The Smith family had travelled thousands of miles to raise a family far from the wars and poverty of eastern Europe, only to have one of their sons give the ultimate sacrifice on a far-off battlefield in France. After John Smith (1869-1953) and his fiancé Mary (1869-1925) married in 1886 in Poland, they wasted noContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Walter A. Smith”
Tag Archives: france
Fallen Heroes: Bugler Victor J. Mattevi
This fallen hero’s parents immigrated from Europe in order to provide a better life for their future children in America. Unfortunately, one of their sons would return to a Europe at war and make the ultimate sacrifice. Celeste Mattevi (1868-1940) was born in the southern part of the province of Tyrol in what was thenContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Bugler Victor J. Mattevi”
Fallen Heroes: Private Russell Andreas
Some fallen heroes served their country for years before being asked to make the ultimate sacrifice. Others make that sacrifice in the first several weeks or months of their service. Some, like this fallen hero, never survive their first taste of combat. The ancestors of Russell Andreas (1894-1918) settled in Tuscarawas County in the firstContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Russell Andreas”
Fallen Heroes: Private Darrell O. Beiter
Many Tuscarawas County young men witnessed the brutality of trench warfare in France during World War One. Many of those suffered debilitating wounds and the less obvious mental illnesses associated with “shell-shock”. Then there were those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and among them, as in the case of this fallen hero, were the menContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Darrell O. Beiter”
Fallen Heroes: Private Joseph (Joe) Aspinall
Once again I have come across the story of a fallen hero whose family had only recently arrived from abroad. This soldier served a country that his parents had decided offered them, and their children, a better life. Like so many before and after him, this immigrant’s son would be called on to make theContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Joseph (Joe) Aspinall”
Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Loren Ray Miller
The story of every fallen hero is a sad one to write, but occasionally I will come across one that seems more so. When I sit down to research each fallen hero I often come across efforts by others to document some aspect of that person’s life, showing me that they have not been completelyContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Loren Ray Miller”
Fallen Heroes: Private Fred Heintz
The stress of combat can affect soldiers differently. World War One was notorious for a perceived new ailment called “shell shock”, an ailment we now refer to as post-traumatic stress disorder. Private Fred Heintz (1888-1923) was a different man when he returned from the fields of France, and like many veterans his life would beContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Fred Heintz”
Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Wilbur R. Bailey
The hedgerows of the Normandy countryside can be beautiful, but during the days that Wilbur R. Bailey (1921-1944) spent among them in July 1944 they proved fatal. According to one newspaper account reporting his death, Wilbur was the only World War Two casualty from within the limits of Mineral City. Wilbur R. Bailey was bornContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Wilbur R. Bailey”
The Acadian – Jean Poirier
One of the more interesting exercises in undertaking the study of family history in the United States is determining who was the very first, the “alpha” ancestor to arrive in North America for a specific family line. That individual may not be the most interesting of the family but their name can claim the uniqueContinue reading “The Acadian – Jean Poirier”
Noel B. Poirier 