CPL Charles Lee Taylor

Abt 1917. Leroy Collier, Charles Taylor, and Clyde

CPL Charles Lee Taylor was born 2 Jun 1897 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia to Robert Samuel and Eva Watkins (Evans) Taylor.  The family farmed.

After entering the Army, Charles was assigned to F Company 116th Infantry.  He boarded the USS Finland on 15 Jun 1918 with his unit and shipped out for France.  CPL Taylor survived all the fighting and was reassigned to the 94th Casual Company. He died of empyema and exhaustion on 24 Mar 1919.

CPL Taylor was repatriated and is now buried with family in the Salem United Methodist Church Cemetery in Mecklenburg County, Virginia.

PFC Thomas Andrew Jackson

courtesy of SoilSister

PFC Thomas Andrew Jackson was born in February 1893 in Tazewell County, Virginia to James Henry and Margaret Ellen (Lowe) Jackson.  The family lived several places in Russell and Tazewell counties where the family farmed.

Although he was apparently known as Andrew in the family he enlisted as Thomas A. Jackson. He enlisted in the 2nd Virginia Volunteer Infantry on 3 Jun 1917.  When the unit was reorganized with others to form the 116th Infantry he was assigned to F Company 116th Infantry.  He shipped with that unit for France aboard the Finland on 13 Jun 1918.  We do not know when he was wounded but it was most likely in the action at Molleville Farm sometime between 12 and 25 Oct 1918.  We believe he recovered from his wound but was killed on 4 Jan 1919 when he was shot with a rifle by another soldier.

PFC Jackson was buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.

You might note that the year of death on his marker is incorrect.  It is not the first or last time the Army has made a clerical error.

PVT Daniel Burch Guion

PVT Daniel Burch Guion was born 20 Jan 1888 in Benton, Mississippi the 2nd of 4 children born to William Beylan and Ada (Bullock) Guion.  The family farmed but William died in 1900 or 1901.  Daniel's mother re-married and was again widowed.

When Daniel entered the Army he was assigned to F Company 116th Infantry.  He departed for France aboard the Finland on 15 Jun 1918 with his unit.  PVT Guion was wounded and as late as 26 Dec 1918 was being reported in hometown papers as "lightly wounded" but he died on 24 Nov 1918.

PVT Guion was returned to the U.S. in 1920 and re-interred in Hicks Cemetery in Yazoo County, Mississippi.

PVT Thurman Lewis Evans

courtesy of Ernestine Massie Tabor

PVT Thurman Lewis Evans (aka Lewis T. Evans) was born 3 Sep 1897 in Massie's Mill, Virginia the 6th of 8 children of William Matthew and Hannah Frances (Grant) Evans.  The family farmed.

Lewis (as he was known in the Army) enlisted in A Company 2nd Virginia Volunteer Infantry on 4 Jul 1917 for the "emergency" being the Mexican border duty.  He was apparently moved to E Company.  When the 2nd Virginia was mobilized for the Great War, E Company was  re-organized with other companies as F Company 116th Infantry. PVT Evans shipped out for France aboard the Finland on 13 Jun 1918 along with the rest of the 116th Infantry.  PVT Evans is variously reported as having died of wounds or disease on 7 Nov 1918.

PVT Lewis was repatriated and now rests forever with family members in Jonesboro Cemetery in Jonesboro, Virginia.

Lewis' grandfather, Tarleton Jackson Evans, served 4-years in the Nelson Light Artillery during the Civil War.

PFC Erwin L. Sampson

courtesy of Anne Cady

PFC Erwin L. Sampson and his wife, Edna H. Sampson lived in the area of Big Stone Gap, Virginia.

After entering the Army, Erwin was assigned to F Company 116th Infantry.  He was transported with his unit aboard the Finland to France, departing from Hoboken, New Jersey on 15 Jun 1918.  PFC Sampson died of disease on 1 Nov 1918.

PFC Sampson was repatriated in 1920, his body being returned with many others aboard the Pocohontas.  He now rests forever in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

PVT Crockett Isaac Wright

courtesy of Larry Eanes

PVT Crockett Isaac Wright was born 18 Jul 1896 in Rocky Mount, Virginia the 5th of 14 children of Joel Thomas and Martha Ann (Stanley) Wright.  The family farmed.

When Crockett entered the Army he was assigned to F Company 116th Infantry.  He was transported with that unit aboard the USS Finland to France, departing Hoboken, New Jersey on 15 Jun 1918.  PVT Crockett Wright was killed in action in the vicinity of Molleville Farm on 25 Oct 1918.

PVT Wright was repatriated and is buried with family members in the Gogginsville United Methodist Church Cemetery in Rocky Mount, Virginia.

Crockett's brother also served in F Company 116th Infantry.  PVT Richard Dow Wright died of wounds on 11 Oct 1918 and his buried next to Crockett. Brother, Sankey M. Wright, was killed in Germany while serving as a Private, 117th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division, in World War II.

PVT Eloi Morin

courtesy of SoilSister

PVT Eloi Morin was born 10 Sep 1887 in Montcalm, Quebec.  He lived and worked in Connecticut. He enlisted from Connecticut even though he was not yet a citizen and was assigned to F Company 116th Infantry.  He was transported to France aboard the Finland with his unit, departing Hoboken, New Jersey on 15 Jun 1918.

PVT Morin was killed in action on 21 Oct 1918.  He was buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.

Supply SGT Clifton Ogden Burks

Supply SGT Clifton Ogden Burks was born 14 May 1894 in Rockbridge County, Virginia to John Robert and Mildred Ann (Ogden) Burks.  The family farmed near Natural Bridge.

Clifton enlisted as a PVT in F Company 2nd Virginia Volunteer Infantry on 8 Jul 1915 and had served continuously since that time. When the National Guard units were mobilized for service and combined to form the 116th Infantry Regiment, he was assigned to F Company 116th Infantry.  When the unit embarked aboard the Finland for the voyage to France, he was already the Acting Supply SGT for the unit.  He remained in that position until killed in action on 16 Oct 1918.  The following account was published in a local newspaper:

FIGHTS DESPITE WOUND: According to Sergeant Glenn, of Company F, recently returned from France, Clifton O. Burks, who worked in Roanoke, but whose parents reside in Glasgow, was killed in the Argonne Forest, October 16, when, had he so chosen, he could have been far in the rear of his command in a hospital. On October 9, Private Burks sustained an injury to his back and was marked up by the Army surgeon for the hospital, but he refused to leave his company and go back. Though suffering intensely at times, he kept his position in the ranks, and at 8 o'clock on the morning of October 16, was shot down right beside Sergeant Glenn, sustaining a broken right leg and a severe cut about the face. Ten minutes later he was instantly killed by a bursting shrapnel shell, a fragment of which passed entirely through his body. His remains were buried by his comrades in the 29th Division burial ground in the Argonne Forest, just beside the Verdun-Sedan road, and a cross erected to his memory.

SGT Burks was repatriated and now rests forever with family members in Falling Spring Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Glasgow, Virginia.

Grandfather Charles Clifton Burks was wounded in the right side while serving as a Lieutenant with H Company 4th Virginia Infantry during the Civil War.

PVT Owen Fay

PVT Owen Fay was born 1 Apr 1890 in Drumbin, County Monaghan, Ireland to Helen Fay. Owen immigrated in April 1914.  He was working as a porter when he registered for the draft.  PVT Fay was assigned to F Company 116th Infantry when he was killed in action on 12 Oct 1918.

PVT Fay is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.  His mother was still living in Drumbin when she was notified of his death. 

PVT Richard Dow Wright

courtesy of Larry Eanes

PVT Richard Dow Wright was born 16 Nov 1891 in Franklin County, Virginia the 2nd of 14 children of Joel Thomas and Martha Ann (Stanley) Wright.  The family farmed.

When Richard entered the Army he was assigned to F Company 116th Infantry.  He was transported with that unit aboard the USS Finland to France, departing Hoboken, New Jersey on 15 Jun 1918.  PVT Richard Wright was wounded, likely in the engagement at Molleville Farm, and died of those wounds on 11 Oct 1918.

PVT Wright was repatriated and is buried with family members in the Gogginsville United Methodist Church Cemetery in Rocky Mount, Virginia.

Richard's brother also served in F Company 116th Infantry.  PVT Crockett Isaac Wright was killed in action on 21 Oct 1918 and his buried next to Richard. Brother, Sankey M. Wright, was killed in Germany while serving as a Private, 117th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division, in World War II.

PVT Ralph Ellsworth Allen

PVT Ralph Ellsworth Allen was born 8 Feb 1890 in South Berwick, Maine to Orin Philip and Elsie Jane (Boston) Allen. The family farmed. His father and mother died in 1908 and 1910 respectively and Ralph lived with his older brother Herbert.

Ralph was drafted in May 1918 and assigned to the 4th Recruit Company at Fort Slocum, New York.  He was transferred to the 4th Recruit Company 58th Infantry Brigade at Camp McClellan, Alabama 7 to 10 May 1918.  On 11 May 1918 PVT Allen was assigned to F Company 116th Infantry.  Killed in action 9 Oct 1918.

He is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.  His father, Orin Philip Allen served as a PVT in the 14th Regiment of Maine Volunteer Infantry (1862-1865) during the Civil War .

PVT Nathaniel Edward Powers Jr.

PVT Nathaniel Edward Powers Jr. was the oldest son of Nathaniel Edward and Viola Emily (Ritt) Powers of Petersburg, Virginia.  He was born 22 Nov 1898, possibly in Petersburg. His father's occupation was variously given as laborer or machine operator. He apparently went by Edward to distinguish him from his father and also worked as a laborer in Petersburg living with his family there.

After entering the service in 1917 he was ultimately assigned to F Company 116th Infantry. As PFC Edward Powers he was aboard the Finland for the voyage to France on 15 Jun 1918.  PVT Powers was killed in action on 9 Oct 1918.  

Edward was repatriated and re-interred in Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Cemetery in Petersburg, Virginia.

Mechanic George Kaleb Tate

courtesy of Cindy Orange Neely

Mechanic George Kaleb Tate was born 15 May 1890 in Thaxton, Virginia, the next to last child of 13 children of Joseph James and Catherine Matilda (Faldron) Tate.  The family farmed. George's parents died in 1900 and 1901 and George apparently went to live with older brothers or sisters.  In 1918, George was working as a saw mill hand for J. W. Earnest in Bland, Virginia.

After entering the Army, George was assigned to F Company 116th Infantry.  As a Mechanic, George was pretty much what we call the armorer for his unit.  He was responsible for repair of unit equipment and arms. When George was listed on the manifest for the Finland and the unit's transportation to France, he gave a sister as his next of kin. Mechanic Tate was killed in action on 9 Oct 1918.

Mechanic Tate was repatriated and now rests with other family members in the Tate-Crouch Cemetery in Bedford County, Virginia. 

Brother, Isaac Reeves Tate, was wounded and died of those wounds on 10 Oct 1918 while serving with the 362nd Infantry. He was also repatriated and is also buried in the Tate-Crouch Cemetery. Their father, Joseph,  served as a PVT in H Company 34th Virginia Infantry and was wounded in the right shoulder during the Civil War.

PVT Albert Leo Ratell

PVT Albert Leo Ratell was born 16 Oct 1888 in Merritt, Michigan the 3rd of 4 children of Frank and Chornance (Laberdie) Ratell. In 1909 he married Minnie Lavigne.  The couple divorced in 1913.

After entering the Army, Albert was assigned to F Company 116th Infantry. He was transported with his unit aboard the Finland which departed Hoboken, New Jersey on 15 Jun 1918. PVT Ratell was killed in action on 8 Oct 1918.

Albert is memorialized on the tablets of the missing in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.

CPL Herbert William Fowlkes

CPL Herbert William Fowlkes was born in November 1892 in Haytokah, Virginia to Rufus C. and Alice (Anderson) Fowlkes.  The family farmed.  Alice died 22 Sep 1895 and Rufus remarried a year later.

Herbert enlisted in E Company 2nd Virginia Volunteer Infantry on 26 Jun 1916.  He was still assigned to the unit when it was mobilized and re-organized as part of F Company 116th Infantry. CPL Fowlkes was aboard the Finland when the 116th shipped out for France on 13 Jun 1918.  CPL Fowlkes was killed in action on 26 Aug 1918.

CPL Fowlkes was repatriated and re-interred in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

SGT Edgar Noland Dudley Embrey

courtesy of Hope

SGT Edgar Noland Dudley Embrey was born 15 Jan 1918 in Middleburg, Virginia. He was the 6th of the 7 children of Harvey Copeland and Mariah B. (Kirby) Embrey. His father supported the family by working for other farmers. Edgar found the same work by 1940 when the family was living in Fairfax County. Together, father and son had a reported income of 1939 of $1380.

Edgar was drafted in May 1941. It was probably soon after that he was sent to Fort Meade, Maryland and assigned to F Company 116th Infantry. He trained with the unit there and in the Carolina maneuvers before going to Camp Blanding, Florida and then to England in September 1942. Once in England the regiment trained intensely for the amphibious assault planned as a part of the effort to liberate occupied Europe. PFC Dudley took part in that attack and on 20 Jun 1944 was promoted to SGT. SGT Dudley was seriously wounded on 29 Jun 1944. He was evacuated to hospital and dropped from unit rolls. He was ultimately evacuated to COMMZ, arriving at Kennedy Hospital on 25 Sep 1944. SGT Dudley died of complications from his wound(s) on 25 Jun 1945.

SGT Dudley rests forever in Ivy Hill Cemetery in Upperville, Virginia. 

2LT Oliver Earl Mayo

courtesy of Des Philippet

2LT Oliver Earl Mayo was born in 1921 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  He was the 2nd of 8 children born to William Clarence and Leana Lois (Martin) Mayo. His father worked as a miller in a cement factory and a moulder in a stove factory. Oliver attended 4 years of high school and began work as a typesetter.

Oliver volunteered for Army service in August 1942. After enlistment he would have gone through basic training and Officer Candidate School before he was sent to the European theater of operations.  2LT Mayo was first assigned to F Company 116th Infantry from the replacement depot. Serving as a rifle platoon leader, he was wounded just 5 days later and evacuated to hospital on 19 Jun 1944. It probably took a while to recover as he was returned to the regiment from the replacement depot, this time assigned to E Company 116th Infantry on 18 Oct 1944. On 30 Oct 1944 he was moved from a platoon leader position to serve as the company executive officer. 2LT Mayo was wounded again on 23 Nov 1944 and again evacuated. He was returned to E Company on 30 Mar 1945 to serve as a platoon leader but on 2 Apr 1945 was reassigned to C Company 116th Infantry to fill a platoon leader vacancy in that unit. 2LT Mayo was killed in action on 4 Apr 1945.

2LT Mayo rests forever in the Netherlands American Cemetery. 

3 brothers served as well.  William Wade Mayo attained the rank of MSG.  Ivan V Mayo served as a SSG in the Army Air Corps. Andrew Jackson Mayo served as a SRCPO in the U.S. Navy. His father served in the Navy in WWI.

PFC Walter Wesley Jones

PFC Walter Wesley Jones was born in Blytheville, Arkansas on 24 Apr 1921 to Walter Pinkney and Elma E (Moore) Jones.  Walter Wesley was first born of the 5 children and I imagine all helped on the family farm. Unfortunately, this is all we know about this family. 

When Walter registered for the draft he stated that he was unemployed.  He also had a tattoo on his left arm that said "Wesley".  We don't know when he entered service but he was transferred from HQ 13th Corps to F Company 116th Infantry on 1 Jan 1945, was promoted to PFC on 1 Feb 1945 and died of wounds on 28 Feb 1945.  According to the morning reports he was likely wounded on the 28th as well. 

PFC Jones is buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery. 

PVT Elmer Earl Higby

PVT Elmer Earl Higby was born 21 Aug 1924 in Mountain Grove, Missouri to Henry Albert and Lilly Pearl (Adams) Higby.  The family farmed. Elmer's mother died in 1936. 

Elmer was working as a farm hand when he was drafted in February 1944.  He was sent to Europe and transferred from the replacement depot to F Company 116th Infantry on 15 Feb 1945.  Just 11 days later, PVT Higby was killed in action on 26 Feb 1945. 

PVT Higby was repatriated and is buried in the Lone Star Cemetery in Mountain Grove, Missouri.

SSG Wallace Rodriguez Romero Sr

courtesy of Des Philippet

SSG Wallace Rodriguez Romero Sr was born 11 Apr 1913 in Houston, Texas. He was the oldest and only son of the 4 children born to James Donaciano and Fannie Romano (Cardenas) Romero. His father was a native of Mexico City, Mexico and had worked as a cook and owned a grocery in Houston. Wallace married Janie Ramos in December 1934 and they would have a son in 1937. The family was living at 2009 Union Street in Houston and Wallace was working for Henke and Pillot Grocery Company.

Wallace was drafted in late 1943 and after his basic military training he was sent to the European theater arriving in September 1944. On 10 Sep 1944 PVT Romero was transferred from the replacement depot to F Company 116th Infantry. He was promoted to PFC on 21 Sep 1944. Reported as missing in action on 17 Oct 1944 he was back with his unit on 18 Oct 1944. Wallace must have demonstrated leadership and competence in combat beyond that of his fellow soldiers because on 11 Dec 1944 he was promoted to SSG to serve as a squad leader. SSG Romero continued to fight with his unit until killed in action on 25 Feb 1945 in the attack on Lutzerath, Germany.

SSG Romero rests forever in the Netherlands American Cemetery.