The Grandfathers. World War 1. PART FOUR -- SAM ADAMS.

Sam Adams. July 1918 — December 1918. Post-War to Death in 1974.

A bit of a recap.

  As I said in my previous posts about “The Grandfathers” I’ve come to realize that I could study the events of the Summer and Fall of 1918 and never be able to fully understand them, much less describe them. Still, the study of our three grandfathers’ WW1 service has helped me understand WW1 and them, better. I also fully expect that as soon as I think I am finished, I will find some new records about the grandfathers.

   Officially, the United States military had been in Europe for a year and in combat since October 1917. For our grandfathers, their families, and all the millions like them, The Great War, the War to End All Wars — was life altering. The Great War killed millions of people. And killed the hopes and dreams of the millions who loved them. The altered lives of the survivors and their future generations can barely be measured. In these blog posts, I am trying to do some measuring.

   This post is about my paternal grandfather, Sam Adams, who was born in Greece as Sotirios Adamopoulos. What follows is what I know about his story right now as we approach the 100th anniversary of 11-11-18.

SAM ADAMS

   The military record for my paternal grandfather was sketchy, in that it was literally like a sketch. I found some documents in my mother’s genealogy files when she died. So in addition to family stories about his service, I had a bit of documentary evidence. 

   * A copy of Sam’s naturalization certificate that said he was naturalized on September 23, 1918 in Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida. 

   * A photocopy of a 3 X 5 card with some typed information — with a note that information came from the Hines V.A. Hospital. VA C# 21 264 885; SN# 3 238 920; INTO SVC ON 7-11-18 AT FT THOMAS KY; OUT SVC ON 12-7-18 AT FT. Moultine SC; RANK COOK 8th Trench Motor BN. HDQTRS SUPPLY CO 

   * A photocopy of an Illinois death record that said he was a "WW" (World War 1) veteran 

   * A photocopy of his Disabled American Veteran membership card 

  * A photocopy of an undated certificate signed by President Gerald R Ford in “recognition of devoted and selfless consecration to the service of our country in the Armed Forces of the United State.”

   Oh! And of course, the family stories that I knew by heart about how he was naturalized while in the Army. There may be a tiny kernel of truth to the story that the sergeant handed him a piece of paper to sign  . . .  and boom he was a citizen! More on this later.

   But I wanted to know more. I wanted to know the story of his time in the Army.

   Years later in my research, thanks to Ancestry, newspaper archival resources, and the National Personnel Records Center (National Archives) I have documents that help confirm family stories and the sketchy outline provided in my mother’s file. I already shared Sam’s 1917 Selective Service registration card that I found on Ancestry. Now I’ll try to fill in some of the information I’ve learned.

   Recently, I found this via newspapers.com as I went back to see if any local Ohio newspapers ever mentioned him or Ohio soldiers who enlisted and were with the Coast Artillery. Most local papers around the country published lists of names, but usually it was from the War Dept casualty lists. The "Dayton Daily News" did a full page on Sunday September 8, 1918 about Ohio soldiers. "Sam Adamopoulos" is #14 on left according to photo caption. They also published a short bio on each man on the same page. Apparently he was "well known in Greek circles." The headline: “Putting the Yank in Yankee with Dayton Fighters on Land and Sea.”

Dayton Daily News. September 8, 1918. Sam Adamopoulos on left.

“Well known in Greek Circles, Sam Adamopoulos, who home before he entered the army was at 131 South Jefferson street is now in training at Fort Barancas, Florida, where he is with the Seventh Company of the Coast Artillery Corps. The young man was born in Tripolis, Greece.”

Dayton Daily News. September 8, 1918. 

  Early on in my research I found Sam in “Ohio Soldiers in WW1” via ancestry.com. (This source can also be found elsewhere online.) It’s a challenge to decipher all the abbreviations, however, the source record had a list of them. There's actually a lot of information in these four lines. This is cropped from a page of names, including several Sam Adams. But it’s clear that on July 11, 1918, he reported for duty at Fort Thomas, Kentucky. The confusing part is the order of the list of his stations. In any case it says Sam was with the 12th Co, Pensacola Coast Artillery, Fort Barrancas, Florida. And with Headquarters and Supply Company 8th Trench Mortar Battery. And was discharged December 7, 1918. Some of this is clarified and confirmed in other documents I’ve found, however note that the bio in the Dayton paper says Seventh Company of the Coast Artillery Corps. I haven’t found much information about the Coast Artillery, 7th or 12. Neither is there much information about the 8th Trench Mortar Battalion. In a way, in Sam’s case, it doesn’t matter that much. Even if he had gone overseas, as a cook, he would have been “relatively safe” if he was a cook at HQ.

From "Ohio Soldiers in WW1"

Abbreviations: 

RA=Regular Army; CA=Coast Artillery; TMBtry=Trench Mortar Battery 

[Source Information. Ohio Soldiers in WWI, 1917-1918 [database on-line].  Original data: The Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the World War, 1917-18. Columbus, OH, USA: The F.J. Heer Printing Co., 1926.]

Interestingly, his registration card gives his age as 23 (and 1894) and this record, gives his age as 21 (which would be 1897.)

My attempt to decipher:

Name: Sam Adams.  Age: 21 Years.  Birth Location:  Tegeas - Greece

Enlistment Date:  1918 - 11 Jul.     Enlistment County:  Fort Thomas.    Enlistment State:  Kentucky

Enlistment Division:  Regular Army

Comments:  Regular Army Ft Thomas, Ky. July 11/18. Br Tegeas, Greece. 21 yrs. 12th Co Pensacola Coast Artillery Fort Barrancas Fla to 21 Oct 1918; Headquarters and Supply Company 8th Trench Mortar Battery to Discharge Cook 13 Aug 1918. Honorable discharge 7 Dec 1918.

Naturalization Certificate

   Multiple copies of this Certificate of Naturalization were in my mother’s files. None of them are good copies, but you can see it’s dated December 13, 1926. Sam had just returned on September 21, 1926 from six-plus years in Greece, arriving in New York with his 5 and a half-year old son, my father Angelo. The ship manifest lists him as a Veteran. I can only speculate about why he needed a copy. Perhaps that story is another blog post.

   This Certificate confirms that he was naturalized during the war and that he was at Fort Barrancas FL, Pensacola, County of Escambia, State of Florida

Certificate of Naturalization for Sam Adams. From my family genealogy files.

   I have done a little research into the naturalization of immigrants in the military during the war. Here's a little bit from the National Park Service, Ellis Island site. (https://www.nps.gov/articles/immigrants-in-the-military-during-wwi.htm )  

“In total, about 500,000 immigrants from 46 nations served in America’s armed forces during World War I, making up 18% of the troops. One reason for this is that military service has offered a “fast track” to citizenship since the time of the Civil War. In 1918–19, the United States waived for servicemen the normal five-year US residency requirement, eliminated the need to file an advance declaration of intent, waived the application fee, and streamlined procedures so that soldiers and sailors could complete the naturalization process quickly in the field. More than 192,000 World War I servicemen became citizens under these provisions.”

   Encouraged by my recent find in the Dayton newspaper, I tried searching in Florida newspapers and found this Pensacola News Journal item. “Sam Adams” is listed as a soldier admitted to full U.S. citizenship. It’s from the Pensacola News Journal, Tuesday September 24, 1918; just one day after the date on Sam’s Naturalization Certificate. Just another little item to confirm information in the Naturalization Certificate.

Pensacola News Journal September 24, 1918.

MILITARY RECORDS FROM THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

  In 2013, I requested military records from the National Archives - National Personnel Records Center. They found 2 items and reported that given that is all they could find, that it is likely any other records burned in the fire at the St. Louis repository in 1973. 

Item 1.  Veterans Administration Request for Information for disability pension, dated 1959-60. This provided confirmation of military service. Transcript of info follows.

Sam Adams. Veterans Administration Request for Information. For disability pension.

Transcript of VA request for information:

Type of Claim: Original-Disability-Pension. Separation Forms not on file. Requesting Office: VA Regional Office, 2030 West Taylor Street, Chicago 12, Illinois. 

Originating Unit: Adjudication. Claim Number 21 264 885. 

ADAMS Sam. Service Number 3 238 920. DOB 8-6-94, Greece. 

Entered Duty 7-11-18; Separated 12-7-18; Hon; 

Last grade, rate,or rank, and org: Cook Hdqs & Supply Co 8th Truck Wartor Bn [typo here]

Dated 12-23-59

Unable to read stamp: “Veteran had 90 days or more active service, evalu……furlough…..time lost on ……..(without pay), …………………….acquital), in ………..undergoing sentence of ………..”

[I think this is just a stamp saying yes he did have 90 days of service.]

Item 2.  Honorable Discharge from the United States Army. 

   This is very difficult to read or transcribe, but I tried with the help of generic version I found online. While the date is not readable, we do have other documents saying he was discharged December 7, 1918. The notation that he was not eligible for travel pay indicated that he did not serve overseas. Transcript follows.

Sam Adams. Honorable Discharge from The United States Army.

Transcription of Honorable Discharge:

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

This is to certify that Sam Adams 

3238920 Cook Hqs & Supply Co 8th Trench Mortar [??]

THE UNTED STATES ARMY, as a TESTIMONIAL OF HONEST AND FAITHFUL 

SERVICE is hereby HONORABLY DISCHARGED from the military service of the 

[paper is creased but probably “United States of America” and a line citing “authority” for discharge, such as demobilization]

Said     Sam Adams        [again hard to read but looks like his name] was born 

in      Tegeas     in the country of          Greece.          

When enlisted he was     21     years of age and by occupation a         Cook.          

He had      Brown       eyes and     Dark Brown     hair,      Fair      complexion, and 

was     5          feet      5     inches height.

Given by my hand at           Ft Moultire     S.C.          this 

                       day of                                                   

Paid in full $8.87

Not entitled to travel pay.

   And so, the way I figure it, Sam went from Dayton OH in June 1918, to Fort Thomas KY, to Pensacola FL, to Fort Moultrie SC in December 1918. And he was a cook. Specifically with “Headquarters and Supply Company” of the 8th Trench Mortar Battery and probably with the Coast Artillery as well. [Editorial aside: Based on what I know of Sam Adams, I wonder if cooking for headquarters staff “fed” Sam’s illusions of grandeur. Some people referred to him in later years as an “operator.” But once again, perhaps that’s another blog post.]

   I’ve done some research on the Coast Artillery and on the 8th Trench Mortar Battalion. One of my favorite things I read was someone who said most people who enlisted with the Coast Artillery thought they'd be defending the U.S. coast -- until they were sent to France. For my grandfather, it seems his service was spent cooking for headquarters staff. In any case, his discharge papers say he was discharged from the 8th Trench Mortar Battalion in Fort Moultrie, S.C. My research indicates that this battalion was indeed organized at Fort Moultrie in 1918 and then "disbanded" there in December 1918.

__________________________

SAM ADAMS. AFTER THE WAR

   A little bit about the post-war story of Sam Adams. The family story is that after his discharge, Sam returned to Ohio to continue working at the job he held when he enlisted in 1917, or when he departed for Fort Thomas 1918. Sometime in 1919, he received word from Greece that his brother Angelo had died in the flu epidemic. We have a November 1919 passport application to go to Greece to attend to family matters regarding his brother’s death. On his application, Sam says he lives in Lima, Ohio and works as a manager at the Rialto Theatre. 

   We know he arrived in Greece in January 1920, thanks to a March 24, 1921 Emergency Passport Application I found on Ancestry. Why did Sam need to get an emergency passport in Athens in March 1921? Well, he overstayed his visa. Was this because he got conscripted into the Greek Army? Probably.

   The family story I grew up with is that Sam served in both the American and the Greek armies I don’t have access to Greek records, but the family story is supported by his need for an Emergency Passport; by research that shows the Greek army did in fact conscript Greeks who were American citizens who happened to be in Greece during these years. And we have this incredibly touching photo with inscription in Greek on the back, that family stories say was sent by Stella to Sam while he was away in the Greek army when my father was born.

Stella Adams with my father Angelo

   We don’t know if Sam went to Athens specifically to go to the embassy or maybe he was in Athens due to his Greek Army conscription. In any case we have Sam's Emergency Passport Application dated March 24, 1921, just days after the birth of his son.

   Sam married my grandmother Stella (Stavroula) Andrianopolis in May 1920 and then my father Evangeles (Angelo) was born in March 1921. Sam and Stella’s second child was born in September 1924; and third child in December 1925. In September 1926, Sam and my father arrived in New York; followed by Stella, Jen, and John in January 1927.

   We know very little about Sam and his family’s life in Greece, or why they went to Chicago instead of to Dayton or Lima, Ohio when they returned to the States in 1926 and 1927. I’m guessing it’s because Stella’s sister, Nicoletta was in Chicago. According to Nicoletta’s naturalization documents found on Ancestry, she arrived in the United States in September 1921. According to a ship manifest, she came by herself with the intention of going to her Uncle John Roussakis in Chicago, IL. John Roussakis (or Rusakis) was married to Stella's aunt, and was my father's godfather. [The comings and goings to and from Greece and the United States in the early 1920s is another blog post one of these days.]

   Sam and Stella stayed in Chicago, living as so many immigrants lived, with and among the many relatives who also immigrated. Stella “helped” in the family grocery business. Their children received good educations and prospered. The two sons both served in World War 2 and went on to become successful business people. All three married and then produced 12 grandchildren and a couple dozen great-grandchildren.

 My father, Angelo, moved us to California in 1955 and so we didn’t grow up knowing our grandparents as well as our Chicago cousins knew them. Stella was diagnosed with leukemia and died in 1963. Sam lived on until 1974 — long enough to see grandchildren marry. 

Sam and Angelo Adams, at my brother's 1973 wedding

  Sam spent his last few years in and out of hospitals, including the Hines V.A. Hospital in Illinois, thanks to his veterans status. He died on June 14, 1974 from complications of arteriosclerosis, specifically heart failure. He is buried next to my grandmother at Elmwood Cemetery in River Grove, Illinois.

My cousin and I trying to hold back the bush so see the inscription

The Grandfathers. World War 1. PART THREE--VERNE RUSSELL.

VERNE RUSSELL: July 1918 - May 1920 Discharge. Post-War Life. Death in 1971.

   As I said in the previous post about Mike’s grandfather, Albert Sesma, I’ve come to realize that I could study the events of the Summer and Fall of 1918 and never be able to fully understand them, much less describe them. Still, the study of our three grandfathers’ WW1 service has helped me understand WW1 and them better. I also fully expect that as soon as I think I am finished, I will find some new records about the grandfathers.

  Officially, the United States military had been in Europe for a year and in combat since October 1917. For our grandfathers, their families, and all the millions like them, The Great War, the War to End All Wars — was life altering. The Great War killed millions of people. And killed the hopes and dreams of the millions who loved them. The altered lives of the survivors and their future generations can barely be measured. I am trying to do some measuring.

  This post is about my maternal grandfather Verne Russell or at least what I know about his story right now as we approach the 100th anniversary of 11-11-18.

VERNE RUSSELL

Verne Russell, undated photo

  As I wrote in PART ONE, Verne Russell was already in France in July 1918, getting into position with Company C, 5th Field Battalion of the Signal Corps for the so-called “2nd” Battle of Marne.

   His enlistment record lists the following "battles, engagements, skirmishes, expeditions." I've added dates, but dates vary in different sources that I've read, so don’t @ me if you have different dates for these events.

       2nd Battle Marne — July 15 to August 6, including 

  Champagne Marne — July 15-17

  Aisne Marne — July 18-30

       St Mihiel — September 12-15

       Meuse Argonne —  September 26 to November 11

Verne’s enlistment record lists two dates for wounds received in service: July 29, 1918 and October 4, 1918.

   A Purple Heart Certificate was in my mother’s files, for “wounds received in action, in France, July 29, 1918.” The certificate is dated November 15, 1965 and I think perhaps he had applied to the V.A. for benefits and perhaps requested some verification of the Purple Heart when he submitted his service records. In a previous post, I wrote about growing up knowing very little about my grandfather except that he was “gassed in the war.” I’m pretty sure that July 29th was the first time he was gassed. 

Verne Russell. Purple Heart Certificate.

   The list of battles on his record indicates a gap between July 29th and September. I can only speculate, but he must have been sent to one of the nearby hospitals for his July 29 wounds. And I assume they decided they weren’t severe enough to send him home. If they had been very severe, it’s likely he would have been sent to a more distant hospital to return home, and not returned to his unit.

   The following narrative from the "History of the Third Division" was written by someone from Verne’s own Company C, 5th Field Battalion of the Signal Corps. It gives a sense of what this period was like.

"On the morning of July 15th, 1918, I endeavored to reach the 7th Infantry by way of Courboin. There was a terrific barrage on at the time and I passed a party of men of Company "B" working in a wire trench with absolute disregard for the rain of shells; an Ammunition Train was blown up two hundred yards from them but they continued to work. I reached the 7th Infantry at 9.30 A. M., found the telephone dugout wrecked and all lines out. From this point I went to the 30th Infantry in Bois d'Aigremont, where in places, I literally waded through blood. I entered the telephone dugout and of fifteen men only four survived, one man at the switchboard and three out repairing lines. I then proceeded to the 38th Infantry and found both the Signal Officer and the Regimental Signal Officer wounded, and a M. S. E. Company "C", 5th Field Battalion, Signal Corps, in charge, who had lines reconstructed and maintained. I then went to the regimental headquarters and reported to Col. Butts, who stated that all his runners were killed and that he had no communication with the outside, and asked me to take his reports back, which I did. I managed to get out by way of La Roque Farm across an aviation field subject to the direct fire of 7.5's. I delivered the messages to Message Center and made my way to the 38th Infantry at St. Eugene where I found a lieutenant very much in charge and a Sergeant 1st Class and a Corporal and two privates, all that was left of a detachment of nineteen men, and fifteen infantrymen who were forced out of ^a front-line trench near Fossoy. Their only avenue of escape was towards the Marne. They retired twenty yards to the shelter of a railroad embankment and held an indignation meeting, returned and recaptured the trench and one hundred and fifty-seven prisoners, including three officers. On July 16th I requested that the detachment with the 30th Infantry, be relieved as the men were going to pieces. Through the Division Signal Officer I obtained forty men from the 103rd Battalion, Signal Corps, 28th Division, who relieved our men. The men marched in, carrying fifteen miles of wire on their backs. After three days of rest the platoon went back cheerfully while St. Eugene was under heavy shell fire. A "H. E." shell hit a small building occupied by the Signal Corps as a store-room. It so happened that the chimney was used as a store place for pyrotechnics. The shell set fire to the pyrotechnics and for twenty minutes the chimney emitted a gorgeous display of fire works, everybody taking shelter until the cause of the eruption was realized."

https://ia802503.us.archive.org/27/items/historyofthirddi00unse/historyofthirddi00unse.pdf

   Back home in Kansas, Verne’s name appeared in the local papers, thanks to the "casualty lists" published through the War Department. It’s likely he was already back with his unit by September 4th when the lists of wounded were published.

This clipping is from The Ottawa Herald, September 4, 1918. Found on newspapers.com 

“SEVERAL KANSANS WOUNDED: One is Verne C Russell of Colony.” 

The second paragraph from the bottom: 

“Wounded, degree undetermined, Corporal Verne C Russell, Colony, Kan."

The Ottawa Herald Sept 4, 1918. Found on newspapers.com

   The clipping below is from the Walnut Valley Times (El Dorado, Kansas) September 5, 1918. Found on newspapers.com 

"Casualty List Kansas Soldiers."
"The following Kansans have just been reported in the casualty lists authorized by the War Department ….Corporal Verne C. Russell, Colony …. have been wounded, but the extent of their wounds has not been determined." 

Walnut Valley Times (El Dorado, Kansas) September 5, 1918.

   I recently found this clipping from "The Garnett Review" (Garnett, Kansas) Thursday September 19, 1918. Found on newspapers.com  It says Verne was not “wounded” but “gassed” according to a letter from Verne, received by his sister Mrs Bert Scott (Lula) who lived in Colony Kansas. 

"Verne Russell Better."

"Recently it was reported that Verne Russell, of Colony, was wounded in action in France. However, his sister, Mrs. Bert Scott, received a letter from Verne, in which he says he was not wounded, but gassed, and was in the hospital a while. He stated that he was much better."

The Garnett Review, September 19, 1918

  So we don’t know exactly where Verne was between his 29 July 1918 “wound” (or getting gassed) and his second “wound” on 4 October 1918. According to the enlistment record he was back with his company at St. Mihiel in September. I’ve done a little research about how soldiers were treated at the various levels of Army medical care. This helps to get a sense of where he might have spent his time. I’m not going to discuss this any further here, but there is plenty of information via the internet or your library about Army medical services during WW1. See below for links. I can only make guesses as to Verne’s treatments in August 1918. If only his sister, Lula, had shared more information with the local papers. In February 1919, she did.

   In any case, we know Verne rejoined his company because his record shows he was present for St Mihiel — September 12-15, and Meuse-Argonne — September 26 to November 11. Rather than trying to summarize the battles during this period, I’ll refer you to the National Archives. Or you can just do your own internet search. Over a million American soldiers participated. Over 26,000 were killed during these battles. Here’s a link: https://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww1/meuse-argonne.html

   According to his records, Verne Russell was “wounded” again on October 4, 1918. In a letter Verne wrote to his sister Lula, this happened at 10:30 AM on that date, somewhere in the “Argonne Woods.” This letter was received by Lula and printed in the Iola Daily Register on February 11, 1919 under “The Happenings at Colony” with the heading “Corp Verne C Russell Written From France: Tells of His Trip to the Hospital for Treatment for the Effects of Mustard Gas.” 

I wrote about Verne’s letter in a previous post, April 17, 2017. Well, it was really more of a post about learning about a grandfather I barely knew. But I'll share the letter here as well.

   Here’s the letter, with my transcript of it below. I’m pretty sure his “dateline” of Beaul" should probably be “Beaulieu” but of course, who knows. Could be a typesetting error, or transcription error by the nurse who took Verne’s dictation.

Beaul, France, Dec. 20, 1918

Dear Sister and All: This will be a full account of my trip to the hospital. The fatal day was October 4th; time 10:30 a.m.; place Argonne Woods; cause mustard gas. On the evening of the 3rd I had orders to take three men with me and stay at a switchboard station until the next morning when we would receive orders to move on at the right time. I picked my men and went to the station, those on duty returning to their dugouts. I knew that in the early morning hours we were going to throw a barrage into Jerry and of course the boys were going to follow, the Signal Corps going with the infantry. During the night I found out the barrage was to commence at four o’clock lasting one hour — then over the top. About 3:20 I went to the dugout to get my pack but could not roll it until the S.C. got out of the way for I got stepped on a number of times trying it. I gave it up and started to talk to a sergeant. While we were talking the barrage started and as the boys were to follow it up they started to file out. About the time our barrage started Jerry came down with just as good a one so you see we went out into shell fire that is something like going out of a house into a rain storm. I rolled my pack and beat it back to the station for I expected our lines to go out under that hail of shells. But as luck would have it not a line had been hit. Two things I forgot to mention: Early in the evening I had a few words with two officers about moving my station. My officers had told me to stay there but these officers from another outfit wanted the dugout I had the switchboard in for their headquarters, so I called my signal officer and we stayed. They felt sore and I can’t blame them. After the barrage started I made up for the feeling though, for they both got hit, one in the hand and the other in the neck. I tied them both up in fine shape and they went on to their headquarters. The other thing was the dugout where the S.C. stayed was large enough to sleep 150 men though we were somewhat crowded. About 6:30 our line went out but I found the break a short ways from the station. I went back and took the switchboard myself to let the men sleep. I was at the board until about 10:30 when a line was shot to pieces I found out later. I called the switchboard man, took another man and went to find the break. Jerry was shooting gas so we had to wear masks. We came to a place where the line ran through some bushes and here we located the trouble. After mending it we started back to our station to get a little sleep. I slept four hours when I had to go chase a line. I felt funny and a little sick and when I went out in the air my eyes began to burn and water but I went on. By the time I had the line fixed I had to force myself to keep my eyes open. The sickness had gone to my stomach and I did the seasick act proper. One of the sergeants was there and he took me to the first aid station. The only way I could see by this time was to pull my eyes open. They loaded me into an ambulance and sent me to a field hospital and for three weeks my mind was blank. Sometimes I would come to long enough to get a faint idea of where I was, once on the train, once in the hospital, and once here. In the fieled hospital I remember I was sick at the stomach and I heard a voice I thought I knew. On the train was where I was scared and I had a right to be. I came alive and found I was all stopped up, could not get my breath and had a rattling in my throat. I called for a doctor and they carried me to the car ahead where I could get more air. From now on is what the nurse told me. She is Miss Ethel Hofer, of California, and if you want to thank anyone, she is the one. Miss Hofer has told me I showed her a good time the first few days, said I was dippy as a coon. After I got my head back again I lay there thinking about my eyes. No one will ever know how much my brain worked those days. I knew the government would teach me some kind of a trade but I sure hated to think about not being able to see again. I asked the doctor if I would ever see again and he always said yes. But I thought differently though I never said so but once. The doctor came and pried my left eye open and I saw just a bit of light. Not long after that my right eye came to life and from that time I have been coming along in very fine shape. My eyes are just about as good as ever and my cough is better although I still cough a plenty. Can’t do much for one of these cough — just have to cough it out.Have been expecting to leave here but have decided to wait and let them do as they please. I will be home some time.CORP. VERNE C. RUSSELLCo. C, 5th Field Battery, A.E.F.

[Note: I have tried to figure out where Verne went for recovery from the October 4 gassing, but without his official medical and military records, it’s just a guessing game. He says he went to a field hospital; but which one? Thanks to a ship transport record, we know he left from Brest, France. Was he at a hospital there or was he brought there from a hospital elsewhere. 
If you’re interested, here’s a link to way too much information about The “Medical Department of the United States Army in the World War."
http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwi/adminamerexp/DEFAULT.html

This same source has information on Army camp hospitals
http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwi/adminamerexp/chapter25.html 
and about “Divisional Medical Service in the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)”
http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwi/divisionalmedsrvc/default.htm]

   Unlike the news clippings I found after July 29, 1918, I haven’t found any other news clippings about Verne after his October 4 gassing. But I knew that his father died on December 22, 1918; two days after he wrote to his sister, on December 20, 1918. In my research I found a clipping about Leslie Russell, who lived in Arkansas. I suppose that even if Lula wrote to Verne with the news, her letter may not have ever reached him. [Side note: Verne’s mother died in 1909 when Verne was 16 and he was sent to live with Lula at some point. He was the youngest of seven. Lula was eldest and also the only surviving sister.]

“Leslie D. Russell, a prominent planter near Pinnacle, Ark., died at a local hospital Sunday morning. He was a native of Illinois, but resided in Arkansas for the past six years. He is survived by four sons, O.H. of Los Angeles, Cal., E.A. and B.C., in France, and R.R. Russell of Pinnacle and one daughter Mrs. J.B. Scott of Colony, Kan. He was a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, Camp Colony, Kan. Funeray services will be held Tuesday afternoon in charge of the Rev. B.F. Cato. Burial will be in Oakland Cemetery.”

Arkansas Democrat Mon Dec 23, 1918. Found on ancestry.com Death notice for Leslie Russell.

   While we don’t know which hospital Verne wrote from in December, thanks to Verne’s enlistment record and the return transport record we know he returned from France in March 1919. 

   Here is the March 1919 return transport record page from Ancestry. We know from the information within the record set on Ancestry that the Mount Vernon left Brest, France on March 3rd and arrived at Hoboken on March 11. It looks like they all were sent to Camp Merritt in New Jersey. For Verne, perhaps he received more recovery time at the hospital at Camp Merritt. But this may not be an accurate deciphering of the handwriting on his record. What’s clear is that in July 1919 he was back in Leavenworth. See a cropped/enlarged portion of Verne's enlistment record. It's a little hard to decipher -- and I know Army records are not always perfectly accurate -- but we also have a July 22, 1919 clipping from a local Kansas paper about a visit to his sister in Colony.

   I've cropped the top and the line showing Verne because this page is too big to show here full size. See below. (Source: The National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland; Lists of Incoming Passengers, compiled 1917-1938; NAI Number: 6234465; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774-1985; Record Group Number: 92)

March 3, 1919 transport ship passenger list

   Here's what I can decipher from the "Remarks" on the back of Verne's Honorable Discharge, his Certificate of Furlough and the Final Pay Statement I received from the National Archives. Those documents will be added at the end of this post.. 

3/11/19.  Arrived U.S.

3/19/19.  Camp Merritt

4/22/19.  Camp Merritt

5/19/19.  Camp Merritt

7/1/19.  Ft Leavenworth

7/19/1919.  Signal Office Fort Leavenworth Kansas

5/7/1920.  Furloughed to Regular Army Reserve from Post Signal Office, Fort Leavenworth Kansas

From the back of Verne's Honorable Discharge

VERNE'S POST-WAR PERSONAL LIFE, 1919-1920

   I have a few news clippings I found via newspapers.com that fill in a little bit about Verne during 1919-1920. The Iola Daily Register reported that on July 20, 1919, Verne visited his sister, Lula in Colony, Kansas.

  “Verne Russell who is still in army service, arrived here Sunday for a visit at the home of his sister, Mrs. Bert Scott. Verne is looking fine and is improving in health from his severe gassing in France.” The Iola Daily Register (Iola, Kansas) July 22, 1919 Found on newspapers.com under “The Happenings at Colony”

The Iola Daily Register (Iola, Kansas) July 22, 1919 Found on newspapers.com 

   It appears that Verne was first assigned to “post signal office" at Leavenworth -- according to his Furlough Certificate which says he was furloughed "from" the post signal office. In the January 1920 census, Verne is listed at the General Service School Detachment No 1, U.S. Military Reservation, Leavenworth: Verne C. Russell, 25, soldier, father born in Illinois, mother born in Ohio.

   My grandmother Margaret Henderson worked at Leavenworth as well and I assume that is how they met. She was a switchboard operator — a “Telephone Girl” — at the fort telephone office according to the 1920 census. I have several news clippings about her attending parties and dances. And based on the photos in her photo album, she had a very busy social life. But she gets her own story someday.

   By November 1919, Verne and Margaret were definitely more than just social dance partners. The Iola Register reported that they went to visit Verne’s sister Lula in Colony. 

"Sergt Verne Russel from Ft. Leavenworth and Miss Margaret Henderson from Leavenworth were guests at the home of his sister Mrs Bert Scott for the week-end. Their daughter Mrs Arthur Brink and Mr. Brink were also here from Ottawa and spent Sunday."

The Iola Register, November 19, 1919. Found on newspapers.com

   Verne and Margaret married on April 5, 1920. The wedding announcement in the Leavenworth Post reports they left immediately for Arkansas and maybe they did but Verne’s discharge records are dated May 1920 so I’m guessing there was a bit of delay. My mother Elizabeth was born in Mansfield Arkansas in November 1921. They lived there for a few years and then moved back to Kansas, where their other child Margaret, was born in 1925. 

  "Mr. and Mrs. E.F. Henderson announce the marriage of their daughter, Margaret, to Mr. Verne C. Russell Monday evening at the parochial residence of the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception. The attendants were Miss Lillian Storm and Mr. Percy Shelton. Mr. and Mrs. Russell left immediately after the service for their future home at Benton, Arkansas."

Leavenworth Post, 7 April 1920. Found on newspapers.com

   Verne continued working at Leavenworth until May 1920 when it seems he was furloughed to the Army Reserve, according to the remarks on his Honorable Discharge. (I've cropped the Certificate of Furlough and the Honorable Discharge in an effort to fit them here. The missing parts are just the margins.)

CERTIFICATE OF FURLOUGH

Certificate of Furlough, from my mother's files.

Back of Verne's Certificate of Furlough, from my mother's files.

HONORABLE DISCHARGE

  The last document I have regarding Verne Russell's World War 1 service is a Final Pay Statement that I received from the National Personnel Records Center -- National Archives. It is dated May 8th which, like the Honorable Discharge document, may or may not reflect anything other than when it was signed. This document didn't add any "new" information, but it's still interesting.

Verne Russell. Final Pay Statement

VERNE'S LIFE, 1920 - 1971

   As I mentioned, Verne and my grandmother Margaret went to Arkansas for a few years, then back to Kansas and to St. Louis, Missouri where they lived with Margaret's family until they divorced in May 1932. Verne remarried in June 1932. He and Gladsia stayed in St. Louis where he worked for a while with the St. Louis Post Dispatch and then as a photographer for the War Department with the U.S. Engineers. In a 1942 letter to my father, he wrote, “You can find me at the U.S. Engineers Office in Federal bldg.” In the late 40’s they moved to the Missouri Ozarks where they built a home and tried to make a living writing and publishing short feature stories. That’s another blog post too. 

   Verne died in 1971 at the Poplar Bluff Veterans Hospital after surgery for a cerebral tumor. According to the few letters in my mother’s files, his lungs and his eyes suffered from the World War 1 gas attacks all through his life. I only met him twice as a small child. He died when I was 18. My understanding of this grandfather comes from official documents, historical research, genealogical research, newspaper clippings and finally, his own letters and articles written by him and his second wife abut their life in the Ozarks. 

   In two letters from Verne written to his daughters Betty and Peg in 1961 and 1962, he revealed how his dreams were thwarted by lack of education, death of his mother, lack of guidance from his father and brothers, health issues since being gassed in WW1.

“If I had been given better training and made to go to school …

 I would have had some sense.”

   I think he may have tried to explain why the divorce happened. Like so many others during and after the Depression, they lived in close quarters with family. The Hendersons were a close-knit family. The Russells were not. 

“Your mother’s folks were together a great deal. At that time I didn’t like the ideas of being so close to them. However, I can see now there was a bond between them that has lasted all these years and that is good.”

  It’s not that he regretted the way his life turned out. But perhaps he wanted his daughters to understand it was him, and not them. Perhaps at 11 and 7 years old, they felt “rejected” but over the years, I know that they visited him when they could and did not spoke ill of him to us. In fact, in their later years, the two sisters made several genealogy trips to study the Russell family tree. That is why I have a full file box of Russell research.

   On the one hand, his lack of education and the health issues from being gassed prevented him from fulfilling “the old urge to set the world afire.” On the other hand, his years of Army service covering 1914 to 1920 probably served as the basis for what he did accomplish. 

   And so I honor that service. And I honor his humility displayed here, in a postscript to a typed letter to my mother; with a handwritten note to “over look the mistakes my eyes play tricks on me at times” 

“One other thing. I was in WW #1 with the Third Division was in five major engagements from the Marne to Oragone.?? I also service in Hawaii [typed over “mmmmmmmm”] Honolulu from 1914..16 with 2nd Inf. And was an insturctor at Jefferson Baracks from 1916 to 197 when I went across to France.”

  Verne is buried at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis Missouri. 

Verne Russell gravestone at Jefferson Barracks cemetery.