Brazos County WW1 Enlistments and the Genealogical info from these Soldiers By Clint Williams
What will we learn today A Little about WW1 The type of war it was New technology used in the war Why America got involved Genealogical information from the draft, discharge papers and other sources
Scott Williams My Doughboy
Timeline 1906 Panama canal started by the French and finished by the US with steam shovels 1908 Wright brothers first flight 1912 Titanic sinks
Jog your memory Movie about WW1 Sargent York Yankee Doodle Dandy The Lost Battalion War Horse
Why this project? 100 year anniversary of WW1 World War 1 was 1914 to 1919 TAMU doing a project Bill Page Brazos county needed this project Naive EVERY Texas courthouse has WW1 records
What happened before the war? The Spanish American War finished 1899 The Industrial Revolution goes to war bigger is better (battleships, airplanes, submarines) America was a world power America was a developing nation WW1 started in Europe 1914
What was it like? Agricultural was king Few automobile plenty of horses and wagons No Rural Electrification Agency cities had electricity Went to town once a month for basics Raised your own chickens, cows and vegetables Railroads gave access elsewhere
Gathering Momentum On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist and member of the Black Hand, kills Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his family while they are supervising a military exercise in Sarajevo. Targeting the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne, Princip attempts to declare Serbia independence.
Who Declared War on Who? Austria-Hungary Declares War on Serbia Russia Declares War on Austria Hungary Germany (the Kaiser not Hitler) Declares War on Russia Germany Declares War on France England Declares War on Germany and Austria Hungary
The First World War Who? : Central Powers: Germany Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Allies: Russia France Great Britain Italy Japan United States (1917)
Political cartoon depicting the tangled web of European alliances.
Europe in 1914
The Western Front
The Assassination:Sarajevo 1914
Technology of World War One Grenades Trench warfare Machine Guns Artillery Communications Tanks & Armor Aircraft Chemical Warfare U-Boats Convoy system Barbed Wire All of these technologies had an impact on the strategy and tactics of the war. Some were used in a new way, others were used in response to other technologies or new tactics and strategies.
War humor
More War humor
Comparison of German and British soldier
Soldiers used shovels to dig 25,000 miles of defensive trenches to stay below the line of fire. Suicidal charges across no man s land were used to attack the enemies lines. Trench foot, rats, unsanitary conditions Trench warfare
Trench Warfare
Other activities in the trenches
New tool of War The Machine gun
Artillery - German Paris Gun 75 Miles range Could reach the upper atmosphere! The gun had an overall length of 112 feet (34 meters) and weighed 138 tons.
ARTILLERY
The ammunition for artillery
COMMUNICATIONS
Tanks An attempt to end the stalemate First used by the British to break through German Lines and protect men Problems: Slow moving (5 mph) Got stuck in mud = killed by German Artillery Not very effective
British Tank at Ypres
The Army Air corp
The Flying Aces of World War I Eddie Rickenbacher, US Francesco Barraco, It. Eddie Mick Mannoch, Br. Willy Coppens de Holthust, Belg. Rene Pauk Fonck, Fr. Manfred von Richtoffen, Ger. [The Red Baron ]
UNITED STATES Ace - Billy Mitchell Jesse Lawrence Easterwood TAMU - http://archon.library.tamu.edu/?p=creators/cr eator&id=10
Biplanes no parachutes
What to do with an airplane?
Red Baron - Manfred von Richtoven
Triplane three wing plane
Zeppelins
Types of Gas used Chlorine Gas: hydrochloric acid when coming in contact with moisture (eyes,&lungs burn) Mustard Gas: Blistering agent-moist exposed skin: the eyes, lungs, armpits and groin
Gas masks German British
T. E. Lawrence & the Arab Revolt, 1916-18
French Women Factory Workers
Submarines THE WAR AT SEA
Allied Ships Sunk by U-Boats
Battleship USS Texas
Convoys for protection
BARBED WIRE
The Lusitania Incident 1916 Germans accused the British that the Lusitania secretly carried guns and ammo to strengthen allied defense. Germans accused the Americans for violating neutrality and selling the Brits war materials. The H.S.S. Lusitania took 18 minutes to sink fully below water. Due to the location of the explosion, the poor positioning of the lifeboats, and the confusion, 1195 people (over 60%) of the passengers died--128 of whom were American. The Lusitania Incident resulted in angering the American public, calling for war. Woodrow Wilson waited before declaring war.
Like the Titanic
The dining area
May 7 th 1915 Sinking of the Lusitania
The U.S. Joins the War: 1917 January 1917: U.S. intercepts the Zimmerman Telegram Sent by Germany to Mexico Asked Mexico for support on a North American invasion of the U.S. in exchange for North American territory Violated the Monroe Doctrine--No intervention in Western Hemisphere Equaled a declaration of war for the U.S.
The US gets involved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5owh6jwbjy President Wilson asks each state to mobilize their state guard troops The first draft of men was initiated and local draft boards evaluated all applicants
American Mobilization American factories earn government contracts to make armaments, tanks, and ammunition. The American Expeditionary Force begins mobilization effort The Sammies are coming later called Doughboys
Supplies: What did the US do to help? US provided the food, money, and fresh troops needed to win the war American Troops March Through London 58
Victims of the madness
World War I Casualties 10,000,000 9,000,000 8,000,000 7,000,000 6,000,000 5,000,000 4,000,000 3,000,000 2,000,000 1,000,000 0 Russia Germany Austria-Hungary France Great Britain Italy Turkey US
The Great War US war fatalities in Iraq (2003 - present): 4,713 US war fatalities in Vietnam (1963-1973): 58,209 US war fatalities in WWI (1917-1918): 116,516
War ends 11 th month 11 th day of 1918 President create the League of Nations later to be the United Nations War reparations at Treaty of Versailles Many of the general wished they had devastated Germany instead of an Armistice
Map 22.3 The Great Migration and Beyond (p. 650)
The Records left behind WW1 Registrants in the courthouse Discharge paper filed in each county Microfilm Quartermasters Report Texas National Guard Camp Mabry Unit histories and pictures 144 th NARA St Louis call before going there
The Somme American Cemetery, France 116,516 Americans Died
WW1 Registration Three draft notices https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/united_states,_world_war_i_draft_regist ration_cards_(familysearch_historical_records) First draft June 5,1917 was all men 21 31 years old Second draft second, June 5,1918, for men who had turned 21 since the first registration; Third draft on September 12, 1918, for men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five. The spelling of their name Address Person to contact usually relative Occupation Made his mark Name found in the local newspaper Sometimes letters home, bios and pics *
Draft registration
Draft registration comparison Notice the common items Notice some things are dropped from the 2 nd and 3 rd registration Personal questions asked hair color, eye color, height, relative to contact
Where are our veterans buried? Check death certificate Local, State, National cemeteries Some are in Overseas cemeteries A list of those that died in the War Three volume set of books Soldiers of the Great War by Hauslee lists deaths and cause by state
Headstone Applications Not all veterans applied for headstones Not all applications were accepted As usual, misspelling of name and other information mistakes It can give the name of other relatives and last location they lived
Brazos County by the Numbers 2500 enlisted in Brazos county 602 served based on discharges Not all were discharged in Brazos county Others not from Brazos county were discharged here 32 died in battle some were brought back and buried here
Discharge papers Had to filed at a county clerk office Not always where they lived List name, rank, unit, special training Physical features height, hair color, eyes Awards for service
Camp Mabry card Texas 36 th National Guard Texas and Oklahoma all 231,000 that were mobilized Name Unit they served in Where they served Places they served overseas country, region
1930 Census Veterans question Civil war Spanish American War World War 1 If they were living at that time
Newspaper Announcements of approved draftees Notices of appointments, assignments to duty station, training assignments, and promotions Letters from home about their condition and place of service Biographies and obituaries
National Archives Must be a relative to request service records Records are in St Louis branch Check before going a 1973 fire has destroyed some of the records Some are being reconstructed from other records
Gold Star Mother Pilgrimage http://www.pri.org/stories /2013-05-27/gold-starmother-pilgrimages-andremembering-fallensoldiers-wwi 7,000 mother went to Europe 1930-1933 One from Brazos county
Buried on foreign soil List at several places Many are being moved to the US http://www.scuttlebuttsmallchow.com/gwbks_memorials. htm Soldiers of the Great War Honor roll of Texans that died in battle abroad http://genealogytrails.com/tex/state/soldiersgreatwar.htm
Mothers Gold Star Tour After the war approved by Congress (during the Depression) Mothers of solders that died and were buried overseas were taken to their sons grave 128 mothers from Texas went Brazos county - only one
Resources All resources http://www.accessgenealogy.com/military/worldwar-i-records.htm at the bottom of the page Military photographs http://cdm16635.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landin gpage/collection/p16635coll20 National Archives http://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww1/
Where to look World War 1
World War 2 records