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