Sibling Saturday: The Underwood Family in 1904

1904 Underwood Family Portrait
1904 Underwood Family Portrait. (Click to enlarge.)

Whitener Family (Click for Family Tree)

The family of Joseph Abner Underwood (AKA Joab Underwood) and Elizabeth Adline Rickman Underwood posed in 1904 for a family portrait. The young family had worked hard on a farm in Madison County, Missouri, for many years, and their children grew and provided grandchildren for them to enjoy in their later years. They do look proud to have such a fine family!

In the photo:

Standing in back-

Zach Leander Underwood, William Franklin Underwood, Nellie Bethel Goodson Underwood holding Ethel Underwood, Charles Francis Underwood, John Henry Underwood.

Sitting in front:

Joseph Abner (Joab) Underwood, Elizabeth Adeline Rickman Underwood, James Emroe Underwood holding his son John Dallas Franklin, and his wife Lola Ann Dameron Underwood holding their daughter Lovia Marie Underwood.

1904 Underwood Family Portrait- Joab and Elizabeth Underwood-cropped.
1904 Underwood Family Portrait- Joab and Elizabeth Underwood-cropped from original.

Yesterday’s post told a bit about the life of Elizabeth- Friday’s Faces of the Past: Elizabeth Adline Rickman Underwood. Today we will tell the story of the rest of the family.

Joseph Abner Underwood was born in Missouri on 23 November 1847 to Abner and Joanna Underwood. We don’t know much about his early years, but he was too young to have served in the Confederate Army- just 14 in 1861, though boys did go fight at that age. The first we can find of him in records is in 1870, when he was working for a farmer in Lorance, Bollinger County, Missouri, at age 23, along with a number of other farm workers.

Joab, as he was called, married Elizabeth Adline Rickman on 13 February 1876 in Madison County, Missouri. They had seven children:

1904 Underwood Family Portrait-James Emroe Underwood holding their son Dallas Franklin Underwood and his wife Lola Ann Dameron Underwood holding their daughter Lovia Marie Underwood-cropped.
1904 Underwood Family Portrait-James Emroe Underwood holding their son Dallas Franklin Underwood and his wife Lola Ann Dameron Underwood holding their daughter Lovia Marie Underwood-cropped from original.

James Emroe Underwood, born 13 Feb 1877 in Madison County, Missouri, grew up farming with his father. James married Lola Ann Damero on 28 Oct 1900 in Bollinger, Missouri. He was working as a farmer in 1910, and his two brothers, Zach Underwood and Charles Underwood, lived with James’ family as well. James was tall, medium build, with gray eyes and light hair per his WWI Draft Registration. He listed “Labor, Lead Mill” as his occupation and he worked for the Federal Land Company in 1917, and later through his life into the 1930s. (Madison and Bollinger Counties in Missouri are in what is known as “The Lead Belt”- an area rich in lead mines.) By 1940, he was again working as a farmer. In the family portrait above, James was holding  their second child, John Dallas  Underwood, and his wife Lola Ann was holding their first child, Lovie Marie Underwood. There were four more children born to James and Lola: Grace Nancy Adeline Underwood in 1905, a son in 1907 who died that same year, son Dale Underwood born 1909, and Myra Iona Underwood, born 1916.  James died on 20 November 1954 in Madison County, Missouri, and Lola died 09 Jul 1967.

1904 Underwood Family Portrait-William Franklin Underwood and Nellie Bethel Goodson Underwood with their daughter Ethel Emily Adline Underwood-cropped.
1904 Underwood Family Portrait-William Franklin Underwood and Nellie Bethel Goodson Underwood with their daughter Ethel Emily Adline Underwood-cropped from original.

Missouri was the birthplace of William Franklin Underwood, likely in Madison County, on 19 Dec 1879. He likely grew up farming with his father as well, and in 1880 was boarding with his maternal uncle, John H. Rickman’s family. Age 21, he was working as a farm laborer. Three years later, he married Nellie Bethel Goodson on 01 Mar 1903 in Bollinger, Missouri. Little Ethel Emily Adline Underwood, the first of six children, was born to them exactly one year later, on 01 Mar 1904. William Franklin was a farmer, and we will have more on this family in upcoming posts.

1904 Underwood Family Portrait-John Henry Underwood-cropped.
1904 Underwood Family Portrait-John Henry Underwood-cropped from original.

John Henry Underwood was born 08 Jun 1881 in Missouri.  He was in Crooked Creek, Bollinger, Missouri in 1900, and married Ethel Whitener 23 Aug 1908 in Bollinger. He was a farmer and living with his wife and year-old baby, Arnold Othel Underwood, in 1910. By his 12 Sep 1918 WWI Draft Registration, he had moved to Montrose, Colorado  and worked as a farm laborer; by 1920 he was listed as a laborer on a stock (cattle) truck. The family moved back east before the 1930 US Federal Census on 15 Apr 1930- possibly to help his father on the farm if he was ill, or to take over the farm after Joab Underwood’s death on 21 Jan 1930. John Henry’s mother was enumerated on the line before John Henry in the 1930 census, so they likely lived close to each other. John Henry died 08 Jun 1953, and Ethel died 04 Nov 1983 at age 93.

Little Cornelius Underwood was not available for this family portrait- born in September 1884, he sadly died within the month.

1904 Underwood Family Portrait-Zach Leander Underwood-cropped.
1904 Underwood Family Portrait-Zach Leander Underwood-cropped from original.

Zach Leander Underwood was born 14 Apr 1886 in Missouri, the fifth child of Joab and Elizabeth Underwood. He was living in Crooked Creek, Bollinger, Missouri in 1900 at age 14; 10 years later he was working as a fireman in a lead mine. He married Nellie Jane McLeod in St. Francois, Missouri on 27 Jun 1915. They had four children: Lester Underwood (1916-1922), Lloyd Dale Underwood (1919-1999), Wilma Kathleen Underwood (1923-2011), and a fourth child who may still be living so we will not list his name or birthdate. Zach died 10 December 1960 in Missouri, and Nellie survived him, with her death occurring on 17 May 1983, also in Missouri.

1904 Underwood Family Portrait-Charles Francis Marion Underwood-cropped from original.
1904 Underwood Family Portrait-Charles Francis Marion Underwood-cropped from original.

Charles Francis Marion Underwood was probably named in honor of his mother’s brother, Francis Marion Rickman (1853-1929), who would have been named for Francis Marion, AKA “The Swamp Fox,” a Revolutionary War hero who was one of the first to use guerrilla tactics against the British in South Carolina.  (Marion was very successful at fighting the British, even after the Patriots moved out of SC and he had no additional support troops.) Charles was born on 19 May 1888 in Missouri. In 1910, Charley was living with his brother James’ family and his brother Zach; all three brothers worked in the lead mill, with Charley being a “Gigman.”

Charles Frances Marion Underwood, circa 1917?
Charles Frances Marion Underwood, circa 1917?

Charley was working as a farmer on his own account when he registered for the WWI draft on 05 Jun 1917. He apparently enlisted, as he died in the Spanish Influenza Epidemic as a young soldier on 22 Oct 1918, but we have been unable to find more information about his service. He was in Sault Sainte Marie, Chippewa, Michigan when he died, probably in a military hospital.

The last child of Joab and Elizabeth Underwood was also not able to be in the portrait. Artey M. Underwood, born 24 Sep 1892, died at just 16 months on 10 Jan 1894.

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Ethel Underwood Whitener Family Treasure Chest of Photos.

2) Way too many censuses, memorials on Find A Grave,  etc. were used in this research to list here. Let us know if you need any specific sources.

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
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Friday’s Faces of the Past: Elizabeth Adline Rickman Underwood

Elizabeth Adaline Rickman Underwood, circa 1910(?)
Elizabeth Adaline Rickman Underwood, circa 1910(?)

Whitener Family (Click for Family Tree)

Elizabeth Adline Rickman was the eighth of nine children born to James Emery Rickman (1824-1885) and Elizabeth Whitner (1824-1899). She was born on 10 Sep 1855 in Madison County, Missouri.

Elizabeth grew up on the family farm, likely helping with the cooking and cleaning, laundry and sewing. She would have had the typical daily chores of a young woman on a farm: feeding chickens, perhaps milking as she got older, slopping the hogs with the leftovers from meals, etc. She would have worked in the vegetable garden and gathered fruit from the family’s apple, peach, cherry, and other trees. (Most probably- we don’t know exactly which trees they might have had, but most farms had at least these three for pies- yumm.) Wild blackberries and raspberries, strawberries and other fruits would have grown nearby if they hadn’t been planted near the home, and she would have gathered these delicate fruits and helped baked them into pies and cobblers for the hungry farm workers. The 1850 US Federal Census (taken before she was born) indicated that her father owned $500 in real estate. That is a middle-of-the-road value for farms listed on the same census page, so they were not poor, but it was occasionally a tough existence to make ends meet with the vagaries of farming- good one year, rough the next. Elizabeth’s father was good at his trade though- by the 1860 census, when Elizabeth was just 5, her father had amassed $2,000 in real estate and $1,000 in personal value, so he was growing the farm and their income so that they could live comfortably.

The Civil War touched southeast Missouri significantly- most residents sympathized with the South but skirmishes and battles were fought on their lands. As the troops of either side passed through, food, livestock, supplies, and even family heirlooms were taken from the locals. Aged 6 at the start of the war, Elizabeth would not have had the freedom to play as she had before- she probably needed to stay close to home to be safe. Her father enlisted in the Confederate 1st Regiment, Missouri Cavalry State Guard (1st Division), Company C to help keep family and neighbors safe.  We have been unable to find details of his service, although he may have also served in the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas. Her brothers were a bit young to fight, though the older siblings may have participated, and likely were charged with protecting the family while their father was away on business or at war. Food shortages would have often been a problem, so the family worked hard but may not have been able to enjoy the fruits of their labors during the hard years of the Civil War.

Elizabeth was 6 when her younger sister Susannah Ellen Underwood was born in 1861, so she likely took care of her throughout the day so their mother could accomplish all her home and farm tasks.

1904 Underwood Family Portrait- Joab Underwood-cropped from the original family portrait. (Click to enlarge.)
1904 Underwood Family Portrait- Joab Underwood-cropped from the original family portrait. (Click to enlarge.)

At age 20, on 13 Feb 1876, Elizabeth married Joseph Abner Underwood (1847-1930). Joab, as he was called, was a farmer like Elizabeth’s father, so she moved from her father’s farm to her own in Crooked Creek, Bollinger, Missouri. Elizabeth birthed 7 children-all sons- beginning in 1877 (tomorrow’s post will have details) but two died as infants. Infant Cornelius Underwood lived less than a month in September of 1884. Their last child, little Artey M. Underwood, born when Elizabeth was 37, lived less than 16 months, dying 10 January 1894. How terrible to lose a child! And to have to lay him to rest in the cold hard ground of a Missouri winter…

1904 Underwood Family Portrait- Elizabeth Underwood-cropped from the original family portrait.
1904 Underwood Family Portrait- Elizabeth Underwood-cropped from the original family portrait. (Click to enlarge.)

Elizabeth and Joab still had three sons living with them in the 1900 US Federal Census, but by 1910, it was just the two of them living on the farm again. They were together there in 1920, too.

Charles Frances Marion Underwood, circa 1917?
Charles Frances Marion Underwood, circa 1917?

Another war took another toll on the family. Son Charles Francis Marion Underwood was living on his own in June of 1917, farming for himself, when he registered for the draft for World War I. He apparently enlisted and went off to training and possibly Europe- we have not found his service record. He sadly was one of the victims of the Spanish Influenza Epidemic that decimated the population of young people around the world in their prime. Charley died 22 Oct 1918 in Sault Sainte Marie, Chippewa, Michigan, likely in a military hospital. He was brought home to be buried in Trace Creek Cemetery.

Joab’s death began the year of 1930 (he died 21 Jan 1930), thus Elizabeth was enumerated in the 1930 census as a widow. Her son John Henry Underwood and his family had returned to the area after living in Colorado, so perhaps he had come back to help on the farm- his family was enumerated right after Elizabeth.

Grandma Underwood-  Elizabeth Adeline Rickman Underwood, August, 1935.
Grandma Underwood- Elizabeth Adeline Rickman Underwood, August, 1935. (Click to enlarge.)

Elizabeth survived her husband by almost 6 years, dying 02 Jan 1936 in Crooked Creek, Bollinger, Missouri.

Elizabeth Adline Rickman Underwood- Headstone in Trace Creek Cemetery, Glenallen, Bollinger, Missouri- closeup.
Elizabeth Adline Rickman Underwood- Headstone in Trace Creek Cemetery, Glenallen, Bollinger, Missouri- closeup.

She is buried in Old Trace Creek Cemetery, Glenallen, Bollinger, Missouri, alongside her husband of almost 54 years. All their sons are buried there as well.

Elizabeth Adline Rickman and Joseph Abner Underwood- Headstone in Trace Creek Cemetery, Glenallen, Bollinger, Missouri.
Elizabeth Adline Rickman and Joseph Abner Underwood- Headstone in Trace Creek Cemetery, Glenallen, Bollinger, Missouri.

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Whitener Family Treasure Chest of Photos.

2) For more information about this family see “Wedding Wednesday: James E. Rickman and Elizabeth Whitner” at http://heritageramblings.net/2015/05/27/wedding-wednesday-james-e-rickman-and-elizabeth-whitner/

and

“Those Places Thursday: The Farm of James E. Rickman in Madison County, Missouri” at http://heritageramblings.net/2015/05/28/those-places-thursday-the-farm-of-james-e-rickman-in-madison-county-missouri/

3) Civil War confederate Unit 1st Regiment, MO Cavalry State Guard- https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/1st_Regiment,_Missouri_Cavalry_State_Guard_(1st_Division)_-_Confederate

No unit history available.

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pea_Ridge_Confederate_order_of_battle

4) Way too many censuses, memorials on Find A Grave,  etc. were used in this research to list here. Let us know if you need any specific sources.

 

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
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Those Places Thursday: The Farm of James E. Rickman in Madison County, Missouri

1876 Missouri State Census for James E. Rickman family.
1876 Missouri State Census for James E. Rickman family. (Click to enlarge.)

Whitener Family (Click for Family Tree)

Agricultural schedules are a delightful glimpse into life on a farm in years gone by. The US Federal Census included some, but today’s genealogical surprise was the 1876 Missouri State Census, which also contains agricultural information.

James E. Rickman (1824-1885) and his wife Elizabeth Whitner Rickman (1824-1899), owned a farm in Madison County, Missouri. Here are two records of the land they owned; copies of the actual record are on Ancestry.com.

Land record from 01 Dec 1851: 40 acres in Madison County, Missouri, Township 31-N, Range 7-E, Section 2, Accession No. MO3600_.219, cash sale.

Land record from 01 Mar 1860: 80 acres in Madison County, Missouri, Township 31-N, Range 8-E, Section 17, Accession No. MO4060_.426, cash sale.

With the available records, it is hard to tell if this was the same land they owned in 1876, but it is likely that it was- once a family had built a barn, outbuildings, silos, and house, and prepared the soil, set up markets for their excess products, etc., it would be challenging to start all over at another farm! Since James and Elizabeth were in their 50s at this census, it would seem even less likely that they would choose to start over. So we can assume that the agricultural information on the 1876 Missouri census might have been for the above farms.

In 1876, James and Elizabeth, both over age 45, lived on the farm along with their children [Francis] Marion Rickman, age 21-45; Eliza Rickman, age 18-21; and Ellen Rickman, age 10-18.

Here is what livestock was held on the farm in 1875 (the year before the census):

4 horses, 5 mules, 1 jack (male donkey; a female donkey was called a jennet but they did not have one listed)

10 cattle, 19 sheep, 17 hogs

The production on the Rickman farm in 1875:

125 bushels of wheat, 600 bushels of corn, 150 bushels of oats

20 lbs. wool, 12 tons hay, and 60 gallons molasses.

At least 2 of the horses were probably big work horses, for pulling the plow, moving the harvest, etc.

Some of the cattle were likely milk cows, especially when the children were young. Milk was needed for butter, cream, and cooking, even as the family aged, so the family likely had at least one milk cow . The rest of the cattle would have been used for family beef and, once the cattle were fattened, many sold for income.

Sheep are fairly easy to raise, and the wool they produced may have been sold after shearing, or spun into yarn by the female members of the household. Wool was sometimes used in quits as well.

Their wheat crop would have been used to produce food for the family, and possibly some been sold for income, or traded for necessary goods they could not produce themselves. The miller would keep some of it in payment for his services too. They would probably have used some of the corn themselves, as well as maybe some of the oats.

The hay and majority of the oats were probably used for the farm animals, and some of the corn may have been used for them as well. Any not needed on the farm would have been sold to provide additional income, or stored for the next year.

Molasses could have been produced from sugar cane, sugar beets, or sorghum. The census did ask for pounds of sugar produced, but the Rickman’s did not list any. Sugar beets could have been grown in the area (but deer love to eat them!), though sugar cane probably did not grow well in that county. Sorghum was easy to grow, the deer don’t eat it all, and making molasses is the easiest way to produce a sweetener to keep for some time (vs. drying it into a sugar), so it is likely that sorghum is what they grew. Sorghum is more a Southern crop, and since this area was more southern than other parts of Missouri, and sympathized with the Confederacy, it is very likely that sorghum was the source for their 60 gallons of molasses.

Molasses is also sometimes added to animal feed, and even used as a fertilizer.

The family likely had a vegetable garden and chickens, geese, or ducks for eggs and meat, as did most farm families.

We are lucky that the Rickmans lived in one of the areas where this census was taken and survived- it helps to give us a hint of their daily lives.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) 1876 Missouri State Census for the James E. Rickman family-

Year: 1910; Census Place: Madison, Missouri; Roll: MOSC_9026. Ancestry.com. Missouri, State Census Collection, 1844-1881 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: Missouri State Censuses. Jefferson City, MO, USA: Missouri State Archives.

[Citation is as per Ancestry.com, but may be incorrect as it states 1910 instead of 1876.]

2) Land records-

Issued 01 Mar 1860– Ancestry.com. U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

Original data: United States. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Automated Records Project; Federal Land Patents, State Volumeshttp://www.glorecords.blm.gov/. Springfield, Virginia: Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States, 2007.

Issued 01 Dec 1851- Ancestry.com. U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: United States. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Automated Records Project; Federal Land Patents, State Volumeshttp://www.glorecords.blm.gov/. Springfield, Virginia: Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States, 2007.

3) Agricultural schedules done by the federal government list the number of acres, which helps a bit to tell if the land is the same as in the land records, but the MO census does not list acreage.

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
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Wedding Wednesday: James E. Rickman and Elizabeth Whitner

Marriage return for James E. Rickman and Elizabeth Whitner, married 01 Feb 1844 in Madison County, Missouri. Online via Ancestry.com, accessed 5/27/2015.
Marriage return for James E. Rickman and Elizabeth Whitner, married 01 Feb 1844 in Madison County, Missouri. Online via Ancestry.com, accessed 5/27/2015. (Click to enlarge.)

Whitener Family (Click for Family Tree)

Transcription:

State of Missouri
Madison County

Be it known that James E. Rickman
and Elizabeth Whitner were solemnized in the
holy bonds of Matrimony by Me on the 1st day
of February AD 1844.

Pinckney Graham Jus Peace
Filed & Recorded February 6th AD 1844
[Just?] Edwd [?] Clerk

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Ancestry.com. Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. Accessed online 5/27/15.

Original data: Missouri Marriage Records. Jefferson City, MO, USA: Missouri State Archives. Microfilm.

 

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 
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Military Monday: Victor Sigler’s Sacrifice

1930 Victor Elmer Sigler. (Click to enlarge.)
1930 Victor Elmer Sigler. (Click to enlarge.)

Whitener Family (Click for Family Tree)

Today is Military Monday but even more special, it is also Memorial Day. Honoring those who have fallen in service to our country has gotten a bit lost on this day, since now it is a big sale day, the end of school (for some), the ‘official’ beginning of summer, pool opening day, and an official 3-day federal holiday so recreation is paramount on such a long weekend. But please take some time today, to honor those who gave their lives for our freedom- because

Freedom is never Free.

Victor Sigler Jr. (Woodlawn Cemetery - Hayti, Missouri)
Victor Sigler Headstone, Woodlawn Cemetery – Hayti, Missouri.

Victor Elmer Sigler was the son of Curtis Victor Sigler and Hazel Whitener Sigler. He was born 29 September 1920, and grew up in the small town of Hayti, Pemiscot County, Missouri. His father used his middle name, Vic, so Visitor Elmer was known as “Vic Jr.”

Hazel Whitener Sigler with Victor Elmer Sigler Born Sept 29, 1920. (Click to enlarge.)
Hazel Whitener Sigler with Victor Elmer Sigler Born Sept 29, 1920. (Click to enlarge.)

We don’t know much about Victor’s life- he was really too young when he died, just 23- to have had much of a life.

Victor Elmer Sigler - Born -Sept. 29, 1920, son of Curtis Victor Sigler and Hazel Marie Whitener Sigler. (Click to enlarge.)
Victor Elmer Sigler – Born -Sept. 29, 1920, son of Curtis Victor Sigler and Hazel Marie Whitener Sigler. (Click to enlarge.)

Victor had an older brother who died as an infant, and had two younger sisters, Phyllis and June, and twin brothers, Harold and Berle Sigler.

1920s- from left, Phyllis Sigler, Victor Sigler, and June Sigler. (Click to enlarge.)
1920s- from left, Phyllis Sigler, Victor Sigler, and June Sigler, circa 1927? (Click to enlarge.)

Victor was found in the 1930 US Federal Census, age 10, living with his family in Hayti, Missouri. We have been unable to find him in the 1940 US Federal Census- he was not enumerated with his parents, but would have been 20 years old and possibly out on his own.

Victor served in the 165th Infantry, 27th Division, and the 295th Joint Assault Signal Co. (JASCO), and 1st Battalion Hdq. He was a 1st Lieutenant.

Victor died on 24 June 1944 in World War II’s Battle of Saipan, in the Pacific Theater. He received a Purple Heart for his sacrifice, posthumously.

Victor may have been a part of the JASCO group called the “Catboat Flotilla” that served in the SW Pacific area. They served as command and communication ships during amphibious operations. Saipan and Taiwan were two very strategic islands in the South Pacifc that were highly desired by the Allies, as they could be used for airfields for their new B-29 Superfortress bomber that had enough range to reach Japan.

On 13 June 1944, fifteen battleships began bombarding the island of Saipan. Amphibious landings began two days later, and JASCO was probably a part of their communications. The Japanese were surprised by the location of the attack, but were ready in some ways, including having flags in the bay so they could determine range of assaulting tanks and forces; this increased Allied casualties significantly, along with other Japanese strategic placements of artillery, machine guns, barbed wire, etc. The Japanese Navy attacked Allied ships on 15 June, but suffered a great loss of their aircraft carriers and planes, and the Japanese soldiers and civilians of Saipan could then expect no reinforcements.

Even without supplies or reinforcements, the island was challenging to take due to its topography- mountains, valleys, jungle, and volcanic caves- and the tenacity of the Japanese soldiers.

The Allied forces moved across the island, taking it bit by bit. “Wind talkers” (Navajo code talkers) and other command and control personnel would have been on the ground with the Marines and Army, directing their movement and firing. Victor may have been a part of this group, since he was in JASCO and  listed as killed in action on 24 June 1944. We do not yet know the exact circumstances, so do need to request his service record.

The Japanese rallied their able-bodied soldiers, the wounded, and even civilians in a suicidal banzai charge on 7 July 1944 that lasted 15 hours. At least 4,300 Japanese were killed during the attack, and on 9 July 1944, Saipan was secured after the suicide of the remaining Japanese commanders, including the commander who led the attack on Pearl Harbor and Midway.

The capture of Saipan was a turning point in the war, and the Allies were able to attack the Japanese on the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Japan’s mainland. Vic Jr. was a part of this victory.

At least 30,000 Japanese died on Saipan, and 1,000 civilians committed suicide rather than be taken prisoner by the enemy. The Allied casualties were almost 3,000, with over 10,000 wounded of the 71,000 who landed on Saipan. Victor Elmer Sigler was one of them.

Military Headstone Marker for Victor Sigler, 1948, via Ancestry.com. Front. (Click to enlarge.)
Military Headstone Marker for Victor Sigler, 1948, via Ancestry.com. Front. (Click to enlarge.)

Military Headstone Marker for Victor Sigler, 1948, via Ancestry.com. Reverse. (Click to enlarge.)
Military Headstone Marker for Victor Sigler, 1948, via Ancestry.com. Reverse. (Click to enlarge.)

It was sort of a shock to see Victor’s discharge date as “6-24-1944”- yes, it makes sense that one is no longer in the military once one has been killed in action, but it just seems almost callous to call it a ‘discharge’ when he died for our country. Victor, and all the others who made the ultimate sacrifice in war, wasn’t just ‘discharged’ to go on with his life. His life, his potential, and his future, ended on 24 June 1944, at age 23, in order that we, and the citizens of the world, could be free of the tyranny of the Axis powers and the Japanese.

Thank you, Victor.

You are in our thoughts today, and every day that we enjoy our freedoms.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1)Victor E. Sigler Service Number:  O-442212

2) World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel, from RG 407, Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1905-1981.p. 25 via Fold3.com

3) U.S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Original data: Applications for Headstones for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1941. Microfilm publication M1916, 134 rolls. ARC ID: 596118. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, Record Group 92. National Archives at Washington, D.C.

4) Distressingly, the United States has NO listing of Purple Heart recipients, and does not keep track of any military awards.

5) Wikipedia-

Signal Corps/JASCO- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Corps_(United_States_Army)#World_War_II

Battle of Saipan- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saipan

6) Find A Grave:

Victor Elmer Sigler- http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=71776324

Curtis Victor Sigler- http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=72577281

Hazel Marie Whitener Sigler- http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=72577238

7) Thank you, Jim Whitener, for the wonderful photos and the information you contributed so we could tell Victor E. Sigler’s story today.

 

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