Remembering my grandfather, John S. Henderson, Marine Corps Veteran of World War I

On this Armistice Day, 2009, I would like to honor on my family history blog my maternal grandfather, John Henderson, a Marine Corps Veteran of WWI.

John Stanley Henderson, was born on 11 June 1900, the 8th in a family of 8 children.  His mother, Martha A Elliott Henderson died when he was a small boy, and he was raised by his father, Thomas Henderson, and older siblings.  At the mere age of 16, he enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps having provided a false date of birth of 1898.  He completed basic training at Paris Island, South Carolina, and was initially in service in and around Cuba on various ships. 

On 2 April 1917, President Woodrow Wilson addressed a joint session of congress and asked for a declaration of war, reversing his prior stance of firm neutrality in the so-called “European” war.  Although there were to be some days of debate to follow, congress issued the formal declaration of war only four days later on 6 April 1917. John Henderson, who was in foreign duty in Cuba at that time,  was recalled with many other Marines already in service to Philadelphia and became part of the First American Expeditionary Force to France to assist the Allies in the struggle against the Central Powers.  For the next two years, he served in the Second Division of the AEF along with the other members of the Fifth Marine Regiment.  This regiment was to participate in some of the most famous conflicts of the World War in France, helping the French to turn the tide against the German opposition and ultimately lead to victory over the Central Powers.  

Some of the most celebrated and bloody battles took place in the Chateau-Thierry sector where the famous Battle of the Belleau Wood was waged from 1-26 June, 1918. Marine Corps muster roles record that John S. Henderson was assigned to the 43d company (F) of the Fifth Marine Regiment on service in this sector.  

One of the greatest of my family treasures is my grandfather's diary of his experiences in World War I.  As part of my remembrance of him today, I include some excerpts from his diary from the days of his service in the Chateau-Thierry Sector in June 1918:

At four o'clock the next morning, we ate breakfast and proceeded to hike. We hiked all day till suppertime. We stopped long enough to eat supper and proceeded to hike all that night till four o'clock the next morning. We stopped, and as I had no blankets, I hunted a hay stack to sleep in. I slept till about noon that day. Got up and had breakfast and dinner together. That afternoon we proceeded to hike some more...

We are now getting up into the towns that the French have evacuated for fear of the German advance. We stopped that evening in a little town where they were bringing in many wounded soldiers...

We can now hear the big guns on the front trying to stop the German advance. Rested in this little village that night.  The next day we discovered that we were too well a view of the German aeroplanes that were constantly flying over our head, so we left this place and hiked to a forest where we were not so easily seen.  As I was eating my supper that evening, a German aeroplane came over and burned up our American observation balloon almost directly over our head.

That night, I was detailed on a ration party and went up to the front with a load of rations. On my way up, I saw a fellow going up also. He asked me, "Where in the Holy Hell are they taking us to?" I told him he didn't need to worry.  He would be coming back in a few days.  He said, "How? Dead?"....As we were coming back, the Germans got a line on us and began to send the G. S. Cans [chemical weapons ordinance] over at us.  You should have seen us getting off that road...

The next day we proceeded to move on up to the front..I saw a German observation balloon shot down by a French plane in this place.  There were ambulances carrying American wounded back in a stream from daylight till the next daylight.  I was getting a cartload of water in a little deserted village, and a shell struck a building right across the street from me and killed the mule on the cart, but didn't touch me...

We were in these woods for ten days in all. We were relieved and went back to a little town 8 kilometers behind the line for a week. We entered the Chateau-Thierry Sector with two hundred and fifty men and came out with forty of our original two hundred and fifty.

By the end of the battle of the Belleau Wood, U.S. forces had suffered 9,777 casualties, of which 1,811 were fatal. Strategically, the action in the Chateau-Thierry Sector and the Belleau wood brought to an end the last major German offensive and was felt to be a major turning point in the war. 

Although my grandfather did survive to return home from the war, many thousands of others did not. On this Veteran's Day, most properly recalled as the Armistice Day for World War I, we remember with gratitude the sacrifices of those many service men and women who placed themselves in harm's way.  

I will pause today at 11AM to remember my grandfather at the time of the official declaration of the armistice 91 years ago. It was the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour, 1918...
---------------------

John Henderson died on 7 August, 1983 , and I am grateful to have known him for the first 19 years of my life.  He is  buried at Rushtown Cemetery in Scioto County, Ohio together with my grandmother, Margery Frances Cook Henderson, his wife of 58 years. 

More on Richard Chatfield 1500-1586

Richard Chatfield, the testator of 1582, of Bedyles in the parish of Ditchling, of Oving, Treyford, Sidlesham, and Chichester co. Sussex, and of the Isle of Hayling co. Hants, born about 1500 and died in July 1586. When he was a young man, he removed thirty miles westward from his ancestral region of Mid-Sussex and settled in Chichester. In this city, he probably secured in trade the means which enabled him to acquire numerous pieces of property (some of which formerly belonged to monasteries dissolved by Henry VIII), and to raise his branch of the family into the armigerous gentry, with its pedigree and arms entered in the Heralds' Visitations, while the branches in Mid-Sussex remained among the yeomanry. In the subsidy of 1523 he was assessed for lands in the Hundred of Street and for goods in Chichester. Between 1544 and 1572 he was assessed in the Rape of Chichester in various subsidies, and acquired property at Chichester, Oving, West Ashling, Sidlesham, Treyford, Westmeston, MIddleton, Twineham and Bolney. When he made his will in 1582, he was living at Chichester, and he was buried in the cathedral there 26 July 1586. His will is a brief and unsatisfactory document, as it names only two of his cildren, although it is certain that he had at least six and probably even more. It is evident that he had given portions to his children during his lifetime. No monument to him remains, as the iconoclastic partisans of Cromwell wrecked that part of the Cathedral in which he was buried. 

The New England historical and genealogical register, Volume 70; Waters, Henry Fitz-Gilbert; New England Historic Genealogical Society; 1916 

A further search turns up information on the Heralds' Visitation of Sussex in 1562 that has a pedigree and arms for Richard Chatffeild of Bedyles in Dychering.  The armorial bearing recorded is: 

ARMS-Or, a griffin segreant sable, on a chief purpure three scallop-shells argent.

CREST-An heraldic antelope's head erased argent, armed or, gorged with a coronet sable

Translated, this would equal, I believe, a shield with a background of gold in the lower/main portion with a black griffin standing in its back legs.  The upper portion of the shield has a purple background with three silver shells.  Finally, it is topped off by a black crown with 3 strawberry leaves (the fourth "invisible") with a two horned antelope's head with golden horns and a split or "torn" base in silver.   There are some online companies that claim to have this available for purchase, but the one that two that I saw a sample of ignored the initial "or" meaning gold for the main shield.  

459th Birthday of my 12th Great Grandfather, Richard Chatfield I

Richard Chatfield I was born 10 September 1500 in Bedyles, Sussex, England and was the eldest child of John Chatfield (ca 1475-1560) and Alice Stapley (b. ca 1475).  He was the eldest of three known sons of this family.   He was a landed individual and a "gentleman", but seemingly lacking in formal noble title.  He was a generous contributor to Chichester Cathedral and was buried in the east end of the church in July of 1586. Unfortunately, his monument did not survive the turmoil of the English reformation, and there is no longer any visible memorial in the cathedral.
His will, recorded in the year 1582 reads:

The will of RICHARD CHAFYLLD of the City of Chichester, gent., 24 October 1582. My Body to be buried in the Cathedral Church of Chichester, against the library in the east end of said church, decently and honestly. My will is that Francis my son, for and in consideration of my former goods and cattell shall see my body honestly buryed at his cost and charges according to his promise. I give 10s to a preacher to preach at my burial. To Joane Est, my daughter, 20s. To Anne Kynswell 10s. The residue of all my goods and cattell, my debts paid and legacies performed, I give to Agnes my wife, whom I make my executrix. I desire Mr. Henry Blaxton and Dr. Daniell Gardener, residentiaries of the Cathedral Church of Chichester, to be overseers and to be a comfort and stay of my wife, and I give to them 10s apiece. Witnesses: Henry Blaxton, Daniell Gardener, Richard Juxon and Thomas Macyn [signed] Richard Chatfulld. This my very last will was read to me 18 june 1585 in presence of John Base, Henry Clerk and John Brown, to whom I confessed it to be my last will.  Proved 7 October 1586 by Agnes, the relict and executrix.

Francis Clayton Atkin and Jane F. Bonser Atkin

Since I mentioned it in my first posting, I thought that I would post a copy of the photograph of my great great grandparents, Francis Clayton Atkin and Jane F. Bonser Atkin.
Francis Clayton was born on September 1835 in New York and died on 5 October 1909 in Bertha, Scioto County, Ohio.  Although the name of his mother, Mary Jane Duval, is known, we only can speculate on his father's name.  Although there are a number of Atkins in Delaware County, NY, a DNA test done by my friend Joyce could not confirm a close relationship.  Francis was a carpenter and bridge builder. He also served in the Civil War on the Union side enlisting in Ohio on 1 October 1861 as  Private. He died on 5 October 1909 at Bertha in Scioto County, Ohio.
Jane F. Bonser, his wife, was the granddaughter of one of the first settlers of Scioto County, Ohio, Major Isaac Bonser.  She was herself the 8th of 16 children born to Samuel Bonser and Hannah Mead and was born in Scioto County Ohio on 26 May 1835. She was married to Francis Clayton Atkin on 9 June 1858 and preceded him in death on 26 October 1907.  They are both interred in Greenlawn Cemetery, Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio.
Their gravestone is visible at findagrave.com at this link: Gravestone of Francis and Jane Bonser Atkin

Today in my family history: Joyce Ann Journey and Catherine Gahm Gergens

Remembering today in my family history:

Joyce Ann Journey, my second cousin on my mother's side

on the date of her death, 73 years ago.  She would have been 73 years of age today. 

Born: 22 March 1936 in Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio

Died: 8 September 1936 in Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio at the age of 5 months

She suffered from spina bifida and hydrocephalus for which there was no significant treatment at the time. 

She was the fifth of six children of Cecil Wayne Journey and Virginia Moor. Cecil Journey was the son of my maternal Grandfather's (John S. Henderson) sister, Gertrude Henderson.  

Joyce Ann was buried on 10 September 1936 in Greenlawn Cemetery in Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio

Catherine Gahm my first cousin thrice removed on my father's side

Her 159th birthday

Catherine was the only child of Henry Gahm and my great, great grandfather's (Lewis Shy) sister, Caroline Shy.  Caroline died in 1850, the year of her daughters' birth and only a year after her marriage.  She had been "lost" to family recall until my recent research returning her to our memory. Caroline was born in Schneckenhausen, Rheinpfalz Bavaria in 1829 and came with her mother and brothers to the US in 1848 marrying her husband, Henry Gahm on 20 September 1849 in Jackson County, Ohio.  Her husband, Henry, remarried multiple times (three more) after her death and himself lived until 1908.  They are both buried in Salem German Cemetery in Jackson County Ohio. 

Catherine was born on 8 September, 1850 in Jackson County, Ohio and, as her mother died that same year (possibly related to childbirth), she never knew her mother.  Catherine married Martin Gergens 1849-1931) in about 1873.  She herself lived to the age of 94 and died on 23 December 1944 in Pickneyville, Perry County, IL

My new family genealogy blog

I have recently re-established contact with a friend whom I have known only on the internet and with whom I have corresponded regarding my family history.  Joyce Atkin sent me the only picture that I have of my maternal great great grandparents Francis Clayton Atkin and Jane F. Bonser Atkin.  I was considering that it might be helpful to have a blog to post information and research, as the site where my online genealogy is filed, Ancestry.com, is a commercial/pay site.  Obviously, this will be a different sort of blog from my religious speculation blog.  I am hopeful to make, as time goes on, various resources available from my family genealogy and also items of interest of a genealogical or historical nature.  I hope that it will be a resource for relatives and non-relatives alike.