboy.
Ahh, genealogy. Remembering our veterans is always in style- so take time to sit, reflect, and then pray for our brave warriors.
Special thanks to Lynn B for her gracious permission to have her transcriptions included here.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Remembering WWI- Thru the Eyes and Words of 1918 Warriors - Part 3
Forget the parade, the President-- lonely boys away from home prefer to find their friends from Pittsburgh!
Today is the third entry in the series of remembering the brave actions of our grandpas through the words of Doyle. 90 plus years later, and the story of World War I continues to captivate.
THE GAZETTE TIMES
Dec. 17, 1918
Charles J. Doyle
Special Correspondent of The Gazette Times in France
DASHING FIGHTERS HAILING FROM ALLEGHENY CONTY SEE PRESIDENT BUT MISS OLD PALS.
Members of Three Hundred and Twentieth Infantry, Recommended for Commissions Because of Bravery in Action, Say Absence of Comrades Mars Enjoyment of Paris Festivities.
Paris, Dec. 16. – There is one bunch of Allegheny county doughboys in Paris who are disappointed, although they saw the wonderful spectacle connected with the arrival of President Wilson. They are members of the Three Hundred and Twentieth Infantry who had been detailed to an officers’ training school near here. They are disappointed because they have not yet seen their pals of the old regiment, which, they had been told, were to be detailed to Paris in connection with the President’s stay in the French capita.
The Army orders instructing the Pittsburgh boys to report at the capital did not say when they were to come or exactly what they were to do. There were no soldiers of any description in the party which escorted the President from the railroad station, although thousands of French troops were used as guards along the line of march.
The Western Pennsylvania fighters have all be given new uniforms, shoes and arm decorations and have been assiduously drilled, so they are ready for any event, no matter how pretentious. The regimental officers say they think there will be a review later and are holding the regiment in readiness.
The embryo officers in the vicinity of the city, who secured short leaves of absence to witness the big spectacle, were all up bright and early. By 6 o’clock in the morning they were out hunting for the boys with whom they fought in the severe battles for the Argonne forest. They are all members of the splendid Three Hundred and Twentieth Regiment and, following the first two drives made by that command, were recommended for admission to the training school in preparation for commissions.
I happened to meet up with a party from the training school. Shortly before they had encountered two pals from the Three Hundred and Twentieth, who were going back to join their outfits after recovering from wounds. Fine husky-looking soldiers they were, all of them, and they asked The Gazette Times to convey their wishes for a “Merry Christmas” to their friends back home.
These fellows who made me very welcome were: William Keifer, Iten street, North Side, Pittsburgh; D. C. Hill, Halsey place, North Side, Pittsburgh’ P.V. Speer, Vandergrift; Sabin Boltin, Collins avenue, East End, Pittsburgh; James Palmer, Bellevernon; Charles Ernst, Rial street, East End, Pittsburgh; William Collignan, Michigan avenue, South Hills, Pittsburgh; T. K. Brennan, Hotel Henry, Pittsburgh, and George Costello, Coltart square, Oakland, Pittsburgh.
All these men won distinction during the hard fighting immediately preceding the final actins of the war and were recommended for commissions. It was their behavior under fire that attracted the attention of their superior officers. Although all of them have finished the prescribed training, they told me they would be willing to forfeit their pending commissions if allowed to get back to “the old outfit.” They are lonesome, and want to renew the warm friendships made in the ranks of the Three Hundred and Twentieth, preferring them to military honors. Most of these men were sergeants during the time they were fighting in France.
Charles O. Mebie, a well-known Fayette county resident, whose home is near Uniontown, was one Pennsylvanian whose presence in Paris came to the notice of the public. He disregarded all parade traffic rules in his efforts to find the youthful son of Carl. L. Bemies, a member of the Three Hundred and Twentieth Regimental Band, but has had to postpone the reunion for a few days. Mr. Mebie is on his way to Russia on a special mission for the Y.M.C.A.
It is evident here that the folds back home are reading the special stories in The Gazette Times. A number of clippings have come to the boys of the Three Hundred and Nineteenth and the Three Hundred and Twentieth, and they are not only being passed around among the men, but are being read with interest by the officers.
Ahh, genealogy. Remembering our veterans is always in style- so take time to sit, reflect, and then pray for our brave warriors.
Special thanks to Lynn B for her gracious permission to have her transcriptions included here.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Today is the third entry in the series of remembering the brave actions of our grandpas through the words of Doyle. 90 plus years later, and the story of World War I continues to captivate.
THE GAZETTE TIMES
Dec. 17, 1918
Charles J. Doyle
Special Correspondent of The Gazette Times in France
DASHING FIGHTERS HAILING FROM ALLEGHENY CONTY SEE PRESIDENT BUT MISS OLD PALS.
Members of Three Hundred and Twentieth Infantry, Recommended for Commissions Because of Bravery in Action, Say Absence of Comrades Mars Enjoyment of Paris Festivities.
Paris, Dec. 16. – There is one bunch of Allegheny county doughboys in Paris who are disappointed, although they saw the wonderful spectacle connected with the arrival of President Wilson. They are members of the Three Hundred and Twentieth Infantry who had been detailed to an officers’ training school near here. They are disappointed because they have not yet seen their pals of the old regiment, which, they had been told, were to be detailed to Paris in connection with the President’s stay in the French capita.
The Army orders instructing the Pittsburgh boys to report at the capital did not say when they were to come or exactly what they were to do. There were no soldiers of any description in the party which escorted the President from the railroad station, although thousands of French troops were used as guards along the line of march.
The Western Pennsylvania fighters have all be given new uniforms, shoes and arm decorations and have been assiduously drilled, so they are ready for any event, no matter how pretentious. The regimental officers say they think there will be a review later and are holding the regiment in readiness.
The embryo officers in the vicinity of the city, who secured short leaves of absence to witness the big spectacle, were all up bright and early. By 6 o’clock in the morning they were out hunting for the boys with whom they fought in the severe battles for the Argonne forest. They are all members of the splendid Three Hundred and Twentieth Regiment and, following the first two drives made by that command, were recommended for admission to the training school in preparation for commissions.
I happened to meet up with a party from the training school. Shortly before they had encountered two pals from the Three Hundred and Twentieth, who were going back to join their outfits after recovering from wounds. Fine husky-looking soldiers they were, all of them, and they asked The Gazette Times to convey their wishes for a “Merry Christmas” to their friends back home.
These fellows who made me very welcome were: William Keifer, Iten street, North Side, Pittsburgh; D. C. Hill, Halsey place, North Side, Pittsburgh’ P.V. Speer, Vandergrift; Sabin Boltin, Collins avenue, East End, Pittsburgh; James Palmer, Bellevernon; Charles Ernst, Rial street, East End, Pittsburgh; William Collignan, Michigan avenue, South Hills, Pittsburgh; T. K. Brennan, Hotel Henry, Pittsburgh, and George Costello, Coltart square, Oakland, Pittsburgh.
All these men won distinction during the hard fighting immediately preceding the final actins of the war and were recommended for commissions. It was their behavior under fire that attracted the attention of their superior officers. Although all of them have finished the prescribed training, they told me they would be willing to forfeit their pending commissions if allowed to get back to “the old outfit.” They are lonesome, and want to renew the warm friendships made in the ranks of the Three Hundred and Twentieth, preferring them to military honors. Most of these men were sergeants during the time they were fighting in France.
Charles O. Mebie, a well-known Fayette county resident, whose home is near Uniontown, was one Pennsylvanian whose presence in Paris came to the notice of the public. He disregarded all parade traffic rules in his efforts to find the youthful son of Carl. L. Bemies, a member of the Three Hundred and Twentieth Regimental Band, but has had to postpone the reunion for a few days. Mr. Mebie is on his way to Russia on a special mission for the Y.M.C.A.
It is evident here that the folds back home are reading the special stories in The Gazette Times. A number of clippings have come to the boys of the Three Hundred and Nineteenth and the Three Hundred and Twentieth, and they are not only being passed around among the men, but are being read with interest by the officers.
Ahh, genealogy. Remembering our veterans is always in style- so take time to sit, reflect, and then pray for our brave warriors.
Special thanks to Lynn B for her gracious permission to have her transcriptions included here.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Remembering WWI- Thru the Eyes and Words of 1918 Warriors - Part 2
What men of valor our grandpas were!
The following is the second in the installment of remembering World War I through the words of Charles J Doyle, Special Gazette Times Correspondent in France.
THE GAZETTE TIMES
Nov. 3, 1918
Charles J. Doyle
Special Correspondent of The Gazette Times in France
Pick and Shovel as Well as Bayonet and Gun Help Pennsylvania Boys Win
With the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Nov. 1 – The Western Pennsylvanians of the Twenty-eighth and Eightieth Divisions are winning renown over the entire Allied front by charging the Boche with pick and shovel as well as with bayonet and gun. Skirmish after skirmish and drive after drive they have won literally with these tools as well as with their weapons. The history of their two-fold prowess at Argonne (in the wood and in the four days’ fighting beyond) has already become a classic of the war. Since July they have gone forward 20 times, and the records show that each time they have achieved their own objective.
That is 100 per cent fighting efficiency.
It is the more remarkable because these men were thrust “green” into the very heart of the most violent fighting Yankee soldiers have done in this war.
I saw 500 fellows from Pittsburgh and Allegheny county make one of those famous self-supporting drives at (name deleted by censor) near the Meuse today.
Three hundred of them carried shovels strapped to their backs. The Boche met them with a murderous machine gun fire and then, as they dashed on in spite of it, he split his front, so that half his force ran to the right and half to the left as the Pennsylvanians approached. Straight on to the knoll where his machine guns had been ran the Americans, firing right and left; then as they reached it the riflemen formed a great square about the knoll, and while they poured a merciless hail of bullets and their own machine fire into the Huns at either side, the others unlimbered that battery of picks and shovels and in one-half hour’s time the entire American raiding force had dug itself into the newly won position and was waiting for orders for another forward drive.
A French colonel, standing beside us as we watched, said simply: “That is the way to win war, M’sieu. Valor, the gun and the shovel – the three together – they are invincible.”
Incidentally the military experts have by no means left the Pennsylvanians’ achievements out of their review of the work of the First American Army. Paraphrased that review says: “In a month’s activities the long Argonne siege developed the most violent fighting the Americans have yet seen in France. And in this great drive the Pennsylvania soldiers of the Twenty-eighth and Eightieth won particular renown for their valor and initiative.”
Again in the most recent smash, continues the review, the Eightieth Division machine gunners, composed largely of Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia soldiers, fought magnificently through the dense woods in spite of the most unusually effective Hun defense.
Col. B. M. Gordon, a former Mercer (Pa.) boy with the Three Hundred and Twentieth Regiment, told me that he did not believe it lay in any many to fight with more heroism, intelligence and determination than did the lads of Mercer and Allegheny counties. “They were marvelously effective, especially with the machine guns,” he said. “In the fights where they beat off the counter-attacks of the desperate Germans their work passed beyond all praise.”
The Eighteenth has been especially commended for taking dugouts that were said to be insuperable. Some of them had been held by the Huns four years when the Pennsylvanians routed them out.
CAPTURES AND FEEDS COUSIN
Private Ernest Roeck of St. Clair Borough, a member of the Three Hundred and Nineteenth Regiment, discovered his cousin, Karl Potrafke, among the prisoners captured at the end of the third day’s drive out of Argonne. Private Roeck, who had been one of the first over the top and who had made several prisoners on his own account, was detailed at the end of the day to search and take back to the rear some 50 Heinies who had surrendered. Going through the pockets of one of them he came upon some papers that referred to a town in Germany where he knew he had relatives. Questioning disclosed the cousin’s identity. He belonged to the Thirty-second German Division. His captor gave him the first square meal he said he had had in two months.
It may now be said that the Pennsylvanians in the Eightieth Division first went to the front near the famous Dead Man’s Hill.
Ahh, genealogy. Remembering our veterans is always in style- so take time to sit, reflect, and then pray for our brave warriors.
Special thanks to Lynn B for her gracious permission to have her transcriptions included here.
©2011 AS Eldredge
The following is the second in the installment of remembering World War I through the words of Charles J Doyle, Special Gazette Times Correspondent in France.
THE GAZETTE TIMES
Nov. 3, 1918
Charles J. Doyle
Special Correspondent of The Gazette Times in France
Pick and Shovel as Well as Bayonet and Gun Help Pennsylvania Boys Win
With the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Nov. 1 – The Western Pennsylvanians of the Twenty-eighth and Eightieth Divisions are winning renown over the entire Allied front by charging the Boche with pick and shovel as well as with bayonet and gun. Skirmish after skirmish and drive after drive they have won literally with these tools as well as with their weapons. The history of their two-fold prowess at Argonne (in the wood and in the four days’ fighting beyond) has already become a classic of the war. Since July they have gone forward 20 times, and the records show that each time they have achieved their own objective.
That is 100 per cent fighting efficiency.
It is the more remarkable because these men were thrust “green” into the very heart of the most violent fighting Yankee soldiers have done in this war.
I saw 500 fellows from Pittsburgh and Allegheny county make one of those famous self-supporting drives at (name deleted by censor) near the Meuse today.
Three hundred of them carried shovels strapped to their backs. The Boche met them with a murderous machine gun fire and then, as they dashed on in spite of it, he split his front, so that half his force ran to the right and half to the left as the Pennsylvanians approached. Straight on to the knoll where his machine guns had been ran the Americans, firing right and left; then as they reached it the riflemen formed a great square about the knoll, and while they poured a merciless hail of bullets and their own machine fire into the Huns at either side, the others unlimbered that battery of picks and shovels and in one-half hour’s time the entire American raiding force had dug itself into the newly won position and was waiting for orders for another forward drive.
A French colonel, standing beside us as we watched, said simply: “That is the way to win war, M’sieu. Valor, the gun and the shovel – the three together – they are invincible.”
Incidentally the military experts have by no means left the Pennsylvanians’ achievements out of their review of the work of the First American Army. Paraphrased that review says: “In a month’s activities the long Argonne siege developed the most violent fighting the Americans have yet seen in France. And in this great drive the Pennsylvania soldiers of the Twenty-eighth and Eightieth won particular renown for their valor and initiative.”
Again in the most recent smash, continues the review, the Eightieth Division machine gunners, composed largely of Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia soldiers, fought magnificently through the dense woods in spite of the most unusually effective Hun defense.
Col. B. M. Gordon, a former Mercer (Pa.) boy with the Three Hundred and Twentieth Regiment, told me that he did not believe it lay in any many to fight with more heroism, intelligence and determination than did the lads of Mercer and Allegheny counties. “They were marvelously effective, especially with the machine guns,” he said. “In the fights where they beat off the counter-attacks of the desperate Germans their work passed beyond all praise.”
The Eighteenth has been especially commended for taking dugouts that were said to be insuperable. Some of them had been held by the Huns four years when the Pennsylvanians routed them out.
CAPTURES AND FEEDS COUSIN
Private Ernest Roeck of St. Clair Borough, a member of the Three Hundred and Nineteenth Regiment, discovered his cousin, Karl Potrafke, among the prisoners captured at the end of the third day’s drive out of Argonne. Private Roeck, who had been one of the first over the top and who had made several prisoners on his own account, was detailed at the end of the day to search and take back to the rear some 50 Heinies who had surrendered. Going through the pockets of one of them he came upon some papers that referred to a town in Germany where he knew he had relatives. Questioning disclosed the cousin’s identity. He belonged to the Thirty-second German Division. His captor gave him the first square meal he said he had had in two months.
It may now be said that the Pennsylvanians in the Eightieth Division first went to the front near the famous Dead Man’s Hill.
Ahh, genealogy. Remembering our veterans is always in style- so take time to sit, reflect, and then pray for our brave warriors.
Special thanks to Lynn B for her gracious permission to have her transcriptions included here.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Monday, May 23, 2011
Remembering WWI- Thru the Eyes and Words of 1918 Warriors - Part 1
As our nation gets ready to celebrate Memorial Day, I think it is most appropriate to remember our grandfathers as they fought for America during World War I. If we don't remember the sacrifices of our veterans, then we take away what they fought for-- and their actions have preserved our wonderful country.
Our youth must know their stories and remember to thank our veterans, past and present.
Over the next several days, I will be commemorating our World War I veterans in the words of The Gazette Times (in Pittsburgh) Special Correspondent Charles J Doyle. In 1918 and early 1919, Doyle was in France with our brave soldiers. In his articles, he wrote of everyday life and battles of the units from Western Pennsylvania.
My genealogy buddy, Lynn B., transcribed these. Read each and every entry. Relive the battles, the pain, the suffering, the death, and the joy of these brave soldiers.
And then pray for our veterans, past and present.....
THE GAZETTE TIMES
Dec. 2, 1918
Charles J. Doyle
Special Correspondent of The Gazette Times in France
PROSPECT OF EARLY RETURN BRINGS THANKSGIVING JOY TO WOUNDED PITTSBURGH BOYS.
Fighting Cook of Three Hundred Nineteenth Infantry Overjoyed When Told by Gazette Times Correspondent His Pals Came Through War Unscathed. Knoxville Youth Doing More Than His Bit When Stopped by Piece of Shell – Ball Players Act as Ushers in Paris Church.
Paris, Nov. 29. – (Delayed) – It was a curious but thoroughly enjoyable Thanksgiving afternoon that I spent sitting beside the cozy cots in American Base Hospital No. 41, chatting with the sturdy young chaps who are recovering their health and strength there. It is the magnificent Legion of Honor structure, rich in historic lore, at St. Denis, on the outskirts of Paris. The building, more than 600 years old, was formerly the burial place of the French kings. Once a monastery, it was later, under Napoleon, a school for officers’ daughters and is now a mammoth hospital sheltering about 2,500 wounded Yanks.
While wandering through the stately corridors of the ancient monastery in search of the men of the Twenty-eighth Division whom I had heard were being treated there, I was roused from my spell of admiration for the beautiful old building by a cheery hail.
“Hello, Doyle! How are the Three Hundred Nineteenth boys?” came the call.
Peering over a sea of cots I got a glimpse of the laughing face of Private Charles H. Glacken of 443 Brownsville road, Knoxville. Although “Charlie” was carried on the rolls of the regiment as a cook, he “went over the top” with the rest of them, having gotten hold of a rifle somehow, and was certainly doing his bit until hit in the knee by a small piece of high explosive shell.
This was during the early part of the advance and, as the wound was not a very serious one, Glacken was able to make his way back to a first aid station. Later he was brought to Paris for treatment. Now he looks the picture of health. As we talked he lay on his comfortable cot, extremely happy because he had been told that he would be sent back to Pittsburgh soon. He expects to have the full use of his leg in a short time.
The fighting cook of the Three Nineteenth [sic] had only one worry. He was anxious for news of Sergt. Bert Tremellen of Locust street, Mt. Oliver and Sergt. George Hegemelf of Knox avenue, his chums in Company K. I was able to tell him that both came through the hot fighting without a scratch, which was a great relief to him.
One of the The Gazette Times-Chronicle Telegraph soldiers literally beamed when I reached his cot. This young fighter was Thomas Orpy of 1330 Webster avenue, Pittsburgh, and was employed in the mailing room before he went join [sic] the army. He is a member of Company L, One Hundred and Eleventh Infantry, Twenty-eighth Division. His nurse had all sorts of nice things to say of this boy, who was wounded seven weeks before the Argonne forest fighting. Although he had a machine gun bullet in his foot, which required much attention, he displayed rare patience. He is doing well now.
Private Fred Libby, a Johnstown member of Company F, One Hundred and Tenth Infantry, was also in the hospital. He was almost entirely recovered from the effects of a shell wound. He formerly lived on the North Side, Pittsburgh.
Another Western Pennsylvanian I saw was Corp. George McCann of Butler, who was wounded near Verdun. He smiled broadly through his big bandage as he talked to me of the prospect of getting back home. He was wounded five times, but none of the injuries was serious and he is practically well now.
Private Louis McDonald, known about Homewood as an amateur ball player, who served “over there” with an anti aircraft company, was another who will probably soon be able to leave. He was sent to the hospital [unreadable] and was also told that Private Roy Kelly of the West End, Pittsburgh, had been there, but was recently discharged and was probably heading straight for the Steel City. He served with the One Hundred and Ninth Division.
I missed seeing a number of the Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania men because most of those well enough to stand the trip had been taken in trucks into Paris for the big celebration. King George of England and two of his sons were present and took part in the official observance of the day. All Paris had a great day. The splendid cathedral was decorated with French, American and English flags and the service was wonderfully impressive. Cardinal Bourne of Westminster, the principal speaker, touched strongly on the part played by American in bringing the war to a close.
At the Madeleine the mass was opened by the playing of “The Star Spangled Banner” on the huge pipe organ to the accompaniment of trumpet blasts. This service was arranged specially for Americans, but the appreciation of the French people was shown by the fact that they stormed the gates at a very early hour and literally took possession of the church.
Andy Noswing of Pittsburgh was in charge of the ushers at Madeleine and among his assistants were Jack Hendrick, manager of the St. Louis Nationals, and Johnny Evers, the famous second baseman. Both are doing Knights of Columbus work in France.
Ahh, genealogy. Take the time to sit, reflect, and then pray for our brave warriors.
Special thanks to Lynn for her gracious permission to have her transcriptions included here.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Our youth must know their stories and remember to thank our veterans, past and present.
Over the next several days, I will be commemorating our World War I veterans in the words of The Gazette Times (in Pittsburgh) Special Correspondent Charles J Doyle. In 1918 and early 1919, Doyle was in France with our brave soldiers. In his articles, he wrote of everyday life and battles of the units from Western Pennsylvania.
My genealogy buddy, Lynn B., transcribed these. Read each and every entry. Relive the battles, the pain, the suffering, the death, and the joy of these brave soldiers.
And then pray for our veterans, past and present.....
THE GAZETTE TIMES
Dec. 2, 1918
Charles J. Doyle
Special Correspondent of The Gazette Times in France
PROSPECT OF EARLY RETURN BRINGS THANKSGIVING JOY TO WOUNDED PITTSBURGH BOYS.
Fighting Cook of Three Hundred Nineteenth Infantry Overjoyed When Told by Gazette Times Correspondent His Pals Came Through War Unscathed. Knoxville Youth Doing More Than His Bit When Stopped by Piece of Shell – Ball Players Act as Ushers in Paris Church.
Paris, Nov. 29. – (Delayed) – It was a curious but thoroughly enjoyable Thanksgiving afternoon that I spent sitting beside the cozy cots in American Base Hospital No. 41, chatting with the sturdy young chaps who are recovering their health and strength there. It is the magnificent Legion of Honor structure, rich in historic lore, at St. Denis, on the outskirts of Paris. The building, more than 600 years old, was formerly the burial place of the French kings. Once a monastery, it was later, under Napoleon, a school for officers’ daughters and is now a mammoth hospital sheltering about 2,500 wounded Yanks.
While wandering through the stately corridors of the ancient monastery in search of the men of the Twenty-eighth Division whom I had heard were being treated there, I was roused from my spell of admiration for the beautiful old building by a cheery hail.
“Hello, Doyle! How are the Three Hundred Nineteenth boys?” came the call.
Peering over a sea of cots I got a glimpse of the laughing face of Private Charles H. Glacken of 443 Brownsville road, Knoxville. Although “Charlie” was carried on the rolls of the regiment as a cook, he “went over the top” with the rest of them, having gotten hold of a rifle somehow, and was certainly doing his bit until hit in the knee by a small piece of high explosive shell.
This was during the early part of the advance and, as the wound was not a very serious one, Glacken was able to make his way back to a first aid station. Later he was brought to Paris for treatment. Now he looks the picture of health. As we talked he lay on his comfortable cot, extremely happy because he had been told that he would be sent back to Pittsburgh soon. He expects to have the full use of his leg in a short time.
The fighting cook of the Three Nineteenth [sic] had only one worry. He was anxious for news of Sergt. Bert Tremellen of Locust street, Mt. Oliver and Sergt. George Hegemelf of Knox avenue, his chums in Company K. I was able to tell him that both came through the hot fighting without a scratch, which was a great relief to him.
One of the The Gazette Times-Chronicle Telegraph soldiers literally beamed when I reached his cot. This young fighter was Thomas Orpy of 1330 Webster avenue, Pittsburgh, and was employed in the mailing room before he went join [sic] the army. He is a member of Company L, One Hundred and Eleventh Infantry, Twenty-eighth Division. His nurse had all sorts of nice things to say of this boy, who was wounded seven weeks before the Argonne forest fighting. Although he had a machine gun bullet in his foot, which required much attention, he displayed rare patience. He is doing well now.
Private Fred Libby, a Johnstown member of Company F, One Hundred and Tenth Infantry, was also in the hospital. He was almost entirely recovered from the effects of a shell wound. He formerly lived on the North Side, Pittsburgh.
Another Western Pennsylvanian I saw was Corp. George McCann of Butler, who was wounded near Verdun. He smiled broadly through his big bandage as he talked to me of the prospect of getting back home. He was wounded five times, but none of the injuries was serious and he is practically well now.
Private Louis McDonald, known about Homewood as an amateur ball player, who served “over there” with an anti aircraft company, was another who will probably soon be able to leave. He was sent to the hospital [unreadable] and was also told that Private Roy Kelly of the West End, Pittsburgh, had been there, but was recently discharged and was probably heading straight for the Steel City. He served with the One Hundred and Ninth Division.
I missed seeing a number of the Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania men because most of those well enough to stand the trip had been taken in trucks into Paris for the big celebration. King George of England and two of his sons were present and took part in the official observance of the day. All Paris had a great day. The splendid cathedral was decorated with French, American and English flags and the service was wonderfully impressive. Cardinal Bourne of Westminster, the principal speaker, touched strongly on the part played by American in bringing the war to a close.
At the Madeleine the mass was opened by the playing of “The Star Spangled Banner” on the huge pipe organ to the accompaniment of trumpet blasts. This service was arranged specially for Americans, but the appreciation of the French people was shown by the fact that they stormed the gates at a very early hour and literally took possession of the church.
Andy Noswing of Pittsburgh was in charge of the ushers at Madeleine and among his assistants were Jack Hendrick, manager of the St. Louis Nationals, and Johnny Evers, the famous second baseman. Both are doing Knights of Columbus work in France.
Ahh, genealogy. Take the time to sit, reflect, and then pray for our brave warriors.
Special thanks to Lynn for her gracious permission to have her transcriptions included here.
©2011 AS Eldredge
GAR Post #3 History from 1894 Article
Last week, I was finally able to definitively determine the death date and the cemetery for William Wiley HUNNEWELL, the brother of my 2g-grandmother. With delight in my eyes, a cousin of mine took the date I supplied and found the 1931 obituary in Pittsburgh.
While I knew William had served in the Civil War and had moved to Wisconsin, and later back to Pittsburgh, I was surprised to find his obit made notice of his belonging to the General Alexander Hays GAR Post #3.
I scouted around for information on the post and to see if any records are still in existence. Perhaps, I can uncover some more interesting tidbits for my family files. So far, I have found an article from Sept, 1894 in the Pittsburgh Press which provides the following fun facts:
Post #3 was the first post organized in Pennsylvania November 2, 1866, as Post 1. It became Post 3 after the national GAR was organized.
Charter members:
Gen. A L PEARSON
Capt. D M HOWE
Sergt. William HOWE
Capt. WB COOK
John F HUNTER
Lewis HAWNCH
Lieut. Joseph L EVANS
EG KENNEDY
Robert D McKEE
Maj Samuel KILGORE
Lee S SMITH
David R REWIS
WF HOOD
Other names from 1866-1867:
BF STEPHENSON
John M SNYDER
J Henry MILLER
John H MORRIS
George LAING
Hamlet LOWE
BF KENNEDY
George F MORGAN
1869 names:
William McMULLIN
Samuel HACKETT
William THOMPSON
Jos H GEY
HILL
HUNTER
WJ CRISWELL
COLLINS
SILNEY
HM CURRY
John McLANAHAN
Other names:
EA MONTOOTH
Crosby GRAY
BW BALDWIN
GB CHALMERS
WH McCLELLAND
HM QUIG
WW SCOTT
GB HUBBARD
SA WILL
RJ HERRON
Edward FISHER
JM HAYS
TJ HAMILRON
JM ROBERTS
WF SPEER
John D McFARLAND
WM BIRCH
WH LAMBERT
HO SHAY
AF DALZELL
Homer L McGAW
WH HART
Alex HUGHES
WJ HAMILTON
AT CORDELL
JH MILLER
Joseph B EATON
Chas TAYLOR
Wm NOTTER
Alex C CASKEY
In 1894, the post reported having 300 members in good standing.
I found the following surviving documentation from the post at the Soldiers & Sailors Museum:
Post 3 – Gen. Alexander Hays Minutes Book 1905 – 1909
Post 3 – Minutes Book 1906 – 1912
Post 3 – Minutes Book 1931 – 1940 with obits
Post 3 – Descriptive Books
Post 3 – Cash Receipts/Dues Journal with Roster 1926 – 1929
Post 3 – Cash Receipts Journal 1909 – 1938
Post 3 – Canceled Checks and Warrants
If you have an interest in looking at these files, Curator Michael Kraus says the records are available for viewing with a few days notice.
Oh, if only I could go----
Ahh, genealogy. Remembering those who have gone before.....
©2011 AS Eldredge
While I knew William had served in the Civil War and had moved to Wisconsin, and later back to Pittsburgh, I was surprised to find his obit made notice of his belonging to the General Alexander Hays GAR Post #3.
I scouted around for information on the post and to see if any records are still in existence. Perhaps, I can uncover some more interesting tidbits for my family files. So far, I have found an article from Sept, 1894 in the Pittsburgh Press which provides the following fun facts:
Post #3 was the first post organized in Pennsylvania November 2, 1866, as Post 1. It became Post 3 after the national GAR was organized.
Charter members:
Gen. A L PEARSON
Capt. D M HOWE
Sergt. William HOWE
Capt. WB COOK
John F HUNTER
Lewis HAWNCH
Lieut. Joseph L EVANS
EG KENNEDY
Robert D McKEE
Maj Samuel KILGORE
Lee S SMITH
David R REWIS
WF HOOD
Other names from 1866-1867:
BF STEPHENSON
John M SNYDER
J Henry MILLER
John H MORRIS
George LAING
Hamlet LOWE
BF KENNEDY
George F MORGAN
1869 names:
William McMULLIN
Samuel HACKETT
William THOMPSON
Jos H GEY
HILL
HUNTER
WJ CRISWELL
COLLINS
SILNEY
HM CURRY
John McLANAHAN
Other names:
EA MONTOOTH
Crosby GRAY
BW BALDWIN
GB CHALMERS
WH McCLELLAND
HM QUIG
WW SCOTT
GB HUBBARD
SA WILL
RJ HERRON
Edward FISHER
JM HAYS
TJ HAMILRON
JM ROBERTS
WF SPEER
John D McFARLAND
WM BIRCH
WH LAMBERT
HO SHAY
AF DALZELL
Homer L McGAW
WH HART
Alex HUGHES
WJ HAMILTON
AT CORDELL
JH MILLER
Joseph B EATON
Chas TAYLOR
Wm NOTTER
Alex C CASKEY
In 1894, the post reported having 300 members in good standing.
I found the following surviving documentation from the post at the Soldiers & Sailors Museum:
Post 3 – Gen. Alexander Hays Minutes Book 1905 – 1909
Post 3 – Minutes Book 1906 – 1912
Post 3 – Minutes Book 1931 – 1940 with obits
Post 3 – Descriptive Books
Post 3 – Cash Receipts/Dues Journal with Roster 1926 – 1929
Post 3 – Cash Receipts Journal 1909 – 1938
Post 3 – Canceled Checks and Warrants
If you have an interest in looking at these files, Curator Michael Kraus says the records are available for viewing with a few days notice.
Oh, if only I could go----
Ahh, genealogy. Remembering those who have gone before.....
©2011 AS Eldredge
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Have a Retired Railroad Worker in Your Line?
These records are fabulous. Check 'em out.
The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com.
Railroad Retirement Board Records Available at the National Archives, Southeast Region/Atlanta
Records from the Railroad Retirement Board are now available at the National Archives, Southeast Region/Atlanta in Morrow.
The board was founded in 1936 and its records include applications that provide a retiree's career history, date and place of birth, parents, spouse and children. These records represent railroad retirees from all over the U.S., not just the Southeast, and were brought to Morrow from the Chicago headquarters of the board.
To have a file pulled for research, you must supply the person's full name, date of birth and, if possible, Social Security number. The records date from the 1930s through the 1960s. Sensitive information on any living person is redacted.
You can read more in an article by Kenneth H. Thomas Jr. in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution web site at http://goo.gl/8OT4A
--
Ahh, genealogy. Keep on movin' down the line to uncover those elusive clues!
©2011 AS Eldredge
The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com.
Railroad Retirement Board Records Available at the National Archives, Southeast Region/Atlanta
Records from the Railroad Retirement Board are now available at the National Archives, Southeast Region/Atlanta in Morrow.
The board was founded in 1936 and its records include applications that provide a retiree's career history, date and place of birth, parents, spouse and children. These records represent railroad retirees from all over the U.S., not just the Southeast, and were brought to Morrow from the Chicago headquarters of the board.
To have a file pulled for research, you must supply the person's full name, date of birth and, if possible, Social Security number. The records date from the 1930s through the 1960s. Sensitive information on any living person is redacted.
You can read more in an article by Kenneth H. Thomas Jr. in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution web site at http://goo.gl/8OT4A
--
Ahh, genealogy. Keep on movin' down the line to uncover those elusive clues!
©2011 AS Eldredge
Monday, May 16, 2011
Honoring WWI Pittsburgh Area Veterans
For those of you who follow my genealogy antics, you know I have been the coordinator for a fabulous project in the Pittsburgh area. A super group of volunteers have banded together to search the old newspapers and pull out the death, marriage, divorce and photos found within. These entries have been put into indices which can be checked at no cost online.
Our last death index had over 73000 entries! This has been accomplished in about 15 months and still the labor of love of history keeps on ticking! We update the these lists on a regular basis, so there is always a reason to check the lists every month or so. You just never know when you will be jumping for joy!
On another note, last December, one of the volunteers, Lynn Beatty, approached me with the idea of pulling the World War I veterans names from the newspapers. My first thought was this would be so grand since so many of the World War I veterans information has been lost due to fire.
Since then, Lynn has singlehandedly indexed 85133 entries for the military index. My buddy, Ellis, graciously added the index to our Allegheny County Death Index page. Norm even set up a page for our beloved veterans which will take you to the link for the date the name was seen in the newspaper.
So grab a cup of joe and take some time looking at the stories, the happy reunions, the letters, and shed a tear for those who gave their lives for our wonderful country.
Military Service Index: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Enjm1/11AC-WWI-Military-Service.html
Ahh, genealogy. Listen to your heartbeat when your beloved's name is found.
©2011 AS Eldredge
Monday, May 09, 2011
Eek! She's a "Common Scold"!
Sometimes, reading an old newspaper can bring out the giggles. This morning, this article about a legal case in the 1869 court system really caught my eye. After reading it, I wonder who this outspoken woman was. I also have to wonder if that law was ever taken off the book in Pennsylvania.
A Common Scold
Michael Sweeny, a tavern keeper on Gibbon Street, in the Sixth Ward, made information before the Mayor a few days since against Mrs. Elizabeth CARREL, alleging that she was a "common scold." This is a term applied by the common law to women, who from a propensity and disposition to quarrel with and scold their neighbors and families become a nuisance in the neighborhood in which they resided, and was punishable by fine and imprisonment.
The offense has never been embodied in our criminal code on account of the gallantry, perhaps, of those who revises it, and out of the the respect they had for American women, yet, notwithstanding its omission from the "catalogue of offenses", the courts have decided it to be an indictable offence in this State, as will be seen by reference to the case of the Commonwealth vs, Mole, reported in Second Smith.
In this case it appears from the testimony that there is some grounds for complaint on the part of the prosecutor, and if the conduct of the defendant at the Mayor's office is any evidence, the charge is well funded. She was held to bail for her appearance at court.
Ahh, genealogy. Guess this woman should have been more meek? Can you imagine being labeled a "common scold"? Guess the standards have changed somewhat since then!
Source:
The Pittsburgh Gazette, Jan 11, 1869, pg8
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=NKlx0PmyA3cC&dat=18690111&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
©2011 AS Eldredge
A Common Scold
Michael Sweeny, a tavern keeper on Gibbon Street, in the Sixth Ward, made information before the Mayor a few days since against Mrs. Elizabeth CARREL, alleging that she was a "common scold." This is a term applied by the common law to women, who from a propensity and disposition to quarrel with and scold their neighbors and families become a nuisance in the neighborhood in which they resided, and was punishable by fine and imprisonment.
The offense has never been embodied in our criminal code on account of the gallantry, perhaps, of those who revises it, and out of the the respect they had for American women, yet, notwithstanding its omission from the "catalogue of offenses", the courts have decided it to be an indictable offence in this State, as will be seen by reference to the case of the Commonwealth vs, Mole, reported in Second Smith.
In this case it appears from the testimony that there is some grounds for complaint on the part of the prosecutor, and if the conduct of the defendant at the Mayor's office is any evidence, the charge is well funded. She was held to bail for her appearance at court.
Ahh, genealogy. Guess this woman should have been more meek? Can you imagine being labeled a "common scold"? Guess the standards have changed somewhat since then!
Source:
The Pittsburgh Gazette, Jan 11, 1869, pg8
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=NKlx0PmyA3cC&dat=18690111&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
©2011 AS Eldredge
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Treasure Chest Thursday: Happy 1919 Homecoming for 66 Wounded Heroes
An old photograph taken in 1919 has long been in my possession. This picture says so much and for a long time, it told me so little. One can easily identify a wounded soldier visiting with a woman wearing summer colors. The background appears to be an institution, perhaps a hospital. He has his arm casually leaning on the back of the bench.
Just today, more clues have surfaced and I can start to add more pieces to my family puzzle and to the photograph.
CE Simmons enlisted in the draft for World War I June 1917. He was called to duty and served in Co. C of the 11th Infantry. This unit was shipped overseas in June 1918 to France and participated in 43 days of combat with 348 wounded. Charlie was one of the wounded and was returned to the US.
A Pittsburgh Press article dated February 17, 1919, tells us he, along with 65 other wounded soldiers, arrived at the US General Hospital #24 in Parkview Station. The article says the wounded arrived with the "air of schoolboys on the last day of school" and "were joyful their lives had been spared."
No doubt, they were.
The picture, which I had guessed was taken at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh actually is now confirmed to have been taken at US General Hospital #24. General Hospital #24 was located in Parkview Station on the north bank of the Allegheny River in the old North Side Home and Allegheny Workhouse about 9 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. The old abandoned buildings were rented to the government at a nominal fee and the government spent $205,000 in the reconstruction of the buildings. It opened in October 1918 with 200 beds. During its tenure before closing in July 1, 1919, the hospital's maximum bed size was 856.
By comparing my photo with the photo of the hospital in the Office of Medical History by the US Army Medical Department, the background matches. The lack of coats and the summer color dress give us the impression the weather was nice. Adding the history of the General Hospital #24 to the newspaper article, we can now make an educated guess that the photograph was taken between April and June 1919. Was this when the spark sprung between the young people? Was this when they fell in love?
Their marriage took place in May 1920, so there was adequate time for the relationship to fully develop.
I don't know how long he was in the hospital after part of his leg had been removed, but I do know he returned to the business he and his father had started back in 1915. In 1920, they paid off the loans for the business and cousins had told me he had lived above the store before marrying his fair bride.
Ahh, genealogy. Sparking on the ole Parkview bench. Kind of romantic, don't you think?
Sources:
Domestic United State Military Facilities of the First World War 1917-1919, Robert Swanson, pg 201
http://books.google.com/books?id=sSopqvCeAXQC&pg=PA201&lpg=PA201&dq=parkview+station+pittsburgh+army+hospital&source=bl&ots=rP84MiLo-v&sig=SkjClHtwLidvdsd0wQ0SHt-dfe0&hl=en&ei=38rCTfihIZTBtgeb3bClBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CCwQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=parkview%20station%20pittsburgh%20army%20hospital&f=false
http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwi/MilitaryHospitalsintheUS/chapter27figure183.jpg
©2011 AS Eldredge
Just today, more clues have surfaced and I can start to add more pieces to my family puzzle and to the photograph.
CE Simmons enlisted in the draft for World War I June 1917. He was called to duty and served in Co. C of the 11th Infantry. This unit was shipped overseas in June 1918 to France and participated in 43 days of combat with 348 wounded. Charlie was one of the wounded and was returned to the US.
A Pittsburgh Press article dated February 17, 1919, tells us he, along with 65 other wounded soldiers, arrived at the US General Hospital #24 in Parkview Station. The article says the wounded arrived with the "air of schoolboys on the last day of school" and "were joyful their lives had been spared."
No doubt, they were.
The picture, which I had guessed was taken at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh actually is now confirmed to have been taken at US General Hospital #24. General Hospital #24 was located in Parkview Station on the north bank of the Allegheny River in the old North Side Home and Allegheny Workhouse about 9 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. The old abandoned buildings were rented to the government at a nominal fee and the government spent $205,000 in the reconstruction of the buildings. It opened in October 1918 with 200 beds. During its tenure before closing in July 1, 1919, the hospital's maximum bed size was 856.
By comparing my photo with the photo of the hospital in the Office of Medical History by the US Army Medical Department, the background matches. The lack of coats and the summer color dress give us the impression the weather was nice. Adding the history of the General Hospital #24 to the newspaper article, we can now make an educated guess that the photograph was taken between April and June 1919. Was this when the spark sprung between the young people? Was this when they fell in love?
Their marriage took place in May 1920, so there was adequate time for the relationship to fully develop.
I don't know how long he was in the hospital after part of his leg had been removed, but I do know he returned to the business he and his father had started back in 1915. In 1920, they paid off the loans for the business and cousins had told me he had lived above the store before marrying his fair bride.
Ahh, genealogy. Sparking on the ole Parkview bench. Kind of romantic, don't you think?
Sources:
Domestic United State Military Facilities of the First World War 1917-1919, Robert Swanson, pg 201
http://books.google.com/books?id=sSopqvCeAXQC&pg=PA201&lpg=PA201&dq=parkview+station+pittsburgh+army+hospital&source=bl&ots=rP84MiLo-v&sig=SkjClHtwLidvdsd0wQ0SHt-dfe0&hl=en&ei=38rCTfihIZTBtgeb3bClBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CCwQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=parkview%20station%20pittsburgh%20army%20hospital&f=false
http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwi/MilitaryHospitalsintheUS/chapter27figure183.jpg
©2011 AS Eldredge
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