Margery A. Armstrong - Marblehead in World War I: At Home and Overseas

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2011 by Margery A. Armstrong

All rights reserved

Front cover, top: Tenth Deck Band. Courtesy of Marblehead Historical Commission, Abbot Hall, Marblehead, MA, object ID 1961-001-02387. www.marbleheadhistory.com.

First published 2011

e-book edition 2012

Manufactured in the United States

ISBN 978.1.61423.841.6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Armstrong, Margery A.

Marblehead in World War I : at home and overseas / Margery A. Armstrong.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

print edition ISBN 978-1-60949-149-9

1. World War, 1914-1918--Massachusetts--Marblehead. 2. World War, 1914-1918--Social aspects--Massachusetts--Marblehead. 3. Marblehead (Mass.)--History, Military--20th century. 4. Marblehead (Mass.)--Social conditions--20th century. 5. Community life--Massachusetts--Marblehead--History--20th century. 6. Soldiers--Massachusetts--Marblehead--Biography. 7. Marblehead (Mass.)--Biography. I. Title. II. Title: Marblehead in World War 1. III. Title: Marblehead in World War One.

D570.85.M41M272 2011

940.37445--dc22

2011010589

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Dedicated to my mother and grandmother who always told me you can accomplish whatever you want as long as you set your mind to it.

Marblehead Forever

By Reverend Marcia M. Selman

Sung to the tune of The Lily of the Valley

The men of old were heroes,

who fought by land and sea,

To preserve their homes

from tyranny and shame;

And, enrolled among the bravest,

writ high in history,

Stands old Marbleheads beloved and honored name.

Chorus:

Then Marblehead Forever!

God bless the good old town!

May she never shame her noble ancestry!

She was first in Revolution, was first in 61,

And from whiskey bondage we will keep her free!

The men of old were heroes,

but they are in their graves,

And tis ours, their sons,

the battle now to fight,

For our homes and altars tremble,

before the greed of knaves,

Who assail the cause of God and home and right.

Then Marblehead Forever!

God bless the good old town!

May she never shame her noble ancestry!

She was first in Revolution, was first in 61,

And from whiskey bondage we will keep her free!

Then up and do your duty!

Too long ingloriously,

Did we sleep while rum held

Undisputed sway.

Now rally with your ballots,

And let his hirelings see,

That when we first drove him out he went to stay.

Then Marblehead Forever!

God bless the good old town!

May she never shame her noble ancestry!

She was first in Revolution, was first in 61,

And from whiskey bondage we will keep her free!

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to offer my thanks and appreciation to the people and organizations that have assisted me in my first writing venture. First my husband, Paul, for locating microfilm of the Marblehead Messenger and putting it on CDs so I could research to my hearts content in the comfort of my own home. A special thank-you to Pam Peterson of the Marblehead Historical Society for suggesting I submit my work to The History Press, and to my editors, Jeff Saraceno and Hilary McCullough, and the entire staff at The History Press for making this venture happen. Thank you to Chris Johnson and Wayne Butler of the Marblehead Historical Commission for assisting me in locating images and for scanning the images for my use. Thank you to Clifford Brown Sr., Ezekiel R. Peach Jr. and Maureen Graves Anderson for sharing World War I memorabilia from their family collections. Finally, a thank-you to my colleague Deborah Stewart for proofreading this work and giving me a boost of confidence.

My biggest thanks to my mother and father, William and Barbara Taylor, who provided me with the opportunity to grow up in such a great and historical town as Marblehead; and to all my ancestors in town who started me on this genealogical and writing quest. Finally, thank you to all my friends and family who have had to listen to me talking about my book for several years.

INTRODUCTION

Why did I decide to write about these particular years in Marbleheads history? It all started when I began researching my extensive Marblehead ancestry. Marbleheaders are all familiar with their namesMartin, Bessom, Roundy, Freeto, Smith, Foss, Devereux, Woodfin, Peach and the list goes on and on. I was searching on eBay and came across a gentleman from Iowa who was selling a bound version of the 1918 Marblehead Messenger. I had to have it; microfilm readers cause too much motion sickness. I was lucky enough to win the auction. From there, I became engrossed with reading these old papers. They hold a wealth of information, not only on my relatives but also on the comings and goings of the whole town.

The years 1914 through 1919 were the years of World War I. Although the United States did not officially enter the war until 1917, its preparation for the war began several years before this. Never being much of a history buff in the past, I was fascinated with the letters the soldiers wrote home to their families telling what they could of their experiences in the war. There were also weekly accountings of how the town prepared for the war. From reading these newspapers, I was intrigued with how much involvement the community had in the affairs of the times. There were celebrations to send soldiers off to war and celebrations when they returned, and many hardworking committees were set up to serve the needs of the soldiers overseas as well as their families at home. The Burgess Aeroplane factory was used during this time for government contracts for warplanes. The Tenth Deck Division of the Naval Militia was commissioned in Marblehead, and training camps were set up on Marblehead Neck to train men for coastal patrols.

There was such a sense of community in those times; I felt it was worth noting. I also felt that originals of these letters have probably been lost or tossed away and that families and friends of those Marblehead boys who served in the military may want to experience what their ancestors endured during World War I. I have chosen in some instances to use only excerpts from their letters but have noted in the notes where you can find the full content of the letter on the microfilm of the Marblehead Messenger, available at Abbot Public Library in Marblehead, Massachusetts. I read many letters and chose ones that I felt held the best information to portray what life was like in the military and the flavor of Marblehead. No editing was done on the letters and excerpts; it represents the language and style of the time. I apologize to any family members who had letters from relatives in the service that did not get mentioned in this book. There were so many published in the