Showing posts with label military veterans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label military veterans. Show all posts

Monday, November 11, 2024

Honor Roll: World War II Veterans from Woodbury, Connecticut

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.

Abbott, H. Ellsworth
Atwood, Gilbert
Atwood, Henry S.
Balch, George F.
Barnes, Randall
Bassett, George C.
Beaurgard, Howard F.
Bennett, Sherwood
Bergensten, L.W.
Bowker, Ruth N.
Bradley, Kenneth A.
Brown, Charles E.
Brunet, Richard D.
Bull, David
Burdick, Edward C.
Burdick, Harold
Burton, William J. Jr.
Bynack, Joseph G.
Cable, George
Cable, Lewis
Carlisle, David
Cassidy, John
Cassidy, Joseph L. 
Cassidy, Marjorie
Cassidy, Paul
Chatfield, Robert
Churchill, Howard
Coats, John E.
Coddington, John
Coey, Albert L.
Cole, Ferris E.
Cole, Ralph E.
Cooper, Earl D.
Cooper, James
Cowles, Paul G.
Crighton, David B.
Cunningham, Harold W.
Daury, Vincent P.
Davidson, James H.
Dawson, John
Decker, E. Norton Jr.
Decker, Robert S.
Dillon, James
Dillon, Richard
Drake, Arthur
Drakeley, Robert L. Jr.
Duda, Casimer
Duda, Peter A.
Dyer, Carroll L.
Elting, Chalres E.
Elting, Stewart E.
Eyre, Alfred O.
Eyre, Harry D.
Eyre, Stanley B.
Farrell, John W.
Faye, Lesley
Fegen, Charles W.
Fray, Robert
Frazier, Charlotte
Freeman, Arthur
Fleming, William
Gardiner, Shirley
Giggey, Kempton L.
Gillis, Carter S.
Graham, Leslie W.
Green Ernest H.
Green, George A.
Green, Robert W.
Griswold, Hobart W.
Hahn, William A Jr.
Harriman, Charles S. Jr.
Harriman, Ellen
Hirsch, Arthur Z.
Hirsch, Charles E.
Hirsch, Clifford B.
Hogan, Michel
Hohimer, Ernest
Hower, William D.
Johnson, Clifford M.
Judson, Donald F.
Karagulla, Selim M.
Kenny, John
King, Arthur C.
Knox, Delmar A.
Koch, Edgar M.
Kozenieski, Llyod
Laukaitis, Anthony
Lavery, James
Leach, John
Leesemann, Frederick W.
Lizauskas, Stanley
Lundin, David J.
Lundin, Frank G.
Lucas, Francis A.
Lyon, Frank O.
Lyon, James G.
Macbeth, S. Alexander
MacCallum, John
Markle, Raymond D.
Mansfield, Paul H.
Manzi, Edward J.
Manzi, Roland
Manzi, Vincent D.
Markham, Fred A.
Markham, Hurlburt A.
Martinson, William F.
Mrvin, Everett D. Jr.
Mason, Howard F. R. Jr.
May, Russell C.
Michaels, Richard W.
Miller, Robert E.
Miller, Vincent A.
Minor, Emerson
Minor, Lewis R.
Morgan, Addis
Morgan, Henry
Morris, George
Morris, Hobart D.
Morris, Vernon H.
Mosavage, Anthony J.
Mosavage, George W.
Munson, Richard
Murphy, Franklin
Nadel, Mortimer J.
Nichols, Joel L.
Nutting, Parker B.
Pastore, William S.
Pearson, James E.
Pearson, Robert R.
Peck, Hiram W.
Petruzzi, Marco
Petruzzi, Michael
Phillips, John
Phillips, Thomas J.
Pinard, Alton H.
Platt, Alfred H.
Pond, Sebastian L.
Pagano, Anthony
Racenet, Amelie H.
Rice, Roy E.
Richards, David K.
Richards, James H. Jr.
Richards, Robert K.
Richardson, Phillip E.
Riese, Frederick K.
Robinson, Waltyer A.
Savage, David W.
Scott, Joseph
Schmidt, Clifford
Sears, Richard A.
Sharp, Charles M.
Shaw, Raymond W.
Sherwood, Albert C.
Sherwood, Charles C.
Shippee, Harold E.
Slattery, Frances R.
Slattery, James J.
Smith, Allen G.
Smith, Burton C.
Smith, Carlton E.
Smith, Edward
Smith, Robert G.
Smith, Walter E.
Snyder, Melvin L.
Somers, Harold
Starr, Robert F.
Stevens, Fannie R.
Strattman, Dwight
Stever, Charles W.
Sturges, Edward B.
Sturges, George R.
Sweeney, Bernard J.
Sweeney, Lawrence
Stockwell, Charle
Taylor, Raymond Jr.
Thomas, Ferris F.
Thompson, David
Thompson, Louise J.
Tomlinson, James H.
Towne, Ernest H. Jr.
Titus, Howard
Travers, Sherwood W.
Underwood, Hiram A.
Underwood, Home R.
Voytershark, Frank
Wallace, Raymond D.
Walston, Harvey D.
Weeden, Willis M.
Weeks, Carnes
Weeks, Carnes Jr.
Westerland, Charles H.
Westerland, Harry F.
Weymer, Russell
Wilson, Herbert R.
Wilson, Robert L.
Walcott, C. James
Wooden, Paul M.
Yurkunas, Kasimir

Saturday, May 25, 2024

Saluting Father and Son Military Vets in My Family Tree

On this Memorial Day weekend, I'm continuing to focus on the military vets in my family tree, with pride. This post is to honor the military service of Morris Pitler and his two sons, George and Richard.

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

Throughout May, I've been updating the bite-sized bios of veterans in my husband's family tree, as I add them to an expanded family history booklet about ancestors who served in the military. I'm proud of their service and looking ahead, I want the rest of my family to know of their service in the years to come.

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

Looking at my hubby's family tree, I noticed something unusual about one World War II enlistment: my husband's 2c1r, Fred A. Rinehart (1897-1986), enlisted in October of 1942 and wasn't discharged until mid-1946 (see image at right).

This is the first time that I've researched anyone in the 20th century who joined the US Army at age 45, and served until he was nearly 49 years old.

Digging deeper, I located Fred's obit in the Sacramento Bee in January, 1986. Mystery solved.

Fred was a US Army Chaplain during World War II. He didn't become a minister until after he was married. (His brother Hugh S. Rinehart also became a minister, by the way.)

From painter to minister

Fred's WWI draft registration card shows him working for a body company in Cleveland, Ohio, supporting his parents. In the 1920 US Census, his occupation was "painter." He was supporting both his wife Lucille and his mother-in-law, Dora. His occupation changed after that Census.

In the 1930 US Census, his occupation was "pastor, village church" in Moorefield, Ohio. Also in the household were his wife and his 10-year-old daughter. In the 1938 city directory for Cincinnati, Ohio, Fred was listed as pastor of two Methodist Episcopal churches. 

In the 1940 US Census, he and his wife and 20-year-old daughter were living in Cincinnati, and his occupation was "minister." Fred's 1942 WWII draft card showed him living in Ohio, working for the Methodist Conference in Cincinnati. 

In the 1950 US Census, Fred and his wife and his daughter plus two granddaughters were living in California, where his occupation was "minister." City directories for various places in California show Fred as a clergyman from the 1950s through the 1970s. By 1981, his occupation in the city directory was listed as "retired."

Reverend Rinehart, Army chaplain

Fred's name appears in a detailed history of the 80th General Hospital unit in the Philippines. He served as a chaplain there from March to May of 1945, when the hospital was involved in evacuation activities and dealing with an overload of patients. I'm still hoping to learn more about his service before and after his time in the Philippines. 

In January 1986, Fred was laid to rest in Fairmont Memorial Park, Fairfield, Solano County, California. His obit mentions not only his decades of ministry but also his membership as a Mason and in the Order of the Eastern Star. He was survived by his wife, daughter, two granddaughters, and five great-grandchildren. In all, he served 48 years as a minister, including nearly 4 years as an Army chaplain.

It's my honor to write about Fred's dedication to service in peace and in war, keeping his memory alive for the future as Veterans Day approaches.

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

Glen C. Adams, Sr.
Richard O. Anderson
Curtiss Bate
Hugh L. Bronson
Raymond W. Brown
Frank Bosko
Robert H. Box
Elbert V. Box
Roger Clark
Frank L. Convard
Dolores A. Dauch
Robert J. Dauch
Edward D. Everitt
Gordon J. Fredsall
Kenneth Harlow
Walter L. Hunt
John T. Knudsen
Sally L. Lorensen
Gerald A. Minor
Patsy Narciso
Marvin Parris
Ralph A. Petruzzi
Vincent J. Skelte
Ernest Sommers
Earle R. Thompson
Calvin C. Wiltshire
Alan J. Woodward

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

Erected by the citizens of Bethlehem, May 30, 1982

Glen B. Adams
J. Rodney Albert
Arthur Banks
Stewart W. Banks
Scott H. Beardsley
John D. Benjamin
Dwight C. Bennett
Charles C. Bock
John A. Bosco, Jr.
Bonita J. Bouffard
Raymond A. Boulanger, Jr.
Roy L. Boulanger
Ronald W. Box
Thomas E. Box
Raymond W. Brown
Walter W. Brutting
David C. Butkus, Sr.
Philip P. Butkus
Raymond T. Butkus
Charles Clifford
Robert Clifford
Anthony Communale
Thomas S. Doran, Jr.
Thomas C. Fitzgerald
Brenda R. Gallop
Edward P. Goodwin
Ronald S. Graves
George S. Haburey
Scott Huber
William Huber
Wright L. Jimmo, Jr.
Richard O. Johnson
James V. Kacerguis
Matthew J. Kacerguis
Peter A. Kacerguis
Ernest T. Kleinheinz, Jr.
David A. Kmetetz
Leland W. Krake III
Thomas S. Krake
Douglas Krantz
Richard Krantz
Paul Maddox
Philip A. Mansfield
Matthew P. March, Jr.
Thomas C. McEvoy
James B. Melesky
Dustin Merrill
James W. Meskun
Gerald E. Meskun
Gearld A. Minor
Michael Mitchell
Justin F. Moore
Edward M. Nelson
David W. Nurnberger
Daniel P. O'Neil
Stephen J. Palauskas
James T. Patterson
Samuel C. Patterson
Kenneth R. Pearsall
Karl G. Pelzer
Thomas Piazza, Jr.
David A. Pierson
Michael J. Petruzzi
John E. Plungis
Gary A. Rand
John J. Rockwell
Randolph L. Richards
Ricky Russell
Anthony M. Satula
Ward M. Sheehan
James T. Shupenis
Gerald C. Stockwell
Jon F. Stockwell
Albert T. Szubka
Daniel P. Tanuis, Sr.
Charles W. Thompson, Jr.
Stephan Trapper
George C. Turner, Jr.
Arthur F. Thorsen
Porter L. Woodcock
Ronald Woodcock

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

The plaque intro reads:

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]

Clifford Adams
Leon W. Banks 
Thomas C. Bate, Jr.
Samuel L. Benedict
Elbert V. Box
Ian Braley
John Butkus
John P. Butterly
Cleland E. Dopp
Terrance F. Dowling
Rev. George G. Finlay
Leon J. Grabow
Milton L. Grabow 
Ruth H. Goodrich
Paul L. Johnson
Bryan T. Keilty
John G. Kelly
Mark G. Kitchin
Robert C. Knudsen
Nicholas Krause
Carl A. Lynn
Mahlon A. Lynn
R. Elwood Lynn
Robert W. Lynn
John A. Majauskas
Wesley C. Meskun
Ames T. Minor
Truman S. Minor
George P. Oren
H. Brainard Risley
Allan S. Root
Joseph R. Sabot
Edward J. Skelte
Vincent J. Skelte
Vincent T. Skeltis
William R. Smith Jr.
Joseph A. Stevens
Waldo M. Swinton
Theodore M. Traub
Arnold S. Waldron
Elmer C. Wiltshire
Anthony F. Winslow
Alan J. Woodward
Charles F. Woodward
Earl L. Wooster Jr.
Joseph R. Shupenis

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

Allen James
Amos Baldwin
Eli Barnum
Issac Beebe
Lyman Beecher
Oliver Burton
Daniel Coe
Samuel Church
Austin Canfield
David Fairfield
Ezra French
Benjamin Frisbie
Spencer Gibbs
George Hannah
Austin Hine
Elijah Hine
Talman Hubbell
Abijah Hyde
Levi Jackson
Adam C. Kasson
Horace Kimball
Horatio Kimball
Seymour Knapp
Philo Levenworth
Jabez Lewis
Fred Luddington
Austin Lum
Harmon Munger
Sheldon Price
Freeman Seeley
John N. Seymour
James B. Skidmore
John Smith
Joseph Steele
Jeremiah Stevens
Norman Stone
William R. Williams
Linus Wilcox

Erected by the Citizens of the Town of Bethlehem, 1987

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

Frederick Adkins
Joseph Boyce
Gideon D. Crane
William B. Crane
Francis Dugan
John Ferry
George W. Garthwait
James H. Gilbert
Frederick D. Holmes
Daniel Hunt
Alexander Kasson
Edgar N. Kasson
Albert J. Lounsbury
Charles Lynn
Richard Magee
Olin Nash
Dexter Northrop
Horson Northrop
John K. Northrop
Patrick O'Rourke
James Oswald
Timothy C. Spencer
Abram B. Tolles
Philip L. Waldron
George Williams
George A. Wright

World War, 1917-1919

Harry A. Anderson
Herman A. Anderson
Vincent W. Atwood
Clark G. Bennett
Arthur E. Bloss
Elbert H. Box
Howard M. Box
Harry J. Bristol
Edward P. Crane
Leroy A. Fogg
Walter W. Holmes
Harold H. Hoyt
Raymond H. Hurlburt
Frederick C. Judd
Stanley A. Marchukaitis
Harold G. Peterson
Kenneth W. Raymond
LeRoy E. Sanford
William T. Sanford
Jesse E. Smith
William R. Smith
Joseph R. Stevens
Henry C.H. Stewart
Burras C. Traub

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Check out Fold3 Links on Find a Grave Memorials

Find a Grave memorial for Pvt Train C McClure

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.