Sherwood H. Brantley
Submitted by: Sherwood H. Brantley {Administrative Support Specialist, The Country Doctor Museum}
Sherwood H. Brantley was born around 1897. Sherwood Brantley served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1919.
Story of Service
Sherwood H. Brantley (1897-1970) was one of many children born and raised on their father’s farm in Nash County, North Carolina. Even after the war, in the 1930s and 40s, Sherwood Brantley continued to work a modest life as a farmer.
Brantley entered military service on July 24, 1917 and served in the Headquarters Company of the 1st Artillery (later called the 113th Field Artillery) of the North Carolina National Guard.
Brantley, along with two other Nash County residents (Warner C. Journigan and Itimous T. Valentine), served in the trenches of France from May 26, 1918 until they left St. Nazaire, France aboard the troop transport ship Santa Teresa on March 6, 1919.
William B. Wilson
Submitted by: Harold G. Delamater {Commander VFW Post 666}
William B. Wilson was born around 1893. William Wilson served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1916 and the service was completed in 1918.
Story of Service
Beacon’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 666 commemorates the 100th anniversary of the death of the solider who is the eponym of that organization -- Private William B. Wilson. He was killed in action in Belgium on August 19, 1918, the first soldier from Beacon to die in World War I.
Today, a century after his death on the battlefield, few know of him or the reason why the Wilson Post was so named. History can be fickle and easily forgotten after a generation or two, but Private Wilson’s story of sacrifice needs to be retold and remembered.
Wilson went off to war with two of his best friends, George Van Pelt of Beacon and Herbert Miller of Newburgh. The three, with about 50 other Beacon boys, joined up in Newburgh’s “Company L” of the 107 Infantry Regiment. By late April of 1918, the regiment had landed in France.
Elmer James Lucy
Submitted by: Anthony Chakurian {Great Grandson}
Elmer James Lucy was born around 1893. Elmer Lucy served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1919.
Story of Service
Elmer James Lucy was born on 21 Nov 1893 in San Francisco, California. His service to his country started when he was drafted on 20 Dec 1917 into the U.S. Army. He reported to his Draft Board on 24 Dec 1917 in San Francisco where he was inducted.
Then Elmer Lucy was sent to Camp Lewis, Washington, where he was mobilized and trained. During his training, Elmer Lucy was selected to be in the military police and was added to Company A of the 4th Military Police, which was part of the 4th Infantry Division. His unit was shipped out to Europe from Hoboken, New Jersey on the ship the Wilhelmina on 10 May 1918.
Abraham Bock
Submitted by: Paul Osman {resident of village}
Abraham Bock was born around 1889. Abraham Bock served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1918.
Story of Service
See attached article commemorating the 100th anniversary of our small village's first death in WW1. Printed in the Williamsville Village Newsletter (written by Paul Osman).
Pvt Gus Austin
Submitted by: Johnette Brooks {ALA Post 523 Mem/WWI Colored Troops Genealogist}
Pvt Gus Austin born around 1888. Pvt Gus Austin served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1918 and the service was completed in 1918.
Story of Service
Red Clay Hero Buried @ Arlington National Cemetery
Series Article #2 by Johnette Brooks
Pvt. Gus Austin (Serial # 2,710,430) was born on March 22, 1888 in Milledgeville, Georgia to Robert and Rose Austin. He was inducted in the Selective Service in Philadelphia, PA on 30 APR 1918. He was mustered at Camp Meade (Middleton PA) and entrained into the 154th Depot Brigade.
After a very short training period, he was assigned to the very first all-colored 92nd Infantry Division’s 184th Infantry Brigade; 368th Infantry aka the “Buffalo Division”. Gus sailed from Hoboken NJ on the USS Geo Washington on 15 June 1918 and arrived in France on 19 June 1918.
Patrick McWhorter
Submitted by: Johnette Brooks {WWI Colored Troops Genealogist}
Patrick McWhorter was born around 1893. Patrick McWhorter served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1913 and the service was completed in 1917.
Story of Service
Pat(rick) McWhorter, a rifle-toting soldier was born the son of Henry McWhorter (originally Taliefero Co) and Julia Washington (Morgan Co), Georgia on June 25. 1894. He was the 9th born of 16 who lived.
He was previously enlisted in the (RA) Regular Army and stationed at Columbus Barracks OH as a member of the 25th Infantry of the 15th division of the Harlem NY National Guard. He was discharged from the RA on Apr 23rd and re-enlisted in WWI on Apr 24th of 1913. The 24th Infantry was one of the very first all black infantries formed in the WWI Era. They were sent to Houston to guard the new recruits from Chicago’s famed Illinois 8th Division National Guard.
Dalton Ranlet
Submitted by: Linda Gagen {niece}
Dalton Ranlet was born around 1900. Dalton Ranlet served in World War 1 with the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1917.
Story of Service
My uncle, Dalton Ranlet, lied about his age to enlist in the 11th Engineers (Railway), which was one of the first regiments to go to France. In November 1917 he died in the Battle of Gouzeaucourt, which was the first time an American unit fought as a unit in World War I. His body was lost in the rubble and not recovered until 1955. He was then buried in the Somme Cemetery, without notifying the family.
My mother was born three years after Dalton’s death and grew up hearing stories of her brother’s service and death. In 2012, I learned that he was buried in France while researching family history. That discovery began a long process of searching for records both in the United States and France to learn more about Dalton.
Over time I met the citizens and officials for Gouzeaucourt, who expressed an interest in creating a memorial to the 11th Engineers. With the help of my friend Leo, we located the 11th Engineer Battalion Association, who gladly funded the construction of a memorial.
Franklin Theodore Rhodes
Submitted by: Debra Dudek {Grand Niece}
Franklin Theodore Rhodes born around 1902. Franklin Rhodes served in World War 1 with the United States Army Air Corps. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1919.
Story of Service
Franklin T. Rhodes, known as Frank to his friends and family, enlisted in the Army Air Corps on November 17, 1917. Although he was only fifteen at the time, Frank and a group of friends joined the service together at the Army enlistment office in Fort Wayne.
Frank's parents, Elmer and Ida (nee Pope) Rhodes may have supported his bid to enlist in the Army at such an early age, however, no documentation or official release records exist. Frank recalled later how the the enlistment officer looked him, a strapping farm boy of 5'6 claiming to be 18, and how the officer did not hesitate to accept his enlistment papers.
It is possible he enlisted without his parent's permission, and they simply accepted the decision out of patriotism and Frank's ability to send money home for the family. Frank's older brother, George A. Rhodes had joined the 303 Motor Transport Corps in Detroit, MI around the same time. The Rhodes family had two sons in service, one in the air and one on the ground.
Archie Henry Thomas
Submitted by: Gregory Neifeld {Great-Grandson}
Archie Henry Thomas born around 1885. Archie Thomas served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1909 and the service was completed in 1925.
Story of Service
Between April and September 1916, Archie was stationed on the Mexican border in California with the Oregon Third Infantry Regiment, Company I during the Mexican Border War. His regiment was activated into federal service after Pancho Villa’s raid in Columbus, New Mexico. While on the border, Archie was promoted to Corporal in July 1916 and he was promoted to Sergeant before his return to Oregon in September.
This was an era in which the U.S.-Mexico border was perceived as a potential location for a German-funded invasion by Mexico. Border service went into effect when this threat was exposed by the British interception of the Zimmerman Telegram. This message discussed Germany's alliance proposal for Mexico if the U.S. entered the European war against Germany.