Category Archives: Military

The Lake, Belle Isle Park, Detroit, Michigan

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Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked July 1, 1908 from Detroit, Michigan, Station F. Publisher:  The Rotograph Co., N.Y., City. Printed in Germany. Series D3827a.

Availability Status:  SOLD

Here’s another Belle Isle postcard – the second of two on this site, so far. The sender wrote:

“Detroit, July 1 ’08. Mother & I are visiting at Aunt Agnes’ for a week or two. Stopped at Montreal & Ottawa on the way. Will stop a day at Toronto on our way back. Haven’t seen much of Detroit yet. Are going to Belle Isle to-day. Tina.” 

The card is addressed to:   “Mrs. O. F. Henning, c/o Dr. Henning, U.S.A., B. 92, Fort Sheridan, Ill.”

I’m guessing B92 stands for Barracks 92 at the Fort. Doctor Henning was Oswald F. Henning, who is listed in a military record for Fort Sheridan in July 1908, the same month and year of the postmark, (something out of the ordinary in our searches.) His rank is given as 1st Lieutenant, and Regiment or Corps shown as M.R.C. – Medical Residency Corps. The rest of this entry for him is difficult to read, but appears to indicate he may have also served at Fort McDowell, California…. As it turns out there are many similar entries for Dr. Henning online. In piecing together his military service, we find he also served in the Philippines Feb. 1910 – Jul. 1911; Fort Columbia, Washington from Aug. 1912 – Oct. 1913; the Presidio of Monterey, California Nov. 1913 – Oct. 1914; Camp Fort Bliss, Texas Aug. 1916.

June 30, 1906, Chicago, Illinois, Oswald F. Henning married Helen C. Muirhead. Oswald was age 27 and Helen age 25.

And the 1900 Federal Census for Chicago shows Oswald F. Henning, bookkeeper, born July 1878, living with his parents Fred F. and Emila Henning and siblings Walter G., Meta[?] M., Laura E. and two servants, Mimi Schmidt and Robert H. Swanson.

Sources:  National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Returns from U.S. Military Posts, 1800-1916; Microfilm Serial: M617; Microfilm Rolls: 120, 231, 737, 738, 892, 909, 966,1161. (Ancestry.com)

Ancestry.com. Cook County, Illinois, Marriages Index, 1871-1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com

Year: 1900; Census Place: Chicago Ward 25, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 275; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 0763; FHL microfilm: 1240275. (Ancestry.com)

Fort Shafter, Honolulu

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Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked May 1917 from Schofield Barracks, Honolulu, Hawaii. Publisher:  Hawaii And South Seas Curio Co., Honolulu. Series/number 190/A-17584.

Price:  $5.00

The postmark year on this one doesn’t show up but since the postcard has a two cent stamp, it would be from 1917 – 1919, when the postal rate was raised during WWI. The postmark shows Schofield which is Schofield Barracks, a U. S. Army installation in Honolulu. The caption shows:

“Fort Shafter, Honolulu. Fort Shafter, named after one of the gallant generals of the Spanish American war, is situated on a bluff near Honolulu. It is used for infantry forces having quarters for some two or more regiments. It has beautiful grounds and a commanding position and is easily reached by the street cars.”

The sender wrote,  “Friend Ella; –  Am sending this card in advance of a picture & am mailing you it is a photo of the Co. hope you will like will tell you more about the next time I write.  L[?] F.”  The sender, whose first initial is difficult to pinpoint, may have been serving in the army at this time, because of the postmark location and his promised photo of the “Co” which would seem to indicate “Company.”

Addressed to:  “Miss Ella Ellison, 1314 ‘F’ St, Sacramento Calif, U. S. A.”
This is part of the Alice Ellison Collection.

According to a Wikipedia entry, construction for Fort Shafter began in 1905, and the Fort was opened on June 22, 1907. It’s interesting to put into context that when this card was originally mailed, Fort Shafter had only been operating for about ten years.

Source:  Fort Shafter. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Shafter (Accessed July 14, 2014).

Father, Mother And Dewey In Omaha

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Divided back, Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box. Circa 1917 – 1919.

Price:  $10.00  Size:  3 x 5 and 1/4″

Real Photo Postcard from the WWI era of an older couple, and a young man in U. S. Navy uniform who is holding the American flag. They are posing in front of what is probably their home or the older couple’s home. This one was not postmarked, and has identification in pencil on the back showing:  “Father and Mother and Dewey taken at Omaha.”  In very faint writing, and appearing upside down here it says,  “For Pa & Ma.”  I guess one would presume that Dewey is either the couple’s son, grandson or maybe nephew, but if he was the originator of the faint writing then he would likely be the son. This postcard was trimmed by someone, and thank goodness, does not have any of the black photo album paper glued to the back which so often ends up covering up the identifying information. The size is an uneven, approximate 3 x 5 and 1/4.”

Wow! Who would guess that there would so many Deweys showing up in Omaha, Nebraska in the U. S. Draft Registration records for WWI? There are at least 57 entries for young men with Dewey as a first name, or more commonly, as a middle name, residing in Omaha and registering for the draft. When I bought this postcard I thought there might be a possibility of tracing the people in the photo, since Dewey (so I thought) would be an uncommon name. This brings up the question of the name’s origin, and after checking online, I found a website that states Dewey (Dewydd) is the Welsh form of David. Interesting! And though WWI ended on November 11, 1918, one can well imagine that this photo could also have been taken after the war ended, maybe on the Fourth of July, the following year.

Source:  http://www.behindthename.com/name/dewey

J. Paul Zemmer, WWI

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J. Paul Zemmer pc1J. Paul Zemmer pc2

This is a Real Photo Postcard that, as you can see, was trimmed down, and must of been in a family photo album. On the back is written,  “J. Paul Zemmer. Co K.  1st Reg. N.G.S.T.[?]”  These last initials were not found in reference to WWI in online searches but not much time was spent on that. This photo shows a “movie-star handsome” young man, smiling for the camera, in uniform during WWI. Nothing at first was found for this man in this regiment, but if you look closely, you will notice that the button on his collar (on our left) shows TENN. As you might guess, this stands for Tennessee, and this bit of information was key in the i.d. process.

J. Paul Zemmer’s military record shows a short week’s stay in the Leavenworth, Kansas disabled soldier’s home in January of 1924. This record provides a lot of information:  enlisted June 22, 1916 at Jackson, Tennessee; Private; Company 115, U.S.F.A. (United States Field Artillery); discharged April 14, 1919 at Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia; reason for discharge:  term ended; occupation in January of 1924 was copywriter; married to Pauline S. Zemmer (we find from their marriage record that her maiden name was Pauline A. Simons); their home address in 1924 is given on Benton Blvd in Kansas City, Missouri.

The fact that the regiment listed on the postcard does not match the vet’s home record was a puzzle of short duration:  It is confirmed in the first source listed below (an excellent website re Knox County, TN in WWI)  that there were some changes in the form of mergers, one company into another, and that accounts for the difference, and that the 1st Tennessee Infantry was converted to the 115th Field Artillery.

In checking other online records we find the 1910 Federal Census taken in Kansas City, MO shows that Joseph Paul Zemmer was born in Kansas about 1896 (actual year of birth 1895 per death records) and that his parents were Samuel (a builder for the railroad) and Jennie Zemmer. Three brothers show on this census:  Ralph, Clarence and Harold. Joseph Paul Zemmer, who probably went by Paul, was married to Pauline A. Simons on July 15, 1921 in Jackson County, MO. The marriage record shows they were both living in Kansas City, MO at the time of marriage, therefor that is likely the actual city they were married in. Online Ancestry.com family trees indicate Paul was married a second time ( to Sue Lee Mainord) in about 1927, however the research for this won’t be pursued here to confirm.

Divided back, Real Photo Postcard with AZO stamp box, unused with writing. Date 1916 – 1919.

Price:  $25.00

Sources:  http://knoxcotn.org/old_site/military/wwi/book/2tninfantry.html (accessed online on 05/03/2014.)

Year: 1910; Census Place: Kansas Ward 9, Jackson, Missouri; Roll: T624_787; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0115; FHL microfilm: 1374800. (Ancestry.com)

Ancestry.com. U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938. Original data: Historical Register of National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1749, 282 rolls); Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Ancestry.com. Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002 . Original data: Missouri Marriage Records. Jefferson City, MO, USA: Missouri State Archives. Microfilm.