For several years fellow blogger Amy Johnson Crow has been running a genealogy challenge that has seen increased popularity in the last couple years. Over on WikiTree, they have decided to pick up this challenge and issue a weekly open-ended prompt on the message boards. Each prompt is designed for members to discuss and respond with an ancestor or story that fits with that week’s prompt. In addition to answering over on WikiTree's G2G forum, I'll also be answering here in a more complete form.
This week’s theme is a perfect fit for the recent research I’ve been doing on my second great uncle, Lyman Thurl Spradlin.
The only son of James David Spradlin and Georgia Etta Ross, Lyman departed Oran, Missouri on May 10, 1918 for training in Waco, Texas. After several weeks of training, Lyman departed from Hoboken, New Jersey on August 03, 1918 headed for the French battlefields. Injured by shrapnel on September 27, he died six days later on October 03, 1918.
His initial burial was in France and the American Red Cross sent a sympathy card to the family with a photo of his grave enclosed. After the end of the war, many of the fallen soldiers were returned home and Lyman was included in this. Departing Antwerp, Belgium June 19 and arriving in Hoboken, New Jersey on July 02, Lyman was finally welcomed home in Oran, Missouri on Saturday, August 06, 1921.
His funeral was the next day at his family home attended by the Oran National Guard, his family, and the community. Burial followed in Friends Hill Cemetery in Oran, Missouri.
Since researching him, I’ve often felt as if he was just caught up in the war, not really meaning to go or thinking they’d need him as he was married and supported his family. His death saddens me and researching the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and the Lost Battalion, occurring just days after his death, has been a stark reminder of the terrors of war.
- Patricia
The only son of James David Spradlin and Georgia Etta Ross, Lyman departed Oran, Missouri on May 10, 1918 for training in Waco, Texas. After several weeks of training, Lyman departed from Hoboken, New Jersey on August 03, 1918 headed for the French battlefields. Injured by shrapnel on September 27, he died six days later on October 03, 1918.
His initial burial was in France and the American Red Cross sent a sympathy card to the family with a photo of his grave enclosed. After the end of the war, many of the fallen soldiers were returned home and Lyman was included in this. Departing Antwerp, Belgium June 19 and arriving in Hoboken, New Jersey on July 02, Lyman was finally welcomed home in Oran, Missouri on Saturday, August 06, 1921.
His funeral was the next day at his family home attended by the Oran National Guard, his family, and the community. Burial followed in Friends Hill Cemetery in Oran, Missouri.
Since researching him, I’ve often felt as if he was just caught up in the war, not really meaning to go or thinking they’d need him as he was married and supported his family. His death saddens me and researching the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and the Lost Battalion, occurring just days after his death, has been a stark reminder of the terrors of war.
- Patricia
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