Silver Grays Prepare For Any Service

The Marietta Daily Times, May 14, 1917

Organization of the Marietta Silver Grays, a company of Civil War veterans and other men of mature years who have enrolled for a military company, is proceeding apace. The organization has offered its services to President Wilson and Governor Cox and the latter has been asked to properly equip and uniform the Grays.

Below is a list of veterans who have enrolled in the new company, with the regiments in which they served in the Civil War and their ages, as well as the pledge of military service they have taken.

List of Veterans

We the undersigned Civil War veterans agree to form a military organization to be known as "The Marietta Silver Grays" and adopt rules and regulations for the proper government of such organization, elect officers and tender our services to the Governor of Ohio and to the President of the United States, to serve in any military service that they may see fit to call on us to perform, and request the Governor to properly equip and uniform the members of said organization. Said term to serve to be for one year or during the war with Germany.

Benjamin Bragg, 1st Lieut., Co. B, O.V.V.I; 76.

L. J. Cutter, Co. B, 77th O.V.V.I; 72.

John B. Erwin, Co. G and Co. I, 83 Indiana V.V.I; 78.

W. H. Styer, H Battery 1st Ohio Vol. Artillery; 73.

Daniel Espensheat, Co. B, 9th Ohio Vol. Cavalry; 74.

James Hyler, Co. H, 25th Ohio Vol. Infantry; 74.

L. P. Judd, Co. H, 36th O.V.I.; 79.

A. D. Kemp, Co. G, 36th O.V.I.; 76.

Capt. J. G. Barker, Co. A, 36th O.V.I.; 82.

Jerry Swain, Co. H, 116th O.V.I.; 72.

Isaac Ward, Co. H and J, 77th O.V.I.; 74.

W. W. Mickle, Co. I, 116th O.V.I.; 73.

Charles A. Miller, Co. H, 7th Ohio Vol. Cavalry; 75.

John Newton Riley, Co. H, 7th Ohio Cavalry; 74.

Jack Kinsman, Co. D, 78th Illinois Vol. Infantry; 70.

J. W. Taylor, Co. C, 18th O.V.I.; 70.

W. W. Savage, Co. F, 4th Virginia Vol. Infantry; 73.

Converse Flanders, Co. K, 148th O.V.I.

M. F. Gilman, Co. K, 42 Mass. Vol. Infantry; 72.

Samuel King, Co. I, 5th Ohio Vol. Cavalry; 69.

Wellington Brabham, Co. H, 1st Ohio Vol. Cav.; 72.

John S. Beach, Co. C, 2nd U. S. Infantry; 72.

Minor M. Dye, Co. K, 175th O.V.I.

Amor Wright, Co. F, 2nd W. Va. Cavalry.

Charles Newton, Co. K, 2nd Ohio Heavy Artillery; 75.

William W. Hanna, Co. F, 36th O.V.I.; 76.

Edward Miller, Co. C, 2nd O.V.I.; 77.

James A. Gilchrist, 138 Pennsylvania Signal Corps; 75.

James Dilley, Co. G, 10th O.V.I.; 84.

C. W. Kaneff, 7th Ohio Cavalry; 5.

Theobald Wagner, 1st W. Va. Light Artillery; 78.

G. W. Harvey, Co. C, 36th Ohio Veteran Vol. Infantry; 76.

W. H. Thorniley, 77th Ohio Veteran Vol. Infantry; 75.

George W. Bonnell, Co. I, 179th Ohio Veteran Vol Infantry; 75.

J. J. Hollister; 66.

H. L. Sibley, Co. B, 116th O.V.I.; 81.

S. L. Grosvenor, Co. B, 36th O.V.I.

Recruits Sign Up

We, the undersigned citizens of Marietta, Ohio, Washington County, sixty-five years of age and over, agree to join the organization known as "The Marietta Silver Grays" and do any military duty allotted to them and be a part of the organization. Term of service to be for one year or during the war with Germany. We further agree to assist in the election of officers and obey all orders and summons from the Governor of Ohio or the President of the United States and the officers of the organization.

D. B. Torpy, merchant and banker; 71.

Jacob Gephart, shoe merchant; 76.

John H. Riley, lawyer; 66.

C. R. Stevens, organ maker; 69.

R. B. Davis, painter; 66.

Arnold Neader, shoe maker; 66.

R. N. Cole, farmer; 77.

J. H. McGregor, farmer; 66.

I. E. McVey, ex-city clerk; 67.

W. H. Leeper, lawyer; 67.

A. L. Smith, lawyer; 67.

Charles H. Turner, merchant; 72.

The Marietta Daily Times, May 17, 1917:

Confederate Veteran Joins Silver Grays

Lieutenant Benjamin Bragg, though his sight is almost gone, has been hustling about town and has secured 28 new recruits for The Marietta Silver Grays. This brings the list up to 77. Among the Civil War Veterans he has secured Albert N. Dyar, of Co. E., 66th Georgia C. W. A., 83 years of age, thus proving again that this is a united people. The new recruiting list is as follows:

Veterans

Theodore F. Davis, 83 Indiana Vol. Infantry; 72.

Major Jewett Palmer, Major 36th Ohio Infantry; 77.

J. N. Hill, Co. I, 36th O.V.I.; 74.

M. Pitts, Co. H, First Cavalry; 68.

F. A. Young, Co. F, 89th O.V.I.; 70.

James W. Swords, Co. A, 36th O.V.I.; 74.

Ezra Mankins, Co. K, 148th OV.I.; 75.

R. L. Curtis, 2nd W. Va. Cavalry; 81.

T. J. Mellor, Co. A, 148th OV.I.; 81.

R. M. Fisby, Co. H, 122 O.V.I. & Cav., 129 O.V.I.; 75.

Adam Landsittle, Co. K, 18th O.V.I.; 79.

Henry Schockley, Co. A, 36th O.V.I.

Charles Bell, Co. D, 9th Ohio Vol. Cavalry; 73.

Henry Bacher, Co. F, 39th OV.I.; 78.

Frederick Schlicher, Co. D, 77th O.V.I.; 76.

L. McCammon, Co. K, 148th O.V.I.; 77.

John R. Sheets, Co. F, 77th Ohio Veteran Vol. Inf.; 71

James F. Briggs, Co. D, 174th O.V.I.; 77.

Albert N. Dyar, Co. E, 66th Georgia, C.S.A.; 83.

William O. Hale, Co. C, 36th O.V.I.; 69.

J. H. McGill, Co. H, 6th W. Va. Cavalry; 72.

Charles Coffman, Co. K, 148th O.V.I.; 79.

B. D. Reppert, First Virginia Light Artillery; 77.

Capt. B. B. Stone, Co. D, 92nd O.V.I., 75.

Recruits

John Bennet, Marietta, 67.

J. B. West, Marietta, 75.

John Haas, Marietta, 65.

John S. Ritter, Marietta, 80.

The Marietta Daily Times, May 28, 1917:

Plan Great Patriotic Celebration

The Marietta Silver Grays are going to be the guests of honor at a mammoth patriotic celebration to be held Sunday afternoon, June 3rd, at 2:00 P.M. A great program is being planned by the local committee. This committee was asked by the leaders of the Silver Grays to assist the in planning an organization meeting for their company. Preliminary plans were so spontaneously received by the citizens that it was decided to make the meeting a community celebration honoring in a big way these living Veterans who did their "bit" in '61.

Some surprises are in store, but the committee announces today that Chaplain George E. T. Stevenson of the United States Navy will make the opening prayer and that the Venerable J. H. Dodshon, Archdeacon of Ohio, will pronounce the benediction. Rev. C. C. Creegan will be chairman. H. C. Bayliss will eulogize the Silver Grays, and Rev. E. A. Coil and the Hon. A. D. Follett will make patriotic addresses.

Company "B" of the National Guard will attend in a body as will doubtless all the affiliated patriotic organizations, all of which have been invited.

High officers in the Army and Navy have consented to attend and all local and county officials connected with present war plans have been invited to seats of honor on the platform.

Beautiful programs have been printed as souvenirs of the occasion.

Coming as it does just before the Registration Day, this occasion will go down in history as the greatest patriotic meeting ever held in Southeastern Ohio.

The Marietta Daily Times, June 1, 1917:

Use Historic Table

An old pine table, which was used at Camp Tupper in 1861 to write up recruits for Civil War, is being used by Company B in their sub-station to recruit men to bring the company up to war strength.

This table was formerly owned by Lieut. Ben Bragg, and he presented it to the G.A.R. The G.A.R. loaned it to Company B for recruiting purposes.

Local Boy, Held A German Prisoner 3 Years, Released

 The Register-Leader, December 19, 1918

Private George Pfaff, for three years a prisoner in a German prison camp, has been repatriated according to word received the first of the week by brother Will Pfaff, 632 Fifth Street. The word was in the form of an official message from Ottawa, Canada, and stated that George Pfaff had arrived in Dover, England, December 9, from Camp Giessen, Germany.

George Pfaff is well known here where the greater part of his life has been spent. He was probably the first Mariettan to go into service, having enlisted in the Canadian army in October 1914. He served with Company C, 29th Battalion Infantry, and on April 20, 1916, he was taken prisoner by the Germans. 

In May of 1916, Will Pfaff received official word from the Canadian government that George was missing. The family at once got into communications with Canada in an effort to locate him, but they were unable to get information, their first knowledge that he was a prisoner coming when in July, they received a letter written in Camp Giessen, saying that he had been taken prisoner. Letters have been coming from him since his capture, but were so strictly censored that he could give very little news of himself.

It is expected that he will be home very soon and a warm welcome will be waiting for him. Before his entrance into the service, he worked as an iron moulder in this city.

Camp Giessen, German Prisoner of War Camp, WWI

From Imperial War Museums, UK

   

Move West In an Auto

 The Marietta Daily Times, July 23, 1919

Carrying a tent and two full sized beds which fasten on the sides of the running boards of an auto, R. B. Brenan, wife, son and Mrs. Brenan's sister, Miss Olive Dailey, will not only go west by motor but will sleep by the car.

The two beds, which contain springs as good as those on the ordinary bed in the home, have room enough in each for two people and they are said to be most comfortable. A big tent goes over the machine and covers the two beds.

Robert Brenan, who was recently master mechanic for the city, will take his family to California, locating near Los Angeles. They will leave Saturday and Miss Dailey, who recently returned from France where she did nursing in the army, will make her home with them.

Washington County's War Loss Heavy

Marietta Daily Times, October 23, 1918

Twenty-six names of Washington County youths will be inscribed upon the county's honor roll of those who gave their lives for their country in the fight for Democracy against German autocracy. That number has thus far been reached on the book of death. These boys willingly gave their lives in defense of the country. They fought upon the bloody soil of France, in camps against disease, and one fought his last fight in Marietta.

Of this number, seven were killed in action and 19 died of illness. Marietta lost four lives on the battlefield and seven in camp, while the county is credited with three dying on the firing line and 12 passing away in camps. Williamstown has lost four men, one dying in action and three of sickness in camps.

Those killed from Washington County are:

Lieut. Gerald Kelly, 23, Marietta.
Pvt. Clarence G. McDonald, 22, Vincent.
Pvt. James I. Dodd, 19, Marietta.
Pvt. Carl F. Hinkelman, 19, New Matamoras.
Pvt. Harry Jenkins, 23, Marietta.
Pvt. Dale D. Scott, 30, Rinards Mills.
Pvt. Moses Justice, 23, Marietta.

Those dying of disease from Washington County were:

Corp. Nestor H. Steffey, 22, Coal Run.
Pvt. John E. Corum, 28, Flints Mills.
Pvt. Herman Albrecht, 25, Marietta.
Pvt. Howard Mounts, 20, Beavertown.
Pvt. Herman Strickler, 26, Marietta.
Pvt. W. B. Farnsworth, 26, Leith.
Pvt. Wilce Warfield, 22, Belpre.
Pvt. Ira B. Sauer, 21, Marietta.
Pvt. Enos Schneider, 31, Shay.
Pvt. F. McKinley Johnson, 21, Cutler.
Marine Guy D. Heslop, 20, Marietta.
Pvt. Patrick Doyle, 21, Dalzell.
Pvt. Edward H. Pught, 25, New Matamoras.
Seaman George Remmele, 21, Marietta.
Pvt. Emmett Roberts, 20, Grandview.
Pvt. Karl Epple, 24, Marietta.
Pvt. Max Williams, 18, Bartlett.
Pvt. Wade J. Wilhelm, 21, Marietta.
Pvt. Merritt H. Ellenwood, 27, Moores Junction.

Williamstown's honor list contains the following names:

Corp. William Griffin, 20.
Pvt. Clarence Gault, 25.
Pvt. William Obenhaus, 22.
Pvt. Dell H. Ralston, 21.

Fiddle Warns Youth Hiding in Woods

Marietta Daily Times, August 12, 1918

Nero, according to tradition, fiddled while Rome was burning. Mrs. James Beaver fiddled while officers waited Sunday night at her home on the Little Muskingum for the return of her nephew, Floyd Weddle, sought as a draft evader. Thus does history repeat itself.

Weddle, hiding in the thickets on the Beaver place, doubtless interpreted the more or less musical strains as a warning. Leastwise, Deputy Sheriff Frank F. Fleming had a three-hour wait in the darkened farm house before he was rewarded by the appearance of the young man, who is alleged to have come here last spring from his home at Newell, West Virginia, for the purpose of escaping registration with the 21-year-old military eligibles in June.

The young man, who was brought to the county jail at one o'clock Monday morning, is a son of Beaver's sister. He is said to have attired himself in knee-length trousers when he had occasion to go on errands to the store at Reno, about a mile from the Beaver home.

His habit of scurrying off into the thicket upon the arrival of strangers in the vicinity finally aroused suspicion. This was communicated to the officials in Marietta. An investigation disclosed that although the young many was born February 29, 1897, he had not registered for military service with the class of June 6.

Sheriff Posey and Deputy Fleming both were at the Beaver residence Sunday night. Before their arrival, Weddle had fled into the hills where he camouflaged his identity with a rank growth of rag weed, sassafras saplings and blackberry bushes. The officers were given the impression that the young man had permanently changed his abode.

Both James Beaver and his wife remained with the officers, neither retiring to bed. About midnight, when Beaver stepped out into the yard under some pretext, a sound like the plaintive call of a quail separated from its flock smote the ears of the county officers. They heard it answered from the hills.

The fiddle screeched on the porch no longer. Reluctantly the woman surrendered the bow, which was secreted by the sheriff. Posey then boarded his auto and returned to the city. Deputy Sheriff Fleming remained in the house. Within an hour he heard the sound of someone's tapping on the windows. The figure moved around the house.

Beaver, acting under the deputy's instructions, opened the front door. He said nothing, even when the deputy suggested his telling Weddle to come in. When the latter appeared opposite the doorway, Fleming, throwing the rays of a flashlight into his face, covered him with a pistol and took him in custody.

To the officer Weddle declared that he expected to register when he became of age. He said his mother maintains that he is not yet 21.

 

Farmerettes Real Thing - Go to Work at 5:30 in Morning and Earn 85 Cents Per Day

Marietta Daily Times, August 13, 1918

"Farmerettes are a reality and not an experiment," H. G. Chamberlain of Muskingum Road told Mrs. George H. Matson Tuesday morning as she and her two daughters left for their home at Columbus. Mrs. Matson is the chaperone of the Dorothy Dawes farmerettes unit of Columbus, which has been working this summer on various farms up the Muskingum.

Here is Mrs. Matson's story:  "My two daughters, Ethel and Louise, were not even allowed to touch the lawn mower to cut the grass on our small lawn in Columbus, but when the farmerette question was raised, since it was a patriotic move, all were in favor of it.

"Miss Dawes and her family are friends of ours and we came to Marietta and to the truck farms. There were about 12 of the girls all together. They began working on June 24."

Mrs. Matson went on to explain that the girls each received 85 cents per day which went toward paying railroad fares. An additional small amount was received for lunches and board.

"The girls were in the field at 5:30 in the morning" said Mrs. Matson, "and quit work at 2:30 in the afternoon. Twenty minutes was allowed for lunch. At 8:30 all lights were ordered out and suitors were required to leave for their houses."

"I picked 4,000 pounds of tomatoes each day I worked in the patch," said Miss Louise Matson, pretty and sun-burned. "And one day," she added, "I helped pitch straw."

"And we worked in the morning dew until our overalls were soaked with water and people said we would have colds," said Miss Ethel. "But we just kept on," she continued, "and paid no attention, but just worked."

The girls who have been working at the truck farms are nearly all students of the Ohio State University. Some were from the Smith College, Lake Erie College, Bangs Whiton School, and National Park Seminary.

There are still two girls employed on the farms, one from this city and one from Indiana. The latter is working until she has gotten together enough money to return to her home. She is also a student of the Ohio State University.

 

Marietta Boy in Hospital in Calais, France

The Register-Leader, August 10, 1916

Joe Pflug Wounded in Face - Parents Here Receive Word From Him.

Joseph Pflug, 39 years old, of the Canadian contingent of the British forces in France, was wounded on July 29 by a gunshot wound in the face, according to official notification received Wednesday afternoon by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Pflug of 402 Warren Street. No details were given of the occurrence in the notification, which was from the Canadian army headquarters at Ottawa, Canada, which stated that Pfug was in a hospital at Calais, France, recovering from a wound in the face.

The message was forwarded by the Ottawa office from the report issued by the army authorities in France. Pflug enlisted in the Canadian signal corps two years ago, shortly after the outbreak of the war. 

His parents are greatly worried over the message, fearing that he might have been blinded. It is quite possible that they may receive no further word of their son until his condition takes a turn for the worst, or he is discharged from the hospital.

Besides his parents, Pflug has a number of other relatives in this city. He left Marietta about five years ago, and until the time of his enlistment, he was employed in the lumber camps of Quebec.