In this second of two blog posts, I'm honoring the men and women from Woodbury, Connecticut who served their nation during the two world wars. This post names those who served during World War II. On Veterans Day, I salute their service with respect and appreciation.
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Monday, November 11, 2024
Honor Roll: World War II Veterans from Woodbury, Connecticut
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Saluting Father and Son Military Vets in My Family Tree
My maternal great aunt Freda Farkas (1898-1989) married Morris Pitler (1895-1976) on New Year's Eve of 1922, nearly four years after he had been honorably discharged from serving in World War I. As shown in the service record at top, Morris was inducted into the US Army at Ft. Monroe, Virginia. He served in the 40th Artillery from July of 1918 to January of 1919, rising to the rank of Radio Sergeant in November, 1918. After his military service, Morris built a successful career in the insurance business.
Morris's older son, Harry S. Pitler (1925-2014) finished high school in 1943 and was working at Grumman Aircraft on Long Island, NY when at age 18, he enlisted in the US Army to serve during World War II. Harry was trained as an X-ray technician and sent to the European battlefront, where he worked with medics treating wounded Allied soldiers. His letters to family described the extended educational and training period. Once home from the war, Harry got married, went to Yale Medical School, and became a caring doctor in general practice.Morris's younger son, Richard K. Pitler (1928-2023) was an 18-year-old student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology when he filled out his draft registration card in March of 1946. He finished his college degree and then Dick became a lieutenant in the US Army, stationed at the Watertown Arsenal in Watertown, Massachusetts. He left the Army in 1950, married, went on for a master's degree at RPI, and became a high-ranking expert specializing in metallurgy with Allegheny Ludlum Steel.
Thank you to Morris, Dick, Harry, and all the vets who have served our country over the years.
Friday, May 24, 2024
Korean War Veterans in Booklet About Hubby's Military Ancestors
Originally, I focused on his Civil War ancestors (both Union and Confederate). Then I expanded my research and documentation to include his ancestors who served in WWI and WWII, and a handful who served in the War of 1812. Plus there is one, just one, direct-line ancestor who served in the American Revolution, on the side of the Colonies.
Now I'm adding hubby's second cousins who served in the Korean War. As I do that, I'm also checking that their "veteran" status is indicated on their Find a Grave memorial pages.
In the case of cousin James "Jim" Simmons (1930-2009), there was no Find a Grave memorial. He had been cremated, no burial listed, according to the death record. So I created a page for him, and before it was finalized, Find a Grave asked me to check that it wasn't a dupe of a page for someone with a similar name who had been cremated. Not a dupe, so I went ahead.
On Jim's page, I indicated a "V" for veteran (top red arrow), and wrote the dates of his service in the bio section (lower red arrow). Then I linked his memorial to the pages of his younger brother (also a Korean War veteran) and to his parents.
On Memorial Day weekend, thank you to all the veterans who have served their country. For those in my family tree and my husband's family tree, I'm doing everything I can to keep their memories alive for future generations--so our valuable family history doesn't get lost to the mists of time. See my book, Planning a Future for Your Family's Past, for more ideas about preserving genealogy for the sake of those who come after us.
PS: I've submitted a suggestion to Ancestry.com to request that it provide a "V" designation we can use to designate someone as a military veteran in our family trees. The company is giving it consideration. After all, if Ancestry-owned Find a Grave can do this, it would be great to be consistent and have a "V" designation available on the family tree side as well, IMHO.
Monday, March 11, 2024
Have You Checked for Fold3 Memorials?
In my presentations about Fold3, I demonstrate how to search the 39 million Memorial pages devoted to veterans and others, not just from the US but from other countries as well. (NOTE: Fold3 is owned by Ancestry, which also owns FindaGrave. It acquired the UK-based Forces War Records last year, merging it into Fold3.)
Some local and state libraries (and some FamilySearch libraries) offer free access to Fold3, which is also available with an all-access Ancestry subscription. Or you can start a free 7-day trial here. Sign in to begin your search.
Start from home page
To check for any ancestors who might be represented in the Memorials, start at the bottom of Fold3 home page, where you'll see a red banner to Search all Memorials. (Shown in image at top.)
On the search page that comes next, you can select a country or US state, a war, and filter by name of your ancestor. If you just want to get a sense of what a Memorial looks like, browse the full list and select one to view.
Lt. James Vernon Goss
I viewed the Memorial for US Army Air Corps Lt. James Vernon Goss, who died when his plane was hit by enemy fire during WWII. Here's what his Memorial looks like, including a photo of Lt. Goss in his uniform. Details of his service are in the timeline at left.
I labeled a source link at right, which takes you to the Find a Grave page of Lt. Goss.
Also on the right is a section called "Partners" where a nonprofit is listed: Stories Behind the Stars, which encourages volunteers to research and write the stories of military men and women who died in the service of their country. I've bookmarked this site to explore later!
Getting in touch
The "owner" of Lt. Goss's Memorial, below the Partners heading, is a Fold3 member with the user name HideandSeek69.
She added the photo and info on the page, and she is the only person authorized to add to the Memorial.
Since her user name is blue, it's clickable. Go ahead and click!
Her member page shows all her contributions to Fold3. Over the years, she has written brief bios for dozens of service members and posted them on Fold3, with photos when available.
Now notice the red "contact me" button that's located below the member's name and start date. This is how you can get in touch with a member if you recognize one of the service members and want to exchange info.
Check for your ancestors
Follow this process to check Fold3 for any Memorials honoring your ancestors. Review the life events and photos posted, review any photos, and pay attention to the "owner" or authorized contributors so you can try to get in touch.
A Fold3 Memorial page might serve as cousin bait, as well as a very good way to memorialize an ancestor fallen in the line of duty.
Monday, November 27, 2023
V Is For Veteran
Although Veterans Day has come and gone, I'm still submitting edits or making edits on Find a Grave to designate the veterans in my family tree. It's a way of honoring my ancestors who served in the military, memorialized on a site that is free, searchable, and accessible worldwide.
At top, the edit screen for my cousin Harry Pitler's Find a Grave memorial, which I created and maintain. To edit, I moved the veteran designation to indicate Harry was a veteran. Once I clicked "save changes," the memorial showed a tiny V next to his name, as in the screen capture directly above.
For memorials I don't manage, I submit edits. Below, the "suggest edits" screen for my cousin Michael Marks. I moved the designation marker to indicate that Michael was a veteran and clicked "save suggestions." This edit will be sent to the person who maintains Michael's memorial on Find a Grave. Since Michael's gravestone lists his military service, I'm sure the veteran designation will be quickly approved and visible on his memorial page. UPDATE: Less than 24 hours later, this and all other "veteran" designation edits I submitted were approved!
When you have a few minutes, why don't you take a look at the Find a Grave memorials for your ancestors who served in the military. If they are not designated as veterans, you can submit edits to add the V for Veteran on their memorials, as another way to honor their service to country.
Monday, November 6, 2023
The WWII Veteran Who Enlisted at Age 45
This week's #52Ancestors genealogy prompt, by Amy Johnson Crow, is war and peace.
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
Honor Roll: Part 5, Korean War Veterans from Bethlehem, Connecticut
This is my final post transcribing names of military veterans from memorial plaques on the historic green of Bethlehem, Connecticut. The first post in this series explains the purpose of the Honor Roll Project, originated by Heather Wilkinson Rojo and hosted here.
Roll of Honor
Dedicated to the men and women of the town of Bethlehem who served their country during the Korean War, June 25, 1950-January 9, 1955 - Erected by the Citizens of Bethlehem, May 30, 1982
Sunday, September 3, 2023
Honor Roll: Part 4, Vietnam War Veterans from Bethlehem, Connecticut
In this 4th post about military memorials on the green at Bethlehem, Connecticut, I'm transcribing the wording and names of veterans from this stately plaque as part of the Honor Roll Project. My first post explains the overall project. The goal is to transcribe veterans' names and make them more accessible for descendants and relatives who search online.
Roll of Honor
Dedicated to the young men and women of the community, who by their patriotism and loyalty served God and country during the Viet-Nam War, December 22, 1961-May 7, 1975
Friday, September 1, 2023
Honor Roll: Part 3, WWII Veterans from Bethlehem, Connecticut
This is Part 3 in my series, photographing and transcribing names of veterans memorialized on plaques gracing the historic town green in Bethlehem, Connecticut. Part 1 explains more about the Honor Roll Project by Heather Wilkinson Rojo. This WWII plaque, unlike any of the previous Bethlehem plaques I transcribed, includes the name of a servicewoman, Ruth H. Goodrich.
Bethlehem WWII veterans plaque
Erected by the people of the Town of Bethlehem to commemorate the patriotism and loyalty of those who served their country during World War II. Dedicated 1947.
*Peter S. Sproule [star usually indicates war casualty]
Leon W. Banks
Thomas C. Bate, Jr.
Mark G. Kitchin
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Honor Roll: Part 2, War of 1812 Veterans from Bethlehem, Connecticut
In this second part of my series of posts for Heather Wilkinson Rojo's Honor Roll Project, I photographed and transcribed this plaque honoring the military veterans of Bethlehem, Connecticut, who served America during the War of 1812. Part 1 shows veterans of Bethlehem who served in WWI and the US Civil War.
Dedicated to the Men of Bethlehem Who by Their Devotion and Loyalty Preserved Our Country in the War of 1812
Monday, August 28, 2023
Honor Roll: Veterans from Bethlehem, Connecticut
On a beautiful summer's day, Sis and I visited Veteran's Memorial Park in Bethlehem, Connecticut for a quilt show. During that visit, we photographed a number of dignified plaques remembering local veterans who served their country in the American Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War.
Honor Roll Project
My photos and transcriptions are part of Heather Wilkinson Rojo's Honor Roll Project. Although she is not actively promoting this project these days, due to lack of interest during the pandemic years, I'm delighted she will add my Bethlehem links to her project page.
The meaning of this project, in Heather's words: "The transcribed names make the soldiers available for search engines, so that descendants and family members can find them on the internet."
This is the first in a multipart series honoring the military veterans of Bethlehem, CT whose names are inscribed on the town's memorial plaques. Part 2 features veterans from the War of 1812. Part 3 features WWII veterans. Part 4 features Vietnam War veterans. Part 5 features Korean War veterans.
Bethlehem Memorial: Civil War and WWI
This plaque reads:
A tribute to the valor of the men of Bethlehem who fought for freedom and humanity
Civil War, 1861-1865
Joseph Boyce
Gideon D. Crane
William B. Crane
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Check out Fold3 Links on Find a Grave Memorials
If you have military veterans in your family tree, take a look at the bottom of their Find a Grave memorials. More and more now have a direct link (see orange arrow) from Find a Grave to that veteran's Fold3 memorial page.
This little link can lead to interesting genealogical information! It's there because Find a Grave and Fold3 are both owned by Ancestry.com.
Fold3 memorial pages are FREE
Go ahead and click the link leading to Fold3--because a memorial page is completely free to view (or create or improve).
Above is part of the Fold3 memorial page for Union Army veteran Train C. McClure, which popped up when I clicked the link from Find a Grave. I can navigate to facts (shown in timeline format), stories, gallery, and sources.
In the facts section, you'll see that the sources of both the birth date and birth place are 1 Fgv Document. Translation: one Find a Grave page.
What are the sources?
In the sources section of this memorial page, there are two records attached (see below).
One is Civil War info from Fold3, and the other is the Find a Grave memorial for Pvt Train C. McClure, marked as a Fgv Document. Since Pvt McClure is in my husband's family tree, I examined everything in detail.
Other documents, images, even photos may be attached to a veteran's Fold3 memorial page, so definitely click to see what you can learn. Save whatever you can to your own computer, attach to your family trees, and follow up any clues.