Above: Girls from Alma High School dehydrate eggs for the Armed Forces while working after school at Swift & Company in Alma; a group of farmers in Lafayette Township basks in the milder than usual March 1944 weather; notices of servicemen from the March 9, 1944 issue of the Gratiot County Herald. 

 

     It was March 1944, and an early spring reached Gratiot County, Michigan. Farmers were at work in their fields, and they heard the government’s call to grow more crops in 1944 for the war effort.  Still, many wondered if they could harvest all that they were being asked to plant.

     Amidst the stories of those Gratiot County men and women abroad was the reality that some would not be coming back home. There seemed to be the seeds of growing optimism that the United States and its Allies had turned a corner against the Axis. However, the war was far from being home, and people in Gratiot County again realized that it would be a long road to victory.

 

Farming

     As March began, the need for more farm laborers for the upcoming summer was very much on the minds of area farmers. Leaders of the Gratiot County Youth Labor Committee were called to the courthouse in Ithaca to prepare for the 1944 crop season. Discussions took place about getting more youths to work on farms. Superintendents of area schools and agriculture teachers made up lists of boys and girls who would be asked to volunteer their time to work.

    Gratiot County’s farm commodities had been making a difference in the war effort and had been shipped to different parts of the world. Creamery butter,  dried whole eggs, cheese, dried pea, and navy beans made up the list. St. Louis shipped over 223,000 pounds of creamery butter in 1943. Breckenridge had sent over 2.1 million pounds of navy beans. Alma led the county with its 80,000 pounds of American cheese. The War Food Administration pushed the importance of raising more food in 1944 as the Lend-Lease Program needed it. Even in places like Alma, which raised 11,300 bags of dry beans, the government wanted more.

    To encourage Gratiot County farmers to raise more food, the AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration) held a farmer’s rally at the Ithaca High School gymnasium. A special guest speaker, Duncan Moore, a well-known radio announcer, spoke to the farmers about the need for more massive crop production in 1944. The rally took place following a concert by the Ithaca High School band, poetry readings and vocals by high school students.

     Victory Gardeners in St. Louis were asked to combine orders for seeds, but to only order what would be used.  The Strand Theatre was the location for the annual meeting of the Alma Beet Growers Association, following a dinner and election of officers.  The government repeatedly encouraged county farmers to sign up for more sugar beets. Because of the need for home use, as well as making alcohol for explosive and synthetic rubber, Gratiot County was asked to grow double the 1943 amount, which had been 64,232 acres. Still, many county farmers could never remember a more uncertain time to raise beets. Because the progress of the war had been slow,  and that there had been a lack of labor, they feared that the increased crops would go to waste. Also, gasoline for tractors was a concern, as well as getting machinery repair parts, overall shortages of machinery, and most of all there was  Gratiot County’s weather.

      As an incentive to persuade the farmers, new contracts offered $13 per ton of beets. However, the farmers remained wary of the lack of farm help to work the beet fields. The government countered by saying that migratory labor would be available and these workers would stay in the county until all work was completed and the crops harvested. Beet farmers could also receive more significant consideration in obtaining draft deferments for needed farm workers for corn, beans, and the sugar beets.

Men and Women in the Service

     A total of 38 men passed pre-induction exams and had to leave the county in March. The Army called men on March 16, and a total of 22 made up the group. The Navy took another 16 men on the next day. Among the Navy men inducted included Leo Aumaugher of Wheeler and Ernest Rozen of Ashley. Some of the Army inductees included Randal Stafford of St. Louis and Jack Lowry of Alma. The Gratiot County Draft Board had been told to speed up inductions in response to Michigan’s call for 300,000 more men for the service, as well as creating a significant reserve pool.

     The news abounded with announcements and updates of Gratiot County’s men and women who had gone off to war and of those who served stateside.  Miss Nola Blair of Middleton completed her work as a registered nurse and was being sent to Kentucky. Anne Ackles, whose husband was from Ashley and who served in the Army Air Corps in Europe, now served as a SPAR and teletype operator in New York City. Private James J. Mills of North Star had been shipped to North Africa, moved to Sicily and now was in Italy. Private Milton Rozen of Ashley entered the service in January 1943 and now trained at William Northern Field in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Lieutenant Robert H. Reed of Alma became a combat pilot after completing advanced flying school training. Major Frank W. Iseman became Lieutenant Colonel Iseman and was now the Director of Ground Training at Sioux City Army Air Base.

     Word arrived that Lieutenant John W. Shong returned from combat missions as a torpedo bomber at Guadalcanal. After flying missions almost every other day early in that campaign, Shong now served as a flight instructor at Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  He received a medal for meritorious achievement in fighting the Japanese. Lieutenant Frederick Rearick also was home after serving as a Marine at Guadalcanal and New Caledonia. Rearick spoke to groups in the county about what he had experienced in the Pacific war while in combat. Royal F. David, whose father was from Lafayette Township, had served for 21 months in New Guinea and had fought in the Battle of Buna with the 32^nd Infantry Division. David spent several months in the hospital with malaria fever and then was discharged. Private Fred Hicks from St. Louis won the right to wear the Wings and boots of the 82^nd Airborne after completing his fifth jump of the war at Sicily. Hicks would be involved with many decisive battles in the 82^nd Airborne during the war. Brothers Russell and Glenn Sipe from Alma reunited in the Hawaiian Islands after not having seen each other in almost two years.  Russell had been in the Navy since August 1942, and his brother served in the Army since March 1943. Other Gratiot County men like Captain Stewart McFadden, an Alma High School, and Alma College graduate, defended the United States in places like Panama. McFadden had been there for nineteen months he received a promotion in the Army Air Force.

     Several of these servicemen and women wrote home about the war from Africa, Italy, and the Pacific. Charles Barden from Ithaca wrote to his parents, telling them of his challenges of traveling in India to find another Ithaca native, Frank Klein. Barden remarked that a few other servicemen tried to buy and resell fire opals in hopes of making money back home. Barden mailed a few of them back home for his parents to see. John Hoyt, a chaplain from St. Louis, told of his experiences from Africa. The poverty and inability to converse in different languages challenged him. Still, Hoyt remarked that “…I heard someone say that a soldier will get out of the army just what he puts into it.”

      Across the county, stories regularly came in about how Gratiot County treated its sons and daughters at home. The Wheeler Methodist Church held a service where 200 people gathered to honor them. Reverend Kenneth McBryde presided over the ceremony in which he read the name of every man from the Wheeler area who was in the service.  Of a total of 69 names, 63 of them had a family member present for this service.  Twenty-seven of the men served overseas. The minister also lit four gold candles to represent the men who had died. These included:  Donald Hartenburg, D.C. Furgason, and Gerald Steward, and a Lt. Lapino. Over at Elwell, a church added two stars to the fifty-two that already existed on the community service flag. The new stars represented Ramon Fink (Army Air Corps) and Wallace Humphrey (Marines). The George Myers American Legion Post in Alma initiated a large class of new members, including twenty men who now would be considered World War II veterans, all honorably discharged.

      The hardest news in the county involved the growing list of those who died in the war.  In early March, Ithaca and Ashley experienced shock with what they heard. Private D.C. Furgason was killed in Italy on the Anzio Beachhead on January 27 during the invasion. Furgason would be Ithaca’s first son to die in the war, and he was only nineteen years old. John Paksi of Ashley and Robert Parks from Alma both appeared in the news at the same time as Furgason’s death. Paksi and Parks had been reported as missing in action. Private Edgar Hitchcock of Pleasant Valley also died in Italy in early February.  Arnold Riedel, a Breckenridge High School graduate, also died there while serving in the Infantry. Special services for  Reidel took place at the Breckenridge Methodist Church soon after news of his death was confirmed. Gratiot families also were struck with the announcement of those deemed as missing in action. Mrs. George Lanshaw of Alma was told that her brother, Robert Wellman, had become missing in action on March 9 during a mission over Germany. In early February, Mrs. Lanshaw had just received a letter from Robert that he had completed fifteen missions over Germany and that he hoped to reach the lucky number of twenty-five so that he could come back home. Robert Wellman served as radio operator on a B-24 Liberator on a B-24, and he had been missing since a flight over Germany on March 9.

Red Cross Action

     The Gratiot County Red Cross continued to serve and ask for the county’s support during March 1944. The organization proclaimed in the Gratiot County Herald, “THE RED CROSS IS HERE!” and that was in Gratiot County “ALL THE TIME.” A long list of achievements by volunteers educated the public about what the county unit had accomplished.  Turtle neck sweaters, gloves, helmets, rifle mitts, socks, sweaters, navy scarfs, pieced lap covers, as well as civilian garments and surgical dressings – members of the Red Cross had done all of this.  The upcoming War Fund Campaign was planned for the end of March, and a workers meeting took place in the courthouse in Ithaca.  Mrs. Cecil Marr headed the St. Louis unit, and she reminded volunteers that they were entitled to wear their service pins if they had served enough time. She hoped that more eligible volunteers would wear the badges in public. The St. Louis chapter sought to raise its share of the $19,500 needed for the countywide drive. The chapter held a special dinner at the CSA Hall to do its part, which drew 250 people and aimed to raise money for the St. Louis quota of $2,600. Frank Housel, city chairman, announced that St. Louis also planned to hold two more benefit parties. One of them at the St. Joseph church raised $100 and then a Tag Dale sale on a Saturday brought in almost the same amount.

     The three-day county campaign late that month succeeded beyond expectations. Every district reported raising more than their higher expected quota. People county wide gave more than $4,000 over the initial goal of $19,500. Gratiot County again proved that it cared about and supported the work and efforts of the Red Cross.

Rationing

    Gratiot County residents continued to conserve resources for the war effort. The Gratiot County Road Commission in Ithaca became the location of a central truck tire inspection station. This site existed to make sure that drivers got the maximum mileage on their tires. A dealer committee made up of six men, headed by James Giles of Alma, re-inspected trucks and commercial vehicles of owners that wanted new tires. Those in  Gratiot County who had gasoline ration books felt the pinch when they learned that they would experience a cut from their allowance of three gallons to two gallons of gas per week.  The government continued to crack down on black market sales and coupon counterfeiters, who drained off an estimated 2.5 million gallons of gasoline every day in America. Smaller things that Gratiot people could do to help with the war included saving tin cans in St. Louis and taking them to the city highway garage and placing them in a particular bin.

     When it came to food rationing, certain foods could only be purchased with Green Stamps, K, L, and M in Book Four through March 20. However, selected blue stamps would be good for processed foods through the end of May. Point reductions for pork and beef products took the public by surprise because the government believed that more would be available for the public in 1944. Good news also came with the announcement that homemakers would again be able to have 35 pounds of sugar for each of their family members. Any family that canned and preserved food could apply for a maximum of 250 pounds of sugar to use for canning. All that a person had to do was pick up an application form at the county rationing office in Ithaca and mail it to the Office of Price Administration.  To entice farmers to grow sugar beets, they would receive another 25 pounds of sugar that came from their crops. The company with whom the farmer signed a contract would be the place that provided the sugar. No ration stamps would be required.

And so that we do not forget…

     Postage rates would jump at the end of the month from six to eight cents for airmail…St. Louis played Fulton in the regional basketball tournament at Mt. Pleasant…The Bank of Ithaca warned residents that they needed to build their savings accounts with war bonds…Swift and Company needed fifty women for egg candling and breaking. No experience was necessary…The unusually mild winter allowed farmers to get into the fields very early in March. Men from the Tom Londry farm in Lafayette Township had their picture in the paper while preparing their fields…A diphtheria clinic took place for Alma children for treatment. An estimated 300 school children under the age of ten were believed to be at risk…St. Louis announced that it would move its clocks ahead one hour starting April 2. Other Gratiot communities were expected to follow; however, Saginaw had tried earlier in March to move the time forward but changed its minds and went back to War Time until April 2…St.Louis became the site of two different hitchhiking stations, one along the intersection of US-27 and M-46 at the Hi-Speed Service Station. A motorist saw signs that said that soldiers waiting there needed a ride. The other station would sit on the south side of the city near the city limits. Talk continued of placing a third station on the east side of town for soldiers who wanted to travel to Saginaw…Finally, there would be no liquor bonus during the April rationing period. However, rum, wine, and Vermouth remained unrationed.

    So, that was March 1944 during World War II in Gratiot County.

Copyright 2019 James M Goodspeed

Above: Advertisements from the Alma Record-Alma Journal and Gratiot County Herald during February 1944; “The Spirit of Gratiot County,” the result of successful war bond drives in the county in 1943.

     It was February 1944, and if you had lived in Gratiot County at the time, it was late winter. People were speculating on who would be the next President of the United States. Wendell Willkie, a Republican candidate, boasted that he was best able to lead the country during the war. It was now the Republicans time to lead the country. After all, FDR had served an unprecedented three terms as President – he was done, or was he?

     War news continued to focus on places like the invasion in Italy near the Anzio Beach Head, as well as places like New Guinea and Guadalcanal.   Gratiot County continued to hear that…

It Was About Paper, Blood, and Bonds

     “Are you ready for the pickup?” That was the question that residents in Gratiot County faced in early February 1944. In St. Louis, Breckenridge, Ithaca and Alma, Boy Scouts prepared to canvass the communities to pick up paper for their second wastepaper drive of 1944. The need for paper containers for overseas shipments of supplies made paper drives an essential part of the war effort in Gratiot County. Every type of paper, including envelopes, tissue, corrugated paper, and cardboard, were among the targets of the drive. Gratiot residents were asked to wrap their bundles and place them near the street. People were urged to perform a patriotic duty by carrying large packages and not asking for paper sacks. Paper bags in the county became harder to locate as supplies had been cut by one third. In some places, the youngest Gratiot County residents helped to do their part.

      One story from Middleton told how two small girls walked out into the country before school started in order pick up papers from a farm home. When asked why they wanted  paper, a little boy stated, “To smash the Axis.”  Still, in other places like Alma, school children caused problems because they opened bundles of waste paper that residents set out by the curb. Why? The children were looking for “colored comics” (comic books), and then the wind scattered papers along many streets. The Boy Scouts still managed to pick up an estimated 8 tons of salvage with help from drivers and trucks from the Little Rock Lumber and Coal Company, the Home Lumber& Fuel Company and the Masonic Home.

     Another call went out in Gratiot County for people to volunteer and donate blood. The Red Cross called for a total of 360 people to give blood at the Presbyterian Church, where a doctor and four nurses waited. People were urged to donate a pint of blood as stocks of blood plasma were very low at hospitals, such as those in Lansing, had been depleted.  For county needs, a portion of the donations would be sent back to Gratiot County for its standing supply.  “Your blood may save the life of your neighbor” was a motto used by the Red Cross to encourage Gratiot residents to donate blood.

     When it came to their money, Gratiot County residents heard the call to support the Fourth War Loan. The county had only about two weeks to reach its goal. To motivate people to buy more bonds, a picture of a B17 Bomber appeared in the Gratiot County Herald to show bond subscribers where their money was going. The “Spirit of Gratiot” came off the line in January and was on its way to the front to fight the enemy.  While it was not clear which plant the plane came from (either Seattle or Renton, Washington; Wichita, Kansas; or Vancouver, British Columbia), the image of the aircraft demonstrated what Gratiot County could contribute if it continued to buy war bonds.

        St. Louis quickly raised $42,000 worth of bonds with Michigan Chemical raising $15,075. Both Ernest Ode and Percy Medd purchased $500 worth of bonds to get the company over its goal of raising $15,000. Within a short time, 44 workers at the St. Louis Cooperative Creamery raised $1023.25, which was over its $1000 goal. To celebrate their giving, the workers and their families then held a progressive Pedro party, with the help of Mayor Schnepp.  Schnepp gave away two $25 war bonds in a raffle to the workers.  The St. Louis school system also pitched in to help. During the previous semester, students raised $3933.70 worth of bonds, half of it purchased by the grade school alone. Also, the sophomore class raised $387.45 by itself, the most of any grade.

     Over at Alma, the city was barely halfway toward its goal with less than five days left to its deadline. However, reports of sales from the countryside around Alma had not yet been tallied. Canvassers sought to cover every mile around Alma to get the sales going. Once Alma’s corporations announced their sales, the county raised another $83, 851.75, well over its goal of 1.173 million dollars. Among the most significant purchases came from industrial plants, the public schools, Rotary Club, Lions Club, Odd Fellows, Masons, and the Elks. Still, sales of E Bonds lagged, and the Gratiot County Herald published a notice with the headline, “HAVE YOU DONE YOUR SHARE?”

Rationing – We Have to Do It

     A monthly “Ration Calendar” reminded everyone in Gratiot County about the need to ration items such as processed fruits and vegetables, meats and cheeses, sugar, shoes, gasoline, tires, fuel oil, and even stoves. Green stamps G, H, and J were good through late February, but green stamps K, L, and M would be good throughout the month. Stamps 10 in A book were good for three gallons of gasoline over the next six weeks. However, those buying gas had to have their state and license numbers written on the face or top of each coupon upon receiving the ration book. A new food rationing system using tokens went into effect in late March. No one could use more than nine tokens at a time on any one purchase. Anyone with a question or problem could visit the ration office in Ithaca, which was open each weekday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

     The government anticipated that the supply of canned foods would be smaller in 1944 than the previous two years of the war, which meant that victory gardening remained an essential job in Gratiot County. O.I. Gregg, state extension officer, came to the county and gave lectures at Breckenridge High School, Alma High School, and the Gratiot County Court House. Basil McKenzie, Breckenridge  Schools Superintendent, invited the Breckenridge public to come to the high school to hear Gregg’s presentation. The overall goal was to get people in Gratiot County to increase the sizes of their victory gardens, as well as how to get their plots started earlier. Although 720,000 Victory Gardens existed in Michigan in 1943, a goal of 792,000 gardens had bee set in 1944.

Life on Gratiot’s Farms

     Gratiot County’s farmers continued to support the war effort.  Even though it was only February, farmers were encouraged to sign beet contracts for 1944. They would receive $12.50 per ton of sugar beets and meetings in St. Louis and Alma urged farmers to sign up to grow bigger crops. The Office of War Information told farmers that losses that they suffered while operating their farms were deductible on their income tax.

    The County AAA met to try and find ways to grow more food in 1944. Farmers heard that they would receive more gas to grow more crops. A setback occurred when the Chairman of the AAA in Gratiot County, Harold Mouser, suddenly and tragically died from a heart attack while attending a basketball game at Alma High School. Mouser had several duties in the county, and he had served four terms as chairman.

The Draft – Gratiot Men Go to War

     One of the most significant issues with the draft in Gratiot County in February 1944 concerning the status of men who were supposed to be involved in agricultural work. These men carried what was called 2C and 3C classifications. However, they could be called into meetings to fill out agricultural questionnaires. Some of the questions that these men had to answer involved how many acres and types of crops that they planned to be working on, and how much livestock they produced. The Gratiot County USDA war board and country draft board then looked over the questionnaires.

     Some people in Gratiot County questioned why some men held 2C and 3C status. If they left their occupation or changed their address, even for a temporary time without telling the draft board, these men could be immediately eligible for the draft. They also had to notify authorities if they looked for winter work and other jobs. Warnings went out that they would keep their status only as long as replacements in Gratiot County could be found for them regarding the draft.

      However, some citizens questioned the 2C and 3C status because their sons served in the war. “A Disgusted Farmer,” wrote a letter to the Gratiot County Herald that explained their view of things: “It is not right to take fathers when many single men are left, and many of them are playing or pretending to work…(There is) Also the milk racket. A farmer buys a milk truck, usually a worn out affair at a high price, and then proceeds to get son deferred. There are too many on the road, driving unnecessary miles. You can count from three to five going past many a corner. One way to stop this is to draft some of the drivers.”

     In the midst of this issue men still went off to war. The draft took twelve Gratiot County registrants in February. Six went to the Army and six to the Navy. Paul J. Hrncharik of Bannister was one of those entering the Army; Maynard D. Peacock from St.Louis entered the Navy. Over at Alma College, 75 apprentice seamen in the V-12 Program left the program for other assignments. A farewell for the group took place in the college chapel. Alma College did not give out diplomas because those engaged in civilian programs would return in June for the regular commencement services. The Navy and Alma College both wanted the V-12 Program to continue in March.

    For others, the third Army-Navy College Qualifying Test for the Army Specialized Training Program and the Navy’s V-12 Program took place at Fulton Township Schools.  Students between the ages 17 and 21 received the tests at the Perrinton school building. They either were graduates or would graduate from high school by July 1, 1944. Similar examinations were scheduled for March at St. Louis High School.

Letters to Home

     Letters from members of the armed forces that February described life in their respective theatres of the war. Brothers Raymond and Lyle Meyers made it to England. Lyle Meyers enjoyed the warmer weather there, and he was appreciative of the five letters he received the day before. Meyers received nineteen on mail call on that day. During his trip to England, Meyers wrote a letter home on his birthday, although he did not think it was terrific because he was seasick. At his current location, his unit was able to get passes to visit a nearby town, but regarding the use of English money, he said that “I have a feeling I am going to get all mixed up on this English money. Guess  I’ll just give them what they want of it. Ha.” Lyle had already been to the local Red Cross station to ask for help in finding his brother.

     Richard Fishbeck had also found a Red Cross Canteen. It had great sandwiches and occasionally a bottled Coke. He also discovered what the English called the “Pub,” which is “more like pleasant meeting places where men can drink and talk over the events of the day.”  The two essential beverages served there were beer and cider. Russell Howe wrote that there were no buildings higher than 100 feet tall in the area he was stationed in England. Also, the mud was terrible, and people rode bicycles everywhere they went.

     Howard Comstock of St. Louis wrote from Italy. Just before New Years, he had his picture taken, and he hoped to mail one home. He commented that “you will probably agree that whatever else, I’m not exactly anemic.” Comstock was also looking for news about where his brother. He joked that while he had been in the hospital, he was in good shape.  “When you are in the hospital you get A BATH,” Comstock laughed.  Soon, he would be near Mt. Vesuvius, although it was frigid there. Buildings were damp and most had no heat. He told his parents that “You would not believe the way these people live. They are a thousand years behind the times. We found a great many people living in caves in Sicily. However, I guess a good cave is as good as most of their houses.” Toward the end of January, he still had not received any Christmas packages.

      Captain John C. Baxter from Breckenridge also shared similar feelings about what he saw in North Africa. At Djelfa, 200 miles south of Algiers, the oddities of the new cultures that he encountered amused him. An Arab in full sheik dress ran toward him while Baxter was trekking through some dunes. Baxter and friends discovered what a curiosity he was to the twenty-five year old North African. Cigarettes were excellent trading items while he encountered different tribes. Camel caravans moved along the roads that Baxter traveled. However, many Arabs disliked having their pictures taken. Women were especially reluctant to speak to Americans and avoided them.  Commenting about what he witnessed, Baxter wrote that “Civilization in this area, I would say, has not advanced any during the last 1000 years and the methods used were as primitive as those mentioned in the Bible.”

     Seaman Duane Sartor of Alma wrote that he had been a part of the force that took the Marshall Islands. He was very close and saw the heaving bombings. “The islands are low and covered with palm trees. We saw pictures of them after the bombardment, and they were covered with bomb pits.” At that point of the war, he stated that the operation was the largest in Naval history. Sartor lamented that he would be glad to get back home and again attend church regularly. He had not been in church since he was in Alma. Sartor missed church services that were held on his ship for Christmas because he had to do fire watch.

Men and Women in the Service

     Pictures and news articles reminded Gratiot County of the many young men and women who served the county. Austin E. Brenneman was at a Naval air station at Pensacola, Florida and he had just completed flight training in the Marine Corps Reserve. Brenneman would yearn to fight for the United States during the war, but he would not see as much action as he wanted. Brenneman would be among the first men to die for Gratiot County during the Korean War. Corporal Carl E. Bard of Emerson Township was recovering from wounds suffered in Italy when a German airplane strafed his position.  A bomb missed him by twenty feet, covering  Bard in nearly three feet of dirt and rocks. The news reached Gratiot County that this had happened on December 11, 1943 – exactly one year after Bard joined the service. Sergeant Paul Hanning was home from Alaska on furlough, and he was visiting his family in Alma. After a year in Alaska, Hanning was on his way to California.

     The Hospodar Family who resided in North Shade Township was featured on WJR Radio in Detroit during the 4^th War Loan Drive. The Hospodars received a $50 war bond from the USDA War Board. They had six sons and one daughter, and four of the boys were in the service. The youngest of the four just returned from North Africa where he guarded German Prisoners of War. The Hospodars continued to operate their 420-acre farm even though they were without help from several of their sons.

     Swift & Company of Alma reported that it was honored to say that 27 of its men were workers and now served to defend the United States.  Among some of these names of employees who served the country included Corporal Earl Oberst of Breckenridge, Corporal Marvin Fenner of Alma, and Private Bernard Marrin of Alma. Fenner would die in a bombing attack over Germany. Marrin had joined the 82^nd Airborne, and he would be captured and became a prisoner of war in Germany. Another news item reported that Wayne Garrett of Breckenridge was in the Navy and he had received a Purple Heart for battle wounds incurred while fighting against both the Germans and the Japanese.

     Women from Gratiot County also served and were in the news. Mrs. Roberta Joslen, from Pompeii, served as a WAC since entering the service in May 1943. She was driving jeeps for the Army. Her husband, Gerald, was serving somewhere in New Guinea. Miss Hazel Dill, from Breckenridge, was now a Captain and served with the nurses’ corps overseas. Dill had graduated from nurses training school from the Ford Hospital in Detroit. A V-Mail from Private Melvin Thursh of Ithaca announced that he had married Joan Hanley, who was from Australia. Their wedding reception featured both American and Australian flags. Thrush was serving in the Army “down under.”

Those Who Paid the Ultimate Price

      More names and stories reached Gratiot County of those men who died defending the nation.  Seaman Gaylord Hanley,  a former St. Louis boy who was not yet eighteen years old, died on January 26 from injuries suffered from a fall while on duty. He had been on duty aboard the SS Hutchins. Staff Sergeant Carlton Madar, formerly of Alma, drowned off Guadalcanal. Madar had lived with and was raised by his grandparents in Ithaca before joining the Army. Madar had quickly become a Staff Sergeant.   More information trickled in about the death of Donald Curtis of Alma. He died in late November during a bombing mission over Germany.

     The list of Gratiot men who became prisoners of war also slowly continued to grow. Staff Sergeant J. Alfred Grosskopf, formerly of Alma, was captured after his B-17 went down during a raid over Emden, Germany. The family received a telegram that read, “Report just received that your son, Staff Sgt. James A. Grosskopf is a prisoner of war of the German government. Letter of information from Provost Marshal General follows.”

And Unless We Forget….

       Ira Wood and Clark Howland received national attention for their turkey farms that they operated in Newark Township…St. Louis High School had a meeting on “Post War Trends and Control for Agriculture”…The St. Louis Park Hotel showed motion pictures from the United States Navy to a group of 100 persons for a Ladies Night Party. The scenes taken at Pearl Harbor were especially moving….The IRS was coming to Breckenridge and was at the Farmers State Bank if anyone needed help…Swift & Company needed 50 women at once to help with egg candling and egg breaking – no experience was necessary…North Star Chapter No. 108 of the Blue Star Mothers had an all-day meeting at the home of Mabel Ecklebarger…another Blue Stars Chapter met in St. Louis… the Ithaca Blue Star Mothers continued to push for a countywide public memorial for all of Gratiot County’s men and women who were serving in the war. This same group asked people to bring pictures of every member of the armed forces to Beebe Furniture Store in Ithaca for display while the Blue Stars started to raise money for this project…

     February 29 was the last day that automobile license plates could be used from 1943. It was also the last day to pay dog taxes without a penalty. After this, the cost would be an additional $2 per dog…It was thought that upward of 20 people would appear February 16 to become naturalized citizens at the Gratiot County  Clerk’s Office. In the end, 18 of them did – each with their witnesses. Among the new citizens were: Anna Chapko, Middleton; Joseph Sourek and Frank Hanus of Ashley; Kate Hospodar of Perrinton…the American Legion in Alma offered to help veterans with their mustering out pay, as long as they had an honorable discharge since December 6, 1941…Boy Scout Troop No. 109 had a nice display in the window of the Community Hardware in St.Louis. The William Fields Post sponsored them…In St. Louis, City Manager Frank Housel reminded the St. Louis City Council that “Eastern War Time” would soon be resuming. Housel hoped that more communities would also move to adhere to it…the Gratiot County Herald joined in with the call for the creation of a county airport…and a March of Dimes card party at St. Louis High School on one Wednesday night raised over $150 for infantile paralysis…

And that was Gratiot County at war during February 1944.

Copyright 2019 James M Goodspeed

Above: Maps like this one kept Gratiot County readers informed about the geography of the war; paper drives called for people to donate for the war effort; Clara Wolford, from St. Louis, served as a WAC; Lt. Donald Curtis of Alma was KIA on a bombing mission over Germany. Images from January 1944 issues of the St. Louis Leader, Alma Record and Gratiot County Herald.

       It had been 25 months since Pearl Harbor. Gratiot County had already been at war – twice the amount of time that it had been at war in  World War I. This time the demands, commitment and support for this war proved to be much higher. There seemed to be no questions about loyalty. Almost everywhere in Gratiot County, people found a way to be involved in the war effort.

       The enemy in this world war seemed to be much more easily defined. The Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. Hitler, Hirohito, Tojo, Mussolini – all were the faces of the enemy. However, this time, unlike 1917-1918, far more Gratiot County men would die before this war ended.

        Many citizens did not ask what they could do to help Gratiot County in January 1944. They just asked how much. It was a different time.

       By January 1944 the war seemed to be taking a turn in favor of the Allies and Gratiot County would start hearing the word “invasion.” The war fronts were moving. One of the places that people read about in January 1944 was a place called Italy.

       If you had lived in Gratiot County in January 1944 you would have read about, heard about, or talked about:

Bonds, Rationing and Drives

        Gratiot County heard the call to support the war effort by buying bonds in the Fourth War Loan Drive. Between January 18 and February 15, the nation planned to raise $14 billion for the war. Gratiot County’s quota was $1,173,000.    In St. Louis, a kickoff breakfast took place at the Park Hotel, and Chairman John D. Kelley led the meeting where block leaders and workers heard about the goal of raising $67,000. Every township in the county had a goal, and every home could expect a visitor at their home asking for contributions. Under a column entitled, “YOUR RESPONSIBILITY,”  The St. Louis Leader told readers that “Government bonds are the safest investment in the world. If they were to lose their value, there would be nothing left of value in this country…What are you going to do …while more than 1,500 Gratiot fighting men are risking their lives?” By the end of the first week, the drive raised $118,000. Ithaca Township purchased $14,512.50 worth of bonds or about 41 percent of its goal.

       There were other ways to show support for the war. The Lansing State Board of Health planned on being in Alma in February with its mobile unit to collect blood from 360 residents. Those who wanted to donate only had to contact Dr. C.E. Burt of Ithaca, who chaired the blood plasma committee of the Red Cross. The Ithaca Boy Scouts collected over 8,000 pounds of scrap paper consisting of brown paper bags, cartons, newspapers, and items from wastebaskets. Even radio tubes were wanted. By the time they finished their drive, the troop had collected a total of nearly five tons worth of items.  Ithaca read in the newspaper that “This is not a one-week or one-month campaign, but the saving of wastepaper must continue for the duration.” Another notice encouraged people to help with paper drives because one hundred pounds of waste paper made 50 .75 millimeter shell containers.

        The Office of Price Administration (OPA) gave out 482 War Service Certificates to people in the Saginaw region who donated 100 or more hours to the War Price and Rationing Boards. Many of these recipients were from Gratiot County.  These volunteers often served after their workday ended by answering phones, filing cards, and helping to issue gas ration cards. The OPA did announce that ration stamps could be used in advance for meat. One provision under this announcement meant that farmers could sell half hogs or quarters of beef if buyers planned on freezing or canning the meat. Still, a person needed brown or red stamps to obtain meat.

        Other people in Gratiot County also heard about the President’s Ball to be held in Alma on January 28. This event coincided with President Roosevelt’s birthday. The ball, as well as March of Dimes parties in various parts of the county, raised money to buy wheelchairs, braces, shoes and other articles for residents who had contracted infantile paralysis. Alma’s Booster Club Hall, St. Louis High School’s gymnasium and the St. Louis Masonic Hall were a few of the places to host these parties.

The Red Cross

       During the war, the Gratiot County Red Cross proved to be very active. The Red Cross chapter in Ashley commemorated its first anniversary on January 7 by publishing a report of its work. In the past year, a total of 96 workers had contributed 3468 hours, had made approximately 50,000 dressings, including pads and sponges. The chapter operated Wednesday and Thursday afternoons and evenings and was chaired by Mrs. F.E. Robbennolt.  Ralph Tweedie kept and maintained fires in the building throughout 1943 for these meetings.

      A countywide call for more Red Cross workers came from Mrs. Charles Bloss, who served as the County Production Chairman of Sewing and Knitting. A notice in the Gratiot County Herald read, “There is a need for Red Cross sewing and knitting to be done. Now that the holidays are over, can we not get this work ready for our men in service at an early date?”

      An essential function of the Gratiot County Red Cross involved supporting families whose men became Prisoners of War. Private Bruce Mead of Riverdale was captured and sent to Stalag 2-B in Germany. Mead had been a captive for over a year, and a letter he wrote in late August 1943 appeared in the newspapers. Mead said that he continued to serve as a medic in the camp, had just received some reading material, and he had met many other POWS from various countries.  In the letter, he asked for toiletries, candy, things to read and peanuts “if it isn’t too much trouble.”

The Draft – Off to War

       Selective Service announced that it would provide at least a three-week notice to men for induction to the military. It also hoped to drastically curb the issue of occupational deferments for 18 to 21-year-old men, making another 115,000 non-fathers available to the nation. The over 400,000 farm workers in that age group remained unaffected, as well as those who came under industrial deferments. However, occupational deferments would no longer be granted to men under the age of 22. In February, all men listed as 2C and 3C draft registrants would be under review. This group consisted of men classified as necessary for agriculture. C.P. Milham, Gratiot County Agricultural Agent, oversaw the issue of these classifications. The USDA War Board then would make recommendations to the Gratiot County draft board whether each essential registrant was to remain on the farm.

       From Gratiot County, 15 men entered the service by January 20. The group made up of seven in the Army, four in the Navy, and four in the Marines. The Marines consisted of Bohus Chovanec (St.Louis), Dwayne Ancel (Wheeler), Wallace Humphrey (Elwell), and Gerald Knapp (Alma).

      In other news, 33 high school boys from across the county, age 17 or older,  took the Army Air Corps aviation cadet mental examination at Alma High School. A total of 29 passed the test and could go to Detroit for preliminary physical tests in February. If they passed the tests there, the boys would go to Kellogg Field in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Men and Women in the Service

      The newspapers regularly published the names of men and women who left the county to serve in the various arms of the military. Tom Nurnberger, Jr., sent a cable to his parents in St. Louis about his promotion to the rank of major. Nurnberger entered the army three years earlier and served in England with 5^th Corps of Engineers, Headquarters Division.  Hugh Rodenbo from St. Louis, who was driving a truck for the army in England,  also wrote to his parents that he had married Phyllis Franks, who was a Corporal in the English Army.  Other county men like Seaman Myron Humphrey and Private Elmer Lint, both from Alma, ran into each other at the Stage Door Canteen in New York City.  Humphrey wrote that he met movie star Wendy Barrie there. The USO offered the men tickets for a good meal at a café. The two also saw Tommy Dorsey play the Paramount Theater. The former pastor of the Alma Presbyterian Church, Albert J. Anthony, re-entered the service and reported for duty in September 1942. Anthony, a   World War I veteran, served as a chaplain at Camp Fanning in Tyler, Texas.

        Then there was news of men who were in combat. Corporal Jarold C. Brown of Ithaca served as a paratrooper in the New Guinea campaign and had recently seen action in the Markham Valley. Lieutenant Royal Klein, also of Ithaca, maintained his gun position aboard a B-17 even after being severely wounded by 20 mm shells from a German Focke-Wulf during a raid over the Ruhr Valley in Germany. The B-17,  heavily hit with flak, limped back home with several injured crewmen. The plane was met and escorted by two British Spitfires back to England.

      WAC Corporal Clara A. Wolford,  St. Louis High School Class of 1938, served as a telephone operator at a switchboard handling war calls somewhere in England. Wolford entered the service at Daytona Beach, Florida on her twenty-second birthday in 1943. Marjorie Street, Phm 2/c, sent a letter home to her mother in Ithaca with grave news. Street wrote from a Charleston, South Carolina hospital that she was there with second-degree burns on her legs as a resulting from an accident when scalding liquid had accidentally spilled on her. She said that her status was improving, and she expected to recover. Mary Finette Marzolf, a WAVE from Ithaca, had been commissioned as an Ensign upon completion from officers training at the Naval Reserve Midshipman’s School at Northampton, Massachusetts. Marzolf was a former teacher before entering the service.

       Here in Gratiot County, Seaman First Class Jon Slavik was home on leave after seeing action in the Mediterranean Theater. On one landing operation, his ship was torpedoed and Slavik was knocked unconscious by shrapnel.  He managed to reawaken long enough to evacuate and spent an hour in the water before he was picked up. Slavik spent almost three months in tent hospitals in North Africa, as well as being hospitalized in St. Albans in Long Island, New York. For this, Slavik received the Purple Heart. He was one of three sons from an Ashley family, all who were in the war. Seaman First Class Joseph F. Divish of Perrinton also came home after seeing two years of fighting in Africa and Sicily. Divish had been at the Casablanca invasion, and his ship did patrol duty off of Gela, Licata and Palermo, Italy. He enlisted in the Navy two days before the attack upon Pearl Harbor.

 

Making the Ultimate Sacrifice

      The saddest news from the war dealt with those Gratiot County families who heard that they had lost someone in the war. This news frequently came weeks after their deaths, primarily as a result of the length of time it took to get communications home from the front. Sergeant Paul Gay of  St. Louis was killed in action over Germany on November 26, 1943. Gay had been aboard a B-17 over Germany. The family received notice that their son was missing in action on December 8, but it was over a month before confirmation of his death. Sergeant Gay’s last letters home, written in late November, made it back before Christmas. Gay entered the service in May 1942, and he was almost 30 years old.

      Lieutenant Donald Curtis had been missing since November 29, 1944, over Germany. An Alma High School graduate, he worked at the Gibson Hardware Store.  Many in Alma had hoped that he was still alive and the news of his death shook the community. Curtis had trained as a bombardier aboard a B-17 and entered the service on June 19, 1942, went overseas in May 1943 and was based in England.

      People in Wheeler received tragic news in mid-January that Private Don Hartenberg, a Breckenridge High School graduate, had been killed while serving in the Fifth Army in Italy.  Hartenberg, age 22, died December 8, 1944 – which was the first anniversary of his entry into the service. Before his service, Hartenberg worked for the Stork Oil Service.

And Let Us Not Forget That:

      Blue Star Mothers Chapter No. 1 of North Star met at the township hall. It planned a chili dinner to raise money. The chapter was grateful for the comic books that students from North Star District No.1 school donated for soldiers to read at the Fort Custer hospital…The Ideal Theatre in Ithaca featured Betty Grable in “Coney Island”…”With the Colors” was a regular front page feature with the Gratiot County Herald. It highlighted where young men and women were stationed and how readers could send cards and letters. Frequently stories dealt with families with more than one son who was at war. During this month,  Ithaca’s Jack and Dale Ecklebarger appeared in the feature…Farmers were told to ask for their ACP pay for plowing under clover, harvesting hayseed or signing their farm plan for 1944. They all had to sign a document SB-702 to get their money…The Gratiot County AAA announced that milk subsidy payments would be paid for those who qualified for October, November, December 1943. In Middleton, payments would be available at Maynard Dodge’s store…and, a new liquor law requirement in Gratiot County meant that purchasers and consumers of liquor between the ages of 21-25 had to carry a liquor purchase license. The license had to shown upon demand, and only the county clerk issued them.

     These events, people, places and things all made up Gratiot’s finest hour in January 1944.

Copyright 2019 James M Goodspeed

Above: Local newspapers like the Gratiot County Herald and the Alma Record regularly published lists of those Gratiot County men who died as the war went on.

       By the end of the World War in Europe a total of 116, 708 Americans had died. Along with these came another 204,000 who were wounded.  From Gratiot County, at least thirty men gave their lives in service to their country and our county.

       When I first considered doing these stories over four years ago, I attempted to find whatever had been written about these thirty men from newspapers like the Gratiot County Herald and the Alma Record. Broader searches into the Detroit Free Press and the Lansing State Journal also occasionally gave tidbits of information. However, most of what we know about these men came from Gratiot County newspapers.

      To attempt to broaden the stories, I turned to records in the National Archives, namely personal files that were put together when a soldier died. Most of our Gratiot men had a file, but a few did not.

       I hoped that by pulling all of these materials more might be known about each of the veterans – their backgrounds, their families, where they lived, where they went to school, what their hopes and dreams were,  as well as how each of them died.

       What I  did learn was that many of the men were single and unmarried. A few of them married and a couple of them had children.  Almost half of those who died did so in combat in Europe. Several died as a result of the Influenza Epidemic, a few as the result of accidents. One came home severely wounded, only to die a few months later. One was a boy, barely sixteen years old. In one case there is still one soldier whose death is as mysterious as his brief service record.

        Still, there are other Gratiot County men whose names appeared in the newspapers that also paid the ultimate price. Their names do not appear with the thirty that we have. Possibly family members chose not to come forward with their names – or there was no family member left after the war to do so. Sometimes more than one county claimed a veteran, depending on where they lived, went to school, or where they enlisted. This situation happened to at least two of Gratiot County’s men.

       One hundred years later, what we have left are distant memories of America’s first war on European soil, a war that Gratiot County was involved with for only twenty months. Many of these men who died during this time are buried in cemeteries within Gratiot County, in forgotten places, with markers and headstones that may be in disrepair or need cleaning.

        We owe them the opportunity to be remembered.

        These were the thirty who dared.

Copyright 2018 James M Goodspeed

Above: Samuel B. Derby’s name on the Gratiot County All Wars Memorial in Ithaca; Derby’s registration document.

       Samuel Benjamin Derby was born November 6, 1894, in Hailesboro, New York to John and Patience Derby.  The Derbys moved to Newark Township, and Samuel made a living as a cheesemaker and farmer before the war.

       On June 15, 1917, Derby registered for the draft and officially entered the Army on March 1, 1918. After arriving at Camp Greenleaf, Georgia he became a Private in the Medical Department Post Hospital.  Another record shows that Derby became a Corporal on April 9, 1918, in the Air Service Flying School, but he did not go overseas. On April 19, 1919, he was discharged.

          From there, Derby’s story is somewhat mysterious. In one case, Derby is mentioned as one of thirteen men who perished in a Niagara Falls Power Company accident in North Tonawanda, New York on November 6, 1920. There is evidence that suggests that a man by his name was living in New York in 1941. A marker bearing his name also appears in New York stating that he died in 1962. Which story is accurate?

         So, several questions exist. How and when did Samuel Benjamin Derby die? Since he appeared to die in another state after the war ended, how did his name appear among Gratiot County’s World War I dead?

         Regardless, Samuel Benjamin Derby became the last World War veteran to listed as having served Gratiot County.

Copyright 2018 James M Goodspeed

Above: Walter H. Young’s draft registration card; Young’s name as it appears on the Gratiot County All Wars Memorial in Ithaca, Michigan.

      Walter H. Young was born on January 27, 1895, in Ithaca, Michigan to Peter and Cynthia Young. Walter had one brother, James, who died in 1905. His parents made a living as farmers and Walter worked on the family farm when he entered the service. Young spent time on the Texas – Mexico border at Camp Jones, and he served as a private in Battalion B, 10^th Field Artillery.

        The 10^th Field Artillery fought in 1918 in battles such as Champagne-Marne,  St. Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne. At the Meuse-Argonne, the 10^th Field Artillery attained the title “The Rock’s Support” because it helped the 3^rd Division, famously known as “The Rock of the Marne.”  Somewhere Walter Young was severely wounded, and he ended up being in several hospitals before he came home.  Walter continued to suffer from his wounds for over a year. In April 1919, Walter’s mother died which put more pressure on Walter and his aging father to maintain the family farm. Tragedy struck in mid-September 1920 and Walter Young had to be sent to Dr. Hall’s Hospital in Pompeii.

       After struggling for several days, Young succumbed to the hemorrhaging of gastric ulcers. The doctor concluded that the wounds Young suffered in Europe somehow caused this death.

       Funeral services took place at the North Star Methodist Church, and Walter Young was buried in the North Star Cemetery.

      Walter Henry Young was a World War veteran who came home severely wounded, and who paid the ultimate price for his service to our country.

        Walter Young was only twenty-five years old when he died.

Copyright 2018 James M Goodspeed

Above: E.M. Ewen’s name as it appears on the Gratiot All Wars Memorial in Ithaca, Michigan.

        E.M. Ewen was born August 25, 1890, in Derryfield,  Wexford County, Michigan. To E.E. and Addie Ewen and they resided at 223 Prospect Street in Alma during the war. It is possible that the family moved here because his father purchased the dry cleaning plant in Alma in 1916. However, the man who did this was known as E.W. McEwen in newspapers, which presents a question. Was the last name Ewen or McEwen?

        Even more perplexing is finding much else about the life of E. M. Ewen.  He did marry a Helen Williard in 1911 in Alma, and the couple did have a son named Gordon. Ewen was also a bookkeeper before the war. After entering the military,  he joined a camp in Alabama in 1918, which is where he died in April 1919. It is not known where he was buried.

       Beyond this information, nothing else is known about E.M. Ewen – a young man who served Gratiot County and who died during the World War.

At his death, E.M. Ewen was 27 years old.

Copyright 2018 James M Goodspeed

Above: Agnes Yutzey’s YMCA portrait; Yutzey’s application for a  passport; staff picture from Ithaca Schools, taken prior to volunteering to work with the YMCA.

Author’s note: The following article first appeared in the December 6, 2018 issue of the Gratiot County Herald.

         During World War I, over 13,000 volunteers went to France and England to serve in the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA).   It was a favorite place for American soldiers, offering them a place to eat, relax, read and write home.

        Agnes Yutzey, who lived near Middleton, was one of the many volunteers who left her job and went to Europe. During her youth, Yutzey’s parents moved so that she and her two sisters could attend school in Ithaca. A graduate of Central Michigan Normal School, she returned to Ithaca as a teacher before volunteering to head to Europe for the YMCA.

        In 1918, crossing the Atlantic could take a ship as much as three weeks during the war. While on board a vessel, Agnes attempted to pass her time by going for walks, sunning in deck chairs and by trying to keep her food down. Regarding her stomach, she wrote in a letter that some days “the fish won this contest” and she struggled because she did not possess good “sea legs.” However, Yutzey enjoyed serving coffee and tea to soldiers who were onboard.

       Agnes Yutzey’s dream was to make it to France. However, the YMCA sent her to Liverpool, England. She served there for 2 ½ months in the Liverpool Canteen where she worked at 46 Lord Street. Her work involved running a cash desk (checkout) for men who bought food cafeteria style, along with operating a reading room, talking to homesick soldiers and chaperoning those who wanted to see an English play. Yutzey discovered that the average soldier that came to her canteen expected one thing: cream and sugar in their coffee.

       In letters home, she asked Ithaca readers to send her current magazines so that soldiers had new reading material. Occasionally there was an English citizen who walked into the canteen and said that they wanted to meet a real American. Although she initially stayed in a hotel, a local citizen invited Yutzey to live with her in Liverpool. During this time the Influenza Epidemic raged through England, although Yutzey never became sick.  Surprisingly, she did have the good fortune of meeting another Ithaca girl at the Liverpool canteen.

          After a while, Agnes Yutzey eventually made it to the European continent where she worked at YMCA Canteen Number 27 in Coblenz and Number 14 in Trier, Germany.  Yutzey’s service ended in August 1919, and she came home aboard the SS Mobile from Brest, France.

         She returned to live briefly with her parents in New Haven Township before moving to Cedar Falls, Iowa to work at a teachers college. Yutzey next went to George Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville, Tennessee. It was there in 1921 that she married James Atkinson, Jr., and moved to Clearwater, Florida where she taught until 1940.

               Agnes Yutzey, a YMCA volunteer, passed away in March 1950.

Eldon Helman, from New Haven Township, and Lyndsi Wolfe, Fulton High School Senior, assisted with research for this article.

Above: Cemetery marker for Eber Grace in Alma’s Riverside Cemetery; Registration Card for Eber Grace.

       Eber John Grace was born July 24, 1892, in Allen County, Indiana to Simon and Marilda Grace. Eber was the youngest of four children to a farm family. Sometime before 1910 the Grace family moved to Bethany Township to farm. Helping on the farm was Eber’s job, and that was what he was doing when he married Sylva Ann Grandy on December 29, 1912, in St. Louis.

         Five years later, on May 24, 1917, Sylva gave birth to their first child. It was also a tragic time as Sylva died from complications due to childbirth. Eber now had a child to raise, and he was a widower. One month later, he was called to register to the draft. Another year passed, and the Army called Eber to military service, and he found himself at Camp Custer on August 28, 1918. Assigned to the 11^th Company, 3^rd B.M., 160^th D.B., Eber Grace was transferred to the Motor Cycle Company by the time he arrived in France.

         A second tragedy befell Eber Grace when on March 11, 1919, in Libourne, Gironde, France when he died due to a motorcycle accident. The only information about Eber Grace’s death could be summed up in the World War I book, Soldiers of the Great War. His name was merely listed under the category “Died of Accident.”

       Sometime after his death, Grace was brought home from France, and he was laid to rest in Alma’s Riverside Cemetery.

       When he died, Eber J. Grace was twenty-seven years old, and he left behind a two-year-old daughter.

Copyright 2018 James M Goodspeed

Above: William Shippey’s Registration Card; Shippey’s marker in Oak Grove Cemetery.

        William Lee Shippey was born December 13, 1896, in St. Louis, Michigan to Fred and Kittie (Bell) Shippey. He was the older of two sons; however, the 1910 census listed a daughter in the family. Other references state that there was also another son.

       William worked as a lineman and that he was a theatrical employee for the Frances Kelly Stock Company. He also worked for the State of Michigan. Shippey entered the service in 1916 and went to Camp Grayling. However, on his registration card in 1917, it said that he had been rejected for service. It is unclear why or for what reasons this happened, yet Shippey answered the call for the draft and ended up at Camp Custer on March 29, 1918.

       During his training, he became a Sergeant M.S.T. 414, M.T.C. 442.  Shippey then trained at Camp Johnston, Florida where he received a promotion to Corporal before moving to the 85^th Division, 310^th Engineers. After the Armistice took place, he transferred to the 7^th Army Corps.

     While with the Army of Occupation in Germany, William Shippey contracted pneumonia during the influenza epidemic and died on February 6, 1919. Unfortunately, his body would not be sent home until early September 1920. When it happened, a notice in the Gratiot County Herald stated that his funeral services would be held at the St. Louis Methodist Church and that burial took place in Oak Grove Cemetery.

       William Shippey’s death was different from most of the other veterans from Gratiot County. In his case, he left behind two sons, in addition to his wife, parents, brothers and a sister. William’s son, Norman, became a doctor and his other son, known as “Bill,” became a well-known educator and coach in Lansing, Michigan. Today, the Dean Shippey Capital Diamond Classic, a well known high school baseball tournament, is named in Bill’s honor.

          When William Lee Shippey died in 1919, he was only twenty-three years old.

Copyright 2018 James M Goodspeed